Welcome Welcome From Calder House School, Wiltshire The Rationale, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Welcome Welcome

From Calder House School, Wiltshire

The Rationale, Rules-of-Thumb, And Results For Implementing Pearson’s ‘COGMED’ Working-Memory Training Program.

Or . . .

A Practical Perspective from the Primary Pit-face On Pearson’s COGMED Working-Memory Program.

A Quick Note About Visual Stress.

• How easily can you read this?
• How easily can you read this?
• How easily can you read this?
• How easily can you read this?
• How easily can you read this?

It takes us about 10% longer to visually process ‘stripey’ typefaces.

• Arnold Wilkins, University of Essex -

Avoid Glare-Spots

Methionylglutaminylarginyltyrosylglutamyl

Dyslexic Symptomatology Sometimes Seen In Writing Tasks

Dyslexic writers may produce text

• f lower quality owing to

memory deficits. Some of the manifestations of this are . . .

• Poor vocabulary-base or

word-recall.

• Dysfluency and pausing,

resulting in writing lacking cohesion.

The Rationale For Calder House Exploring COGMED

For a small number of learners, progress is limited, especially those possessing very low working memories.

• No matter how much remediation we gave these

children, their visual and auditory memory scores remained static.

• Those children having low auditory working memory

scores proved unresponsive to persistent and regular remediation in other areas of memory-training.

The Working Memory Model was developed by Baddely ddely and d Hitch

• Hitch. It

consists of 3 main stores: the cen centr tral l ex execu ecutiv tive, the phon honologica

• logical

l loop loop and the vis visuo uo-spatia patial l scr cratc tchp hpad.

The Key to good progress in COGMED is having pro pro-active COGMED active COGMED Tuto Tutors who rs who kno know w their children. their children.

So . . . What Does A Pro-active COGMED Tutor ‘Look’ Like?

• We create – and print-off –

graphical interpretations of this data, so that we might interpret the strengths and weaknesses of each-and-every individual, with with the child the child.

• TAKE

TAKE THE THE TIME TIME to d to discu iscuss ss progress progress with with individ individuals uals, ‘floating’ possible changes in strategy (for example, ‘hitting’ that particular, more challenging, task early on, thereby getting it ‘over-and- done-with’).

The Importance Of A Warm-Up

• I have compared performance

data for days where brain-gym was/not given, and found a clear clear, , posit positive ive correla correlation tion bet between ween COGM COGMED ED scores scores an and d th the e admin administ istering ering of a

• f a shor

short t br brain ain- gy gym m warm warm-up. up.

• What’s more, th

the q e qual ualita itative tive na natu ture re of

• f th

this is br brain ain-gy gym m mat matter ters: s: Try to match the nature

• f the brain-gym task with the

nature of that group of children,

• r the time that session takes

place.

Visual Stress and Brain Oxygenation: Some Facts Pertinent To COGMED

• Visual Stress is a clinically-evidenced
• condition. It is also known as ‘Meares-Irlen

Irlen Syndrome’.

• Neuro-imaging shows that the brain

consumes 15-20% of all energy used by the body.

• With

With incr increased eased oxy

• xygenation

genation, , the br the brain ain becomes becomes less less effi efficien cient. t.

• We should be aware of the potential for

visual stress to hinder success when using COGMED, an intensive, screen-based, computer program. We need to keep in mind that staring at any computer screen for 40 minutes can prove visually stressful.

Being Aware of the Potential Visual Stress Issues With The Recti-Linear Design of Some COGMED Games

Reducing The Impact Of Visual Stress Upon COGMED Performance

• IT it is un

unhelpfu helpful to ask children WHO SUFFER FROM VISUAL STRESS to ‘focu focus s har harde der on r on the the moving patterns’ during COGMED COGMED gam games. es.

• This can make visually hyper-sensitive

children nauseous.

• Instead, I s

I sugg uggest est that that we we actua actually exploit lly exploit a c a comm

• mmon
• n

str strength ength of d

• f dyslex

yslexic le ic lear arners, ners, by by asking them to focus on the ‘Big Picture’ in front of them. If you have have childr children en who who feel feel nauseous, nauseous, give give this a g this a go.

• .

Reducing The Impact Of Visual Stress Upon COGMED Performance

• We have found potential problems with over-
• lighting. It is important to educate the

children in the very first COGMED session as to ensuring they can see their screen clearly. Over Over-lighti lighting ng of

• f a r

a roo

• om

m caus causes es scr screen een glar glare. e.

• The COGMED tutor must stay alert to visual

stress issues, and model for the children the need to tilt screens to the best angles.

• Ask the children how they feel about having

the room’s lights switched off for their COGMED training.

• Mo

Most st of

• f our
• ur children

children sa say y th they find ey find COGM COGMED ED visu visually ally eas easier w ier with ith ar artif tificial icial lighti lighting ng swit switched ched off

• ff alt

altog

• geth

ether. er.

Reducing The Impact Of Visual Stress Upon COGMED Performance

• A minority of students found this game

very tricky.

• On looking more closely at these students

there was a commo common-fa facto ctor, r, na namely mely th their lo eir low w form form-con consta tancy cy scores scores (derived from (derived from TVPS tes TVPS testin ting g by by our

• ur
• c
• ccupat

cupational ional ther therapis apist). t).

• We might hypothesise that the issue here

is one of visual-perceptual problems – NOT WORKING MEMORY.

• In this case, man

many y of

• f th

the meteor e meteorite ite shap shapes es co could uld – in in visual visual-percept perceptual ual ter terms ms – be described as being ‘self- similar,’ making success in ident identifyin ifying g th the seq e sequen uence ce more more of

• f a

a visu visual al-per percept ceptual ual iss issue. ue.

Encourage A ‘Hungry Eye’

• A small number of children lack any method
• r strategy in terms of their visual approach

to a screen.

• Having some kind of systematic approach to a

computer screen is essential for success at COGMED.

• We h

We have ave found found th that at children children weak weak in in visu visual al lite litera racy cy ten tend d to to per perform form less less well well at at COGM COGMED ED in in compar comparison ison with t with their heir peer peers.

• s. Both

Both st star arting ting scores scores an and d fin finish ishing ing scores scores ten tend d to be l to be low

• wer.

er.

• However, where such children have received

additiona additional l sup support port in visual literacy from us, th this is dispa disparit rity y is is less lessened ened in in th the n e next ext roun round d of

• f COGM

COGMED ED in input put.

Maintaining Motivation

• Children we know to be anxious – and

prone to seeking lots of support and attention – can be given TRAF TRAFFIC FIC LIG LIGHT HT CARD CARDS to indicate when they have a question they want to ask.

• It is imperative that these children do

not distract other children during COGMED.

• The wo

work rkin ing g envi environm ronmen ent must must be be kept as ‘clean’ and quiet as poss possible ible, so having some kind of visual cue is preferable to having the child raise their hand and ask a question out loud.

• Establishing firm rules about calling
• ut is essential.

Three Uses Only This Lesson

Expectation Influences Outcome

The Fizz-Factor

• That's the feeling a child should get

when you point out how close they are to their Red Line (their outer limits).

• AWARD LOTS OF MERITS!!
• The children love their COGMED tutor

to writ write posit e positive ive comment comments ab about

• ut

th their progress eir progress in in th their eir Ho Home me- School School Dia Diaries ries to to ack acknowledg nowledge e th their hard eir hard wo work rk.

• Our own observations, for example,

indicate that sensory over-flow and associated-movements (which can both be indicators of stress) in children increase as COGMED sessions progress with time. Wa Watch tch for for th these. ese.

How Do Our Children Perceive The Challenge of COGMED?

‘ Cogmed is tough. Take a whole bunch of lessons and heat them until all the spare bits have been evaporated off, leaving only the concentrated, gritty, essence behind. It’s tough. That’s what makes it worth doing.’

• Year 6, Calder House Student -

How We Should Perceive Progress

• Pro

Progress gress can can be vari be variabl

• able. This is

going to be especially so for children having ‘spikey’ learning profiles.

• Piaget

Piaget esta establishe blished d this this in in his his co concept ncept of

• f 'de

'decalage calage,' which emphasises that cognitive development is erratic, not neat-and-tidy.

• We see this pattern in COGMED’s

graphical data for our children’s progress progress: there are periods of progress, followed by periods of apparent stagnation, which – of course – are NOT stagnation at all, but rather periods of time where children are consolidating.

Assessing Visual Readiness

• Run some quick checks in that first

COGMED session with the children.

• All children should be able to focus

upon their end of their nose.

• If they cannot, there may be vision

problems which might make progress in COGMED unlikely, and just too visually stressful for them.

• Of co

Of cour urse, se, what what th this is highlight highlights s is is th the impor e importa tance nce of

• f every

every sch schoo

• ol

l communica communicating ting to to pa paren rents ts th the ben e benefit efits s of

• f havi

having ng their children’s eyes tested once- a-year. year.

Use A Visually ‘Clean’ Room

Sensory Cushions

• In sensor

In sensory-seek seeking ing child childre ren, n, or

• r

those those with poor with poor proprioception, proprioception, if if their their vestib vestibular ular sys system tem is is not not ‘switched on,’ then it is un unlikely you likely you ar are e going going to get to get the v the ver ery best y best you you can out of can out of COGMED. COGMED.

• Purchasing a few sensory-cushions

(if you haven’t already) would be a wise investment alongside COGMED.

Children With Fine-Motor Issues

• Children prone to over
• ver-flexion

flexion at the wrist should at the wrist should be be encoura encouraged ged to to ex extend tend at at the the wrist a wrist app ppropria ropriately before tely before use of use of the com the computer m puter mouse.

• use.
• The over-seeing COGMED

trainer’s role should include modelling appropriate wrist- posture, and giving such children de deep ep-pressure pressure hand hand-gym gym (such as press-ups) before commencing that day’s tasks, in order to ensure that the mechanics of manipulating the mouse are not unduly depressing progress.

Use of Stress Aids

• Those children suffering

from associa associated ted- mov moveme ements nts and and sens sensory

• ry-over
• verflow,

flow, in in part particular icular, , benefit from benefit from be being ing given som given something ething to 'bite to 'bite down down on'

• n' so to

so to speak. speak.

• Our own observations of

data reveal that re results sults improv improve e where where suc such h childr children en ar are e given given these str these stress ess-aid aids. s.

First, A Caveat

• It is crucial we place COGMED results in the Calder

House context of specialist remediation in small groups, sometimes 1:1.

• Without significant, and lengthy, quantitative analysis,

it is impossible to attribute progress in memory scores exclusively to COGMED.

• Though, for example, there may exist a positive

correlation between our school’s use of COGMED and improved auditory working memory scores, causation is not proven. Nor can we say that we have seen such progress in all of our children.

Improvements Observed in Visual & Visual-Sequential Memory

• Analysis of is data points to a general trend – the

the size of ‘leaps’ made in visual and visual seq sequential uential memory memory sco scores res have have increased increased since since runn running COG ing COGMED. MED.

• Causation

Causation c canno annot be t be assumed

• assumed. The delivery of

remediation in these areas has been improved over the years, both via our Interactive White Boards and via constantly evolving teaching methods and ‘hard’ resources.

What Our Auditory Memory Scores (Derived From CELF Testing) Suggest

• Historically, in the lowest-

scoring children, these scores have proved particularly difficult to improve in spite of on- going remediation.

• In the fir

In the first st year year of

• f

runnin running g COGMED, COGMED, we we saw saw the the me memo mory scores ry scores for som for some of t e of these hese childr children en improv improve e for for the fir the first tim st time. e.

Pearson’s Data Relating to Starting and Finishing Points.

20 40 60 80 100 120 FE AS EH ZL DP OCS RH JT NMc HD FI JW Start Index Index improvement

Name First Start First End Second Start Student 1 Sept 2012 46 57 Sept 2013 54 Student 2 Sept 2012 53 72 Sept 2013 60 Student 3 Nov 2012 62 85 Sept 2013 64 Student 4 Nov 2012 59 88 Sept 2013 79 Student 5 Jan 2012 59 72 Sept 2013 72 Student 6 March 2012 60 91 Sept 2013 69 Student 7 March 2012 70 98 Sept 2013 83 Student 8 March 2012 77 94 Sept 2013 66 Student 9 March 2012 68 87 Sept 2013 76 Student 10 May 2012 64 82 Sept 2013 72

Table Illustrating ‘Durability’ of COGMED Gains Over 12 Month Elapse

Bar Chart Illustrating ‘Leakiness’ of COGMED Gains for Cohort 13B

(Comparing second starting score with finishing score on first exposure, 12 months prior)

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1st Start 1st Finish 2nd start

Our Anecdotal Observations

The main indicators of enhanced attentiveness were reported as: 1. Significant re reducti duction in

• n in fidge

fidgeting a ting and f nd fidd iddling ling; 2. Improvement in ver verba bal l part particip icipati ation

• n;

3. Improvement in frequency with which children raised their hands to either answer, or ask, a question, indicating progress progress in in activ active e listening listening; 4. 4. Im Improved proved eye eye-con contact tact with the teacher during lessons; 5. 5. Im Improvem provement ent in in the speed the speed with which with which childr children en settl settled ed in preparation for a lesson’s onset; 6. 6. Decrea Decrease in se in the frequency with which children needed to be ‘brought back from mom moments ents of whimsy

• f whimsy.’

Biting the Bullet

• COGMED is designed to run for

25 sessions.

• We have found that these

sessions require 40 – 45 minutes to work at their best, as time must be allocated for brain gym; instant feedback; and, rewards.

• IF YOU PURCHASE COGMED,

THEN COMMIT TO IT. IT MAY REQUIRE THAT YOU RE-THINK YOUR TIMETABLE.

Broken Connections & Hiccups

• If you are a rural school,

check on your distance from the exchange and your connectivity speed.

• Poor reception is the

largest cause of lost sessions for us.

• Factor in some lee-way.

Always assume that some hiccup will happen and a few sessions lost.

Burbling Tummies & Graveyards

• Avoid timetabling

COGMED at times when sessions might spill over into lunch or playtime.

• Our

Our da data ta shows shows that that children’s COGMED sco scores res we were re highest highest whe where re sessi sessions

• ns we

were re timetable timetabled d for for late late mornin morning or g or earl early y afternoo afternoon. n.

In a Nutshell . . .

• We believe that COGMED

works best as part of a ‘balanced diet’ of memory remediation;

• COGMED is valuable in

providing opportunities for spotting visual-perceptual problems;

• COGMED helps learners

improve levels stamina and attentiveness.

Not a silver bullet: They do not exist!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN

I’ll Try My Best To Now Answer Your Questions