Breakthrough research first conducted in the 1970s has shown that limitations in the brain’s capacity to acquire new knowledge can be reversed through proper scientific application. In what has become known as the concept of brain plasticity, scientists proved that the application of specific, targeted learning paradigms can change the activity patterns of neurons, which are the fundamental processing elements of the brain.
The old model of learning held that the vast majority of the brain’s functioning was established during the critical period of the first few years of life. By the time a child entered school, his or her brain was already seen as “hardwired” for learning, for better or worse. The most that a teacher could do was work within the limits already prescribed by that child’s genetic allotment and early cognitive development. Since no new capacity for learning was assumed possible, intervention for struggling students was targeted towards helping them compensate for what were considered lifelong deficiencies. This view of the brain is now known to be incorrect. We know today that the brain is continuously modifiable. This realization has opened the door for novel approaches to facilitate learning for students of all aptitudes.
Fast ForWord is based on neuroscience research showing:
Brains can be trained to re-structure (re-wire). “Brain Plasticity” is the ability of the brain to change through experience & learning.
The brain that changes itself by Dr. Norman Doidge
For the brain to ‘re-wire’, certain conditions must be met. These conditions or “learning principles” have been identified as repetition, adaptivity to a person’s skill level, motivation, and immediate feedback.
The brain of a struggling reader differs from the brain of a good reader – this has nothing to do with one’s intelligence. Brain imaging studies show which areas of the brain activate in normal and struggling readers. In struggling readers, critical areas of the brain used for reading are not activated as they are with good readers
Michael Merzenich on re-wiring the brain
Explore the brain’s amazing ability to change throughout a person’s life. This phenomenon – called neuroplasticty – is the science behind brain fitness, and it has been called one of the most extraordinary scientific discoveries of the 20th century. This is opportunity to learn more about how our minds work—and to find out more about the latest in cutting-edge brain research from Dr. Michael Merzenich.