Posts Tagged ‘memory’

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE blog is for students, teachers, parents, and other educational leaders

Tuesday, February 1, 2011. Today I am grateful for people who encourage us to exercise our brain to keep our cognitive functions sharp. Or to simply keep them, period. 😮 Lumosity.com does a good job I think.

Improve brain health and performance.

• Brain training produces real world benefits
• Enhance memory, attention and creativity
• Easy, web-based brain training program

Learn how we can help you.

Image and text from: http://www.lumosity.com/ ………………………………………………………………………….

I use Lumosity.com myself (sporadically; I should use it every day!) and I encourage all of you to give it a shot, for your brain’s sake!

Doc Meek, Tuesday, February 1, 2011, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA

Monday, December 13, 2010. Today I am grateful for my brain. With the proper nutritional supplements and HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen therapy), my brain is restoring and retaining its memory and other cognitive functions which it was losing. Cognitive decline is scary and it was wonderful to be able to reverse this!

Brain training also helps to retain and restore cognitive functions.

Image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NIA_human_brain_drawing.jpg

Brain Training Games

Your brain, just brighter.

• Enhance memory and attention
• Improve mental speed and flexibility
• Achieve your cognitive goals
• 10 minutes/day can sharpen your brain
• Trusted by doctors and experts

Improve your brain

Lumosity.com has been clinically proven to support brain health. Our users report profound results: faster name recall, greater attention to detail, better concentration, and quicker problem-solving skills.

Science that works

Designed by neuroscientists, our web-based training program makes brains smarter, faster and more flexible. Our team works with researchers at Stanford and UCSF to design cutting-edge tools.

Enjoyed by millions

Lumosity works. Just ask our ten million users. They’ll agree that we’ve engineered an affordable, accessible and – most importantly – enjoyable solution for significant and long-lasting cognitive benefits.

As featured in: “With Lumosity, I feel like I’m exercising the most important muscle I have. You’ve got to keep working your brain, and Lumosity makes it fun!” – Linda Alexander ………………………………………………………………………………..

Thank you Lumosity.com, for bringing help to both younger and older brains!

Doc Meek, Monday, December 13, 2010, on my daughter Tanya’s laptop, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA

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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Wednesday, November 24, 2010. Today I am grateful for David Perlmutter, M.D., a Board-Certified Neurologist with a worldwide practice centered in Naples, on the west coast of Florida.

Images and text below from Dr. Perlmutter’s website: http://www.perlhealth.com

“Raise a Smarter Child by Kindergarten”

by David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, ABIHM Learn More »

“The Better Brain Book”
 
by David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, ABIHM Learn More »

Dr. Perlmutter works innovatively with a wide variety of neurological and nutritional issues and preventive medicine, including helping adults and children overcome learning problems.

This  makes him a hero in my eyes, as I have been helping adults and children triumph over learning difficulties for more than 30 years now.

Thank you, Dr. Perlmutter, for inspiring hope for children and parents and others!

Doc Meek, Wednesday, November 24, 2010, at the Super 8 Motel in Dania Beach, Florida (on the east coast of Florida, opposite Dr. Perlmutter’s office on the west coast at Naples).

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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Monday, September 13, 2010. I am grateful for my health issues that call up my empathy for others who are struggling with health issues.

Yesterday, Sunday, September 12, 2010, I was standing on the lawn in a park bordering on a church building. I was quietly contemplating the placid lake in the centre of the park, with about a hundred Canada Geese sedately swimming therupon. Many pairs could be discerned as they mate for life.

Canada Geese on a lake different from the one I was standing beside.

Image from: http://www.downhomelife.com/submissions.php?itemid=21210

Quietly I became aware of a person nearby. Shy. We spoke briefly and then we were able to speak about health isssues and how profoundly they can impact our lives. Especially health issues related to the brain and memory.

We both valued each other, learned a lot from each other, and went our way, perhaps to meet again by happenstance as we had just done, or perhaps not to meet again, as neither one of us lived near the lake.

Doc Meek, Monday, September 13, 2010, at Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA

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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Brain picture from: http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/d/d_07/d_07_cr/d_07_cr_tra/d_07_cr_tra.html …………………………………………………………………………………………..

Gratitude for this guest article today, Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Mnemonic devices are excellent tools for teachers who want to help their students remember important facts. The following are the top 10 mnemonic devices. However, an interesting and fun exercise is to have your students try to come up with their own mnemonic devices for topics throughout the year.

1. ROY G BIV

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.
This device helps students remember the order of the colors in a rainbow.

2. Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally

Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction.
This mnemonic allows us to remember the Order of Operations in math.

3. Every Good Boy Does Fine / FACE

This mnemonic is used in musical notation to help students remember those treble clef notes on the lines (E, G, B, D, F) and those on the spaces (F, A, C, E).

4. My Very Earnest Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
Here we have an easy way to remember the order of the planets from the sun out. The only thing to remember here is that every 248 years, Neptune becomes the furthest planet for 20 years.

5. King Philip Cuts Open Five Green Snakes

Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
This is only one of innumerable mnemonics used to remember the order of Taxonomy for biology.

6. Thirty days hath September, …

I use this mnemonic all the time to help me remember the number of days each month:

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one
Excepting February alone:
Which hath but twenty-eight, in fine,
Till leap year gives it twenty-nine.

7. Two Old Angels Skipped Over Heaven Carrying Ancient Harps

Used in math to remember the equations for Tangent, Sine, and Cosine. O stands for opposite, A stands for adjacent, and H stands for hypotenuse. Therefore, Tangent = Opposite/Adjacent; Sine = Opposite/Hypotenuse; Cosine = Adjacent/Hypotenuse.

8. HOMES

Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior
An easy way to remember the five Great Lakes.

9. OIL RIG

Oxidation It Loses (electrons)
Reduction It Gains (electrons)

This will help students in Chemistry remember these two terms.

10. In 1492 Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue

One that has been said by students for more years that can be remembered.

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Guest Article from: http://712educators.about.com/od/creativethinking/tp/mnemonics.htm …………………………………………………………..

Thank you, Melissa!

Here’s to good memory!

Doc Meek, Tuesday, July 13, 2010, at Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA

—
J. Collins Meek III, Ph.D.
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist: https://docmeek.com
PH (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026
International callers first enter the country code (+1)

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC. (Dr. Meek)
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: P.O. BOX 60, Nuku’alofa (c/o Mele Taumoepeau)
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

Associate Links: http://www.themeekteam.info; see short
video at: http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
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Tuesday, June 29, 2010, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA

The brain can be likened to a multiple-drawer steel filing cabinet

– PICTURES in the top drawer of the brain

– SOUNDS in the middle drawer of the brain

– FEELINGS (tactile) in the bottom drawers

– FEELINGS (emotions) in the bottom drawers

This is part (4a) article in a series of 7 articles, designed to help us work with our very own brain more easily, and to encourage our children or our students to learn how to work with their very own brains more easily.

If you missed the Introduction to this series of 7 articles, or the first 3 articles , simply click on the titles below:

(Intro) Learning to run our brain: 10 minutes daily

(1) Learning to run our own brain: Fear of failure

(2) Learning to run our brain: Vital need for HOPE . . . always

(3) Learning to run our brain: What are qualifications for the daily “brain coach?”

…………………………………………………………………………………………

The brain can be likened to a vertical multiple-drawer filing cabinet

If we want to easily retrieve a specific file folder from the filing cabinet, we have to make sure we put that specific file folder securely in the filing cabinet in the first place. 😮

OK, if my brain is a “filing cabinet,” how do I get the needed stuff . . . in and out of it . . . easily . . . every day?

Well, for one thing, we might prefer a “softer,” simpler image of the brain-as-filing-cabinet analogy. How about this approach . . . this gentler image?

Our brain can be likened to a vertical 4-drawer wooden filing cabinet; photo at: hayneedle.com

To get stuff in and out of our filing cabinet (brain) easily, we need to remember two major things:

A. Our brain is immensely complex, with extensive storage capacity

B.  Our brain–despite enormous complexity–mainly does four (4) things

So what are the four (4) simple things my brain does?

(1) Our brain brings in information

(2) Our brain moves information around, organizes it

(3) Our brain stores information

(4) Our brain brings information back out, brings information to our attention

Can be more complicated in my private practice

The problem is that each of our brains is unique, and each of us does these four (4) things in thousands, perhaps millions, of different ways. 😮

However, that is my problem really, when I am working with a particular client in my private practice. Or, more accurately, it is a joint effort, a partnership between myself and my client.

As a learning specialist, when I am working with clients to help them overcome learning problems, we need to figure out, jointly and specifically, some of those thousands of ways in which their brain is working uniquely for them.

Less complicated in regular daily life

For our everyday purposes, knowing those four (4) simple things, and learning how to manage them more easily, is straightforward. Let’s check on some simple and easy things we can do with each of these four (4) processes our brain uses all the time.

(1) Our brain brings in information

Some people call this “registration.” In other words, how do we “put in” information when we first encounter it? Sometimes this is “done for us,” by the brain’s various subsystems, if the input is dramatic enough. Most of the time, however, this registration process is very much up to each of us, individually. Our personal choice entirely. All we have to do, really, is consciously think about what we want to input securely on the “first pass,” so to speak.

The classic example of remembering names will be presented in part (b) of this fourth (4th) article.

For a colorful review of ways to improve this process of “registration,” see my previous article. Just click on the title:

The learning brain needs “uprightness” for greatest efficiency

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

So, now that we’ve looked at brain “registration” or brain “inputs,” let’s move on to the second (2nd) of the four (4) macro processes the brain uses.

(2) Our brain moves information around, organizes it

The brain is doing this all the time, especially at night, while you are sleeping. This is one of the most important functions of our brain. And this is why it is imperative that you get a decent night’s rest. A “sleep-deprived” brain is not just going to have problems with registration and memory, it will produce all manner of dysfunctions: mental, emotional, social, physical, spiritual, etc.

Get enough sleep deprivation, and your brain is sure to find dis-ease, and follow up with disease. Not funny.

More about this aspect of our brains in future articles.

(3) Our brain stores information

Again, our brains are doing this all the time, especially when we sleep. Get a good night’s rest, eh? 😮

More on this in future articles.

(4) Our brain brings information back out, brings information to our attention

Ah . . . retrieval of the information we need . . . the bane of our existence . . . especially as we grow older, eh?

This is the “relax . . . and it will come out a lot easier” game. You know this. When you are tense, anxious, depressed or stressed, information is not as readily available to the “surface,” as when you relax . . . take it easy . . .  and let the brain’s subsystems dive deeply and easily for important things. More on this in future articles.

To having a fun run at managing our brain more easily!

Doc Meek, Tues, June 29, 2010, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA

P.S. Hey, my writer friend, Richard Paul Evans, just told me:

“Today is GratiTuesday!” This is the day we can express gratitude for all those things for which we are grateful. The thing for which I am most grateful — besides my wife Jeannette of course 😮 — is that I am able to feel gratitude. This has not always been so, so I am doubly grateful. 😮

—

“What if you are smarter than you think?”

https://docmeek.com

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC. 

CANADA: Dr. Meek (587) 400-4707, Edmonton, AB

TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 81, Nuku’alofa

USA: Dr. Meek (801) 738-3763, South Jordan, Utah

For optimum brain health, get optimum heart health:  

Photo from: http://www.workshopway.org/workshop-way.htm

Monday, June 28, 2010: This is the third (3rd) article in a series of seven (7) articles designed to help you or your child or your student run their own brain, and have fun doing it. If you missed the Introduction or the first two articles, just click on the title below:

(Intro) Learning to run our brain: 10 minutes daily

(1) Learning to run our own brain: Fear of failure

(2) Learning to run our brain: Vital need for HOPE . . . always

What are the qualifications for the daily “brain coach?”

If you are going to be effective, you need to have a “brain coach” who will work with your child or your student (or yourself, if you are the one having fun learning how to run your very own brain). 😮

There are only 2 qualification for the “brain coach,” both crucial (not just “nice to have”):

(1) Essential: That the “brain coach” likes your child/student (or you, If you are being coached)

(2) Essential: That your child/student (or you) likes the “brain coach”

Formal credentials, training, degrees, age, gender, etc., are not relevant for purposes of being a “brain coach.” Of course it goes without saying that the “brain coach” should be responsible and trustworthy. And the logistics of being available every day are important. No one is going to drive 20 miles every day for 10  minutes of coaching. It is usually necessary to have someone close at hand.

Who can I get to help for 10 minutes each day?

A no-cost, or low-cost person is best. A neighbor? Someone from your church or club who lives nearby? An older student who is in the same school (or a school on the same block),  as the student being coached? Use your imagination. 😮

Retired people are excellent, if they have patience. Sometimes babysitters work out, if they have a good relationship with the younger one being coached, and the younger one likes them.

NRA (No Relatives Allowed) is the general rule, especially near-relatives

“Why can’t I be the brain coach? I’m here all the time,” say the mothers.

True. You are there all the time. Very handy.

“You care too much,” I tell the mothers.

Here’s the problem. Here’s why the NRA (No Relatives Allowed) rule is important for the child or student.  The relative’s “very loving and overly-concerned feelings” usually run too high, and can get seriously in the way of learning.

Usually the relative “cares too much” about the child’s or student’s responses. In sessions where the child or student is not “getting” SSS (Something So Simple) for the brain coach, the brain coach (the overly-concerned relative, remember) will often end up saying SALT (Something About Like This):

“Now, Harold, this is the tenth [or fiftieth] time we have gone over this; let’s do it again, and see if you can get it right this time, OK?” This is often said through gritted teeth hidden behind a “Hollywood” smile. Regardless of how it is said, the dire implications are crystal clear.

The translation [for the child or student] is: “I must be dumb.”

Kids have good “radar.”

A long-range radar antenna; photo from Wikepedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Brain coach broadcasting “tight tummy”=”beaten brain” for the child

The mother can easily teach the neighbor’s child. How about switching places with the mother next door for coaching/learning purposes?

What a relief! 😮

Bright brains can still need much time to “get it”

Even the brightest of  brains can take extended time to “get” some concepts. Einstein was called a “dolt” in school.

Why does it take so long to “get” some things? We do not know.

What we do know, is that every one of us has areas that we don’t “get” . . . yet . . . even far into adulthood. “Smarts” and “wisdom” don’t come easily in some areas of our lives, regardless of how intelligent and wise we are in other areas, eh?

The “brain coach” position requires high trust and easy learning strategies:

– “Chunk it down” (break everything–everything–down into small easy-to-learn segments)

– Make all the steps easier than necessary (this is easy to say, and may not be easy to do; this challenges the “brain coach.” eh?)

– Make it humorous, foolish or ridiculous if you have to, to solve the “easiness” criteria; in fact this is a good idea anytime, since the brain loves “oddball” and “far out”  as some of its best learning tools)

– Smile 😮

– Smile:o

– Smile 😮

It’s not a contest to see how much you can change the child/student (you can’t change anybody anyway, in case you haven’t noticed  . . . yet). 😮

It’s just a simple sharing of brain strategies that are fun and easy to learn. Doc Meek can teach the “brain coach” in person, over the phone, by email, or by website blogging.

Simple example of how the brain learns best . . . easy . . . hopeful

Let’s say you are teaching a child/student how to use their brain to remember the spelling of a word. In this simple example, you would teach them how to spell such words as these:

Easy, rapid, quick, bright, smart, fast, hope, intelligent, and so on. 😮

You do NOT teach words such as:

Stupid, dumb, slow, etc. (If they never learn to spell these words properly, so much the better!).

To running our own brains better! 😮

Doc Meek, Mon, June 28, 2010, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA

—

“What if you are smarter than you think?”

https://docmeek.com

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC. 

CANADA: Dr. Meek (587) 400-4707, Edmonton, AB

TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 81, Nuku’alofa

USA: Dr. Meek (801) 738-3763, South Jordan, Utah

For optimum brain health, get optimum heart health:  

This is the introduction to a series of seven (7) articles on how to have fun learning to run (manage) our very own brain, more easily. This is a good idea, right? 😮

Photo from: www.workshopway.org

The “10 minutes a day” model

Just 10 minutes each day can produce miracles.

An hour or two on the weekend will NOT get the job done. 😮

Especially for kids.

Especially for kids with a short attention span (that’s all kids). 😮

And all adults too, in our “sound bite” over-scheduled culture, eh? 😮

Here are the topics I hope to start exploring in these upcoming seven (7) articles:

(1) Let’s look first at fear of failure

(2) Now let’s look at the vital need for hope

(3) What are the qualifications for your “brain coach?”

(4) Simple easy examples of how to proceed

(Hint: When teaching a child how to spell, use words like “smart” and “quick,” not words like “stupid” and “slow.”)

(5) “The eyes don’t see–the brain sees; the ears don’t hear–the brain hears.” – Doc Meek

(6) The role of the “back 90″and the “front 10”

(7) Where do the mothers come in?

Let’s hear it for the mothers!

Without them, the whole world of humankind would quickly fall apart.

Let’s face it, without them, there wouldn’t be any world of humankind. 😮

Doc Meek, Friday, June 25, 2010, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA

“What if you are smarter than you think?”

https://docmeek.com

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.

CANADA: Dr. Meek (587) 400-4707, Edmonton, AB

TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 81, Nuku’alofa

USA: Dr. Meek (801) 738-3763, South Jordan, Utah

For optimum brain health, ensure your heart health:

Human neurology thrives on color, movement, gentle music, and “uprightness” for the most efficient learning

The learning brain needs “uprightness,” in addition to color, movement and gentle music (discussed in my previous article, June 12, 2010). If you wish to review that previous article, just click on the title below:

A learning brain learns best with color, movement, and gentle music

Teacher Helping Student at Blackboard – bonniej; image from the following website:

http://teacher-mentorship.suite101.com/article.cfm/reflective-teaching-strategies-for-more-effective-k-8-instruction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

What is meant by “uprightness” for most learning efficiency?

The ideal of “uprightness” occurs when the student is at a blackboard (greenboard).

The brain is so constructed neurologically that it is most efficient when the material to be learned is “above the noseline,” so to speak, as in the photograph above.

In other words, the best brain “registration” for memory occurs when the material to be learned is located above a line straight out from the students nose.

Why is “above the noseline” best?

We are not sure why. It seems that human neurology  is arranged vertically, somewhat analogously to a vertical four-drawer filing cabinet.

(1) The top drawer registers and files visual material, the pictures we see with our eyes.

(2) The second drawer down registers and files auditory material, the things we hear with our ears.

(3) The third drawer down registers and files haptic material, the tactile sensations we encounter with our hands, and the rest of our body. It also includes the proprioceptive system, the internal sensations of the muscles, joints, tendons, and inner ear, that accompany body movement.

(4) The bottom drawer registers and files affective material, the emotions we feel in our “heart,” or “gut,” if you like.

Thus, when we are presenting visual material to students, and almost all of academic learning is visual (reading for example, or math worksheets, or whatever), we need to get as close as we can to the ideal of being “upright” at the blackboard (greenboard).

Some teachers have wall-mounted “Smart Boards,” connected to their classroom computers, and these follow the ideal even more than blackboards (greenboards). The student is “upright” before the “Smart Board,” the student is moving his hands to manipulate the material appearing on the “Smart Board,” it is in color, and presumably gentle learning “baroque” music could be added as background, although I have not seen this yet.

Voila! All the best items needed for best learning:

– Color

– Movement

– “Uprightness,” to provide material “above the noseline”

– Gentle “baroque” music (about 1 beat per second, or 60 beats per minute)

– Not to mention a caring teacher close at hand 😮

Yes! Caring!

Doc Meek, Thursday, June 24, 2010

At Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA; not at South Jordan, Utah, USA

P.S. Now the question becomes:

“How do we approach the ideal of “uprightness” when the student is seated at his or her desk?”

This is a good topic for a future article. This would ideally include the use of fairly steeply-sloping “drafting board” type desks, or barring that, simply using clipboards propped up on a stack of textbooks, or on the student’s upraised knee. Think about this. Use your imagination–your top drawer. 😮

The best tribute to pay Dad on Father’s Day

The best gift to Dad is to remind him of his power to guarantee the learning success of his children, no matter what the task.

My previous article, showing how Dad guaranteed success for his little son who was learning to bowl, was posted April 14, 2010. If you wish to see that, click on the URL immediately below:

Guarantee Learning Success for Everybody

Learning fears and humiliating failures can haunt learning for life

When youngsters are first learning a sport, they often have great fear of failure. They fear that they will prove incompetent, that they will fumble and look stupid and be embarrassed and on and on.

Often these initial fears, if not “cushioned” in some way, are fully realized as the child attempts a totally new set of tasks, and then the stark memory of learning failure may haunt him or her throughout life.

“Cushioning” these learning fears in some way can mean the difference between ongoing success in school and life, and ongoing failure in school and life.

Sports leaders can guarantee learning success

My brother attended a baseball game in which his young son was playing, and was impressed to see that the team leaders had provided many ways to guarantee learning success, by “chunking everything down,” as they say, breaking the multiple learning tasks into more easily-learnable segments.

Dad was delighted. His young son was delighted too. He could “smell success,” almost before he got started.

The sports leaders were affable and kind, radiating a generosity of spirit (as opposed to aggressive competitiveness and outbursts of anger).

First, even though this was a baseball game, the leaders were using a softball, bigger than a regulation baseball, so that the youngsters would find it easier to hit.

Second, the leaders mounted the ball on a short stand at home base, at just the right height for hitting, thus providing a “batting tee” for the aspiring baseball players. This “batting tee” is analogous to a “golfing tee,” except of course that it holds the ball much higher off the ground.

Regular baseball rules were modified

If the batter swung and missed the ball right in front of him, a “strike” was called of course. If the batter knocked the ball off the tee and the ball rolled into “foul” territory, a strike was called. No “balls” were called. The young players either “struck out” or ran. No “walking.”

If the batter knocked the ball off the tee and it rolled into “fair” territory, the batter ran.

If the batter hit the ball any distance, he ran of course.

Most plays were won on errors 😮

The young boys had a ball (no pun intended)! 😮

The leaders had a ball. The parents had a ball. Other spectators and bystanders had a ball. 😮

And the young players more easily mastered essential baseball skills, guaranteeing learning success. 😮

No child cried (except perhaps when they fell down swinging or running) and no child stayed home the next time a game was scheduled. 😮

All the players were successful in learning how to play baseball. More importantly, all the boys felt good about learning and playing, and having fun in the process. 😮

These “learning success” feelings often last a lifetime, helping the child experience learning success in school and work. 😮

Parents and teachers follow the same principles for learning success

Parents at home and teachers in the classroom follow the same principles to guarantee learning success in all endeavors. This is not easy to do. It is, however, do-able:

(1) Make the starting point easy and enjoyable, perhaps even fun.

(2) Chunk down the learning tasks into smaller, more easily-learnable segments.

(3) Modify the rules when necessary; create a community of learners.

(4) Leave aggression and competitiveness aside initially, and perhaps always. It can help us be better citizens. It can help us achieve a more cooperative and successful society.

(5) Smile. 😮

(6) Smile. 😮

(7) Smile. 😮

We can all even use these learning success principles with ourselves!

If we all laugh more, and take ourselves less seriously more, almost any learning task can be done successfully.

With good memories that last a lifetime.

To lifelong learning enjoyment!

Doc Meek, Sunday, June 20, 2010 (Father’s Day)

At Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA; not at South Jordan, Utah, USA