by Rebecca Shafir
Summer is a popular time for Cogmed Working Memory Training – kids have no homework and more free time. Now that it’s fall and “my Cogmed kids” have a few weeks of school under their belts, it’s time for the wrap up meetings. At these face-to-face or over the phone discussions we talk about what has changed. Aside from noticeable and sometimes dramatic changes in working memory functioning (the ability to hold information online while doing a task, i.e. mental arithmetic in figuring out how much college will cost!) there appears to be a surprising hidden component from the training – some important life lessons are learned. Here are some of the reports from our wrap up meetings:
§ How to push through when the goin’ gets tough.
§ Time management – learning what is possible in a span of 30-40 minutes
§ How to pace themselves and learn the best times for their brain to do challenging homework assignments.
§ How to deal with frustration by taking short time-outs, and the value of a handful of push-ups or deep breathing to get back on track
§ Self-acquired strategies for managing their carelessness on tests and quizzes.
§ The benefits of remembering names of new friends and teachers
§ A feeling of pride and improved confidence for taking on challenging mental tasks
§ Following conversations – no longer being the “the spacey oddball” in the group
§ Greater independence with homework
§ Being able to talk easier with adults on the phone (coaching is done by phone)
§ Feeling really smart for a change.
Who would have thunk it?