Let Me Think

Week 1, Term 3
Today we started a new instrument called 'Identifying Emotions'. We spent time talking about the cover page and what we thought this instrument would be about. It was incredible listening to the language the children were using, they immediately started using FIE language such as 'scanning, comparing and planning'. We discussed some key cognitive strategies they will need to use in this instrument such as having a broad mental field, selecting relevant cues, being precise and accurate, accurate labelling and the all important 'stop and think'. Please ask us more about it tomorrow after we have completed the first page in the instrument.

From Unit To Group
We had a busy time at the end of Term 2 finishing the instrument 'From Unit To Group'. We know the importance of using the following cognitive functions: systematic searching, being precise and accurate, multiple sources of information, planning and the really important strategy of stopping and thinking before we start an activity. This instrument showed us how important it is to make sure we have all the information and have planned our answer before starting.

Week 5 Term 2

Wow, what a busy start to the term we have had. The students enjoyed being able to use the 'Compare and Discover the Absurd' Instrument to create their own absurd animals using the app pic collage. Many of them have shared their creations on their Uspace page. The children have started a new instrument called 'From Unit to Group'. Initially the children found this quite challenging because they had to see individual unit and then make groups according to the instructions, and often there were two instructions for one task. The students have been learning about the need to be systematic, how to compare against a model and why this is important as well as what conserving the constancies is. We are planning on sharing more about what we have been doing in next weeks school assembly.

Week 1 Term 2

This week we have been working on the instrument 'Compare and Discover the Absurd'. The cognitive functions we have been looking at are: comparing, accurate labelling, being systematic and using multiple sources of information. Next week we will be taking part in some activities that use these cognitive functions. We are hoping to create our own 'Compare and Discover the Absurd' picture during the week.

April 30

The students put a lot of effort into completing their first instrument in Term 1. It has been really exciting to see them beginning to use the. cognitive terms and saying things such as "I am being systematic", "I need to be more precise and accurate", "I need to scan the page before I start", "I have a plan". Our goal is for these types of comments to become part of our everyday learning language. In Term 2 we will continue with the instrument 'Compare and Discover the Absurd' which we started last term. This is such an important instrument as it focuses on the cognitive function of comparing, it asks the students to use a set of criteria to compare. This encourages the students to not only consider what is relevant or holds more value but they also have to use and retain multiple sources of information. In week 3 we will be introducing the instrument 'From Unit to Group', this instrument focuses on early numeracy skills and multiplication.

Week 8 Let Me Think

Last week we started a new instrument called Orientation in Space. We talked about the cover and what the words mean. We have started looking at the instrument and using the cognitive function 'accurate labelling' to identify everything in the pictures. We have also been using the cognitive function 'precision and accuracy' to make sure that when we give instructions they need to be very precise and accurate so others know exactly what we mean. We also need to listen carefully to instructions before we start a task. This is quite tricky but we know the more we practice it the easier it will get!

Week 6 Let Me Think

Next week we are going to be participating in a variety of workshops to strengthen the following cognitive functions: comparative behaviour, precision and accuracy, accurate labelling and scanning. The children will be able to participate in each workshop during the week. Some of the workshops are: games (some of the games are listed below), Spot It and following directions.

Monday 29 February

This is our second week working on the instrument 'Compare and Discover the Absurd'. We have been learning more about the cognitive function comparative behaviour. We have been practicing using and strengthening this cognitive function throughout the day, especially during numeracy time. We have been comparing numbers and working on open ended questions that have many different solutions. Our main focus has been comparing the different ways and talking about the most efficient way. We came up with the principle that 'comparison lets us discover the better or easier way to do something'.

Monday 15 February

Welcome to our FIE newsletter for Term 1. Our Feuerstein sessions are called “Let Me Think” and are happening from 9-9.45am on Mondays through to Thursdays.

This week we are going to be introducing the children to the keywords cognition and problem solving.

The students will have opportunities to solve a range of problems. They will then have time to discuss and reflect on what happened during the problem solving task and the thinking (or lack of) that occurred. For one of our activities we need a lot of newspaper - any donations from home will be gratefully received.

At the presentation on Wednesday night we had some games on display. These games develop cognition and we have listed them below for those interested in purchasing for personal use.

Games Find 5 Fast Spot It Dobble On the Dot SET Clever Castle Qwirkle	Left Center Right Smart Cookie (1 player) Tenzi  (especially the variation “Stealzi”) Rats That Away Four Site Rally up Ring it
Websites for Games: Blueorangegames Thinkfun Foxmind.com Gamedepository Tubby.co.nz

Next Week:

Instrument: Compare and Discover the Absurd

Cognitive Functions for next week and the remainder of Term 1:

Clear perception - I know what to do

Systematic exploration - I can scan the whole picture to find the relevant information

Selecting relevant details - I know what is useful information

Using logical evidence - I can justify my answers

Clear and precise responses - I use accurate and clear language

Impulsivity - I think about the task before I start