Learning 1: Introduction

“OK”, you might think: “it’s all very well you guys doing horse boy method out there in the country with your horses and all your animals, but what good is that for me here in the city?”

There’s an easy answer – a lot of what we do does not require horses and lots of green space. Sure, the horses and the wide open spaces are the ideal, but you can do a lot just by tweaking a regular city or suburban house and yard. Then you can apply the same learning modules we use here at New Trails to teach everything the kid needs to learn

Day 1 (3-4 hours)

First we have to understand how the autism (and add, adhd etc) brain needs to be taught

1. Oxytocin and Cortisol – how they affect learning, how to encourage one and eliminate the other
2. Understanding sensory issues; the neurology of autism and why you need to remove sensory triggers so that the intellect can come to the fore. Basic perspective taking. Ordering the environment.
3. Teaching through kinetics – why the child has to move to learn. The 15 minute rule.
4. Letting the child lead: learning to recognize the optimum environment for each child.How to tailor each subject to the child’s interests.  Equipment to use/avoid. How to find and use nature for learning.
5. No Failure Teaching:  learning how to introduce a concept, imparting information through, conversation and story; learning by osmosis
6. The importance of humour – oxytocin connection, pretending to get it wrong; inverse learning

Homework – create the correct sensory environment for learning: living room, back yard, schoolroom, schoolyard

Day 2 (3-4  Hours)

Now, having grasped the ways we need to approach the teaching, let’s get to it!

1. How to teach reading and writing with movement
2. How to teach maths
3. How to teach history, geography, basic science
4. How to teach fractions
5. Introducing a foreign language
6. Self-Compassion – the key to not burning out

Conclusion:

Next steps.How to put all the pieces together. Exercises to take home

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