Professional paper
Elements of Brain Gym while working with children
Sanja Mandić
; Sucidar Primary School, Split
Ines Bijelić
; Sucidar Primary School, Split
Abstract
We have been witnessing the fact that our schools have been occupied in increasing number of children with combined learning and developmental diffi culties. The diffi culties are refl ected in poor fi ne and rough motor skills, body posture, lesser concentration, attention and memory disorders, hyperactivity, dyslexia and dysgraphia. Despite huge involvement of all participants in the educational process, the desired results are largely absent. Brain Gym (gymnastics for the brain) is a method of activating the brain for learning through integrating movement, presented in this paper. The particular emphasis is on application of its elements while working with children with learning diffi culties. Its implementation and positive results are known in many countries but in Croatia it is applied in several schools and kindergartens and represents an aspect of helping children with learning diffi culties. The defi nition of target elements and Brain Gym exercises for each pupil is based on the determination of pupils’ dominant profi les. The paper has presented the process of dominant profi ling of primary school second-graders; the use of Brain Gym elements; the involvement of pupils, teachers, parents and a professional assistant – i.e. a special-education teacher-speech therapist; and the results of Brain Gym application, particularly when working with children with learning diffi culties.
Keywords
Brain Gym method; children with learning diffi culties; the dominant brain hemispheres; the pupils’ dominant profile
Hrčak ID:
81030
URI
Publication date:
10.4.2012.
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