BrainFit Studio: Developing the Traits of Top Class Performers

What do we know about the success secret of  top performers in class?

For one, we know they pick up the lessons faster and they remember them more. Outside of the class setting, top performers in arts or sports also have above-average abilities on attention to detail, balance and coordination, and speed, among many other traits. These traits are what spell the difference between average and the best!

One class, many minds
In a class where there environment is the same, the teacher is the same – why do some do very well while others don’t? There are several bright, lively children who seem unable to focus in school and are turning in unsatisfactory grades. We also know kids who seem to excel in one subject, say English, but are unable to perform well in others, like Math.  Some children “switch off” or “day-dream” in class when a teacher is giving verbal instructions.
 
And as any concerned and loving parent or teacher would, we want the best for our kids and so we enroll them in several after-school  tuition/ enrichment courses.  Fact is, these do help in some cases, but at other times – it’s still the same.

10 hours of “work” during school days
In the Philippines, children start the day roughly at 6am to get ready for school. School ends between 2 and 4pm and after that – they still have to go to tutor. That’s easily 10 hours of “work” during school days.  So, who says “children don’t get stressed”?

A life-changing experience
At BrainFit Studio, children work on different exercises within the same hour – even those in the same class -  as they focus on meeting their own learning needs, at their own pace.
 
And it makes complete sense.

“Each individual has a unique brain profile,” according to Cheryl Chia, Singapore-based clinical physiotherapist and founder of BrainFit Studio. “We assess each brain’s strengths and weakness with a CognitiveMAP™, an evaluation tool that determines which of your child’s 5 Brain Pillars need enhancement.”

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BrainFit Studio seeks to build in each child the 5 Brain Pillars, which comprise key cognitive abilities that form the foundations for all learning. The Brain Pillars are

•    Attention & Memory
•    Sensory Motor Coordination
•    Auditory & Language Processing
•    Visual & Spatial Processing
•    Social-Emotional Self-regulation

Here is an example on the importance of evaluation and customization. A child deemed to be “inattentive” and “careless” in school may be displaying these behaviors due to several possibilities. One possibility may be a weakness in the eye coordination muscles (Sensory-Motor Brain Pillar) leading to weak visual focus and missing out of information as a child reads a paragraph or scans a worksheet. This is often picked up as “careless” behavior. When we strengthen the way he absorbs knowledge, the result is a life-changing experience for the child.

In all exercises, there is simultaneous development of skills. For example, in SMART Vision, one may be working on his visual attention, visual spatial sense and muscle co-ordination all at the same time.

A girl may be asked to jump on the trampoline (Muscle coordination training) and focus on the directional arrows on the wall at the same time (Visual attention and Visual spatial training). The aim: cells that fire together, wire together!

In one computer lab, children facing different learning needs were seated individually, working on customized brain training exercise from SMART Listening. A Brain Fitness specialist hovered attentively at each workstation, ready to assist the children if helped was needed.

A mom to a Grade 4 student shares: “My son has been attending BrainFit since he was in Grade 2. He used to get borderline passing grades in his subjects. This is his third boosting round (about 40 lessons each round), and I noticed that eversince attending the sessions here, he has consistently maintained 90 per cent plus for Math.

Apart from class performance, good Sensory-Fitness has helped another child aged 12 to swim her first medal in swimming! She has been in swimming class for several summers already, but there’s always a certain ’stroke’ which she can’t quite get right. The same summer when she enrolled into SMART Moves – the coach noticed significant improvement on her strokes and she went on to win first medal in swimming that summer.

BrainFit Studio Philippines opened its doors in 2011. It is spearheaded by a group of individuals who are experts in the fields of education and health care. Currently, BrainFit Studio Philippines has three centers: Greenhills, Binondo, and Makati. For inquires, contact BrainFitStudio^TM at 725-8500, 0917-5991992 or email brainfitph@gmail.com.

Looking to explore enrichment classes for your kids this summer? Check out our Summer Classes Directory by clicking here.