With the New Method of Whole Brain Training being employed, there will definitely be New Processes in a child’s learning. When New Methods and New Processes combine, there can only be revolutionary outcomes in children.
Traditional Education’s Old Processes
The process of introducing a child to a new concept or to new knowledge, to the time they possess mastery is often an arduous one. With the process being a senses-based one, skills can only be mastered when drilling happens.
What are the common ingredients of drilling? Rounds of repetition, need for continuous cramming, and endless practices and revisions in order for a concept to stick. As the process becomes repetitive, children will lose interest. This can be especially true for young children who naturally do not have sustained attention.
Where most preschools fail
Hence, no matter the techniques imparted or the uniqueness of a lesson plan, they will eventually tire themselves out. Without a clear focus on strengthening a child’s Life-Defining Abilities, the impartation of knowledge and techniques alone is no longer enough. Not when children today are expected to know more, understand deeper and respond faster.
So, what’s the Stamford Solution?
The Stamford Solution is thus a clear objective of increasing a child’s cognitive abilities. At the end of the day, we do not just want mindless individuals who regurgitate, but thinkers who can Read, Think and Solve.
To achieve this, we combine Whole Brain Training with our specialized process in helping children master literacy and numeracy.
New Literacy Process + New Whole Brain Training Method
Stage 1: RECOGNITION
We first work on helping child recognize the parts to a whole. By introducing them to the phonics letter sounds and the different combinations of blends and digraphs, we ensure that lay the foundation of a child being able to associate letters to the corresponding sounds.
Stage 2: READING through Decoding and Encoding
Next, as children are picking up on their ability to perceive and respond orally but not through visual representation (i.e. the written word), we introduce the reading mechanics of decoding and encoding. The ability to understand and communicate not just through speech but the written word is what we seek to strengthen in a child since young.
Stage 3: SPELLING through Decoding and Encoding
When children have better grasps of the mechanism of reading through decoding and encoding, we will introduce the skill of spelling through decoding and encoding. This will help children to spell, not from rote memory, but by understanding exactly how parts of the words come together.
Stage 4: READING and WRITING Application
In theory, children who have covered Stages 1 through 3 with Stamford will be able to read and write. However, reading and writing is not just about words but about deeper levels of comprehension. Hence we dedicate the last kindergarten years to help children be acquainted with the rules of writing in sentences and paragraphs.
New Numeracy Process + New Whole Brain Training Method
Stage 1: RECOGNITION
Children need to first be able to recognize the numbers from 1 to 100. Often times, children can only do rote counting without really recognizing what they see, let alone understand the amount that is being represented by the numbers.
Hence, recognition.
Stage 2: UNDERSTANDING
Following recognition, the next most important step is to help children understand those numbers. By teaching children the amounts behind the numbers, working with numbers become easier and more straightforward since they can better visualize the amounts.
While most childcares or kindergartens only stop short of teaching children 1 to 1 correspondence counting, we introduce children to Place Values through a variety of activities.
Stage 3: WORKING with Numbers
Working with numbers require an understanding of operations (i.e. plus, minus, times, divide) and an understanding of the amount behind the numbers.
Once preschoolers make sense of how big or small numbers are, operations will be more easily applied.
Stage 4: PROBLEM SOLVING
However, understand mathematical concepts cannot be independent from applying the ability to work with numbers in one’s daily lives. For example, a child who can do addition sums like 17 + 15 may not be able to solve the following:
Mum bought 17 tulips and 15 roses. How many stalks of flowers did Mum buy altogether?
Hence, at Stamford, we are concerned about helping children marry literacy with numeracy abilities.
Why Stamford? Because of the New Outcomes
At the end of your child’s journey with Stamford, they would not have just picked up important literacy and numeracy skills. In addition, they would have strengthened their Life-Defining Abilities.
If we only adopted our Literacy and/or Numeracy New Processes without the New Whole Brain Training Method, we would only be half as successful in helping children achieve the outcomes of Read, Think and Solve. That would have made us just one of the many preschools around still not breaking away from the shackles of traditional education – merely imparting techniques and cramming information rather than strengthening a child’s cognitive abilities.
If we only adopted the New Whole Brain Training New Method, we would be merely stimulating the different areas of a child’s brain without systematically and constructively improving their ability to Read, Think and Solve.