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Reynolds And Nicolson Who Reviewed The Balsall Common School Studies ...


Reynolds and Nicolson who reviewed the Balsall Common School Studies concluded that the effectiveness of an intervention programme which did not have a basis in literacy and intensive teaching was effective in addressing symptoms associated with all the major learning difficulties. Researchers at the Dore Institute believe that children and adults who display learning difficulties typically have a range of problems, and in order to address these effectively a more holistic approach must be used than has traditionally been the case (Rutherford, 2004).
Trevor Davies, headmaster at Balsall Common School made the following comment after the involvement of his school in the Dore programme:
No other phonological or other programme has ever, in my experience had as much impact on the learning process of children. (Rutherford, 2004).
The success of the programme has been attributed to the fact that it addresses the root causes of the problem, namely cerebellar development, and enhances children's ability to learn. The fundamental problem faced by children who have learning difficulties is that they have difficulty with the actual learning process and their ability to engage successfully with it. Successful engagement with learning ban only be facilitated when children are in a position to be more responsive to the learning. This has to come about through addressing the root cause rather than symptoms. Excellent teaching is limited in the impact that it can have when children are not ready to learn effectively. Teaching strategies have been shown to be particularly ineffective in the long term when they have been withdrawn because a child's capacity for, and ability to, learn have not been improved (Rutherford, 2004), meaning that any change in the intervention or reduction will cause the child to regress.
The Exercise for Learning Project:
The Exercise for Learning Project is based on the work of Sally Goddard and Peter Blythe. These researchers propose that infants possess a number of reflexes necessary for early survival. As children grow older these are replaced by other reflexes but some children do not lose the early reflexes which causes them to have a number of difficulties in respect of school, not only in the context of their learning but also in the context of motor skills and behaviour. Children in the programme are given batches of exercises designed to develop a variety of skills. The project has found considerable success with children teachers and parents, with improvements being seen in both the academic and social domains (O'Donovan, 2004).
Implications for Schools:
As discussed, research has clearly demonstrated the positive effects of exercise on the learning process. This has clear implications for schools.

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