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We are pleased to be offering group lessons for elementary and middle school boys and girls.  We are excited about the BrainWise® approach to learning executive functions and social skills.  For more information, call David Sholtes at Celebrating Minds (847)328-1920.

This introductory material is copied from the BrainWise® web site.

"I've taught 'thinking skills' to teens for the past twenty years, but BrainWise puts the skills together in one program. The Lesson Plans make it easy to teach rather difficult abstract concepts. It is exciting to see the students use their new thinking skills to stop and think and avoid problem situations. The concepts are retained, too -- even by students who took the course three years ago!"

– Marsha Harman, School Counselor

Celebrating Minds

BrainWise Group Information

Scheduling and Cost

The Lessons

Contact Information

Research and Results

PDF Brochure

Introduction

The group uses a curriculum written by psychologist, Patricia Gorman Barry, Ph.D. Within the curriculum are concepts from empirical findings in psychology, education, sociology, and medicine. The curriculum is considered a guide to building critical thinking skills for elementary and middle school children (there are two groups) providing methods which help children learn how to stop and think. The curriculum is intended to allow children to practice these skills with other children of similar age. The sessions will incorporate many activities, games, and discussions.

Scheduling and Cost

Currently we are planning five groups for elementary students and five groups for middle school students. Each group will meet four times for a total of ten hours. Groups are being scheduled in November, January, February, March, and April. The cost is $650. Your health insurance policy may cover this expense. For more information about this contact Kimberly, our office manager. These groups will meet at the Celebrating Minds office located at 500 Davis Street, Suite 107, Evanston, IL, 60201.

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The Lessons

The curriculum is presented in ten lessons, called the “10 Wise Ways.” Below each lesson is reviewed.

Wise Way #1: Wizard Brain over Lizard Brain.

In order to stop and think, thinking skills must be learned to engage the section of the brain where problems are assessed and analyzed before responding. Otherwise, the reptilian or "lizard" part of the brain – the section housing emotions and the fight or flight response – takes over, triggering impulsive, non-thinking responses.

Example activity: Color brain picture while discussing lizard and wizard brain anatomy – Thalamus (relay center, senses send it information and it sends the information to other parts of the brain), Amygdala (emotion area of brain, i.e. lizard brain), and Prefrontal Cortex (thinking part of the brain, smart and wise, i.e. wizard brain). The relay center and the lizard brain are hardwired, i.e. connected, and the wizard brain is not connected to the relay center.

Wise Way #2: Build a Constellation of Support.

Awareness of people and what resources to go to for help involves knowing how to evaluate the type of help you need and identifying the best place to get it. This includes learning how to recognize people who will help you succeed, and understanding why people close to you may not be able to give you the support you need.

Example activity: “Bart and the Bullies” – Activity reinforces the dynamic nature of support systems by examining Bart Simpson’s “Constellation of Support:” (mom, sister, dad, friend, etc.) Examine specific situations Bart encounters (i.e. Bart runs into Nelson, the town’s bully, and his gang, on his way home from the candy store…) and discuss what Bart should do and who he should talk to within his Constellation of Support.

Wise Way #3: Recognize Red Flag Warnings.

Thinking skills involve recognizing internal (what you feel inside) and external (what you see or do) red flags. The red flags warn of something about to happen, and awareness of these warning signals gives you time to stop and think.

Wise Way #4: Exit the Emotions Elevator.

Think of emotions as an elevator in a ten-story elevator – the higher up the elevator rises, the more intense the emotion and the probability of Lizard Brain responses. A number of strategies help keep emotions low or off the elevator, including control self-talk, stop talking, leave the situation, redirect the emotions, deep breathing and relaxation methods, and recognizing and changing Lizard Brain response patterns.

Wise Way #5: Separate Fact from Opinion.

The root of many problems is the inability to separate fact from opinion. A fact is what you know to be true, an opinion is what you think is true. Used in conjunction with Wise Ways 1-4, the process of separating fact from opinion is easier to understand and do.

Wise Way #6: Ask Questions to Gather Information.

Having access to the right information requires the ability to recognize what questions to ask, and knowing how to ask them. This involves integrating Wise Ways 1-5 into the question asking process.

Wise Way #7: IDentify your Choices - IDC.

People who use their Lizard Brain respond one way, believing they only have no choices. This creates a feeling that their lives are controlled by fate, luck, chance or powerful others. Wizard Brain thinkers recognize that they have more than one choice, and use thinking skills to assess and analyze all their choices so they make the best choice possible.

Wise Way #8: Consider Consequences.

Consequences Now and Later (CNL), Consequences Affecting Others (CAO). Wizard Brain thinkers are aware of the consequences of their choices. They use thinking skills 1-7 to help them assess and analyze the consequences of their choices now, the consequence later (CNL), and the consequence affecting others (CAO).

Wise Way #9: Set Goals and Plan for Action.

Wise Ways 1-8 help build a foundation to understand the importance of setting goals and making plans to reach them. Within this framework, it is easy to build connections among and between the Wise Ways, creating awareness of the importance of goals, and why successful achievement must be accompanied by a plan to reach them.

Wise Way #10: Communicate Effectively.

Using "I" Messages, taking other people's Point of View (POV), using Positive Body Messages, and using Assertive Statements. Communication involves using all the 10 Wise Ways, not at the same time, or in the order learned, but integrated throughout conversations and different methods used to send and share information. Effective communication involves understanding other people's points of view recognizing how using thinking skills helps to deliver information and messages clearly.

Contact Information

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Instructor: David Sholtes, MSED (Elementary School Teacher)

Email: dsholtes@gmail.com

Phone: (847) 328-1920 (option 1 then 4)

Websites:

• http://www.brainwise-plc.org
  • (BrainWise website: research, results, testimonials, etc.)

RESEARCH & RESULTS

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Research shows that the human brain is hard-wired at birth to react emotionally and immediately to the world around us. This reflex, which stays with us all our life, is important to our survival, but can cause problems for us in our daily lives. Higher brain functions-social skills that override our tendency to react without thinking-must be learned in order to build the neural connections the brain needs to process critical thinking.

These social skills, such as the ability to stop to think, consider consequences, or plan effectively, often are taught children on a "hit or miss" basis. Children cannot use skills they have not learned and their absence leads to emotional and impulsive behavior. The BrainWise program was developed to help fill this gap, because without these skills children often make decisions that can ruin their lives.

The foundation for the BrainWise program combines information about our "hard-wired brain" with other research that includes:

1. A growing body of data on the brain's functions and a characteristic called "neuroplasticity", which demonstrates the ability of the brain to be flexible and reactive in its development;
2. The corresponding identification of teaching methods for important skills which build neural connections to higher brain functions; and,
3. An increased understanding that cognitive skills not used are lost-the "use it or lose it" mantra of performance excellence.

This information, together with decades of scientific-based research in the fields of education and the social sciences, was used to develop the BrainWise program. Included in this research were findings from studies on youth development, strategies for changing behavior, and techniques for effective teaching. Field tests of the program were conducted over three years with high-risk students and the feedback from faculty, staff, students, administrators and parents was used to refine the curricula's content and structure. The result is a program whose design allows for easy replication and fidelity to its content.

In addition, over seven years of classroom experiences, ongoing evaluation, independent testing, and other factors have validated the program's effectiveness and reinforced its approach.

Recently, an independent evaluation of BrainWise was conducted by OMNI Research and Training, a national firm specializing in the independent assessment of social programs. Its study of the program employed both pre and post test standardized measures, focus groups and secondary analysis of data to evaluate 7th graders in both a control and a comparison school. Study participants were students considered to be 'at risk'. When outcomes at the two schools were compared, BrainWise students showed a statistically significant decrease in reports of physical aggression and feelings of sadness, loneliness and being upset.

The study also found that because of the program, BrainWise students demonstrated an increased awareness of and use of important social skills. Those skills included:

• Information gathering and communication
• Conflict de-escalation and negotiation
• Assertiveness and honesty
• Obtaining of outside help
• Understanding of consequences
• Avoidance of lying, fighting and disrespecting others.

In addition, content analysis of hundreds of post course drawings by students showing themselves before and after the course further validated these findings. In the drawings, program graduates state and illustrate they are "less aggressive", more "calm", "less lonely" and that they feel "happier", more "in control", "smarter", "friendlier" and "nicer". Some students reported that BrainWise helped them get through difficult situations, including suicidal thoughts and peer pressure to participate in drugs and violence.

Also, during the 2004-2005 school year, a pilot study of BrainWise was conducted with 34 students at five school sites.  Pre and post-tests were conducted with students using the Tower of London-R instrument (to test executive function) and the Stroop test (to test impulsivity). The findings showed that 28 of 34 students (82%) demonstrated improved performance on at least one of the measures and 16 of 34 (47%) demonstrated improvement on both the TOL-R and the Stroop.

A full paper outlining this study and its findings, as well as the theoretical base of BrainWise was presented by Dr. Barry in June at the 2005 Adolescent Brain Conference at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. 

(For a copy of this paper contact us at: plc@brainwise-plc.org)

Another indicator of the program's successful outcomes is its "word-of-mouth" growth over a seven year period from eight instructors to more than 1000. Because many instructors are committed to the program, they are instrumental in integrating BrainWise into their school, district or agency.

The program's growth also demonstrates its universal appeal and application. BrainWise is taught in 16 states, Mexico and China. The program has been translated to Spanish and Chinese and reports from instructors are positive. In China over 400 people were trained in the program and, in one application, BrainWise is being used to give illiterate rural girls the skills to resist sex traffickers.

Additional validation comes from statements by instructors who have seen students years after they participated in the program. The instructors report students who are improving their lives by attending college, getting out of gangs, building better relationships with their families and learning how to get along with others. Both the instructors and students give credit to BrainWise for helping to change their lives.

All of these outcomes have generated requests for specialized versions of the program and the creation of BrainWise books not only for grades K-5 and grades 6-12, but also for counselors, social workers, mentors and others who work one-on-one with students. In addition, a companion book for parents and a special version of BrainWise for educators working with emotionally disabled and severely emotionally disabled children and youth have also been developed.

Learning how to stop and think, control emotions, and make good choices are skills that underlie success. Research findings and the experience of teachers and students show that students who complete the BrainWise program are making better choices and better decisions, which allow them to live happier and healthier lives.

References

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs. NJ: Prentice Hall.

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W.H. Freeman.

Bartlett, E.E. (1985). Summary of findings of the school health education evaluation: Health promotion, effectiveness, implementation and costs. Journal of School Health. 55, 8, 316-322.

Beck, A.T. (1967). Depression: Clinical, experimental, and theoretical aspects. New York: Harper and Row.

Benson, Herbert (1975). The Relaxation Response. New York: Avon Books.
Burns, David (1980). Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. New York: New American Library.

Dennison, Paul and Dennison, G. (1986). Brain Gym. Ventura, CA: Edu-Kinesthetics.
Ellis, A. and Harper, R.A. (1975). A New Guide to Rational Living. CA: Wilshire Book Company.

Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice. New York: Basic Books.
Jessor, R. (1993). Successful adolescent development among youth in high-risk settings. American Psychologist, 48(2), 117-126.

Perry, B. (1995). Childhood trauma, the neurobiology of adaptation, and "use-dependent" development of the brain: How 'states' become 'traits.' Infant Mental Health Journal, Winter, 16,4:271-291.

Schwartz, J. and Begley, S. 2002. The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force. New York: Regan Books.

Seligman, M. 1991. Learned Optimism. New York: Alfred Knopf.

Seligman, M. 2000. Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 5-14.

Sternberg, R. and Davidson, J. 1989. A four-prong model for intellectual development. Journal of Research and Development in Education. Spring, 22, 3, 22-28.

Sternberg, R., Wagner, R.K., Williams, W. and Horvath, J. 1995. Testing common sense. American Psychologist, 50, 11, 912-927.

Sternberg, R. 2001. Why schools should teach for wisdom: The balance theory of wisdom in educational settings. The Educational Psychologist. 36,