The Heguru Method: for Ewan
I shun away from weekend classes. Not to mention those that intensively engage my children in blackboard (whiteboard in this generation) learning. Firstly, I like our weekends free so that we can wake up to carefree Saturdays or Sundays then hit a park or a cafe depending on our mood when we get out of bed. Secondly, I do not like to turn down birthday invitations just because we have a class to attend. Lastly, my motto for bringing up the children is by way of play. Therefore, I was certain I will not have my children enrolled in the likes of Shichida or Heguru, who accepts children as young as six months of age to flash-carding. That said, I will go for [weekday] classes like Gym, Music, Sports or Chengzhu just so we can spend some mother and child time doing something fun together as opposed to looking at each other all day long at home. I believe in social interactions not only for the child but for my own sanity as well. As long as it is a play class that is parent-accompanied, I will be happy to give it a go. I believe in the purpose of learning together with the child (taking the active role) and not drop Ewan or Faye off just so I can go shopping.
So what have we? We are enrolled in a weekend class at Heguru for Ewan for two months now. Whatever happened?
I believe that flash-carding, beefing up a child's brain through over-stimulation, is effective. We have heard this many times that a child is like a sponge. They can absorb many things quite easily and always most successful when they start very young. However, I like it that my children develop at their own pace. I do not see a need to cultivate a genius. Just one that grows up [street] smart enough to not get trampled on, kind enough to save a kitten from a tree and brave enough to come right up when he/she falls.
It is funny how an opportunity arose and we were sitting in a Heguru class near home one weekend morning. I had my reservations but it was a free weekend with nothing in the books for the family. We went for an hour-long session, parent-accompanied, just to see what Heguru has to offer.
I.Was.Flabergasted! Rendered Speechless in fact!
I contracted a headache by the 30th minute and decided immediately that we will not return again. I went into a shut down mode thereafter and laughed at what a joke it was that the teacher was conducting the class in double-time speed! Imagine attending a class with a teacher that speaks as though your cassette tape had been fast-forwarded. I must admit: I couldn't keep up at 33 years of age.
Then, as shocked as I was, Ewan declared after class,
Then, as shocked as I was, Ewan declared after class,
"I like Heguru mommy!
Let's go back to class again!"
Seriously Ewan? He enjoyed the class? My boy is one who knows exactly what he wants. He loves to dance so we went social dancing one day but he chose to go freestyle (basically didn't want to listen to teacher lah). When he doesn't like anything, he will not hesitate to tell you, "I want to go home." Yet, here at Heguru, he was surprisingly participative and engaged.
However, I was still adamant we do not return again. I felt uncomfortable overloading information into his little brain.
The next morning, he woke and asked if we were going back to Heguru.
A few days later, he announced that he wanted to return to class at Heguru.
Each time we said, "No, we weren't.", he questioned with a big fat "Why?"
We became part of the Heguru family thereafter. A child flourishes when they enjoy what they are doing. As long as it is within our means, we will support our children and their dreams. Even if it meant Ballet for Ewan and Drumming for Faye if that's where their passion lies [silent gasps].
We are enrolled into the Fusionopolis branch with two studios (Level 2 and 3). We are privileged to attend class on Level 3 where it is spacious and bright. The lobby of the school houses a play area for toddlers and a reading corner for the bookworms. A children's haven for before and after lessons (it probably gave Ewan a very good first impression). To the right of the lobby are tables and chairs for waiting parents to kick back a little with their laptops and kindles. I personally found the design very welcoming and well thought through for both adults and children.
Allow me to share with you what a typical Heguru class entails (in case like me, you think it's only flash-carding). Every minute is not wasted idling or waiting around just to receive materials to work on. There are two teachers in a classroom, free from tables and chairs. Every one sits on the floor facing a main teacher who conducts the class without any interruptions. They believe that a table or a chair is also a form of distraction between student and teacher. A second teacher acts as an assistant to get the class moving smoothly. Everything is anticipated and planned. There is no two-way about it. We had a very big programme crammed up in 60 minutes. The amount of information each child takes back is probably worth a regular week of teaching.
At our first parent-accompanied class, we were introduced to:
However, I was still adamant we do not return again. I felt uncomfortable overloading information into his little brain.
The next morning, he woke and asked if we were going back to Heguru.
A few days later, he announced that he wanted to return to class at Heguru.
Each time we said, "No, we weren't.", he questioned with a big fat "Why?"
We became part of the Heguru family thereafter. A child flourishes when they enjoy what they are doing. As long as it is within our means, we will support our children and their dreams. Even if it meant Ballet for Ewan and Drumming for Faye if that's where their passion lies [silent gasps].
We are enrolled into the Fusionopolis branch with two studios (Level 2 and 3). We are privileged to attend class on Level 3 where it is spacious and bright. The lobby of the school houses a play area for toddlers and a reading corner for the bookworms. A children's haven for before and after lessons (it probably gave Ewan a very good first impression). To the right of the lobby are tables and chairs for waiting parents to kick back a little with their laptops and kindles. I personally found the design very welcoming and well thought through for both adults and children.
Allow me to share with you what a typical Heguru class entails (in case like me, you think it's only flash-carding). Every minute is not wasted idling or waiting around just to receive materials to work on. There are two teachers in a classroom, free from tables and chairs. Every one sits on the floor facing a main teacher who conducts the class without any interruptions. They believe that a table or a chair is also a form of distraction between student and teacher. A second teacher acts as an assistant to get the class moving smoothly. Everything is anticipated and planned. There is no two-way about it. We had a very big programme crammed up in 60 minutes. The amount of information each child takes back is probably worth a regular week of teaching.
At our first parent-accompanied class, we were introduced to:
- acidic and alkaline substances through a song
- extrasensory perception (aka six sense) which they believe exists in children
- counting, addition and subtraction through visual recognition
- Sandro Botticelli's famous paintings (I was secretly pleased with myself for the ability to name them)
- alphabets and writing
- colouring and drawing by memory
- story-tell with picture cards
- exercise time (eg. ball games)
- mandarin session
- flash-carding
- and many more
Aha! So it isn't all 60-minutes of flash carding. I found certain teachings quite advanced for this bunch of three year olds but then again, nothing is too difficult for them now for they are absorbing everything without any reservations (without scepticism). I myself found certain methods very useful as an adult. I learnt that the three longest rivers are the Nile, Amazon and Yang Tze river. They taught us these facts by way of songs and repetition.
Ewan's development since Heguru is clearly evident. He is a fast-learner and he never cease to surprise me with what he took back from each class. He would blurt out certain words or songs his teacher introduced in class and say, "This is Heguru right?". When he sees an abacus, he will relate it to Heguru. When he sees a pizza, he relates it to Heguru (we learnt about fractions in a pie). Other times, he would randomly role-play as a Heguru teacher and make me his student at home. I found his enthusiasm very interesting and his fervent delight to wake up for class made me look forward to each session. He would pull me along and run to class! I decided to enjoy the learning process with him and just like magic, the headaches were gone!
The Heguru's goal is to properly nurture children so that they will be able to make full use of their fundamental abilities. While conventional education methods mainly focus on “how instructors teach children”, the Heguru method focuses on “how to grow children’s ability to acquire education”. They believe in enhancing children’s fundamental abilities right from the periods of prenatal and infancy. It preaches right-brain training and learning from my child psychology textbooks, I know the importance of it. Our formative years in Singapore schools drill our children into left-brain learning. There is a need to expose our children to "exercise" both sides of their brains to let them work as a whole.
They say the best time to start is 0-3 years because thereafter, a child would have started to switch to left-brain thinking. I must agree I have noticed that of Ewan. The Heguru method believes in visualising and automatically processing an answer as opposed to counting. For example, put 5 erasers on the floor and ask your child how many erasers there are. A right-brain-trained child will immediately say, "Five" while a left-brain-trained child will count before revealing the answer [that's Ewan now]. There is no right or wrong to that but their purpose is to unleash a child's potential to his fullest.
I would like to introduce two of my favourite activities introduced by Heguru to help these young minds develop certain skills: The Tangram and Link Memory Cards
I: Tangram
A tangram is a Chinese geometrical puzzle consisting of a square cut into eight pieces which can be arranged to make various other shapes. They can be used to develop problem-solving and logical thinking skills, perceptual reasoning (nonverbal thinking skills), visual-spatial awareness, creativity and many mathematical concepts such as congruency, symmetry, area, perimeter, and geometry. Phew! That's a lot a tangram can offer!
The children were given templates and encouraged to place each shape in its place to make certain animals. As always, I leave Ewan to figure the game out himself and watch him by the side.
The real challenge is putting back the eight pieces into its square case! Sounds easy ay? No, it isn't! Meyer and I tried several times and when we finally did manage, it definitely felt rewarding. We brought it along with us to Italy as a mealtime activity and were so proud when Ewan announced, "Look daddy! I put them all back in its place!" We weren't watching him but was utterly blown away that he did just that because it can also be a formidable task for a regular adult!
II: Link Memory Cards
This activity is a very clever way of introducing memorisation in a young child. For our three year olds, they are only required to remember up to three picture cards and how is this done? They teach the children to tell a story out of picture cards they are given. With your imagination, you conceive a story with what you see! The story may not be coherent but as long as you made it yourself, you are bound to remember them.
With the above pictures, Ewan made up a story as follows:
(1) I will be sitting an aeroplane
(2) tonight
(3) with grandpa
Cover the cards and naturally he will remember the sequence of his designated pictures from the story he conceived! How brilliant is that?
You can make any story!:
(1) The aeroplane
(2) flew past a star
(3) and I saw my grandpa on it
Whatever works really! Ever since we were introduced to this method, Ewan has never gotten his cards wrong. As for myself, I've given it a go (in class) and could remember up to 20 cards; for now. I like this not only for its clever methods to introduce memorisation skills but that our children get to work on their imaginations and composition skills as well!
At the end of each class, the teachers will go through a page of parents' lecture on the week's recommended activities with our tots. I had heard that parents must be involved in Heguru's methods and homeworks are highly recommended. I must admit I was totally put off by that part because I really do not want to sit my children down with flash cards. Surprise surprise! Our homework did not require us to work on flash-carding but activities like playing hopscotch with our children to refine their physical coordination! Yay! I like that!
Today, after missing two lessons of Heguru from our Italy trip, he said it again,
His commitment is making me excited for our next Heguru class!
Heguru Method @ Fusionopolis (Singapore) will be having a personal sharing session during their Parents Information Sessions (PIS) held at their premise.
The dates are:
Heguru Method @ Fusionopolis (Singapore)
1 Fusionopolis Way, Connexis, Singapore 138632
Reception Lobby: #03-01
(Directly Above One North MRT, Circle Line Station CC23)
Tel: 64666580 | Mobile: 91824381
Email: enquiry@hegurumethod.com.sg
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hegurumethod
Website: http://www.hegurumethod.com.sg
General Opening Hours:
Wednesday to Sunday: 9:00 am to 6:30 pm
Monday and Tuesday: Closed for Rest, Material Preparation and Training
Ewan's development since Heguru is clearly evident. He is a fast-learner and he never cease to surprise me with what he took back from each class. He would blurt out certain words or songs his teacher introduced in class and say, "This is Heguru right?". When he sees an abacus, he will relate it to Heguru. When he sees a pizza, he relates it to Heguru (we learnt about fractions in a pie). Other times, he would randomly role-play as a Heguru teacher and make me his student at home. I found his enthusiasm very interesting and his fervent delight to wake up for class made me look forward to each session. He would pull me along and run to class! I decided to enjoy the learning process with him and just like magic, the headaches were gone!
The Heguru's goal is to properly nurture children so that they will be able to make full use of their fundamental abilities. While conventional education methods mainly focus on “how instructors teach children”, the Heguru method focuses on “how to grow children’s ability to acquire education”. They believe in enhancing children’s fundamental abilities right from the periods of prenatal and infancy. It preaches right-brain training and learning from my child psychology textbooks, I know the importance of it. Our formative years in Singapore schools drill our children into left-brain learning. There is a need to expose our children to "exercise" both sides of their brains to let them work as a whole.
They say the best time to start is 0-3 years because thereafter, a child would have started to switch to left-brain thinking. I must agree I have noticed that of Ewan. The Heguru method believes in visualising and automatically processing an answer as opposed to counting. For example, put 5 erasers on the floor and ask your child how many erasers there are. A right-brain-trained child will immediately say, "Five" while a left-brain-trained child will count before revealing the answer [that's Ewan now]. There is no right or wrong to that but their purpose is to unleash a child's potential to his fullest.
I would like to introduce two of my favourite activities introduced by Heguru to help these young minds develop certain skills: The Tangram and Link Memory Cards
I: Tangram
A tangram is a Chinese geometrical puzzle consisting of a square cut into eight pieces which can be arranged to make various other shapes. They can be used to develop problem-solving and logical thinking skills, perceptual reasoning (nonverbal thinking skills), visual-spatial awareness, creativity and many mathematical concepts such as congruency, symmetry, area, perimeter, and geometry. Phew! That's a lot a tangram can offer!
The children were given templates and encouraged to place each shape in its place to make certain animals. As always, I leave Ewan to figure the game out himself and watch him by the side.
The real challenge is putting back the eight pieces into its square case! Sounds easy ay? No, it isn't! Meyer and I tried several times and when we finally did manage, it definitely felt rewarding. We brought it along with us to Italy as a mealtime activity and were so proud when Ewan announced, "Look daddy! I put them all back in its place!" We weren't watching him but was utterly blown away that he did just that because it can also be a formidable task for a regular adult!
II: Link Memory Cards
This activity is a very clever way of introducing memorisation in a young child. For our three year olds, they are only required to remember up to three picture cards and how is this done? They teach the children to tell a story out of picture cards they are given. With your imagination, you conceive a story with what you see! The story may not be coherent but as long as you made it yourself, you are bound to remember them.
With the above pictures, Ewan made up a story as follows:
(1) I will be sitting an aeroplane
(2) tonight
(3) with grandpa
Cover the cards and naturally he will remember the sequence of his designated pictures from the story he conceived! How brilliant is that?
You can make any story!:
(1) The aeroplane
(2) flew past a star
(3) and I saw my grandpa on it
Whatever works really! Ever since we were introduced to this method, Ewan has never gotten his cards wrong. As for myself, I've given it a go (in class) and could remember up to 20 cards; for now. I like this not only for its clever methods to introduce memorisation skills but that our children get to work on their imaginations and composition skills as well!
At the end of each class, the teachers will go through a page of parents' lecture on the week's recommended activities with our tots. I had heard that parents must be involved in Heguru's methods and homeworks are highly recommended. I must admit I was totally put off by that part because I really do not want to sit my children down with flash cards. Surprise surprise! Our homework did not require us to work on flash-carding but activities like playing hopscotch with our children to refine their physical coordination! Yay! I like that!
Today, after missing two lessons of Heguru from our Italy trip, he said it again,
"I want to go back to Heguru already.
I miss class."
His commitment is making me excited for our next Heguru class!
Heguru Method @ Fusionopolis (Singapore) will be having a personal sharing session during their Parents Information Sessions (PIS) held at their premise.
The dates are:
- 7th Nov 2015 (Saturday): 11.00 am sharp (Registration starts at 10:30 am)
- 21st Nov 2015 (Saturday): 11.00 am sharp (Registration starts at 10:30 am)
Heguru Method @ Fusionopolis (Singapore)
1 Fusionopolis Way, Connexis, Singapore 138632
Reception Lobby: #03-01
(Directly Above One North MRT, Circle Line Station CC23)
Tel: 64666580 | Mobile: 91824381
Email: enquiry@hegurumethod.com.sg
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hegurumethod
Website: http://www.hegurumethod.com.sg
General Opening Hours:
Wednesday to Sunday: 9:00 am to 6:30 pm
Monday and Tuesday: Closed for Rest, Material Preparation and Training
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A stay at home mum, blogging to widen her social life.
We want to echo the sound of love through our lives to inspire other mothers alike.
We want to echo the sound of love through our lives to inspire other mothers alike.
It sounds so exciting yet daunting at the same time, really! I almost choked on my water when I read that the kids learn about acidic and alkaline substances through a song? I only learned this in Secondary School I think!
ReplyDeletehahaha Yes Jacqueline. I know right. Thing is, the 6 month old babies do the same curriculum as the 3 year olds! I was in disbelief and felt so kiasu sitting there. and... I hate being deemed as a Kiasu Parent =P
DeleteI got an headache looking at the task/activities forthe little ones, and I laughed at your comment "cassette tape had been fast-forwarded". But as long as my child love certain curriculum, I will try to give him more exposure.
ReplyDeletecheers, Andy
(SengkangBabies)
hahah Andy don't have to attend. Just read already got headache.
DeleteI didn't send my children to enrichment classes when they were younger, we did some home learning. Great that Ewan enjoys the lessons.
ReplyDeleteNods nods. I find moms who engage their children in home learning is most commendable because I had planned to home school my kids until they enter primary school. But when I became a first time mom, I was overwhelmed but how sleep deprived I became. Besides, it was difficult on my part to be the main caregiver of a high need child. I realised going out on shopping trips, park walks and attending play sessions together seem to work best for us and I can finally get him tired enough to sleep easily (which was such a difficult task).
DeleteChanged my mind about home schooling because I just couldn't handle it (and probably not equipped enough). Left the teaching and learning to attending parent and child courses instead! =)
Great that these lessons involve parental involvement, but it also means parents must be fully engaged during the session and no slacking allowed :)
ReplyDeletehahha Not really leh. I sometimes kick back and space out. I do reply to emails behind Ewan's back too. Quick ones. I do not stare at the flash carding sessions and I do not listen to the stories the teachers tell the children when they sit in a circle. =)
DeleteWa. This enrichment class looks really interesting. Will definitely tell my friends about it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Edmund for dropping by!
DeleteHmm. Interesting. I've always been quite skeptical about it like you. I have even signed up for parents classes before but decided not to go in the end. My boy is 2.5 now. Maybe i should just go. hmm...
ReplyDeleteVivien @ Beautiful Chaos
Lots of Hmmmm I understand. And also, every child is different. Mine may be in love with it. Yet another may not like it at all. I can only say, try and let the child lead.
DeleteIt's great that you exposed him to this and he found something interesting that he loves. Nothing better than a motivated child who loves to learn and grow. ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the validation. I didn't quite like it that we are doing enrichment classes at such a young age. Ah... but he likes it! Before I was a parent and other parents shared that their children enjoyed going to classes, I found it a little weird. haha but now I know!
DeleteI've not heard of Heguru but from your review, it sure sounds like an interesting enrichment activity worth sacrificing your weekends for!
ReplyDeleteWe chose an early morning slot so that it won't eat into our day *hehe*
DeleteI have heard so much about Heguru but then i find it was very fast and more like hypnotizing them with the activity. Though i have not started any classes for my 2 years old girl but maybe will look into it more.
ReplyDeleteHypnotizing! Haha I never thought of it that way. My boy is definitely not hypnotized! There are dance and songs, dramatization and short timings out of the classroom just to play some ball games. They are not zombified at their spots lol then again, each child takes it differently. One might like it and another might not.
DeleteSounds interesting yet daunting at the same time. I'm just wondering how do they get the 6 months old to sit still and appreciate the class. :)
ReplyDeleteHi! Actually, a 6 months old will definitely be sitting and not be moving because they cannot move just yet! Not crawlers at that age and it's really just input. There isn't a need to be in full concentration, not even for the 3-year-olds because by then, they will be active and excited to explore. Auditory and visual learning are part of its aims to pass on some kind of information to the child. I must say I don't find my 16 month old appreciating the class much because what does she know about acid and alkaline right? But hmmm.... when we arrive at Heguru and not go into class, she will kick a fuss.
DeleteBrain Training for kids
ReplyDeletebest enrichment centre singapore
ReplyDeleteEmbarking on right brain training has been a revelation.
ReplyDeleteThe emphasis on creativity, intuition, and holistic learning has ignited new dimensions in personal growth. Integrating artistic activities into the learning process enhances cognitive abilities. It's fascinating to witness the positive impact on both children and adults, fostering a more balanced and imaginative approach to education. Right brain training is a gateway to unlocking untapped potential.