April 20th, 2010

I am back from holidays and, as usual, there is so much admin catch-up to do while feeling just a tad lagged and distracted. I put into place a timed process that is a great way to stay focused and get stuff done for when a limited attention span is an issue. It helps to engage the thinking processes so paying attention happens naturally. I thought I would share it….

Start by listing the jobs to be done, eg today mine look like:

catch up pile
finalise BAS
sort out spare room stuff
clear emails
finalise client records
blog

then add 10 / 20 / 30 after each one. It will now look like:

catch up pile 10 / 20 / 30
finalise BAS 10 / 20 / 30
sort out spare room stuff 10 / 20 / 30
clear emails 10 / 20 / 30
finalise client records 10 / 20 / 30
blog 10 / 20 / 30

Now just do each item in order for 10 minutes, then back to the top of the list to do each item for 20 minutes, then back again to the top of the list to do each item for 30 minutes. Cross off each time code as you get to them ie my list looks like this right now:

catch up pile 10 / 20 / 30
finalise BAS 10 / 20 / 30
sort out spare room stuff 10 / 20 / 30
clear emails 10 / 20 / 30
finalise client records 10 / 20 / 30
blog 10 / 20 / 30

And, if you get an item done before the time is up then you can just cross off the whole item and move on!

This is a great way to work through an overwhelming list… I think this months ezine will be on this and other ways to handle overwhelm. If you are not yet signed up go to http://gaylandeta.com.au/sign-up/ to do so.

Here’s to getting stuff done!

Gay

.

October 20th, 2009

Wow. One of my young clients Mum just rang to let me know that the Neurospecialist in his hospital assessment this week told her that the only thing that could be stopping him from falling into intellectual impairment is his work with me using Brain Gym and Kinesiology. It has definitely changed his way of thinking and processing.

I am looking forward to seeing the official report!

Smilingly yours!

gay

October 12th, 2009

During September I spent 4 days exploring and balancing early developmental movement patterns with Carol Ann Erikson, a Brain Gym movement expert from the states. As a coach of high level athletes (including those of Olympic standards) she has explored movement intimately and through working with her other love – kids of all ages including those with profound difficulties – she has seen firsthand the impact that exploring and developing physical skills has on the ability to learn.

When musing on my monthly ezine, re-engineered from conception as I was through her program and wondering what to write the answer was obvious… so I resurrected an article I wrote several years ago when I first discovered the link with early movement and learning. I hope you enjoy it.

Movement is fundamental to easy learning, joy in living and fun!

************************

MOVE AND GROW

by Gay Landeta

For many years the link between movement and learning was not widely recognised. However as we have become a more and more sedentary people, academic and experiential research have linked these two; with the Primitive Reflexes and early developmental movements being recognised as especially important.

What are Primitive Reflexes?

These are our earliest survival reflexes and emerge either in utero or in early infant-hood. They should be fully integrated by about a year to make room for the postural reflexes, the ones that help us to stand upright.

Our ability to move, our perception of the world, our language and how we make sense of the world is built upon the emergence and subsequent integration of these early reflexes. Only after the successful integration of these, can higher functioning, for example, relationships and academic learning, become natural and stress free.

Unintegrated Reflexes can cause havoc, consider the following situation:

James was age 14 and in grade 10. He presented for his appointment defiant and unsure. James was having difficulties at school, he had been bullied when younger but now seemed to be the one bullying.

He had a troublemaker tag and was often caught in the middle of a fight. In the middle of our consultation a door suddenly slammed. James leapt backwards, arms out stretched, eyes wide open, swearing like a trooper. He had just exhibited a fully developed Moro reflex, the primitive startle reflex that babies exhibit up to the age of 4 months.

James’ troublemaker image and self esteem difficulties grew from the fights he started while in the locker bays. Fights he denied starting. The jarring sound of locker doors slamming activated the Moro reflex. James’ arms would then spring open and the cry he would have made as an infant became uncontrollable swearing. This guaranteed a reaction from others that often developed into a fight.

The Moro reflex, one of the Primitive Reflexes, is the infants fight or flight response to danger. It should have emerged at about 9 weeks in utero and have been fully developed and integrated by 2 – 4 months of life. It then becomes replaced by the adult startle response where it it possible to stop and discern if the noise has an element of danger to it and only then react.

James’ unintegrated Moro Reflex meant he was physically and emotionally being put into fight or flight survival mode by every loud noise he experienced.

In James’ case a quick birth and infantile illness had combined leaving the Moro reflex together with several other early reflexes ‘stuck’ in his system. He could operate ‘normally’ only when he was totally relaxed. The stress of high school combined with the teenage hormones meant that this rarely happened. He was constantly ready for the sabre tooth tiger to attack!

A few sessions enabled his system to rewire itself and integrate the reflexes into the soon to be adult system. Instead of continually trying to contain himself, James gained real control over his emotions and outbursts. His self esteem improved, his learning became easy and his results improved and he was once again able to be his own wonderful self.

Our body is a miraculous thing, it can learn to deal with almost anything. But often through compensation.

Many of us have some incomplete early development patterns that leave us vulnerable to stress. Most of the time we compensate, until we hit enough stress for that compensation to collapse.

Sometimes you can see this physically, for example in someone who is normally coordinated who starts bumping into things when they are tired or stressed.

Emotionally we can say or do things we later regret. Old emotional issues emerge and our health can start to decline. Our thoughts and feelings become conflicted and learning anything new becomes at best difficult.

The miracle of movement…

We all know a good walk often calms down the most emotional issue – but if unintegrated reflexes are the cause then they will continue to stop us from accessing our full potential anytime we hit our particular stress wall.

By discovering which early movements are blocked, where the difficulties lie and then fully exploring them we can help them to become integrated and life becomes far more easy and joyful.

One way to do this is through a Movement Education Balance – I invite you to come in and enjoy one. They are fun and suitable for all ages and all goals….

Look forward to seeing you soon!

That’s all for now..

Cheers, Gay

Here is July’s ezine – just in time for those of you just getting into the semester!

STUDY BETTER – LIFE SKILLS FOR US ALL!
by Gay Landeta

Did you know that there are 5 fundamental elements that affect each individual
when they study…. and those elements expand out into about 21 different
variables. Not each of those 21 is important for each person – but somewhere
between 6 – 14 significantly affect study results.

So that means that by determining those that are significant to you and making
appropriate changes your ability to study will improve and so will your
results.

The five elements that affect ease in learning are: environmental, emotional,
sociological (how we interact with others), physical and psychological.

Earlier in the month I published a blog that explored the environmental
elements and some of the physical and psychological aspects. By now you should
have an idea about several areas that are significant for you, such as how
much light you need, how noisy you like it, how warm or cool suits you,
whether you prefer a desk or something more informal. Even a hard or soft
chair can make a significant difference.

You should also have an idea about your learning style, whether your challenge
is putting the details into the big picture or vice versa. And, once you try
different tactics, what your primary learning tool is; your eyes, ears, hands
or your whole body.

Next area to look to is the emotional element – do you like to study for long
periods of time or do you have a short attention span? If long choose one
subject to focus on at a time, perhaps a whole study session.

If short then change study focus often. Generally we can focus for about 20
minutes at a time, often kids only manage 5 or 10 minutes. Use a timer or
download an application on the computer.

Some people learn better when they do several things at once. I always
remember my dad filling in his tax return while watching sport, reading a book
and painting a picture – he needed to do all those things to stay focused and
finish his tax. Me, I felt slightly crazy watching all that happening.

Other important aspects include how you like to get your information – do you
prefer an authority like a teacher telling you or to find the answers by
working with a partner? Perhaps you prefer tossing ideas around in a group?

Modify your study by finding a study partner or joining – or creating – a
study group or express interest in what exactly your
child learnt today, get them to show you.

The final few factors include whether you like to eat or drink while studying
and whether your preference and energy for learning is for morning, afternoon
or evening.

Once you know the best time for you just schedule it in. And, while not
important for many, eating for some helps focus. For example I found celery or
other crunchy stuff made a difference to how well I integrated what I was
learning.

What results can you achieve through spending time on these questions? One of
my clients recently discovered that two very bright desk lamps, a big empty
desk top, a hard chair, an open door to the rest of the house and short study
bursts has helped her study enormously.

Another discovered that all he had to do was listen to lectures to remember,
fortunate as reading the texts took more time than he had.

Hopefully this has given you a few clues on getting more out of your study.
Brain Gym is another great support…. call me if you need any help making your
study more effective or more fun!

Wishing you great studying.

Gay
==========================================

Use this check list to clarify some of your personal preferences in study:

ENVIRONMENT
light : bright / dim
design : formal (desk) / informal (floor, bed, other table)
chair : hard / soft
temperature : warm / cool
noise : quiet / music / ambient noise eg household chatter

EMOTIONAL
time : long periods / short bursts
subjects : one focus / variety

SOCIOLOGICAL
study companions : teacher or tutor / partners / groups / on own

PHYSICAL
intake : eat / drink / nothing (except water of course)
time of day : morning / afternoon / evening
preferred learning style : visual / auditory / tactile / kinesthetic

PSYCHOLOGICAL
learner preference : global / analytical

==========================================

This Month’s Resolve : Make learning fun! Stressed learners can’t remember.

July 12, 2009

I thought a few hints about how to get better study results timely with school back this week and Uni and Tafe next….

Did you know that each individual has a preferred learning and study style and that knowing what yours will improve your study results immensely? Here are 7 key areas that can be addressed easily and, if you want to know more, catch my next edition of Resolve – sign up at gaylandeta.com.au/sign-up/ to make sure you don’t miss it!

Firstly make sure your environment suits you, check areas such as:

Sound : some people like silence – others music, often baroque (eg Mozart), natural ambient music or indigenous sounds. Kids especially benefit from 20 minute cycles of silence and music.
Design : some people really like a traditional desk and chair. Others prefer more informal settings including lying down on the bed or sitting outside in nature. Some people even read or study better when they are walking around or bouncing on a trampoline or fitness ball!
Light : some poor readers read better in low light! Contrary to what our mothers told us we won’t lose our eyesight reading in the dark.
Temperature : do you like to be warm or cool? For some the wrong temperature will turn off the whole cognitive processes.
Time of day : everyone has their own natural rhythm. For some mornings are the best, others afternoons and for some evenings. Discerning the best time to study and sticking to that can make a big difference to retention rate.

Are you global or analytical? Each style has its own way of learning, if you are analytical true / false tests or questions asking for details are the easiest; however for the global thinker test questions such as ‘give me your opinion’ or those wanting the general theme are the easiest.

Global thinkers can think analytically but they tend to need the big picture of how everything fits first. If you are a global thinker make sure you know why you are doing the study and what you are looking for before you start to help you to focus on the details and put them into place.
You analytical thinkers are just made for academic study, you often like to accumulate ideas for the sake of it! Analytical thinkers can think globally they just start analytically. It is important to reflect on what you have learnt and how it fits into the bigger picture for it to become transferrable learning that can be applied in other situations.

VATK – what is your primary learning style? Visual, Auditory, Tactile or Kinesthetic? Each of these learning styles has its own tricks to enhance learning. Once you identify your primary ones and use the associated study skills you will learn more easily and remember better.

Visual – You need to see what you are learning. Make notes, use coloured pens and paper and highlighters, organise via colour and visualise your answers.
Auditory – You need to hear what is being taught. Mouth the words, read aloud, record (with permission) lectures and talk about what you have learnt with someone.
Tactile – You like to fiddle while you learn. Use your finger or a highlighter on your notes, hold a tactile object like a stress ball or blue tack and keep your notes on index cards so you can reorganise them easily to help you remember. Keep your fingers active.
Kinesthetic – You like to move! Stand up while learning, rock or walk while studying, get a fitness ball to sit on, take frequent breaks and keep your body active to stay alert and study effectively.

Read more in my ezine, published at the end of the month and, in the meantime, happy studies!

Gay