“Train Your Brain” sessions will be offered on the campus of North Hills Christian School this summer during the weeks of June 9-13 and July 14-18. Doris Plummer and Shanon Vickers, licensed therapists for this mediation, will direct these sessions, which will be open to students in the community in fourth grade and above. Spaces are limited.
Students with no previous FIE intervention will work through the first module, “Organization of Dots.” In this module, students begin by locating squares and triangles overlapping each other in a cluster of seven, ten, and then 11 dots.
Once that concept is grasped, students move on to more complicated shapes, eventually working with complex fish and three-dimensional figures. Students can develop more than 20 skills in this process, such as the ability to recognize patterns, to identify elements that remain consistent, to refrain from impulsivity, and to eventually apply these concepts to other aspects of learning.
Students who struggle at first gain confidence quickly as they begin to see that what looked like an impossible challenge is really fun.
North Hills students who have completed some of these exercises have deepened their ability to analyze and synthesize information, which has been of benefit to them in classwork.
A high school geometry student said, “The dots helped me to learn to look at things more closely. They taught me patience. I don’t give up so easily.”
For some, the results have opened doors that formerly were closed to them. Two students who were not slated to graduate with a college-preparatory diploma will now be doing so. One of the key factors to this change was a direct result of concepts developed in FIE.
Many have seen improvement that has carried over into the classroom as pathways created in the brain are allowing them to perform tasks with which they once struggled. Understanding has improved in a variety of areas, and ADD students have learned to curb their impulsivity.
“We see a direct correlation between the number of modules of FIE a student completes and success in the classroom,” said Doris Plummer, FIE instructor.
The cost for the camps is $75 per week, with an additional $10 for each workbook covered. For more information, contact dplummer@northhillschristian.com or svickers@northhillschristian.com or contact the school office. North Hills Christian School is located at 2970 W. Innes St., Salisbury.