How to use this website...

PRIMARY TEACHER – Middle & Upper

(Infant Teacher – see under Early Years)

Please see the Summary Table, and read in conjunction with the following.

STEP 1: Getting a better understanding

The specific areas of the curriculum the learner is having difficulty with may be clear. However, there is also a need to identify any inadequately learned underlying sub-skills that may be causing problems. Many of these sub-skills should have developmentally been in place prior to starting school. To help understand this aspect, the child development video set is still a good start point in Primary - particularly the 5th video in the set, The Importance of Being Four, as it highlights areas of increased risk.

• Follow this link for more information about these videos.

STEP 2: Choose books

Choose books to add more background and introduce some useful approaches. Click on the book title to be transferred to the appropriate section of the website. Further informative websites are also linked into some of the book descriptions.
The most recommended book is:

• Smart Moves: why learning is not all in your head by Carla Hannaford PhD

Also very useful are:

• When Listening Comes Alive by Paul Madaule
• Awakening the Child Heart by Carla Hannaford PhD
• Tomorrow's Children by Margaret Sasse

STEP 3: Getting started

The books in STEP 2 will already have given some ideas.

• Many Teachers are finding Brain Gym a very useful approach.
  • Brain Gym® Teacher’s Revised Edition
  • Hands On – How to Use Brain Gym® in the Classroom
  Follow this link to learn more about Brain Gym and review the books.
• For Middle Primary ages the Movement & Learning songbook and CD sets are proving useful.
  • Children’s Songbook and CD set
  • Wombat & His Mates and CD set
  Follow this link to learn more about and choose from the Movement & Learning series.
• For Upper Primary: attention to Posture and Thinking in Activity:
  • The Art of Running
  • The Art of Swimming
  • The Art of Changing.
  You may also like to consider the effects of school furniture on posture and thinking.

STEP 4

It is strongly recommended that one or more key members of staff attend training sessions to ensure the Movement & Learning materials and Brain Gym® concepts and movements are fully understood to achieve maximum effect.

• Follow this link to find courses on Brain Gym.
• The BrainBuilder® by Advanced Brain Technologies.