Brain Coach Tips Brain Coach Tips

Making Math Easier with Dr. Jan Bedell  Podcast #18

Be sure to download the handout below.



As homeschoolers we tend to teach the way we were taught or at the very least we are influenced by how we experienced school ourselves.  In this episode, Jan Bedell, the Little Giant Steps Brain Coach, challenges the standard way of doing a few problems to teach a “math lesson” and then sending the student off to “do it on their own”.

Myth Debunked

Then we grade the papers the child finished and then what?  Do we do more instruction?  Typically not, we just send the paper back with the child and tell them to correct it.  No wonder so many children HATE math.  The myth: If we help the student or do some of the student’s problems for them, it makes us somehow guilty of cheating.   That myth is debunked in this episode.

Episode Sponsor: Smash Maths

SMASH Maths provides 2 online Practices every week for children.

Each Practice contains at least 10 bespoke questions, so that means 20+ questions a week. The program is available for pupils in Kindergarten to Grade 6. The cost is $7.50 per month.

Use CODE: FELICE to receive your discount. Visit SMASHMATHS.org/homeschooling 

Find out more here: https://www.smashmaths.org/home-schooling/

 

Magic Cards

Also, what about those magic cards we hold up when “working” on facts?  In this podcast, the lunacy of that frustrating exercise is uncovered and an effective approach to learning math facts quickly and painlessly is introduced.  Just how much faster would math assignments go if math facts were instantly recalled?  How much time is wasted correcting problems where there was a math fact error?  How much better would the child’s attitude be if math assignments were more quickly done so there was time to spend on other interest areas?  What about dysgraphia? Yes, with the techniques and resources introduced here, those symptoms are reduced or go away. Find how to make math easier in this 25 minute podcast.



 



Don’t miss the handout attached here with links to pertinent information and discounts.Handout



 



Photo Credits: DepositPhoto.com All Rights Reserved. Copyright  ilona75

Making Reading Easier by Dr. Jan Bedell

Sponsored by Reading Eggs



A prerequisite to reading using the phonics approach is a good auditory processing ability (auditory short-term memory).  If processing is not well developed, reading with phonics past three letter words can be next to impossible.  Don’t go buy another phonics program!  It isn’t the phonics program that is the issue, it is the processing that causes the difficulty.  You will learn what to do when phonics is not working and how to prepare the brain to be able to use phonics in the future.



When you work on this auditory processing skill and the others mentioned above, it can be instrumental in reducing the symptoms of dyslexia and other challenges.  Specific techniques to make reading easier are taught in this session. You will also understand how to improve comprehension.



Be sure to get the handout attached for information and discounts.



 - 17-MakingReadingEasier





 



* Free auditory processing kit – here

* Help for math facts – here

* Brain boosting products – here

Neuroplasticity - Rewiring The Brain with Dr. Jan Bedell

Podcast #19

Neuroplasticity and rewiring the brain? Hmm? Do we really have to use such an unfamiliar word?  Yes, to describe the amazing gift that God has given us we can start with a big word and break it down.  It really is quite simple – “neuro” is having to do with the brain and “plasticity” is the ability to change.  Our brains are changing all the time. This is really good news when you have a struggling learner or a child with a label like dyslexia, ADD, ADHD or autism.  The key is knowing how to fuel the brain with the right kind of stimulation so it builds new pathways.  From these new pathways, the brain can receive, organize, process and store information well enough to bring it out and use it in everyday life.  With the right kind of stimulation, your brain can take little developmental steps to achieve giant strides in academics and overall function.  That is what happens when you use the products and services of Little Giant Steps.

In this episode, you will hear the experience of a teacher that had taught first grade for 17 years before using The NeuroDevelopmental Approach in her classroom in year 18.

It made a huge difference for her students and can make a difference for you and your family as well.  Applying just a little information can make all the difference in your child’s future.  We shouldn’t leave out the adults either!  It is never too late to change the brain.  Two ladies in their 50’s, one a reading tutor and the other a Montessori teacher who had always struggled with reading comprehension, raised their reading comprehension score by 3 ½ years in only four months’ time.   And guess what? They didn’t do any specific reading program.  All it took was organization and specific stimulation to the brain and their abilities radically changed.



 



 



Visit our sponsor Little Giant Steps for information about



* Free auditory processing kit – here

* Help for math facts – here

* Brain boosting products – here







 

Another label has emerged for individuals that are having learning challenges – it’s CAPD. CAPD stands for Central Auditory Processing Disorder and is also referred to as APD or Auditory Processing Disorder.  There are different aspects of this “disorder” that negatively affect a person’s ability to function fully.  Symptoms include:



* Difficulties in recognizing and interpreting sounds, especially voice tones

* Inability to hold sufficient information in sequential order in one’s auditory short-term memory (sequential auditory processing).



This label, like other labels in our educational system, is a symptomatic label.  That means if there are enough symptoms on a checklist, the label is given.  As always in NeuroDevelopment, the question is: what is causing these symptoms to occur? Our society’s practices are the culprit again!  In this episode, Jan Bedell, the Brain Coach, will provide a broader understanding of CAPD and its far-reaching effects.



If you know someone that has trouble following directions, staying on task, reading with a phonics approach, or comprehending what is said and read, this podcast can offer some real answers.  Many times the same symptoms that are associated with CAPD are also experienced by individuals that have or are suspected of having ADD, ADHD, dyslexia and other learning struggles.  This podcast will discuss how low auditory processing presents challenges for every sector of our society.  It will also include ways to improve the inefficiencies found in the symptoms of these labels. By learning how to improve these inefficiencies, you can help your child’s auditory processing improve greatly!



 Don’t miss the handout attached here with links to pertinent resources.

Special Replay this week from The Brain Coach: Is your child struggling with math? Do you have a gifted child that needs to secure a good math foundation that will let them soar? Is your 5, 9 or 15 year old having trouble remembering their math facts? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, this is the podcast for you!



Dr. Jan will lead you through the foundation and cornerstone of math.



Foundation:

1. Rote counting – Counting CD

2. Understanding quantity – first count accurately, then be able to look at fingers, pictures on a page, and dice and be able to recognize the quantity

3. Counting from any random number to a specific number

4. Skip Counting

5. Concept of math operations:

a. What is addition, subtraction, multiplication or division?

b. Progression through the different aspects of each operation, i.e. multi-digit addition all the way through 2 and 3 digit division. This progression is made available through Visual Circle Math

(downloadable & printed copy), a way to advance quickly through understanding of concepts if a child is advanced in math. Great also for remediation if a child is struggling with math as

they can go at their own pace. Also available in: Visual Circle Math (download only)



6. Word problems – holding pieces together long enough to figure out what is important information requires good auditory processing.



 



Get your free Auditory Processing Test Kit at LittleGiantSteps.com

Cornerstone:

Math Facts – Rapid Recall System be sure to choose the operation you want (addition, subtraction, etc. or get all four operations at a major discount).

See handout for special Ultimate Home School Radio discounts on all products mentioned on today’s podcast.

The almost militant battle of how to best teach reading has been waged over the last 150+ years with proponents from both sides being adamant about their recommendations.  As the reading curriculum pendulum has swung back and forth from phonics to sight to phonics the controversy roars on with little attention given to anything except technique. This narrow view of reading has resulted in millions of individuals being diagnosed with dyslexia and other reading and language delays.



With the introduction of learning styles even more reading techniques abound.  Phonics is an auditory approach to reading. One must hold each sound in auditory short-term memory long enough to get the word “sounded out”. If the child’s auditory short-term memory (processing) is low, phonics doesn’t work well, and the parents typically finds themselves moving from one phonics program to the next.  This is often the case in the home school community because phonics is viewed as “THE” best way to teach reading.  Don’t get me wrong; I love phonics and it is a terrific way to teach reading IF the child has good auditory processing. If not, there is frustration, tears and feelings of low self-esteem.



A visual learner might pick up sight words easily but struggle with phonics because of the learner’s visual bend.  For the tactile learner, reading is a real challenge as it is time consuming and inefficient to create each word you need to learn out of pipe cleaners or the like.



In this episode, the Brain Coach will give you tips on what functions must be working well in the brain for reading to take place as she reveals the best way to teach reading.



 



Don’t miss the handout attached here with links to pertinent information and discounts.

Visit our sponsor –LittleGiantSteps.com