Brain training system ‘has global appeal’

The potential of a brain training system developed at an Irish university could extend beyond schools and children into the world of computers and engineering.

However, in a Co Meath classroom, the pupils who have been using the SMART (strengthening mental abilities with relational training) programme since last autumn see it as a challenging but fun exercise in class and at home.

“I liked moving through levels quickly and knowing that I was getting to the end. I really looked forward to the sessions and I worked on it at home as well as at school,” said 10-year-old Aoife Mullen.

She was one of 15 pupils at Rathmore National School outside Athboy where Raise Your IQ’s programme has been piloted since last autumn. The firm is a spin-off company at NUI Maynooth and believes the programme — available via web browsers but potentially soon via an app for smartphones and tablets — has global appeal.

Based on the feedback from staff and pupils at the school, its belief could be well placed.

“I have been working with many of these kids since they were in junior infants,” said teacher Karen Bennett.

“I’ve seen the results of this programme in the last month and it is powerful. Not only have the children’s IQs risen, but many of them have improved significantly in their reading, spelling, and maths.”

A 12-year-old pupil, Kiara McGrath, said she was the first to answer a question about percentages recently even though she used to find maths quite hard.

“That would never have happened before as it would have taken me ages to figure it out. I used to be slow at figuring things out, but I am actually quicker than other people now,” she said.

Psychologist and NUIM lecturer Bryan Roche said that, as well as improving general intelligence, which is tied to relational skills, Raise Your IQ’s system has had higher-than-expected results for children with learning difficulties.

The pilot programme at Rathmore resulted in two children with mild dyslexia having their assessments revised because of their reading improvements, the company said.

It hopes to secure further investment which will allow future development to put a particular focus around systems for children with such issues.

They may also work more closely with people on the autistic spectrum, who are already taught relational skills as part of the applied behavioural analysis method used in many special needs classes and schools.

For the wider population, the critical thinking and problem-solving skills improvements the online programme says it can deliver should prove enormously welcome to third-level college bosses and industry leaders who have complained of the dearth of such qualities in students and graduates in recent years.

“The SMART programme can have a positive and lasting impact among students globally and we expect significant adoption of the programme by schools and families across the world,” said co-founder and educational psychologist Sarah Cassidy.

“The online system is designed to be very user-friendly and cost-effective, so that it can be employed in the classroom by teachers or at home by students in their own time.”

Mr Roche said the company has had funding from Enterprise Ireland already but is seeking investors for marketing and to develop apps for smartphones and other devices.

“We’d be very willing to give Ruairi Quinn a good deal in terms of bulk purchase, but all of this has been done first and foremost for social benefit.”

However, the potential extends beyond the classroom, as raising these kinds of skills could also have enormous benefits for computer coding, military, and engineering employers.

The recommended training regime is for three or four sessions a week over two to four months, but anybody can get a taste of what is involved by signing up for a free three-day trial.

Packages for children or adults are available for three months (€14.95), six months (€59.95) or a year (€89.95).

* www.raiseyouriq.com

IQ exercises

This is one of a number of exercises Raise Your IQ suggests you can do to accompany the online SMART training. They can be done with children in the car while on a long journey, and are divided into quiz games that get more complex as you progress.

*Level 1: If a dime is worth more than a nickel, is a nickel worth more or less than a dime?

*Level 2: If a dime is worth more than a nickel, and a nickel is worth more than a penny, is a nickel worth more or less than a penny?

*Level 3: If an object A is larger than another object B, and B is larger than another object C, and C is larger than another object D, is D less than or more than A?

*Level 4: If an object B is larger than another object C, and an object A is larger than B, and an object D is smaller than object C, is D less than or more than A?