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Mar 13, 2009 4:42 pm US/Central
Brain Researchers Helping Students In School
Reporting
Jack Fink
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Benjamin Galindez and some of his classmates at Rusk Middle School in Dallas are taking part in a pilot program researches hope will change their lives forever.
"I think it's getting me prepared for college and good education comes from this class."
Researchers at the UT Dallas Center for Brain Health are teaching the students how to think critically and to reason.
The Center found middle school and high school students with Attention Deficit Disorder, and the brightest of students all have trouble analyzing and solving problems. Of the 55 eight graders tested at Rusk Middle School, 83 percent failed the reasoning test.
Dr. Jacque Gamino is the director of the Middle School Initiatives program at the Center. She says the results are extremely alarming. "We think a lot of it has to do with kids are taught very factual and detailed based information and if they give it back verbatim, they to it very well. but that doesn't help them to think critically."
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, who secured $400,000 for local brain research, says the pilot program sounds promising for students.
"If they can get that stability, so many more of them are going to learn more, more of them will be ready for college."
After two years of research, the Center for Brain Health is hoping the Texas Legislature will give $8 million so they can take the program and incorporate it into the curriculum at schools across North Texas.
Rusk Middle School Teacher Jennifer Tecklenburg says the program has already helped her students.
"They seem more focused when we're asking them to read things or to work in their collaborative groups to work on their tutorials."
Student Denisse Arzola agrees, "I love this program. It's helping us with a lot of the strategies. It's amazing what they can do for us."
Researchers plan on working with as many as 60 other students at another Dallas school, Medrano Middle School, in April.
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