How to use this website...

SECONDARY/FE/ADULT ED

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

Below is a series of suggested Steps to both view the website contents and consider what would be the most appropriate way to progress.

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 Secondary regardless of chronological age - particularly the 5th video in the set, The Importance of Being Four, as it highlights areas of increased risk of learning difficulties.

• 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 is:

• When Listening Comes Alive by Paul Madaule.

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
  • Brain Gym® in Business.
  Brain Gym is proving useful in the classroom:
  • Getting pupils “Ready to Learn”
  • As a “break state”
  • Defusing stress prior to and during exams
  • Improving brain functioning for thinking skills
  Brain Gym is being found very helpful in Behavioural and Inclusion Units, empowering pupils to defuse their own stress and anger.
  Follow this link to learn more about Brain Gym and review the books.

STEP 4

It is strongly recommended that one or more key members of staff attend training sessions to ensure the Brain Gym® concepts and movements are fully understood to achieve maximum effect.
Follow this link to find courses on Brain Gym.

STEP 5: More specialist approaches?

At Ladder of Learning we have had the opportunity to investigate and assess the usefulness of some specialist tools and techniques.

• The Dominance Factor by Carla Hannaford PhD
• The Learnie Board by Zoom Learning
• The Brain Fit by Audiva
• The BrainBuilder® by Advanced Brain Technologies.

STEP 6: Other approaches?

In Secondary there is the opportunity to explore different approaches like The Alexander Technique, which is about 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.