Doc - I haven’t read all the books, yet. But I plan to. “Right Brain Kids in a Left Brain World” by Jeffrey Freed is out of stock so I’ve got the bookshop to order it in for me. I’m planning to order the two new Shichida books but will have to wait until they ship them to me. The only one I’ve got is the TweedleWink book by Pamela Hickein which I’m just starting to read now. Right now, the jury’s still out, but I’ll definitely come back to you on this one.
Yes, we are definitely very lucky to have such a great choice in right brain schools around us. It’s been quite recent though. This is what I know so far in answer to your questions:
Re: ESP
Heguru also does ESP but TW and Doman do not. Heguru philosophy is very much like Shichida because they were formerly part of the same team (the relationship was like teacher and student). Somewhere along the way they separated but the classes (or so I’m told) are fairly similar both in activities and philosophy. TW doesn’t seem to advocate ESP, but they do talk about objects and people giving off energy that children are particularly sensitive to. Is that the same or different to the philosophy of ESP I’m not really sure. But TW believe it is this energy that emanates from everything around us which is the reason why young children can learn in a 360 degree manner. It is also the reason why children are affected by negative emotions from adults. For instance, if the parent of the child doesn’t believe, or if the parent is stressing the child, the right brain learning process won’t work.
I’m not sure if I believe in the whole ESP thing either - I, too, am a bit of a skeptic. But I have read testimonials from one mother who said that since she started sending her son to Shichida, his ESP potential has really been developing. For instance, he knew his father was home even before he arrived (this was out of the usual routine - his father is normally home late but that day his father was home early and he sensed it), he knew the telephone was going to ring before it rang - things like that.
Re: TW classes
The TW classes offer a physical aspect to the lesson. For instance, after viewing flashcards of animals, they will take out little animal figures that have just been shown and the children get to see them and touch them. They also have a movement activity where the children get to bounce on those exercise balls, roll around, etc. This incorporates the Doman understanding that physical movement helps brain development and learning. The TW classes have a Montessori approach to it. They also cover everything by subject - it’s very ordered and structured. For instance, they start with the welcome song, then they go through the different subjects - math, science, art, culture, speed reading, music, etc. For the music segment, they use the tuning forks to let the children hear and feel the vibrations of each note. The classes basically try to engage the senses. The classes are more relaxed.
Re: Heguru classes (which I assume is the same or similar to Shichida but I cannot confirm since I have no experience with Shichida)
Heguru is typically Japanese in delivery. The pace is a lot faster than TW. They flash cards very rapidly and they play various games. ESP games invite the children to “guess” where a certain object is hidden, or they may show two or three cards of the same object in different colours, cover them up, shuffle them and ask the child which card is the one with a specific colour. They also do physical activities - movement to music and one other activity outside the room which varies from lesson to lesson. For instance, one day the children have to go through an obstacle course, another day they are practicing hanging up “clothes” on the line.
They do Mandala exercises where they view a coloured pattern and then have to remember where all the colours go (which they then colour in on their black and white outline), followed by an activity where they have to recreate the Mandala pattern. They also do other memory exercises - the teacher shows a grid with pictures for a period and then the child has to place the pictures in the right boxes from memory. The grid size depends on the age of the child. Young children only do a 2 x 2 grid.
They also do linking memory and Peg memory. Linking memory is random. Every lesson they show a series of cards and make up a random story to connect them. The Peg memory links a number to a specific picture. There is also speed reading (or rather speed listening) and image training (similar to the WINK exercises). Although WINK also has similar activities, TW philosophy is that these should not be done with a child under 4 because they are considered right brain activities for a left brain dominant person.
I feel there is a lot more covered in the Heguru classes but the pace is intense. I feel mentally drained after each class compared to TW. However, I’m still disinclined to rule out Heguru/Shichida based on how I feel because I know children can learn very fast and what seems mentally draining to me might actually be invigorating for them. I made the mistake of boring my older son to death when I first started flashcards with him. I assumed he learned the same way I did so I would proceed very slowly through the flashcards. After a while he didn’t want to do them any more. We’re now doing flashcards again and also I’m going a lot faster, I’m still too slow for him.
Since my older boy can talk, I’m getting a better sense of just how fast a child can really learn. I used to follow the Doman method quite rigidly but now I have to agree with TW that it is way too repetitive. Doman’s formula is 5 sets of 5 cards, 3 times a day for 5 days and then retiring one card from each set each day. I showed my older boy 5 sets of 10 cards, once a day for 5 days and then retire the entire set and still it is too repetitive. On the 4th day I was showing the same set, my son said, “Mummy, I know this.”
It is amazing how quickly they learn - it’s hard to get my head around it because I cannot believe anyone can learn that fast and yet he does and I know it is the same with other children. My reluctance to speed up is due to the belief that he couldn’t possibly have learned everything yet, but based on what he tells me, he already knows it.
I, too, find all the different techniques frustrating - which is why I want to read the other philosophies: Shichida, TW and even this third party book by Jeffrey Freed whom I’ve never heard of before. Perhaps he can offer an unbiased perspective? I guess it remains to be seen.
I have made enquiries at the Shichida centers to buy their products but they said they only sell to parents with children enrolled in their courses and since my children aren’t… They don’t offer trial sessions here - it’s either the whole deal or nothing and it’s kind of expensive to do the whole deal (especially since I’m already committed to Heguru and TweedleWink). I have heard from mothers who send their kids to Shichida that you get home materials but I wasn’t sure what those home materials were specifically.
The journey of right brain education has been a learning experience not just for my son but for me too. I’m learning so much through my sons.
but I was only at the Head Office branch. Which one do you go to?