Schoolblox

Teacher using the Persepto

Have you ever wished that you could own a magic wand? Or even just a tool so that the slower, weaker learner could be empowered to learn?

What if someone said that learning is just like hockey or football, games played successfully and most enjoyably by those who have mastered the skills of ball control, coordination, etc.

How do we teach people to play a sport? We teach skills like ball control and coordination to build up the "sports brain" and then synthesize these skills in a game! In the same way, Schoolblox teaches skills to build up the "learning brain". Schoolblox. . .

1. Sharpens attention and concentration
2. Develops accurate perception
3. Improves memory
4. Promotes logical thinking

These four cognitive skills — concentration, perception, memory and logical thinking — are what separate the good learners from the so-so learners.

Schoolblox is not a magic wand, but a powerful tool that strengthens weak cognitive skills and enhances normal cognitive skills to increase ease and performance in learning.

What Is Schoolblox?

Schoolblox is a classroom version of Audiblox, designed for teachers who want to use Audiblox for small to large groups of learners simultaneously. Schoolblox is suitable for preschool/kindergarten children and primary school children from 1st to 7th grades. Training for the teacher is provided by means of a manual and DVD.

• The Schoolblox kit contains a Persepto board, a training manual and DVD.

• The Persepto is a large, rectangular board, which the teacher puts on a table in front of the class. She uses the Persepto to conduct the Schoolblox lessons.

• The training manual contains descriptions of all the Schoolblox exercises, as well as two programs: a school readiness program and one for primary school children.

• The DVD demonstrates the Schoolblox exercises explained in the manual.

• Each learner in the class needs a Schoolblox learner set. The learner set contains 42 colored blocks, equally divided into six different colors — black, white, red, green, blue and yellow. It also contains two screens, which are used by each learner to shield his answers from the other learners in the class.

• Instead of using the blocks to give the answers, the learners may use worksheets to color in some of the exercises. A sample worksheet is included in the manual. The worksheets are not suitable for preschool/kindergarten children.

Features

• Suitable for preschool/kindergarten children and primary school children from 1st to 7th grades.

• The program can be used to simultaneously train as few as two and as many as thirty learners.

• The exercises can be adapted to the intellectual levels of learners.

• Smoothly integrates with any curriculum.

Benefits

• Prepares a foundation for exposure to and achievement in reading, spelling, writing, mathematics and the learning of subject matter. Learning difficulties can therefore be prevented.

• Effective for dyslexia and other learning difficulties.

• Accelerates learning and work tempo tremendously.

• Improves classroom management and discipline.

• Builds self-image and motivation for learning through the experience of learning success.

• Creates a basis for life-long learning.

The Exercises

• The more one practices the exercises, the better the results that one can achieve. Competence in any skill comes through practice over a period of time, and this system is no exception.

• Schoolblox is usually effective if learners practice four to five times a week for 30 minutes at a time. Less time is usually needed for preschool children.

• After six to eight weeks one can expect to start seeing visible results. However, some learners may require more practice than others to achieve results.

• As there is no limit to human potential, the ideal is to continue with the program for as long as possible.

Commentaries from Educators

I would like to compliment you on a wonderful product. I used Schoolblox in my Grade 2 class last year. The improvement in the children's reading and spelling ability after a year was great. I had no children with spatial problems. They could all sequence and their memories improved. I think it is a great program and cannot wait to use it again this year. — Mrs. R. Potgieter, Bryandale Primary School.

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I would like to tell you how impressed I am with the Audiblox program. I worked with 10 children last year and we did one hour, three times per week for the whole year. I had one child in the class that I had been doing remedial work with the previous three years with no sign of progress. He remained a real worry to me as to his parents. After only one year of Audiblox, he ended up at the end of last year in the top of his class. He has gained confidence in his abilities and I feel is on the road to success. — Mrs. P. J. Spibey, Remedial Teacher, Australia.

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The Audiblox program was introduced to our school by Christiene Swanepoel. Our Junior School caters exclusively for pupils with specific learning disabilities. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and perceptual problems feature prominently in the profiles of our pupils.

The Grade 1 teachers feel that the Audiblox program has definite merits for the improvement of visual and auditory memory, sequencing, seeing patterns, and development of reasoning and logical skills.

The following observations were penned when I asked the teachers to report back on progress they noticed as a result of Audiblox:

"I have implemented Audiblox in my class on a regular basis for the past six months. I have seen how it has improved the children's ability to concentrate. Their auditory and visual perceptual skills have definitely improved and their recall of input is noticeably more accurate. I can wholeheartedly recommend the Audiblox program. Children can only benefit from the perceptual training it offers." (S. Moreland, Gr. 2)

"It is an extremely effective program for enhancing the training of many skills required in the learning process, eg: visual sequencing, visual memory, auditory memory, auditory sequential memory, eye-span movement, logical thinking and concentration/attention span. All the Audiblox exercises are easily integrated with the subjects and pupils seem to find transfer and generalisation natural." (J. Henry, Gr. 4)

Teachers in Gr. 5 and 6 report that pupils are very motivated to participate in the Audiblox sessions and concur with the findings of the Gr. 2 to 4 teachers. We believe that because our pupils often do not learn incidentally, direct instruction providing the opportunity to develop own cognitive strategies to cope with visual and auditory challenges and tasks is of great value to the pupils. In a fun way the pupils are discovering their own cognitive style to meet the demands of the task. — Mrs. A. Burger, Remedial School, Cape Town, South Africa.

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Our school has been seeking for some time an effective method of improving the remediation of all pupils who require help. Audiblox has proved to be the most effective method — not only is it easy to administer but it has appeal to the students, and can be applied across the barriers of nationality. Both in the classroom situation, and in the specialized remediation groups, Audiblox is proving its worth and students are showing real, measurable progress. — Mr. Robert Tucker, Deputy Headmaster, International School, Malawi.

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We've been using Audiblox [the Schoolblox version] since 1999 and the difference it makes even to the below average learner is amazing.

We use Audiblox for the 2-3 year-old class, starting by teaching them colors and counting, up to the Grade 0 class. Soon the children know left, right, in front, behind and on top very well as this is covered in Spatial Orientation. At a glance they can tell the place value of each block and the color of the block in eighth, or sixth, or tenth position, et cetera.

Listening skills are developed as this is practiced almost every day. Above all I found the learners are able to memorize poems and songs at an amazing rate as Audiblox stimulates the memory.

Before entering primary school our Grade 0 class can easily count to one hundred and back in even and uneven numbers, and read 80 words. Sharonlea Child Care is a feeder school for Sharonlea Primary School. This school saw a difference too. In fact, the principal of Sharonlea Primary phoned to personally congratulate us since all the top achievers at Sharonlea Primary in mathematics and in reading are children who attended Sharonlea Child Care.

Audiblox is fun and the children love the challenge.

Overall an excellent learning method. — Mrs. Rita Crossman, Principal, Sharonlea Child Care.

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Just to let you know I have been working with two small groups of children (6 in one group; 5 in the other) for three weeks and already I am seeing improvements. One group of children from Year 2 were chosen because of their very poor (almost non-existent) concentration and listening skills. They are now able to work with me for 30 minutes and have learned the exercises very well.

The other group is in Year 1 and I can see an improvement in their self-esteem. They tend to be a group of children who are very shy and reserved and in the lower ability group. The class teacher is amazed with the confidence that these children are now showing in the classroom — after only 2 weeks! Fantastic! — Kelli Hichens, Peterborough, UK.

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Busy Bee Play School is making use of the Schoolblox program. We are able to use the program with the 3 years junior grouping, 3-4 years middle group and the preschool group at various levels.

Schoolblox teaches a wide spectrum of concepts, namely color, shape, number, mathematical concepts, and sequencing. It is used in part for auditory and visual perception, and language development. Self-image is boosted and memory is exercised. Discipline is an integral part of the program. I feel the program is multi-dimensional in the learning process and teaches open-ended problem solving, and thinking. — Mary-Anne Jacobs, Busy Bee Play School.

Prices

Schoolblox kit with   5 learner sets: US$1050.00
Schoolblox kit with 10 learner sets: US$1150.00
Schoolblox kit with 15 learner sets: US$1250.00
Schoolblox kit with 20 learner sets: US$1350.00
Schoolblox kit with 25 learner sets: US$1450.00
Schoolblox kit with 30 learner sets: US$1550.00

The prices include airmail shipping.

Please note: Schoolblox may not be used for remunerative purposes.