![]() I first became interested in the Feuerstein approach because of our Syrian students. Just as with many other English Language Learners, it was hard to assess their thinking skills because of the language barrier. As well, we thought it was likely that emotional trauma and previous poor schooling could hamper their learning. These barriers, however, are not unique to refugees or homesick and culture shocked international learners. We all know that for too many Kiwi learners, the biggest barrier is not learners’ lack of ability, but the lack of belief that they can develop those abilities, usually manifesting itself as disengagement in all its challenging forms! Moreover, thinking is a Key Competency of our Curriculum, and is core to our teaching for all students. (Note that there could now be a renewed emphasis on these higher levels of the Curriculum, given that our new Minister of Education’s, Chris Hipkins', mother is Rosemary Hipkins who worked on this area of the Curriculum…) Feuerstein developed his theory and practice working with traumatised children moving to Israel after World War Two. He took a growth mindset approach. He wanted to find ways to assess their capabilities and enable them develop those. Not only had these children missed on formal education, they were lacking the normal cultural support for learning in all areas because their families had been destroyed. This is an important insight that links Feuerstein with Vygotsky (even though they worked completely independently): all learning is mediated. Parents, and teachers, are those mediators. In an ideal world, we know what stage the learner is at, and what they need to reach the next. Feuerstein developed tools for assessing learning that were not reliant upon language. He also developed ways to strengthen thinking. These cognitive changes do not require language, or any subject-specific knowledge. However, they have been to shown to transfer to applied areas of learning. Through his method, learners develop their cognitive and metacognitive skills and motivation to learn. (See What the Feuerstein approach has to uniquely offer by Dr Dorothy Howie - be aware Feuerstein’s terminology does initially seem odd!!) This is not a ‘brain training’ programme, but something much richer, as it relies on shared learning, and hence a focus upon the emotional and cultural components of each person’s learning. It is intensive, and long term, and ideally is a whole school approach, similar to the three-tiered PB4L initiative. I am not sure yet how we could best incorporate it into our already busy Curriculum learning but am thinking it could be something we could trial with whanau groups next year, and perhaps as part of our English Language and Literacy classes or Learning Support. From what I’ve read, the students enjoy it greatly. ![]() In the September holidays, I attended a two day course run by Dr Dorothy Howie who is an expert on the Feuerstein approach (scanned slides). She trained with Feuerstein in Israel, and we are extremely fortunate to have her expertise available to us. The first day was an overview of approaches to teaching thinking. The second day looked at what the Feuerstein approach offers. There were a number of other teachers there, including Simon McMillan from Kaikorai Valley College. In 2016, Simon researched the teaching of thinking in the United States while on a Fulbright Scholarship. Since then, as he found so few practical approaches for classroom teachers, he has become very interested in the practical value for teachers of the Feuerstein approach. I’ve attached some of his links to Feuerstein, especially the Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment (FIE) Method. Dr Howie is now going to run a five-day training session at Kaikorai Valley College from Monday the 22nd January to Friday the 26th of January. I am going, and look forward to learning and sharing more. If you want to learn more, or think you might like to attend, email me or Simon. ~Nicky Chapman
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