Archive for July, 2010
Expeditionary Learning (Video & Design Principles)
July 31st, 2010 | 
Author: 
Give Me Shelter video; to view video click on link: Expeditionary Learning ………………………………………………………………………………………………
In February 2009, President Barack Obama visited Capital City Public Charter School, an Expeditionary Learning School in Washington, DC, and said the school “is an example of how all our schools should be.” – From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expeditionary_learning_schools
Design Principles of Expeditionary Learning Schools (ELS)
The following design principles serve as a moral and cultural foundation for each Expeditionary Learning School. They express the core values and educational philosophy of Expeditionary Learning.4
The Primacy of Self-Discovery states that learning happens best with emotion, challenge and the requisite support. People discover their abilities, values, passions, and responsibilities in situations that offer adventure and the unexpected. The primary task of the teacher is to help students overcome their fears and discover they can do more than they thought they could.
The Having of Wonderful Ideas places emphasis on fostering curiosity about the world by creating learning situations that provide something important to think about, time to experiment, and time to make sense of what is observed.
The Responsibility for Learning argues that learning is both a personal process of discovery and a social activity. Therefore, every aspect of an Expeditionary Learning school encourages both children and adults to become increasingly responsible for directing their own personal and collective learning.
Empathy and Caring believes that learning is fostered best in communities where students’ and teachers’ ideas are respected and where there is mutual trust. Older students often mentor younger ones, and students feel physically and emotionally safe.
Success and Failure states the fact that all students need to be successful if they are to build the confidence and capacity to take risks and meet increasingly difficult challenges. But it is also important for students to learn from their failures, to persevere when things are hard, and to learn to turn disabilities into opportunities.
Collaboration and Competition positions Expeditionary Learning schools as integrating individual development and group development, so that the value of friendship, trust, and group action is clear. Students are encouraged to compete not against each other, but with their own personal best and with rigorous standards of excellence.
Diversity and Inclusion believes that both diversity and inclusion increase the richness of ideas, creative power, problem-solving ability, and respect for others. Schools and learning groups are heterogeneous.
The Natural World helps create a direct and respectful relationship with the natural world, which refreshes the human spirit and teaches the important ideas of recurring cycles and cause and effect. Students learn to become stewards of the earth and of future generations.
Solitude and Reflection argues that students and teachers need time alone to explore their own thoughts, make their own connections, and create their own ideas. They also need time to exchange their reflections with other students and with adults.
Service and Compassion places emphasis on strengthening students and teachers through acts of consequential service to others. One of an Expeditionary Learning school’s primary functions is to prepare students with the attitudes and skills to learn from and be of service. [1]
See also
The Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kurt_Hahn_Expeditionary_Learning_School#cite_ref-0
Outward Bound USA, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outward_Bound_USA#Expeditionary_Learning_Outward_Bound
Notes
1 ELS Website 2 Kearns, David T 3 Berends, Mark (2002) 4 ELS Website 5 Murphy, Josheph F. and Amanda Datnow (2002) 6 ELS Website 7 The Kauffman Foundation Website 8 Borman, Geoffrey, et al. 9 Capital City PCS Website
References
Berends, Mark (2002), Facing the Challenges of Whole School Reform: New American Schools After a Decade. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.
Murphy, Joseph F., and Amanda Datnow (2002), Leadership Lessons from Comprehensive School Reform. Corwin Press.
Kearns, David T, Toward a New Generation of American Schools. The Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 74, No. 10 (Jun., 1993), pp. 773-776.
Borman, Geoffrey D., Gina M. Hewes, Laura T. Overman, Shelly Brown (2002), Comprehensive School Reform and Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis. Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk, Report # 59.
Bodilly, Susan (1998), Lessons From New American Schools’ Scale-Up Phase: Prospects for Bringing Designs to Multiple Schools. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.
The Kauffman Foundation, http://www.kauffman.org/education/expeditionary-learning-schools-outward-bound.aspx
Expeditionary Learning Schools Outward Bound, http://www.elschools.org/index.html
Capital City Public Charter School, http://ccpcs.org/news/54
Mosle, Sara, May 28, 1995. “A City School Experiment that Actually Works”. The New York Times.
Herszenhorn, David M., March 20, 2006. “A New York School That Teaches Teamwork by Camping”. The New York Times. …………………………………………………………………………………………………
The Pacific Heritage Academy (PHA), a proposed charter school for Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, is using the ELS (Expeditionary Learning Schools) model for its guide. For more information on the Pacific Heritage Academy (PHA), see their Facebook website: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=290162105890&topic=12898&post=59598#!/pages/Pacific-Heritage-Schools/290162105890
To the improvement of all schools in all nations!
Doc Meek, Saturday, July 31, 2010, at South Jordan, Utah, USA —————————–
J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com
For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026
THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095
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Posted in Learning Difficulties, learning solutions, overcoming learning problems | 
Tags: active learning, applied learning, best learning, brain rules, changing your behavior, changing your mind, community of learners, Doc Meek, docmeek, effective field trips, Expeditionary Learning, group learning, head heart hands hope, hope, PHA (Pacific Heritage Academy), self-involvement in learning, teacher training | 
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Learning more about Bryce Canyon beauty
Photo from: http://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/virtualtour.htm
Field trip opportunities abound in southern Utah canyon country, for families and classrooms alike. The US National Park Service provides abundant information about how to get the most out of your canyon visits. Just click on their website for that information available from the US National Park Service: http://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/virtualtour.htm
The above website of the US National Park Service provides more photo coverage on Bryce Canyon country, additional to the photo which I posted previously, on Sunday, July 18, 2010. If you missed that post, click on the July 18 date on the calendar on the right-hand side of the screen near the top of the page of this, THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE blog, or just click on this title: Sunday: Home from Bryce Canyon country, Utah
YouTube provides a beautiful video on Bryce Canyon country, Utah, USA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG3e55Z0bX0&feature=PlayList&p=546BEB63838DE0BC&playnext=1&index=11
There are also additional YouTube videos adjacent to the above one, displaying the stunning beauties of other rock-formation National Park areas in southern Utah, such as “hiking with the angels” through Zions National Park: http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=C8ygjEUFI1E&feature=PlayList&p=546BEB63838DE0BC&index=15
Or how about Canyonlands National Park in a Jeep? http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=Zm7cvH101Bg&feature=PlayList&p=546BEB63838DE0BC&index=23
There are other videos on YouTube, adjacent to the above ones. You can visit the exceptional southern Utah canyons to your heart’s content, eh? Virtually, or going there as a family or classroom. There is no substitute for first-hand experience, eh?
You might want to comment by clicking on the little blue word “… comments in the bottom right-hand corner of this post?
Happy hiking!
Doc Meek, Friday, July 30, 2010, at South Jordan, Utah, USA
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J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com
For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026
THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095
.
Posted in Learning Difficulties, learning solutions, overcoming learning problems |
Tags: active learning, applied learning, Doc Meek, docmeek, Expeditionary Learning, learning more, Outward Bound, success, teacher training |
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Pat Wyman is a learning specialist par excellence
I am very grateful to Pat Wyman for her guest article below. – Doc Meek
America’s Most Trusted Learning Expert
Instant Learning Strategies®: The Top Five Secrets You Need to Learn Anything Fast
In your ever-busy, “on demand” life, have you ever wondered how it would feel to be able to learn twice as much in half the time? Life changes in an instant, so here is a proven, Instant Learning® formula that will give you the learning edge you need.
Whether you are a CEO, an employee in job training, a student, or a parent, did you know that a baby learning to walk uses the same techniques that are key to your Instant Learning® ability? The baby practices but really learns to walk in an “instant” once he unlocks the code I share in my Instant Learning® seminars—”learning is not about being smart; it’s about strategy!”
Curious? Read on, put your eyebrows on relax, and you will remember everything you read in this chapter. Here are five proven strategies that neuroscientists, psychologists, and learning experts say anyone can use to confidently learn anything new. I call this Instant Learning® formula BBAPI.
1. Belief
You already believe that you can learn in an instant because you’ve been doing it your whole life. When you were younger, you learned thousands of new things, firm in the belief that you would succeed. You simply tried new strategies until you mastered the task. As Henry Ford said, “If you think you can do a thing, or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”
Right now, give yourself permission to believe that you can learn anything based solely on the information you receive from your actions. Adjust your learning strategies as you read this chapter, and do things differently until you get the result you want. Remember, your belief and strategies together are so strong that they inspire the highest vision of what is possible.
2. Body
Your body movements are a reflection of what is going on in your brain. If you lie on the couch in a dimly lit room and say self-defeating things to yourself while deciding that you’re going to learn something new, you will simply end up on the couch. This is information that you’re not highly motivated to learn anything new.
Do this: change your body position as if you are perfectly successful and record how you feel. When you are ready to learn something new, put yourself into your “success position.” Next, do what experts do with their bodies: I call it “Brain Smart, Body Smart™.” Make sure you get any “body or brain” roadblocks to learning out of the way. Have your eyes checked by a developmental optometrist to make sure that you see the printed page the same way others do; make sure you are hearing properly; exercise, love your body enough to put nourishing foods into it, and explore why supplements like omega 3s, which are proven to help you think faster and remember longer, are the very best strategies to enhance your body and brain.
3. Association
Have you ever met someone and liked them right away, even though you did not actually know the person? The reason is called association, which neuroscientists say is created from connections in your brain that remind you of someone else you already know and like.
To make learning faster, connect it with something you already know because your brain craves patterns. To cement the learning, add more connections like humor, uniqueness, emotion, and visual, auditory, and tactile modalities. Psychologists report that you can learn something new the very first time, if the associations you make along with it are strong enough. When I teach medical students how to recall complicated medical terms, we use humorous letters, pictures, and words connected with things they already know. Their learning is stress-free and virtually “instant”!
4. Pictures
Have you ever read sections of a book and then forgot what you just read? After you see a movie, do you notice that it seems easier to remember the pictures?
Picture recall has much more meaning across many parts of the brain, so the saying “one picture is worth a thousand words” really is true. Whenever you are reading something new, put your body into success position and become a filmmaker in your mind. Read something, look up, and make a movie from the words. Then, add your own, personalized version of something familiar in your picture. Connect the two images, and when you look up at your images again, you’ll easily be able to learn and remember whatever you want. This is called the eye-brain connection.
5. Input, Storage, and Output Need to be Matched
If you wanted to find out whether a baseball player had the skills to make the team, would you give the person a written test? Sounds silly, but the mismatch between learning and testing styles is a major reason people wonder about whether they can learn new things.
One of the best-kept learning secrets that you’ll never hear in school is how to match learning styles with testing styles for effortless learning. Discover your preferred learning style (visual, auditory, or tactile), and ask yourself what style will be used to test your knowledge. Match your learning style (input), memory style (storage), and testing style (output), and learning becomes a breeze.
Remember, learning is not about being smart. It is only about strategy, and once you know the strategies, you can choose to learn anything at any time. Learning how to learn is your key to Instant Learning® for a lifetime of learning success.
For your FREE Personal Learning Styles Inventory, and your 4 FREE chapters of my immediately downloadable eBook, Instant Learning® for Amazing Grades, go to: www.howtolearn.com/amazinggrades.html
– Pat Wyman ………………………………………………………………………………………..
Thank you, Pat!
Doc Meek, Thursday, July 29, 2010, at South Jordan, Utah, USA ——————————-
J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com
For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026
THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095
.
Posted in Learning Difficulties, learning solutions, overcoming learning problems |
Tags: active learning, ADD, ADHD, best learning, Doc Meek, docmeek, head heart hands hope, learning problems, parenting, success, teacher training |
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“Why China is passing us.” – Winnipeg Free Press (2nd of 2 parts)
Lanshan Middle School No. 2 is in an agricultural area in the southern part of Hunan province, China; Hunan province is highlighted in red on the map of China above; image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunan ………………………………………………………………………………………
I am grateful for today’s guest article from the Winnipeg Free Press in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/fyi/why-chinas-passing-us-84291977.html
Winnipeg Free Press – PRINT EDITION
Why China’s passing us [2nd of 2 parts]
At Lanshan Middle School No. 2, no free rides
By: Carol Sanders, February 13, 2010
About one-third of the students live in dorms on campus. Many of their parents work in factories in another province or their farms are too far from town to commute to school every day.
The high school students do their own laundry near a cold-water tap beside one of the dorms, using a basin and wringing their clothes by hand before hanging them up to dry.
On Saturday mornings, when classes start later and the school day is shorter, a student clean-up crew armed with straw brooms and garbage bags, pails of cold water and rags cleans the school.
Once a month, students have to take their turn, working in groups of three. They sweep the grounds and wash the windows.
They do it freely, while they talk and joke around.
“It’s our duty,” said Gina, a girl in Grade 10 who wants to join the military. When they had a freak snow storm in Lanshan two years ago, it was the military that rescued people in buses in the ditch and the military that went to help earthquake victims in Sichuan.
She wants to be a soldier so she can travel around China and help people. She’s never seen the military in the bad light of Tiananmen Square or Tibet.
The upbeat optimism of Gina and her schoolmates overshadows a lot of darkness — like when the power goes out. Or the garbage dumpster is filled to overflowing by week’s end.
Or when students fall asleep in class because they’ve stayed up all night studying.
The new boys’ dorm looks like a palace for little princes compared to the grungy, gray girls’ dorm.
In class, there’s a lot of rote learning and memorization, as opposed to creative writing and critical thinking.
And if you’re not up to speed, you get left behind.
Middle School No. 2 is for the smartest and hardest working kids in the region. The less-skilled teachers and students are at Middle School No. 1. There appears to be no place for students with disabilities or behaviour problems.
Self-discipline, hard work and proper deportment are the norm.
Teachers say it only takes one meeting with parents to correct a student’s misbehaviour.
When a Grade 10 girl got caught putting a note on a boy’s back that said “sex monster” she panicked and pleaded with her Canadian English teacher not to tell the principal.
The school doesn’t practice corporal punishment — but parents might. Getting called down to the principal’s office because your kid was acting up is a major disgrace in a culture that intensely values education.
In the last 60 years, China’s illiteracy rate has dropped to 9.1 percent from 80 per cent in 1949, according to the World Bank. The enrollment rate for primary-school children rose to 99.3 per cent from 20 per cent, and high schools and universities are booming.
We can shame China for its human rights record and feel superior, but that’s not going to stop its 1.3 billion people from getting ahead of us, educationally and economically.
The number of Canadians who earn bachelor’s degrees is below the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development average and well behind many other nations, the OECD 2009 report Education at a Glance said. Even the number of PhDs has fallen.
The Chinese have a saying “fu bu guo san dai” which means “wealth does not pass three generations.” The first generation works extremely hard, the second generation reaps the benefits. The third generation arrives — and squanders the wealth.
The forces of globalization aren’t going to give our kids a break. If we don’t equip them to compete with the hundreds of millions of kids schools like Lanshan are turning out, there may not be any wealth to squander when we’re gone.
[This is the 2nd of 2 parts; the 1st part was published in the previous post, dated Tuesday, July 27, 2010]
– Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 13, 2010 H1
Doc Meek posted a comment at the Winnipeg Free Press about this article:
February 19, 2010 at 7:19 PM
I am writing a book that will encourage Chinese teachers and students to involve themselves more in active learning, so that the school work they do will be more meaningful to each of them personally. I would like them to learn to love active learning, not just rote learning, so that they can enjoy life-long learning, not just factual memorizing. However, it is clear that they will teaching me about active learning too, from their example of self-discipline and hard work. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. – Doc Meek, Calgary, Alberta, CANADA, and South Jordan, Utah, USA …………………………………………………………………………………………
Doc Meek, Wednesday, July 28, 2010, at South Jordan, Utah, USA
————-
J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com
For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026
THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095
=======================
Posted in Learning Difficulties, learning solutions, overcoming learning problems |
Tags: active learning, brain rules, changing your behavior, changing your mind, Doc Meek, docmeek, happiness, head heart hands hope, Learning Difficulties, learning problems, positive discipline, self-discipline, success, teacher training |
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“Why China is passing us.” – Winnipeg Free Press (1st of 2 parts)
Lanshan Middle School No. 2 is in an agricultural area in the southern part of Hunan province, China; Hunan province is highlighted in red on the map of China above; image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunan …………………………………………………………………………………………
I am grateful for today’s guest article from the Winnipeg Free Press in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/fyi/why-chinas-passing-us-84291977.html
Winnipeg Free Press – PRINT EDITION
Why China’s passing us [1st of 2 parts]
At Lanshan Middle School No. 2, no free rides
By: Carol Sanders, February 13, 2010
In one of the poorest regions of the economic powerhouse of 1.3 billion people, kids are up at 6:30 every morning, working out, doing their own laundry by hand and going to classes 12 hours a day. And they’re learning English.
On a cold, dark December morning, a whistle blows over a loudspeaker at 6:30 a.m. followed by a wake-up call and some march music.
It’s time for the hundreds of high school kids who live at Lanshan Middle School No. 2 to wake up.
The school is in an agricultural centre in southern Hunan province.
The students get up and gather for exercises accompanied by canned Chinese pop music, then head to the cafeteria. They get their bowl and chopsticks from their cubby and line up for a hot stir-fry breakfast and steamed vegetables. If they want dumplings or doughy sweets, they’ll have to pay extra. After breakfast, they wash their bowls and sticks, put them away and head to classes.
The top students are located on the top floors of the school. The Grade 10 high-achievers have to climb up five flights of stairs — the reward for their hard work is more hard work.
At mid-morning, all the teachers (some wearing high heels) and the students (some wearing slippers) take a break from classes and go for a two-kilometre run around the perimeter of the sprawling high school campus.
It’s quite a sight. There’s no pissing and moaning or goofing off. The 2,200 kids and teachers joke and chat while they jog. Some high-five a Canadian English teacher as they run past her.
The midday break is not siesta time.
The students head to the study hall to do homework. Before supper, they gather to play basketball, table tennis, soccer, badminton, lift weights or run around the track.
There’s no teacher organizing them — the kids just break off into their groups. And nobody’s left out.
The students group themselves according to their skill level, so kids who suck at sports like badminton but like it anyway can still play with someone in their league and have a chance at winning.
The kids who are really good at basketball play with others who are really good. The jocks are constantly being challenged by other jocks, so they can get better.
There are no cliques huddled in corners or slackers sitting on the fence.
It’s fun, competitive and inclusive because you get to play even if you’re not very good.
[This is the 1st of 2 parts; to be continued in the next post, the 2nd of 2 parts, Wednesday, July 28, 2010]
– Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition of February 13, 2010, page H1
Doc Meek posted a comment at the Winnipeg Free Press about this article:
February 19, 2010 at 7:19 PM
I am writing a book that will encourage Chinese teachers and students to involve themselves more in active learning, so that the school work they do will be more meaningful to each of them personally. I would like them to learn to love active learning, not just rote learning, so that they can enjoy life-long learning, not just factual memorizing. However, it is clear that they will teaching me about active learning too, from their example of self-discipline and hard work. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. – Doc Meek, Calgary, Alberta, CANADA, and South Jordan, Utah, USA …………………………………………………………………………………………
Doc Meek, Tuesday, July 27,2010, at South Jordan, Utah, USA ——————-
J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com
For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026
THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095
Posted in Learning Difficulties, learning solutions, overcoming learning problems |
Tags: active learning, brain rules, changing your behavior, changing your mind, Doc Meek, docmeek, happiness, hard work, hope, learning expert, learning problems, positive discipline, self-discipline, success, teacher training |
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Searching for the causes of autism
Monday, July 26, 2010
Photo of statue at Carmen B. Pingree Center for Children with Autism, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA: http://www.carmenbpingree.com/
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I am very grateful to Dr. Ruth Buczynski, the president and co-founder of NICABM, for our guest article today. NICABM is the acronym for National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine.
From Genetics to Environmental Toxins: Searching for the Causes of Autism
By Ruth Buczynski, PhD, July 24th, 2010
Autism – just the word causes panic in parents everywhere.
When I was growing up, polio had a similar effect. But the vaccine for polio has been found, while work on the prevention and treatment autism is still continuing feverously.
To the horror of families with an autistic child, the scientific community can offer little in the way of reassurances.
The main reason for this stems from the lack of agreement over the causes of the disorder. And without knowing the causes, it’s pretty difficult to design treatments.
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Without knowing the causes, it’s pretty difficult to design treatments
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We can not even agree on figures for autism. With the change in classification of autistic symptoms, has the number of autism cases increased or held the same?
The scientific world is rife with theories, many of which were presented in the latest issue of Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis out of Warsaw, Poland.
This journal has never before been on my radar, but they decided to dedicate a whole issue of the journal to the autism debate and so caught my attention.
And what are the theories that are currently being brandished around?
Well, genetics and immune deficiency problems are at the top of many experts’ causal list.
New research represented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) by Ning Lei, PhD from Princeton University linked the newly discovered mutation of four genes with autism.
One of the new genes identified was neural cell adhesion molecule 2 (NCAM2). NCAM2 is expressed in the hippocampus of the human brain — a region previously associated with autism.
One of the interesting things about this study is that Dr. Lei found that NCABM2 mutations were also common in the family members of autistic children, though these family members had no autism themselves.
The idea then is that other possible factors, including environmental toxins, have to come into play in order to for autism to develop.
The role of environmental toxins in the etiology of autism is as hotly debated as any of the other theoretical causes.
For many in the health field, the pervasiveness of environmental toxins in other disorders does make one question its role in autism.
Environmental toxins are disturbing for one reason because they have the ability to mask the detection of other conditions, such as hypothyroidism.
According to Mark Starr, MD, these toxins can disguise the levels of thyroid hormone in the body, making it nearly impossible to diagnose.
Because the thyroid is necessary for maintaining health, it is critical for it to function properly.
To learn more about how environmental toxins are masking thyroid malfunction, and how thyroid malfunction can be treated, tune in this coming Wednesday to NICABM’s free teleseminar series: Clinical Applications of Mind-Body Medicine: New Thinking about Stress and the Remarkable Power of Psychoneuroimmunology.
It’s free, you just have to sign up.
In the meantime, I welcome your thoughts on the causes of autism.
Do you know of someone who has been diagnosed with autism and whose story would be helpful to the larger debate about the causes and treatments of the disorder?
Please share your thoughts and opinions below [click on the little blue word “comments”] ……………………………………………………………………………….
Thank you, Dr. Ruth!
Blessings, Doc Meek, Monday, July 26, 2010, at South Jordan, Utah, USA
——————-
J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com
For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026
THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095
Posted in Learning Difficulties, learning solutions, overcoming learning problems |
Tags: Autism, Doc Meek, docmeek, micronutrient deficiencies, neurotoxins, toxins, vaccines |
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Sunday Can be a Day of Gratitude
Image from: http://www.amazon.com/Framed-Praying-Religious-Picture-Art/dp/B002RSAJ7C ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
One of the places we can go on Sunday is into our minds. There we can find a place of gratitude that is not only good for us mentally, emotionally, and soulfully, it is also good for us socially and medically, as the research shows. 😮
I have a special place of gratitude for family, especially for my wife Jeannette, and her family and extended family.
I am filled with gratitude for my sons Jim and Robert, and for my daughters Tanya, Seana, Lori, and little Deborah, who died at birth. And for the families of these children. And for their mother Loretta, without whom they would not be the great people that they are.
I am also very grateful for my sisters Anita and Emily, my brothers Chet, Gary, and Norm, and their families.
I am also filled with great gratitude for my deceased father, “Mr. Integrity,” and my still-living 91-year-old mother, without whom none of the rest of this immediate family would be here. 😮
I am also very grateful for all the members of my extended family. All together, including my 91-year-old mother, I think we number more than 60 now. I guess I should do an exact count one of these days? I’ll have to count 0.7 for the little one Lori is about to have, eh? 😮
And I am very grateful for all my friends who are tried and true, even though I may not keep in good contact with them over the years. ………………………………………………………………………………………
Here is our Sunday Guest Article, for which I am very grateful. From: http://staceygrewal.com/what-is-a-gratitude-journal/
Why You Should Keep a Gratitude Journal
January 13, 2010 by Stacey Grewal
Ever since the release of The Secret in 2007, there has been a lot of talk about gratitude journals (aka gratitude lists). Even Oprah admitted the many benefits she experienced since starting her a gratitude journal. But what exactly is a gratitude journal and why should you keep one?
A gratitude journal is a daily inventory of the things for which you’re grateful.
Whether you choose to start your day off on a positive note or end it with deep appreciation, a gratitude journal is guaranteed to get you into the daily practice of being grateful.
A gratitude journal helps you focus on solutions.
A daily gratitude journal will free you from the negative, allowing you to focus on solutions rather than problems. It inspires you to become proactive by setting and achieving new goals.
A gratitude journal creates results.
A daily gratitude journal makes you results-oriented by keeping you focused on your goals and accomplishments, rather than your failings. It helps you visualize outcomes and guides your plan of action.
A gratitude journal is personal.
A daily gratitude journal reveals your loving, adventurous, honest and fearless side. (Don’t stifle your creativity for fear that your journal may be read. Find a secure place to hide it if this is your concern.)
A gratitude journal creates an “attitude of gratitude.”
A gratitude journal is designed to help you get into the daily habit of gratitude. Continually look for things to be grateful for, and then write them down, until gratitude becomes habit.
A gratitude journal raises the vibration of your entire life.
The daily practice of gratitude will do more to raise your overall “life frequency” than just about any practice you can think of. Combine it with prayer and/or meditation to really turbo charge your inner and outer life.
By writing down what you’re grateful for every day, you will begin to …
- Take responsibility for your life, your thoughts and actions
- Radically improve your outlook on your past, present and future
- Be inspired to take action
- Accept and forgive
- Live in the moment
- Shed fear and worry
- Love more; blame less
- Increase your overall confidence and courage
- Grow spiritually
A daily gratitude journal is an ongoing connection with your Higher Power. It’s more than a list of things you are grateful for; it’s the foundation of a beautiful, spiritual journey. The purpose of a gratitude journal is to reshape your way of thinking, and ultimately your life, by replacing old, negative thoughts with a new attitude of gratitude. Once you’ve adopted the habit of gratitude you will know the kind of ongoing serenity, peace, love and joy that you’ve always craved but perhaps never knew how to obtain. And it takes only few minutes each day to achieve.
Excerpt taken from Gratitude and Goals: Create the Life You Would Love to Live: http://staceygrewal.com/gratitude-and-goals/ …………………………………………………………….
Thank you Stacey!
I posted a comment about this article on Stacey’s blogsite:
Hi Stacey, I bought your book, GRATITUDE AND GOALS. Love it!
I am grateful for your reminder here in this article about the importance of keeping a gratitude journal. The brain is certainly susceptible to daily thinking habits, good or not good. I used to keep a daily gratitude journal and I am going to go back to doing that, thanks to you!
I found that my morning gratitude journal was completely different from my evening gratitude journal. Not sure why. My morning gratitude journal tended to contain hope for the day, while my evening gratitude journal tended to be more reflective.
I was determined to keep the journal daily. One day I wrote in my journal: “Too tired to write in my journal.” 😮 …………………………………………………………………………………………………
Blessings, Doc Meek, Sunday, July 25, 2010, at South Jordan, Utah, USA
——————-
J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com
For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026
THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095
.
Posted in Learning Difficulties, learning solutions, overcoming learning problems |
Tags: active learning, brain rules, changing your behavior, changing your mind, Doc Meek, docmeek, grateful, gratitude, gratitude and goals, happiness, head heart hands hope, hope, success, teacher training |
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ESL: Mother tongue more than just a language
This post is an excerpt from an email to my brother, in response
to an article he sent me about English as THE Global Language:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jun/05/globish-robert-mccrum-review
……………….
Excerpt from my email to my brother:
English as a global language
Reminds me of when I was in Tonga at Liahona High School.
You may recall that I was appointed as an adjunct professor of education out of BYU-H (Brigham Young University–Hawaii) and sent to the Islands under the auspices of the ITEP (International Teacher Education Program) to teach teachers university courses, and to also show them how to be more effective teachers, such that their students would get better marks.
What I so poignantly remember is this:
One day as I was “lecturing” (I don’t really lecture; I’m not boring
and we have a lot of fun when I am leading a workshop), it came
to me that I needed to say something very important about the
sensitive and personal issue of language.
Right then.
I suppose that this could be termed an “educational prompting,” as
distinct from a “spiritual prompting,” although they really may be
very similar, eh?
So, I want you to imagine me on the dias, with the whole faculty
seated in front of me, and you can see me raising both arms out
in front of me straight, horizontally, with lightly closed fists, side
by side.
I said:
“Some people say that English is more important than Tongan
(I raised my right fist above my left fist in the air), and some people
say that Tongan is more important than English (I raised my left
fist above my right fist in the air).
“I want you to know that one is not above the other. They are both
important (I placed my two fists side by side in the air and and
bounced them lightly against each other sideways, at equal heights
of course, to give visual emphasis to my point about equal importance).
They are both equal (I added for emphasis).”
Some of the staff started to weep. I let the moment rest right there.
This was a sacred moment. Your language is not like a suit of
clothes that you can change at will with little repercussion. It is
so intertwined with your internal identity that it is a very personal,
a very sensitive, and yes–even a very sacred–thing.
Like our Mom says: “When you are discussing someone’s religion
or culture [or language], remember, you are on sacred ground.
Take off your shoes and walk softly.”
So then, because they respected me, and trusted me, and loved
me (because they knew that I loved/respected/trusted them), one
of the more mature teachers was able to risk raising her hand to
press the pertinent question they were all thinking:
“Well, Meek, if they are both equal, how come you [inclusive
‘you’ here, meaning all palangi’s (white people), me personally,
the high school, the government, and so on] push English so much?”
Bingo.
I responded betimes [quickly, early, instant in season, as it were]:
“Because English is everywhere in the world. And I want your children
to be able to function anywhere in the world, not just here in Tonga.”
They got it.
Great moment. More tears.
Can you see how important this vignette was for me, and for them?
Doc Meek, Saturday, July 24, 2010 [Pioneer Day here in Utah, USA] …………………………………..
J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist: https://docmeek.com
Posted in Learning Difficulties, learning solutions, overcoming learning problems |
Tags: active learning, brain rules, changing your behavior, changing your mind, Doc Meek, docmeek, happiness, hope, success, teacher training |
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Autism: “A hair-dryer kid in a toaster-brained world” (Part III of III)
- Bud’s Grade 5 class, in disguise; photo from: http://momnos.blogspot.com/ …………………………………………………………………………………………….
- I am grateful for this guest article I am borrowing again today, Friday, July 23, 2010. This is Part III of a 3-Part series about Bud, a 10-year-old with learning differences.
- .
- If you missed Part I or Part II of Bud’s Mom’s poignant story, you can click on the titles below to read them now:
- Autism: “A hair-dryer kid in a toaster-brained world” (Part I of III)
- Autism: “A hair-dryer kid in a toaster-brained world” (Part II of III)
- .
- Bud, who has been labeled autistic, has been placed in a regular Grade 5 classroom. His Mom’s brilliant interactive discussion with the kids in his class (with Bud absent of course) is detailed here.
- This is the best description of autism I have read anywhere
- .
- Thanks Mom! We are grateful for your creativity, your courage, and your willingness to share!
- Excerpt from: http://momnos.blogspot.com/2010/03/on-being-hair-dryer-kid-in-toaster.html
- .
- What is autism? (Part III of III)
- {If you missed Part I or Part II of this Mom’s poignant story, you can click on the titles below to read them now}
- Autism: “A hair-dryer kid in a toaster-brained world” (Part I of III)
- Autism: “A hair-dryer kid in a toaster-brained world” (Part II of III)
- Bud’s Mom is interacting with Bud’s classmates at school:
- .
- “But, remember how there were some things that the hair-dryer brains could do better than the toaster brains? There are ALSO things that Bud’s brain is really GOOD at doing. There are things that HIS brain can do better than a lot of our brains can do.
- “I bet you can guess what some of those things are. Can you?”
Hands flew up all over the room, and without my prompting, they recreated the list I had written in the notes in front of me.
“He’s really great on the computer. He’s better at it than LOTS of people.”
“He has great hearing.”
“He can remember lots of lots of things.”
“He can remember all the words to TV shows.”
“And he can remember the words to songs.”
“He is very musical.”
“He’s a great speller, too,” I added. “Once he learns a word, he usually remembers how to spell it.”
“If I had a brain like that,” said Nathan. “I’d read the whole dictionary and learn all the words.”
“That would be a great thing to do,” I said. “And it reminds me that Bud is also a really good reader.”
Molly raised her hand. “And he has a great sense of humor, too.”
“He does have a great sense of humor,” I said. “And that’s one of the ways that his brain is a lot like other people’s. What are some of the other ways that Bud is just like everyone else?”
Again, the hands flew up.
“He can see just like everyone else.”
“He looks just like everyone else.”
“He’s human.”
“Yes! He’s human – which means that he has all the same feelings that everyone else does. And he loves the people in his life. And he likes to play and have fun. He likes to laugh, he likes to swim, he likes to eat pizza. In lots of ways, Bud is just a regular kid.”
I looked around the room at the smiling faces of Bud’s classmates – his friends, with their toaster-brains firing.
-
Photos by Bud, from: http://momnos.blogspot.com/2010/03/on-being-hair-dryer-kid-in-toaster.html
I posted a comment on this Mom’s blogsite:
- Doc Meek said…
- Does anybody know the tune for “A hairdryer kid in a toaster-brained world?” I predict that, like “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer,” this Mom’s “Hair-dryer kid in a toaster-brained world,” will go down in history. I’ve been helping kids mitigate learning and attentional problems for over thirty years now, and it is an axiom with me that “Mother knows best.” This Mom makes that point sharper than a surgical needle, right? – Doc Meek, Learning Consultant, May 7, 2010, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA
- May 07, 2010 11:38 AM
- .
- Doc Meek, Friday, July 23, 2010, at South Jordan, Utah, USA ————————————————
- J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com - .
- For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026 - .
- THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
1. P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1, CANADA
2. Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa, TONGA
3. 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095, USA
Posted in Learning Difficulties, learning solutions, overcoming learning problems |
Tags: active learning, Autism, brain rules, change, changing your behavior, changing your mind, Doc Meek, docmeek, hope, learning differences, Learning Difficulties, learning problems, success, teacher training |
2 Comments »
Autism: “A hair-dryer kid in a toaster-brained world” (Part II of III)
- Bud’s Grade 5 class, in disguise; photo from: http://momnos.blogspot.com/ …………………………………………………………………………………………….
- I am grateful for this guest article I am borrowing today, Thursday, July 22, 2010. This is Part II of a 3-Part series about Bud, a 10-year-old with learning differences.
- .
- If you missed Part I of Bud’s Mom’s poignant story, you can click on the title below to read it now: Autism: “A hair-dryer kid in a toaster-brained world” (Part I of III)
- .
- Bud, who has been labeled autistic, has been placed in a regular Grade 5 classroom. His Mom’s brilliant interactive discussion with the kids in his class (with Bud absent of course) is detailed here.
- This is the best description of autism I have read anywhere
- Thanks Mom! We are grateful for your creativity, your courage, and your willingness to share!
- .
- Excerpt from: http://momnos.blogspot.com/2010/03/on-being-hair-dryer-kid-in-toaster.html
- .
- What is autism? (Part II of III)
- {If you missed Part I of this Mom’s poignant story, you can click on the title to read it now} Autism: “A hair-dryer kid in a toaster-brained world” (Part I of III)
- Bud’s Mom is interacting with Bud’s classmates at school:
“So, in our pretend world, even though Bud has a perfectly wonderful hair dryer brain, it’s going to be hard for him, because we toaster-brained people have decided that the most important thing that people do in our world is make toast. And Bud probably can make toast with his hair dryer, right? But he is going to have to work a lot harder to make toast with his hair-dryer brain than we will with our toaster brains. It will probably take him a lot longer to make his toast. And no matter how hard he works, his hair-dryer toast will probably always look different from our toaster toast.”
The room filled with murmurs of understanding.
“But, on the other hand – think about THIS! When we toaster-brain people have wet hair? We are REALLY going to hope that Bud and his hair-dryer brain are around.”
Nathan piped in. “Because we could get ZAPPED if we tried to use our toasters!”
“Exactly,” I continued. “And the same thing is true in the real world with our real brains, that are made of tissue and neurons and grey matter and, uh…”
“And important stuff,” offered Travis.
“Yeah, and important stuff,” I said. “Because for most of us, when that important stuff gets put together, we have a certain type of brain. And we have created a society that says the most important things are the things that most of our brains are really good at – things like:
“Talking and communicating with people;
“Making friends and spending time with people;
“Doing lots of different kinds of things, having lots of different kinds of interests, and trying new things.
“Because our brains are really GOOD at those things, we try to spend most of our time doing them. But those are all things that, because of his autism, Bud’s brain has a really hard time doing.
“Language is difficult for him and he doesn’t talk the same way as other people.
“Being social and knowing how to interact with people is difficult.
“Changing his routine and trying new things is difficult.”
The classroom resonated with affirmation. Bud’s classmates knew exactly what I was talking about. They knew, without me explaining any further, what kinds of behaviors I was talking about. I could see the understanding in their faces.
-
Photos by Bud, from: http://momnos.blogspot.com/2010/03/on-being-hair-dryer-kid-in-toaster.html
I posted a comment on this Mom’s blogsite:
- Doc Meek said…
- Does anybody know the tune for “A hairdryer kid in a toaster-brained world?” I predict that, like “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer,” this Mom’s “Hair-dryer kid in a toaster-brained world,” will go down in history. I’ve been helping kids mitigate learning and attentional problems for over thirty years now, and it is an axiom with me that “Mother knows best.” This Mom makes that point sharper than a surgical needle, right? – Doc Meek, Learning Consultant, May 7, 2010, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA
- May 07, 2010 11:38 AM
Blessings, Doc Meek, Thursday, July 22, 2010, at South Jordan, Utah, USA ——————————-
J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com
For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026
THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
1. P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1, CANADA
2. Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa, TONGA
3. 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095, USA
For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026
THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095