Irish brain training programme can boost IQ
The SMART (strengthening mental abilities with relational training) programme has the potential to save millions of euro and resolve one of the biggest problems facing the education system.
As colleges and employers increasingly complain students lack critical thinking, the spin-off firm at NUI Maynooth claims it can raise those skills in primary pupils in just a few months. Unlike other “brain training” programmes, developer Bryan Roche says SMART does more than improve memory or deliver short-term improvements. While it has yet to be extensively tested, the results from one primary school suggest the Raise Your IQ company could be about to strike gold.
An increase in IQ of more than 10 points represents a significant increase in intellectual ability, but the 15 children at a Meath school saw their IQs rise by 14 to 32 points since last autumn, based on the company’s estimate of the tie between improvements in relational skills and intelligence.
“A fit brain doesn’t make you more clever, but teaching kids to be more clever does make their brains more fit. We teach the skills of logical and critical thinking, making problem solving easier and then, hopefully, school becomes easier,” said Dr Roche.
SMART is based on relational theory, first developed by Dr Roche and others at University College Cork in the early 1990s. It develops relational skills through repeated online tests that teach users to understand concepts such as same and opposite, or before and after, all used in everyday problem-solving.
The fifth and sixth-class pupils at Rathmore National School near Athboy, Co Meath, did three sessions a week for 30 to 45 minutes a week at home or after school. Their teacher, principal Shane Foley, said he had seen marked improvements in many pupils’ reading comprehension, their essay writing, and picking up of new maths concepts. “I wouldn’t say it’s going to mean less need for resource teachers or learning support, but it’s a very good tool in the special needs area.”
While psychologists in the US charge up to €150 an hour to do these tests one-to-one, users of Raise Your IQ pay €14.95 a month, €59.95 for six months, or €89.95 for a year to do them in their own time.
The uses extend beyond the classroom and while any adults can use it, Raise Your IQ expects strong interest from employers in the computer programming, engineering, and military fields.
Bryan Roche: CEO of Raise Your IQ.
Have a go at one of Raise Your IQ relational skills training quizzes:
*Level 1: “Manzana” is the Spanish word for apple. What is apple in Spanish?
*Level 2: “Madra” is the Irish word for the French word “chien”. “Chien” is the French word for the English word “dog”. What is a “dog” in Irish?
*Level 3: “Coche” is the Spanish word for the English word “car”. “Car” is the English word for the Swedish word “bil”. “Bil” is the Swedish word for the Italian word “auto”. What is an auto in Spanish?
*Level 4: “Car” is the English word for the Swedish word “bil”. “Car” is the English word for the Italian word “auto”. “Coche” is the Spanish word for the Italian word “auto”. What is coche in Swedish?
*For more www.raiseyouriq.com
