Many learners start school at a disadvantage and stay disadvantaged. This results in an increasing number of learners needing extra support in order to benefit from schooling, obtain a qualification and become independent and part of an agile workforce. Failure to learn at school results in dependent adults with low self-esteem and low employability. Reasons for learning failure can mostly be ascribed to diversity in: socioeconomic milieu, levels of sensory stimulation and sensory integration, thinking language and learning styles. Diversity in learner needs, necessitates identifying a common denominator amongst all learners, which when stimulated results in greater learning effectiveness for all learners. Whole brain learning is a common denominator and can be defined as receiving input equally through sight, hearing and active participation, processing the sensory input simultaneously with the left and right brain while filtering perceptions through emotions for appropriate and accurate verbal or active output. Brain Gym® is claimed to be a simple and cost effective technique that stimulates whole brain learning. The aim of this research study was to scrutinise Brain Gym as a technique that promotes whole brain learning and contributes to learner success and independence. This scrutiny was approached from a Personal and Professional Leadership perspective, whose domain is (amongst others) the value of selfmastery through mental- and emotional-state management resulting in selfactualisation. A multi-layered action research strategy was followed incorporating concept analysis, a descriptive and analytical literature study, qualitative and quantitative research methods and programme development. The literature study indicated that the prevalent learning difficulties could be categorised in the following themes: language and literacy difficulties, math difficulties and difficulties in concentration and motivation. The list of difficulties Brain Gym claimed to address were narrowed down according to the themes and the following criteria: the concepts had to easily and accurately be evaluated in groups pre and post a Brain Gym intervention within a six-week time frame. Only the following concepts were evaluated: 1 Logic and gestalt brain integration 2 Crossing of the visual midline 3 Eye-hand co-ordination 4 Self image 5 Mathematical computation 6 Concentration. Developing and implementing a Brain Gym programme for a period of six weeks and evaluating the resultant changes examined causality. Quantitative data was collected by means of the Aptitude test for School Beginners and qualitative data through focus group interviews and artefacts. The qualitative data was analysed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive statistics regarding group distribution and tests indicated that the design was scientifically sound and presented a comparative basis for analysing the test results in terms of inferential statistics. The inferential yielded no significant results, which indicate that the Brain Gym intervention did not have a measurable effect on their ASB test scores. The quantative data was analysed by means of a descriptive narrative and presented in terms of the six concepts. Feedback from the principal educators, facilitators and the researcher indicated a noticeable improvement in all six concepts. The findings indicated that the learners have improved on a physical, emotional and social level in terms of sensory-integration, confidence, attitude, concentration and motivation. As indicated in the literature study physical, emotional and social development occurs prior to cognitive development. Due to the research period only being six weeks and thus an inadequate for measurable cognitive development, it may account for the lack of improvement on a cognitive level. It can be concluded that a Brain Gym is a technique that can stimulate the whole brain state and as such address the vast array of learning difficulties effectively in the classroom conditional to regular implementation and for a period longer than 6 weeks. Stimulating the whole brain state is the first step towards learning receptiveness and higher levels of literacy and numeracy resulting in an agile and competent workforce in South Africa. / Prof. D.P.J. Smith
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:7388 |
| Date | 23 July 2008 |
| Creators | De Jager, Melodie |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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