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Background

All over the world, even in the most advanced school systems, many children arrive at first grade unprepared to learn effectively in the primary grades. Some have special needs related to disability, whereas others have simply not developed the essential foundational tools for systematic thinking and learning. All children can benefit from help in developing and applying those tools.

Target group for the Bright Start program

Bright Start was developed in the USA by a team of psychologists and early years educators led by Professor Carl Haywood at Vanderbilt University, Tennesse, (Haywood Brookes and Burns, 1985). It has been used successfully with children from 3 to 9 years of age, including those with typical and even gifted development, intellectual disability, autistic spectrum disorders, hearing and vision impairment, emotional and behavior disorders, disorders of language development, and learning disabilities, in both segregated and inclusive classes. In addition to its classroom use, the program is used clinically by psychologists, educational counselors, speech and language therapists, and physical and occupational therapists.

 What is Bright Start

Bright Start is a supplemental curriculum for preschool, kindergarten, and primary grade children. Systematically focused on the development and application of basic thinking processes, it is designed to help children think logically and learn effectively. The program consists of 187 daily lessons in 8 “units”: Self -Regulation; Number Concepts; Comparison; Role Taking; Classification; Sequence and Pattern; Letter-Shape Concepts and Transformation, plus a cognitive-motivational theory of intellectual development, a mediational teaching style, a cognitive-mediational system for behavior management, and a parent participation component. Because the lessons in Bright Start are very different from a standard content-oriented curriculum, and because the program relies heavily on a special style of teaching, teacher training in its application is necessary.

 Evidence base

Research in 10 countries shows positive effects on cognitive development, reading, math achievement, language, learning motivation, overall school achievement, and school readiness. (Annotated bibliography available on request: carl.haywood@vanderbilt.edu)

 Practical information
Dates
26th-28th of October 2020

Detailed schedule will be sent to participants prior to course together with suggested pre-course reading materials.

Course venue

The course will be held in the central part of Odense in a short walking distance from the central station. Adress: Mødecenter (Meeting center) Odense, Buchwaldsgade 48, 5000 Odense C, Denmark.

Course format

The course is a non-residential course (accommodation not included). It is conducted as a combination of presentation, video analysis, exercises and discussion. Course participants will be supplied with a couple of useful introductory articles prior to the course.

Course materials

Each course participants will be provided with a full material set of the Bright Start materials, which include the the Bright Start Units; Parent Handbook, and Student Record Form. A set of theory papers will also be supplied.

Course language

The course is an international course and teaching will be in easily understandable English.

Course presenter

The course will be delivered by Dr Ruth Deutsch, Chartered Educational and Child Psychologist, who is an experienced user of Bright Start and a delegated trainer for the program.

Price
Course price for international participants is 7´500 DKK (Danish currency). For danish participants, there will be added 25 % local VAT. The price includes a full set of Bright Start materials with Training materials and theoretical material.

Registration and further information

You can sign up for the course by writing a email to course organizer: Neuroguide.dk, psychologist Jens Wilbrandt, email: info@neuroguide.dk Or call phone +45 22 32 44 01 if you want to ask or discuss anything. You can also sign up online through this link: https://neuroguide.nemtilmeld.dk/8/

Course teacher

Dr. Ruth M Deutsch is trainer during the entire course. Ruth is an Educational and Child Psychologist who was trained in the USA, Canada and Israel. She studied with leading DA practitioners and developers Reuven Feuerstein, Carl Haywood, and Carol Lidz in Dynamic Assessment and Cognitive Educational programmes. She is an internationally accredited and leading UK trainer with more than 30 years of experience working with children and adolescents, families and schools. She is visiting lecturer on the Doctorate for Educational Psychologists at UEL, London and Queen’s University, Belfast. She was Consultant Educational Psychologist to the Hope Centre in London, a multi -professional Special Educational Needs Centre. She has been teaching at the Feuerstein Institute (ICELP) in both DA and the cognitive training system Instrumental Enrichment and is qualified as instructor in Tzuriel’s DAYC (Dynamic Assessment of Younger Children). Together with Michelle Mohammed she has developed the Cognitive Abilities Profile (2010).

 Author and developer of the Bright Start programme

Carl Haywood is one of the major contributors to the field of dynamic assessment, mediated learning, and cognitive development. He is the developer, with Brooks and Burns, of the Bright Start programme as well as large number of publications and books about dynamic assessment and mediated learning. He worked with leading developers within the field, such as Reuven Feuerstein, David Tzuriel and Carol Lidz among others, with whom he developed the first Masters Degree program in DA in the US. He developed DA versions of some of the original tests of André Rey. He has held many leading positions and contributed hugely to the field. He is now Professor of Psychology and Neurology, Emeritus, at Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tennessee.

 Course organizer and provider

The course is provided and organized by Neuroguide.dk psychologist Jens Wilbrandt. Jens Wilbrandt has many years of experience in the special education field and is qualified in both LPAD, DAYC, IE and CAP. He is an exponent of a development-oriented educational psychological approach and has many years of experience as a facilitator, lecturer and course teacher in the neuropsychological, and educational psychological field. In addition to carrying out a wide range of continued professional development tasks, he works with dynamic assessment, cognitive training and counseling in relation to children and adolescents with extensive learning and development issues, both in relation to school, home and home care.