Walk, run, exercise: learn, learn, learn!

December 4, 2009

We all feel better after going to the gym, well before the aches start anyway! But did you know that you are more able to learn as a result of the exercise you have just done?
There is research that shows that exercise not only warms up muscles it also warms up brain circuitry making [...]

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Talk, talk, talk, learn, learn, learn!

December 2, 2009

A young friends of mine are pregnant and looking forward to the birth with all the trepidation of first time parents. Knowing my involvement in helping children learn how to learn they asked for some advice. How about that, actually being asked directly rather than the sideways comments I usually get at social functions!
They [...]

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Self-esteem: have parents gone too far?

December 1, 2009

We all know that children need some self-esteem, some feeling of self worth if they are going to become good learners. Why bother to learn if you don’t feel that you are important enough to make a difference? So teachers, and parents, help their children develop self-esteem by telling them how good they [...]

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Thanks Google Street View!

October 14, 2009

There I as, trying to find my house on Google Street (along with everyone else in Vancouver!) when I realized what a great learning tool it is.
As regular readers will know, I am somewhat directionally challenged, I get lost a lot. But I am also a visual learner, I learn and understand best when [...]

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Are you an Edu-Parent?

October 5, 2009

I have been struggling to find a name for parents who go that extra step to help their children learn. I want to differentiate between the teaching that goes on in school and the learning that happens in the home.
Why do I want to do this?
Because I think that parents have a vital role [...]

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The myth of Reading Readiness

October 3, 2009

I read recently that most schools start teaching children when they are six years old because this is the age when most children are ready to learn how to read.
What an outdated idea.
I admit, in the 50’s and 60’s there was this notion of reading readiness, that children just did not have the ability and [...]

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Learning Assessments – who needs them?

October 1, 2009

“Does anyone know where I can get my child’s learning assessed?”
This was a plea from a mother of a nine year old non-reader. She felt that a learning assessment might give her the power to get extra help for her son.
She is right, having information about why children have learning difficulties is very important in [...]

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Do children suffer from NBT?

September 29, 2009

Recently I read (Margaret Wente in the Globe and Mail) that the head of a small private school often diagnosed new students as being NBT- ‘Never Been Taught’. She stated that many of the children who came to her school were not learning well because they had not been taught well.
Her school takes [...]

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Back to school stress – signs to watch for.

September 24, 2009

By now the initial excitement of starting school is beginning to wear off. Your child has probably overcome the many of the small anxieties he or she might have had about the new school year. Your child is beginning to settle into the new class and to start learning.
But, for some children the [...]

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30% of children are not ready for school

September 19, 2009

This is the startling finding of a recent study at the University of B.C. They found that only 70% of children entering kindergarten were able to follow instructions or tell a story- basic skills that children need if they are going to learn.
They even went so far as to state that these unprepared schoolchildren [...]

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15% of Preschoolers At Risk For Learning Problems.

August 28, 2009

A recently published research report found that 15% of children aged between 5 months and five years of age suffered from abnormally high levels of depression. The research noted that these children often had mothers with a history of depression. This cycle of depression needs to be broken.
Why? Because the fact that 15% [...]

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Another 7 Early Warning Signs You Might Be missing!

August 26, 2009

Actually you are probably not missing these signs as they are so apparent, but you may be missing the reason why they are there!
In my last post I wrote about seven early warning signs that your child has a learning difficulty and is underachieving in class. These signs were related to schoolwork. Today [...]

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Do you recognize the seven early warning signs that your child is underachieving in school?

August 26, 2009

If your child is underachieving in school you need to do something to help. Many parents think the problem will resolve itself, that their child is just going through a phase, and that everything will be OK in a few months.
This is just not the case.
I have worked with many, many parents [...]

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Is your child one of the 20% of children who underachieve in school?

August 25, 2009

It has been estimated that as many as 1 in 5 children underachieve in school.
What does that mean?
It means that 20% of children do not perform in accordance with their age or talents. In other words they have unfulfilled potential.
It is difficult to identify underachievers as there is no specific test that shows a [...]

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August 24, 2009

Parents!Is your bright child underachieving in school? Do you want to know how you can help?
You have come to the right place.
Here you will discover why your child is struggling to learn and what you can do to provide the help he or she needs.
Patricia Porter, Ph.D.

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Do you want your child to be healthy, caring and responsible? Check out how you can make it happen.

August 11, 2009

Doesn’t every parent want a caring, responsible and healthy child? Well, The Search Institute of Practical Research Benefiting Children and Youth has identified a list of building blocks that make sure this happens.
Here is their list of 8 things that make this happen – more detail later.
1. Support – from parents [...]

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Autism: A Difficulty or a Difference?

August 4, 2009

Last night I watched a short documentary about three young adults with autism. They were all very articulate, although one communicated through a computer speech program rather than actually talking. One of them worked as a researcher in a university.
They were talking about being autistic and what it meant to them. They [...]

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New teacher in the fall? Help your child adjust.

August 4, 2009

The summer is in full swing here in Vancouver, but already the fall clothes are in the stores and soon it will be ‘back to school’ time.
Most students will be going to a new class with a new, perhaps unfamiliar, teacher. Your child may be anxious about this, not sure how he will get [...]

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Back in business!

July 31, 2009

After a week on a tall ship traveling from Halifax to Sydney Nova Scotia I am ready to get down to business once more!
For information about this floating school check out -
http://www.worldoceanschool.org/

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How do you think?

July 15, 2009

This is a blog post from a colleague of mine. Try it out – maybe it will get you thinking how you think, and what about how your child thinks?
Why not ask them to do the exercise and see what happens?
I taught neuropsychological research with an emphasis on special education for 25 years. I [...]

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