Expert in gifted children Bernadette Tynan is making it her mission to prove that brain training really works by showing how she can go into any school and spot a seemingly ordinary child whose gifts are being missed. In Leeds, will she pick 10 year old Nicholas who reveals entrepreneurial ability during her challenges but whose struggles with literacy and approach to learning have left him bottom of the class? Or could it be quietly focused Ben, who has a passion for gardening, an ability that lies beyond the school gates? The child she eventually picks in this school has a tendency toward being a hands-on or ‘kinaesthetic’ learner. This is the way in which a lot of people like to learn but they may not always realise this and don’t realise and learn how to turn it to their advantage. This episode is packed with take home information about how to spot children’s individual gifts and work with their strengths to attack problem areas, using really fun and easy activities that any one can do…. Diving for letters in a swimming pool, using household objects to learn how to structure a story… as well as guiding them to pull off a brilliant challenge… Dad’s final assessment of his son’s brain training journey? ‘If every kid had just a little bit of this, think how far they could go.’
In Brighton, will she pick quick witted Emily, who some may see as a giggler but Bernadette sees as having signs of a quick intellect at work.…? Or will she go for 11 year old Connor who is so creative that he finds it hard to focus on anything in the long term and follow his ideas through? Whoever she chooses will need intense brain training to give them the tools to pull off the challenge she has set them. Using techniques you can try at home, she shows them how to pre-programme the brain to recognize and deal with distractions before they occur; give their brain a photographic image of them already succeeding, giving the brain a new and positive target to work towards; teaches them how to break things down into small steps to achieve goals, and shows the remarkable impact on the brain of changing a child’s perspective by taking a different view of themselves and the opportunity life can give them when they see their house from the new vantage point of their highest local viewpoint. All goes well with the brain training, but will the loving and caring child’s mother be able to be brave enough to step back and give them the chance to succeed and fly on their own…?
In Liverpool, will she pick 9 year old Sophie who’s been labelled as bossy but Bernadette sees as a real leader? Or could it be 8 year old Harris, who’s a bit of a chatterbox but Bernadette can see is someone who may get bored easily and likes to chat because his mind works that fast? One child gets the chance to have an intensive brain training programme that teaches them how trampolining can help them tone their brain as well as their body, how having a game of football in between coming home from school and starting on tough homework can help them get into the right relaxed yet alert brain state for learning; and how using tangible things such as cutting up a cake or writing on a window, playing with numbers, can make tricky maths problems more transparent and easier to crack. Will all the hard work pay off when it comes to the big challenge that Bernadette has set them… has she made them brilliant?
In Nottingham, will she choose John whose tinkering and experimenting may not have any chance to shine within the creative restraints of the National Curriculum, or might it will be 11 year old Molly, who has a really curious mind but hasn’t figured out a way to organise and remember all the information she is constantly gathering? With lots of techniques you can try at home she trains one child’s brain to pull off something absolutely brilliant… it involves an audience of over 150 people… a long table of props and a ten minute presentation to deliver with no adult help … can they pull it off?
In London, will she go for 11 year old Aaliyah, a shy girl who is afraid to put her hand up in the classroom but reveals an amazing hidden gift for abstract thinking while she is drawing a picture, minus any artistic training? Or could it be 9 year old Luke, whose mature creative writing ability is masked by poor handwriting and presentation? Using cutting edge brain training techniques anyone can try Bernadette shows the child she chooses how to improve left/right brain connectivity by putting words to actions and music, making learning more fun and effective, shows the child how to take ownership of their learning when they have research homework to do, and how to get the brain in the mood for homework by giving the brain mental triggers that help them develop good habits for learning. But will all this be enough for the child to pull off their final challenge to show how brilliant they can really be?
In Manchester, will she pick Jamie the ‘enigma’, who likes to explore and try anything and everything, from guitar to art and piano, and keeps his mind completely open? Or could it be 9 year old Aisha, who has a passion for history, culture and travel but has a tendency to hesitate and hold herself back at school because she’s afraid of getting things wrong? Or will it be multilingual Xin Xin, who after only a few years in Britain is fantastic at English and is fluent in Chinese too, but despite all these great achievements tends to put pressure on herself if she encounters something she can’t master straight away? One child gets the chance to have an intensive brain training programme that teaches them how learning different kinds of languages gives them a fresh insight into how their brain actually works; posture and how you stand can impact how you feel via a process of bio-feedback; how to deal with tough problems and take control to succeed and achieve; and how having a passion and gift in an area that doesn’t rest in the main core areas of the national curriculum doesn’t mean you should give it up. But will all this training and advice come together for this child’s final challenge?