We Need An Educational System That Addresses Both Aspects Of The Brain

Educated to be Ignorant

Our modern system of education, which is mostly left-brain oriented, often stifles the student's spirit of love, creativity, spontaneity and intuition. This current approach of learning may have greatly contributed to the unrest, disorientation and confusion experienced among so many young people today.Knowledge is structured in the consciousness. Without developing consciousness, the benefits that arise from the acquisition of knowledge are trivial. Instead of teaching young people to unfold their infinite creative potential, they are stuffed with information that has little or no relevance to their lives. By the time they have reached adulthood and are ready to find a job, most of the learnt information has slipped from their minds and will never be used again.

The purely academic approach to learning judges a student's intelligence by his ability to memorize information. This turns the student into a machine, although sometimes a very efficient one. Kids who have 'played' with computers for a year or so have often mastered complex programs and created new ones simply by using their intuition, imagination and resourcefulness. By contrast, those who are forced to learn the same programs are likely to have great difficulties with them and rarely become efficient programmers.

The more a student is encouraged to use his left-brain, which supports the analytical, rational, logical mind, the less he is able to enliven his right brain, which could unfold his creative, artistic and intuitive faculties. An educational system that addresses both aspects of the brain could turn any student into a truly resourceful, self-sufficient, and responsible human being who knows from within himself what is right or wrong. The modern standard system of education makes the students conform to a restrictive social system that is governed by 'cold' figures, rules and money, with only little or no room for human values. Yet life is all about human values.

Consciousness - The Missing Link

Education, as it is presented by today's schools, colleges and universities, causes a division within the student, separating his heart from his mind. Intellectual abilities are favored over those that develop his heart or the creative spirit within him. A purely academic approach to education turns economics into a battlefield where career-oriented people fight for superiority over others. Modern competitiveness has led to the current loss of humanness in society. The consequences of such an education are immeasurable.

All problems of life, whether they are individual, social, national or international are directly linked to one crucial flaw in our educational system - the lack of development of the student's consciousness. This missing link could make modern education complete and fulfilling. Instead of expanding the student's mind through meditation, visualization, intuitive training or other techniques of self-development, it is overloaded with a lot of information that has little or no relevance to his life. This suffocates a young person's creative spirit and stresses him to the point of depression, anxiety and even severe mental and physical disturbances that can propel them to take such 'emergency exits' as recreational drugs, alcohol and violence.

Young people are released from school with a paper in their hands that can determine the rest of their lives. The dependency of a person's destiny on his ability to pass exams is a frightening prospect, particularly when learning by heart has nothing to do with a person's intelligence. I personally never did well at school. Being forced to repeat a grade and just barely making it through the others, I experienced the 14 years of my German school education as a living 'nightmare', both during the day and the night. My fear of failing exams never left me, even during the eight weeks of summer vacation. Apart from the basic skills of writing, reading and counting, I cannot remember anything else that I had learnt. Yet today I believe I am at the height of my creative skills, covering many more fields than I had been presented with during those 14 years of education.

The great minds and successful people of our historic past like Plato, Einstein, Michelangelo, etc. received their insights, skills, and creative power from within themselves and not through an acquired ability to repeat what others had said or created before. Today's system of education prevents the student from using his own infinite potential by emphasizing mainly mechanical approaches of repetitive thinking and learning. Such approaches ignore the important issues of life. For one thing, they may give us the (false) impression that we cannot fulfill our desires other than through struggle of some kind. Most people in the world seem to have made the collective agreement that in order to earn a reasonable living, one has to work hard. The strong competitiveness among people and businesses in our modern societies reinforce this belief system.

Many claim that suffering is necessary or that once you have reached a certain age you are no longer fit enough to earn a living. Ignorance about ourselves and the nature of reality is so ingrained in our collective consciousness that we no longer object to such actually quite nonsensical statements as: "Sickness is a natural part of life", "To err is human" or "Everyone must age and grow old." We even seem to have gathered enough proof to substantiate our beliefs. Wars, famines, statistics on old age, heart disease, cancer and AIDS leave no doubt in our minds that this is how life is supposed to be and there is not much we can do to change that. All these experiences support the validity of our original belief systems, which are based on the old paradigm of understanding human life. However, the time has come to surrender our past and let go of these limitations, because they do not really exist, except in our mind.

Special Education

Special education refers to unconventional education services designed to cater to the needs of individuals suffering from physical and mental drawbacks such as physical handicaps, sensory (visual and hearing) impairments, intellectual capacity (mental retardation and autism), learning disabilities (reading and writing skills), speech impairment and those with behavior disorders. It seeks to address problems of the individual, as well as provide effective solutions through a set of formulated instructions, service aids and supports, learning techniques and transitions services.

The goal of special education is to address the needs of these special individuals (children, youth and adults) and ensure that they gain equal access to quality education regardless of their condition. In effect, it encourages them to keep up with the challenges of normal education and help improve their chances for success in life.

Specialized method of education

The primary focus of this special type of education is to provide support and learning techniques to the individual. Children are properly educated in the most learning-conducive environment to help them discover their in-depth skills and abilities hidden behind the disabilities they might have.

But not everyone can employ this educational service. As such, before the person can avail of it, different levels of evaluations must take place. The processes can vary, though the primary stages include referral, parental consent, child evaluation and review and recommendation of appropriate institutionalized methods.

An afterthought...

In today's society there are more than 6 million children and youth estimated to be suffering from disabilities, and the demand for special education has grown by leaps and bounds. By properly dealing with the issues and problems concerned and finding solutions, special education can give them the chance to stand up and be on equal footing with their peers, drawing out their true potentials as key movers and prime contributors to society regardless of their physical and mental difficulties.

Special Learning Needs - Effective Educational Services For Students

15 million school age children in the US have learning problems that public and private schools can't solve. There are 72,000 special education students in LAUSD, alone. Every day these students sit unhappily in class, losing hope of ever realizing their dreams. Students are living in pain and shame. They are not learning to be successful students.

Their parents are frustrated in their attempts to find suitable education for their child. They've tried working through the public schools. They have hired tutors. Parents are calling for real solutions.

In order to thrive, these students need special educational methods that address their unique profile of strengths and needs. But even more importantly, these children require a new mindset of success.

Educational therapy offers help and hope to children and adults with learning challenges such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and learning disabilities. Educational therapy is an appropriate and highly successful approach to helping students of all ages achieve their maximum potential.

Educational therapists use state of the art educational programs and methods that have been proven to teach students with learning problems the skills they require to be successful. Educational therapy shows students how to overcome their learning problems and lead successful lives.

All throughout the school years, foundations for future success are laid down. Not only are students learning essential skills such as reading, they are also learning to value education. But most importantly, they are learning to believe that they are successful students!

When students experience repeated frustration and failure, they develop self-doubt along with dislike or distrust of educational experiences. These negative views influence how much students can learn, at every level from elementary school through college!

Special needs students experience three major problems with learning:

Teachers and tutors use the same methods for every child. Children are unique and each learns in his or her own way.

Teachers and tutors usually do not understand how to modify their approach to address different learning styles.

Teachers and tutors only teach subject matter. Students who experience repeated academic failure lack the underlying foundational skills to be successful students. They often don't know the best study methods, how to manage their time, or what the real secrets are to academic success.

Teachers and tutors do not address the root cause of continued academic failure-learned helplessness. When students experience failure after failure, they develop a mindset that they are "stupid" and "can't learn." They give up on ever being a good student! But, when students believe they can succeed, they begin to try. When they believe they can learn, they begin to study. When they believe they can have impressive futures, they make powerful choices. Students have the right to believe in their innate intelligence and skill!

Educational therapists generally begin their professional careers in special education, child development or counseling.

The Association of Educational Therapists is the national professional organization that sets the training standards for educational therapists. There are three levels of membership in the Association of Educational Therapists: Associate Professional (introductory level), Professional (experienced), Board Certified (seasoned).

According to the Association of Educational Therapists: "Regardless of previous background, all Professional members of the Association of Educational Therapists (AET) have met rigorous professional requirements in the academic areas of elementary and/or secondary education, child development, educational assessment, learning theory, learning disabilities, and principles of educational therapy. All members have a B.A. degree and are required to hold a Masters Degree or equivalent in post-BA course work. They have completed at least 1500 supervised direct service hours, and are required to complete 40 clock hours of Continuing Education every two years.

To become a Board Certified Educational Therapist (BCET), a member must meet the following additional requirements: Masters Degree (required); one year membership in AET at the Professional level; 1000 hours of professional practice; formal written Case Study evaluated and passed by the AET Certification Board; a written examination that demonstrates professional expertise in educational therapy."

To locate an educational therapist near you or obtain more information about educational therapy, visit the Association of Educational Therapists website.

Dr. Kari Miller is a Board Certified Educational Therapist and Director of the Center for Empowered Learning, Educational Therapy in Los Angeles. She began her career almost twenty-five years ago as a special education resource teacher. She has worked with students in a vast array of capacities, including special education teacher and educational therapist. Dr. Miller has a PhD in Educational Psychology and Mathematical Statistics, a master's degree in Learning Disabilities, Gifted Education and Educational Diagnosis, and a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and Behavior Disorders.