Article 4 Review:

Thinking Differently, Learning Differently

The authors of this article, Jane Wagmeister and Ben Shifrin wrote about a school in
California that serves children with language-based disabilities such as dysgraphia and dyslexia.
The school uses a different approach for these students that incorporates brain-based instruction
and technology. The school created a dynamic learning environment by implementing five ideas
from brain research.
In this article, Wagmeister and Shifrin discuss how this school utilizes brain-based
instruction. The first brain-based idea this school uses is creating a rich learning environment
where all students possess the inherent ability to motivate and inspire another student to learn.
(Wagmeister, Shifrin, 2000) This particular school accomplishes this by involving students in a
broadcast of a daily student news that the students are responsible for creating. The news
segments feature sound, text, and graphics in the announcements so all students can access the
information. The next brain-based idea the school uses is thematic instruction and integrated
curriculum. Brain research suggests that thematic instruction and the integration of the
curriculum can enhance learning by allowing the student to identify patterns and build on prior
knowledge. (Wagmeister, Shifrin, 2000) The school is able to accomplish cross curricular
studies by using a home economics class, the students read directions, compare and contrast, and
measure in this class by cooking deserts and sewing. Another brain-based idea the school uses is
musical stimulation. Through reading clubs, the school informs parents and staff of recent
research that suggests music may stimulate language development, spatial and temporal
transitioning, art, journal writing, and printing skills practice. (Wagmeister, Shifrin, 2000) This
school also uses the multiple intelligence theory when designing activities for their students. The

staff at this school provides students with experiences that appeal to different learning styles that
help embed information in the students memory systems. The next brain-based idea the school
uses is multisensorial specialized programs, these programs are based on the theory of brain
plasticity, which suggests that learning alters the functional organization of the brain throughout
an individuals lifetime. (Wagmeister, Shifrin, 2000) The school uses special instruction
programs such as Lindamood Phonemic Sequencing (LiPS), and Seeing Stars: Symbol Imagery
for Phonemic Awareness, Sight Words, and Spelling Programs. These programs increase a
students ability to match letters with sounds, to visualize imagery, and to attack phonemic
processing problems by activating articulatory feedback. For math skills the school uses touch
math, math manipulatives, word number, and picture problems. The next idea the school creates
is a safe learning environment for its students. The staff uses a technique of responding to
students errors in a positive way responding to response. For Example, when a teacher
asks the class for the capital of California and a student answers, San Francisco, the teacher
would respond, Yes, San Francisco is a city in northern California, but lets look at the map and
locate the city with the star that signifies a state capital. (Wagmeister, Shifrin, 2000) The final
idea the article discusses is the use of assistive technology for their students. The school uses
Alpha Smart keyboards, which allow students to type, edit, and electronically store text at their
desks without having to use a personal computer. The textHELP! company provides the school
with Read and Write software, which allows the students to type in text and then it reads it back
to them. (Wagmeister, Shifrin, 2000) The school also uses its homepage to communicate with
parents and the teachers can post assignments for the students.
Overall, I thought this article was well written and interesting. I felt that the authors
chose a great school to report about. I felt that the school was very progressive in their

curriculum design and the implementation of brain-based research is very innovative. I thought
that the ideas from this article are worth reading for teachers who have students with speech and
language disorders. Also, I liked how the author was specific about techniques the school used
to make the brain-based ideas possible. Finally, I liked how the authors included specific
technology programs and how the programs work for the students. My criticism about this
article is I would have liked to read data and success rates for the students. I thought that a
comparison of success rates of this schools students verses a traditional school would have been
interesting to read about.
In conclusion, I thought that this article was interesting and informative, the authors did
an excellent job explaining the program and how the school uses brain-based research. I would
recommend this article for teachers who have students with speech and language disorders.

References
Wagmeister, J., & Shifrin, B. (2000). Thinking Differently, Learning Differently. Educational
Leadership, 58(3), 45-48.