Sunday, April 26, 2009
About the Way We Learn
First, an announcement: I am hoping to make a trip to Greece this fall--I left part of my heart there when I visited years ago and would like to go and find it again. But--I am looking for a small tour with focus on spiritual or else the classical sites (these are more or less the same, after all.) Also, not too expensive --more or less the mid range, whatever that is these days. If anyone has any suggestions, please e-mail me--see address in right side bar. Thanks.)
This is, of course a Kundalini site, but Kundalini does not occur in a vacuum. It is one part (and a central one) in the process of evolving consciousness we all are engaged in these days.
Last night on PBS I watched a program which I found quite exciting for what it had to say about those--especially children--whose consciousness (in terms of academic abilities) seem to be especially challenged. Many of these kids have trouble reading even at the most elementary levels and, since reading is the basis for almost all future learning, they fall behind their classmates, lose self esteem, and may become early dropouts or join gangs and such. They often are the "troublemakers" in the class, trying to divert attention from their own apparent failure in the academic realm.
It has long been thought that the basic brain "capacity" was set in the early years and could not be changed. Now we have discovered that this notion simply is not true. The brain is extremely plastic (susceptible to change) not only in childhood but all through life. Researchers have discovered that the problem with many of these kids is not that they are lacking intelligence at all, but that their brains are somehow wired so that they cannot "hear" ("process") phonemes (the basic units which make up language) as fast as others can. Thus they have major difficulty in connecting the phonemes with language itself--they don't see the connection between the words on the page and what the words represent.
But there has been a breakthrough! A new technique, simple and relatively inexpensive, in effect retrains the brain, using, the computer and simple games to reprogram how it responds to sound and syllables. It even can be used at home. Over one million children have achieved significant progress with this technique, some even performing at the expected grade level.
One youngster who could not read at all at the age of about 13, did learn to read--it changed his life and he himself is now a teacher of others.
There is, of course, more to the learning process that this approach. There must also be motivation, attention, persistence, and such, but for a start, this technique sounds like as miracle.
"Leave no child behind, indeed." Give them the proper tools and they will advance on their own.
And, considering that we are all so aware of costs these days, think how much money will be saved by schools, parents, and society if these programs are made available to those children in serious need.
Here are two sites with information about this approach:
http://www.brainfitnessforkids.com/ (for a general overview)
(this one for more specific information)
And--in order to participate at home, you must have a computer with either DSL or Comcast (I think). The games are sent via these modes, and your child is also assigned to a "coach" who contacts him or her every so often to monitor his or her progress and give further advice. Most users report almost no progress for about 3 weeks, when they will start to have glimpses of the possible, and then the exciting phase begins where (many) seem to race ahead at a impressive pace. And kids are said to love the games they play in order to learn. The listed price varies from $200 to $400, depending on the length of time you sign up for. But you can try it out on the free offer listed on the Brainspark site just to taste a sample.
By the way, the main presenters on PBS are highly respected professionals in the field of brain research and childhood learning.
If I had a child I was concerned about, I would take this information to my school counselor and administrator immediately and ask for their help. If the school is not already aware of this technique, urge them to investigate it as soon as possible. As we say, a young life is too valuable to be needlessly wasted.
Final note: Whatever "cosmic consciousness" may be, it operates on the human level through the brain. Kundalini itself is also--on one level--an aspect of brain function, a consciousness where the human and the sublime seem to mingle. Thus, it is to our advantage to promote human intellectual function for all as much as we can. We all must move ahead together to enter the new era.
(Picture from source)
