Educational Games Can Increase I.Q.

There are several educational games on the market today that engage and nurture the multiple talents and intellect of children, teens and adults and subsequently raise I.Q. The 'nature' theorists believe that intelligence is predetermined at birth and that genes alone determine traits such as intelligence. It is my belief, however, that genes do affect traits such as intelligence, but that these traits are strongly influenced by environmental factors such as nurturing. In fact a paradigm shift in thinking is necessary. The debate should not be 'nature versus nurture', but enhancing nature via nurture. Nurturing can maximize a persons potential for learning. You can take poor problem solvers and make them better problem solvers. You can take good productive thinkers and make them better productive thinkers. The key is to provide a program of instruction that focuses on process skills, the 'how to' way of teaching and learning. Intelligence, involves a person's ability to reason, solve problems, comprehend ideas, language and numbers, think in the abstract and to learn process skills.

Parents and educators must move beyond being dispensers of knowledge and information and become facilitators of the learning process. To do this we must continually teach process skills to children and teens so that they can become independent, self-directed, autonomous learners. I.Q. in itself, is a statistically derived score which measures human mental abilities that are easily targeted and measured. These scores are usually a good predictor of an individuals academic achievements but are certainly not all encompassing.

Two great games that promote and enhance accelerated learning, talent development, cognitive flexibility and potential are Mind’s i (ages 12 to adult) and Mind’s i Junior (ages 8-14). These little known games are available from Mind's i Inc., a Canadian Corporation. One of the best things about playing the games is that you don't need to know a lot of factual information or trivia to play. The games have the ability to increase aptitude and potential, regardless of age. These two games go beyond trivia and trivia related content. They're fun to play, and at the same time, stimulate and energize the hemispheres of the brain, excite the curiosity and fast track the intellect. The questions used in the six categories in each of the games stimulate the various dimensions of cognitive functioning. The Mind's i game has 720 mind-challenging questions in 6 exciting categories. Game play utilizes both left and right sides of the brain since questions require vocabulary, numbers, visual distinction, logic, memory and creative skills. Players travel the pyramid game board, winning cards from each category before returning to the center for a game-winning question. One of the six categories in the Mind's i game called 'act a fact' gets players to role-play great heroes and stars. Another category, 'word lore' gives players an opportunity to be a master word sleuth by challenging their thinking with vocabulary, word meaning and uncanny spelling. The 'look alikes' category stimulates the right side of the brain with shapes that slide, flip and turn. And then there's the 'plain talk' category that tests working and short-term memory. The 'something similar' category summons a player's mental flexibility with analogies and similarities. And finally, there's the 'logical links' category that uses colored links and number patterns to engage the left and right sides of the brain. One of the best features of the game is the inclusion of Fast Track cards. These cards provide clues for questions and extra rolls of the die. Novice or less skilled players are granted double or even triple the fast track cards upon starting the game and during game play. This equalizes chances for the younger or less skilled players.

The Mind's i games were featured in a November issue of Today's Parent Web Magazine in the article 'Latest Greatest Toys', the only Canadian games or toys featured in 2005. The board games also received the National Parenting Center's Holiday Seal of Approval Award. This award is one of the most prestigious and recognized toy awards in North America. In addition Mind's i Junior received the prestigious i Parenting Media Award. This is the only consumer awards program certified by ISO 9001:2000, the internationally recognized standard of quality assurance.

The games are available from Mind's i Inc. Check out their website at http://www.mindsigame.com/. To receive an educational discount, mention this blog, Mr. Principal, and you'll get a 30% discount off the retail price of $45 on the Mind's i game and 30% off of the retail price of $40 for the Mind's i Junior game.
Think smart! Stay smart!

Interactive Word Walls

The acquistion of vocabulary is a key component of academic development. Students need a rich body of word knowledge in order to achieve literacy success. Students must also learn specialized vocabulary in subject-specific content areas. Word walls are integral components of a print rich classroom environment. They are effective instructional tools which are designed to promote both individual and group learning.

Teachers use interactive word walls to:

• help children achieve literacy success;
• reinforce the correct use of vocabulary;
• provide reference support;
• used to support student use of subject-specific and unit-specific vocabulary;
• foster the joy of reading and writing;
• support the direct teaching of semantics and word meaning;
• support the direct teaching of important concepts;
• foster the joy of reading and writing;
• promote independence in reading and writing;
• provide a visual map to help children make connections;
• develop a core group of words.

Word walls are more than just a display; they are tools to assist students with their learning.

Tips to Use in the Creation of Interactive Word Walls

• identify, print and post words that are deemed significant to the topic being studied and/or that represent essential key words (for example: explain, justify);
• add vocabulary terms over time;
• reorganize words by strand, concept or some other attribute that highlights connections between words;
• add pictures and symbols that can help English language learners and other readers who need additional support;
• display at the students’ eye level whenever possible;
• printed large enough to be read from anywhere in the classroom;
• reflect themes being studied from the classroom.

In some circumstances, personal word walls and/or individual word lists are also used in addition to the posted word wall.