The Heguru Method: for Faye
Faye has been attending Heguru at Fusionopolis since 15 months old. Is that too young an age to start something this heavy? This question received a big fat Yes from the daddy and a resounding No from me. It is only as heavy as you think it is. Faye actually takes it quite light-heartedly, enjoying every Heguru hour.
Well you see, I was skeptical initially [Read: The Heguru Method: for Ewan] but the children's enthusiasm made me attend the first few classes with an open mind. I am a trialist mom. You know? Those moms who sends her children to all kinds of trials and decides later if the class suits her brood? Ah.. I'm that mom. [Clarify: Heguru does not do trials.] We've tried soccer, music, dance, kung fu and more but we ended up with only one class over our precious weekend and that is Heguru. We all know how important family time is over the weekends and so we try not to weigh the children down [parents too] with classes they do not enjoy.
It has been six months since we first started Heguru and the only reason Ewan and Faye are continuing their stint with the school is because we have this conversation every month just to gauge their keenness for Heguru:
Well you see, I was skeptical initially [Read: The Heguru Method: for Ewan] but the children's enthusiasm made me attend the first few classes with an open mind. I am a trialist mom. You know? Those moms who sends her children to all kinds of trials and decides later if the class suits her brood? Ah.. I'm that mom. [Clarify: Heguru does not do trials.] We've tried soccer, music, dance, kung fu and more but we ended up with only one class over our precious weekend and that is Heguru. We all know how important family time is over the weekends and so we try not to weigh the children down [parents too] with classes they do not enjoy.
It has been six months since we first started Heguru and the only reason Ewan and Faye are continuing their stint with the school is because we have this conversation every month just to gauge their keenness for Heguru:
Do you want to go the park or Heguru later?
HEGURU! YAHOO!
The children chime in unison whenever we pose them a "this or that" question with Faye raising both hands at yahoo. There was once when Faye didn't have class but we had to drop Ewan off at school. That little girl cried uncontrollably, softening her limbs so that we could not carry her out of her brother's class. Nothing could further exemplify her love for Heguru more than this.
There is so much ambiguity about what Right Brain training is and so I'd like to spend some time educating parents about it. The Heguru Method is Right Brain training. Our local education is such that left-brains are worked on far more than the right. Let us see what the difference is:
Left-brain training [the linguistic brain] - (1) by introducing low-speed teaching, (2) introduce information in small amounts and (3) understanding the information one by one.
e.g. when we teach the alphabets to our little ones, we always introduce A is for Apple by speaking slowly and repeatedly while showing the letter A with a picture of an apple. We assume introducing A to Z at one go is too much for their little brain and so we probably work on A to C several times before venturing into D, E, F.
Right-brain training [the image brain]- (1) by introducing high-speed teaching, (2) introduce information in large amounts and (3) encourages automatic information processing.
e.g. showing the alphabets with their corresponding pictures at high-speed i.e. flash carding. Also, the Heguru Method trains children to recognise a situation by a simple look-and-process method. Instead of counting [left-brain] how many fish there are in a tank, the image brain is trained to spot five fish without having to count.
I have always believed that emphasis should be put in Chinese right in the heart of our home because English will be their dominant language. English will be a language that they will excel in no matter when they start because of our education system. Just like how I always believe that right-brain exercises are crucial to mould our children holistically at a young age. When we past that crucial eager-to-learn age gap, we might risk losing their attention on the subject and training [whether it's Chinese or the right-brain] will then be challenged.
I: The School
There is so much ambiguity about what Right Brain training is and so I'd like to spend some time educating parents about it. The Heguru Method is Right Brain training. Our local education is such that left-brains are worked on far more than the right. Let us see what the difference is:
Left-brain training [the linguistic brain] - (1) by introducing low-speed teaching, (2) introduce information in small amounts and (3) understanding the information one by one.
e.g. when we teach the alphabets to our little ones, we always introduce A is for Apple by speaking slowly and repeatedly while showing the letter A with a picture of an apple. We assume introducing A to Z at one go is too much for their little brain and so we probably work on A to C several times before venturing into D, E, F.
Right-brain training [the image brain]- (1) by introducing high-speed teaching, (2) introduce information in large amounts and (3) encourages automatic information processing.
e.g. showing the alphabets with their corresponding pictures at high-speed i.e. flash carding. Also, the Heguru Method trains children to recognise a situation by a simple look-and-process method. Instead of counting [left-brain] how many fish there are in a tank, the image brain is trained to spot five fish without having to count.
I have always believed that emphasis should be put in Chinese right in the heart of our home because English will be their dominant language. English will be a language that they will excel in no matter when they start because of our education system. Just like how I always believe that right-brain exercises are crucial to mould our children holistically at a young age. When we past that crucial eager-to-learn age gap, we might risk losing their attention on the subject and training [whether it's Chinese or the right-brain] will then be challenged.
I: The School
Heguru has classrooms on level two and three in Fusionopolis. We are so lucky to get the classrooms on level three because it has natural daylight streaming into the reception area. It is a very welcoming sight with a large play mat and toys to keep the children occupied while waiting for class to commence. I believe this is also part of the reason why the children are always excited to attend school. Ewan could play for a full hour on his own while waiting for Faye to finish her class if he had to.
I love it that they take hygiene seriously by placing child-friendly hand sanitisers at the entrance of the door and by the cubbyholes where we put our shoes. My little ones have since picked up the sanitisation protocol and would head for the sanitiser first before entering the school. Parent and child are required to wear socks at all times. Two kiddy size chairs are placed at the entrance just for this purpose - shoes and socks.
II: The Classroom
The classrooms are carpeted, air-conditioned, designed for a maximum class size of eight children without any tables and chairs. The Heguru Method believes in processing information directly to their receiver. A table acts as a form of barrier between teacher and student. There is no natural daylight in the classrooms unlike the reception area. This is to minimise all kinds of distractions during class proper.
What I admire about Heguru's classroom etiquette is: they center their teachings around love, praise and recognition. With every activity, each child will get either a chop on the hand or a sticker as encouragement. Initially, I refused any forms of reward if Faye did not finish her activity properly. I was instilling negative punishment and I had breached the classroom's protocol of teaching with love. Oh was I ashamed. Today, she gets her due recognition with stickers for even the slightest scribble.
At the end of each class, the teachers bid goodbye to the children by way of hug. They are also encouraged to fall into the embrace of their parents before leaving the classroom. What an endearing moment.
III: The Activities - Mandala
Mandala is a sanskrit word for circle. It is an Indian symbol representing the universe but is now commonly termed for any diagram, chart of geometric pattern. The children are given two sheets of paper - (1) diagram without colours and (2) a blank sheet. There are two activities to this.
Firstly, the teachers will flash the same diagram with colours and the children are expected to fill in the blanks with the correct colours. Thereafter, flip over to the blank sheet of paper and attempt to replicate that picture. Well of course my little 22 monther is not able to do either of this because she is just an average tot. However, consistent practice and exposure will lead to what her brother can currently achieve at three years old - putting in the right colours in the same mandala activity.
IV: The Activities - Shapes and Colours
These are basic concepts for children to learn and Heguru introduces them in a fun manner. It sparks imagination for parent and child as we trace the shapes with a crayon. Thereafter, we were encouraged to draw an object out of the shapes and give it colour. So Faye and I came up with a red balloon, a blue Santa's hat and a yellow window. I repeated the names of the colours and objects as we fill in the colours and give each shape its identity.
V: The Activities - How Many?
"How Many?" is such a fun game that gets both adult and child participative in class. The teacher uses ten erasers, toy cars or in this example, ten dots for this highly interactive game. The purpose is to train the brain to recognise the numbers in an instant instead of counting them. The teacher will lay out the ten items and ask, "How Many?" and we were required to reply, "Ten". She will then take away a random number of six and ask again, "How Many?" and we are to come back with the correct answer "Four". This goes on for thirty seconds and we move on to another activity.
Ewan, Faye and I enjoy this game so much that we play it at home with every day objects. Even when we are eating strawberries at home, we will challenge each other with "How Many?" strawberries are there in the bowl.
VI: The Activities - Iroita
Iroita is a puzzle activity. A colourful one filled with all sorts of shapes: circles, semi-circles, right angle triangles, equilateral triangles, rectangles and squares. Not only do we introduce shapes and colours to our little ones, we teach them how to recognise the shape and put it in the correct position on the worksheet. It returns a lot of gratification when the child finishes a diagram because they will see a picture of a scarecrow, cow or hammer take shape once they complete the activity. It works on a child's motor skills, cognitive exercise, shape and colour recognition.
VII: The Activities - Story Time
Oh who doesn't love a good book. It comes so naturally for every kid in class. Whenever the teacher whips out a book from behind her back, these tots will walk away from their parents and sit in front her to listen to the story at hand. All focused and and intrigued. What I like about the class is it not only concentrate on learning but also light-hearted activities such as this as well as dancing and games outside the classroom.
Up until today, my husband and I are still wondering what makes Heguru so appealing to our children. They are drawn to class like bees to honey. We came to a conclusion: Heguru knows what makes a child tick and is obviously very good at keeping the heart of a child with their programmes.
Note: Heguru at Fusionopolis will be moving to their new premise at Harbourfront Centre in September/October 2016.
Read Also: The Heguru Method: for Ewan [3 years old]
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
I love it that they take hygiene seriously by placing child-friendly hand sanitisers at the entrance of the door and by the cubbyholes where we put our shoes. My little ones have since picked up the sanitisation protocol and would head for the sanitiser first before entering the school. Parent and child are required to wear socks at all times. Two kiddy size chairs are placed at the entrance just for this purpose - shoes and socks.
II: The Classroom
The classrooms are carpeted, air-conditioned, designed for a maximum class size of eight children without any tables and chairs. The Heguru Method believes in processing information directly to their receiver. A table acts as a form of barrier between teacher and student. There is no natural daylight in the classrooms unlike the reception area. This is to minimise all kinds of distractions during class proper.
What I admire about Heguru's classroom etiquette is: they center their teachings around love, praise and recognition. With every activity, each child will get either a chop on the hand or a sticker as encouragement. Initially, I refused any forms of reward if Faye did not finish her activity properly. I was instilling negative punishment and I had breached the classroom's protocol of teaching with love. Oh was I ashamed. Today, she gets her due recognition with stickers for even the slightest scribble.
At the end of each class, the teachers bid goodbye to the children by way of hug. They are also encouraged to fall into the embrace of their parents before leaving the classroom. What an endearing moment.
III: The Activities - Mandala
Mandala is a sanskrit word for circle. It is an Indian symbol representing the universe but is now commonly termed for any diagram, chart of geometric pattern. The children are given two sheets of paper - (1) diagram without colours and (2) a blank sheet. There are two activities to this.
Firstly, the teachers will flash the same diagram with colours and the children are expected to fill in the blanks with the correct colours. Thereafter, flip over to the blank sheet of paper and attempt to replicate that picture. Well of course my little 22 monther is not able to do either of this because she is just an average tot. However, consistent practice and exposure will lead to what her brother can currently achieve at three years old - putting in the right colours in the same mandala activity.
IV: The Activities - Shapes and Colours
These are basic concepts for children to learn and Heguru introduces them in a fun manner. It sparks imagination for parent and child as we trace the shapes with a crayon. Thereafter, we were encouraged to draw an object out of the shapes and give it colour. So Faye and I came up with a red balloon, a blue Santa's hat and a yellow window. I repeated the names of the colours and objects as we fill in the colours and give each shape its identity.
V: The Activities - How Many?
"How Many?" is such a fun game that gets both adult and child participative in class. The teacher uses ten erasers, toy cars or in this example, ten dots for this highly interactive game. The purpose is to train the brain to recognise the numbers in an instant instead of counting them. The teacher will lay out the ten items and ask, "How Many?" and we were required to reply, "Ten". She will then take away a random number of six and ask again, "How Many?" and we are to come back with the correct answer "Four". This goes on for thirty seconds and we move on to another activity.
Ewan, Faye and I enjoy this game so much that we play it at home with every day objects. Even when we are eating strawberries at home, we will challenge each other with "How Many?" strawberries are there in the bowl.
VI: The Activities - Iroita
Iroita is a puzzle activity. A colourful one filled with all sorts of shapes: circles, semi-circles, right angle triangles, equilateral triangles, rectangles and squares. Not only do we introduce shapes and colours to our little ones, we teach them how to recognise the shape and put it in the correct position on the worksheet. It returns a lot of gratification when the child finishes a diagram because they will see a picture of a scarecrow, cow or hammer take shape once they complete the activity. It works on a child's motor skills, cognitive exercise, shape and colour recognition.
VII: The Activities - Story Time
Oh who doesn't love a good book. It comes so naturally for every kid in class. Whenever the teacher whips out a book from behind her back, these tots will walk away from their parents and sit in front her to listen to the story at hand. All focused and and intrigued. What I like about the class is it not only concentrate on learning but also light-hearted activities such as this as well as dancing and games outside the classroom.
Up until today, my husband and I are still wondering what makes Heguru so appealing to our children. They are drawn to class like bees to honey. We came to a conclusion: Heguru knows what makes a child tick and is obviously very good at keeping the heart of a child with their programmes.
Note: Heguru at Fusionopolis will be moving to their new premise at Harbourfront Centre in September/October 2016.
Read Also: The Heguru Method: for Ewan [3 years old]
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.
I like that trialist mum's approach! I think we should try them out before committing longer term. Without trying, how would we know if our children like them, or if they suit our children. Trials are good!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many activities/exercises I'd like them to try but without knowing what they like, it's hard to send them in long term nods nods
DeleteHmmmm.... I was a trialist mum like you for Xav ! But when comes to Vera, I'm not having the same mindset not sure if it's due to time constraint. Anyway, I like the way Heguru's activities! Looks pretty fun for the kids and not at all boring with just flashing cards that some brain training schools used.
ReplyDeleteYes I think it's the more relaxed mindset. Faye doesn't go for much trials too. She goes for whatever her brother goes for. Not fair huh! Yikes! I'll pay more attention to her as an individual I promise.
DeleteMy boys attended a short Heguru trial session before and they were not even 1% as enthusiastic as Faye! I was the one staring at the instructors as they talked and talked non-stop and felt my brain extremely stimulated at the end of the session.
ReplyDeleteHahahah I had a headache at the end of the first session from over stimulation haha I guess your boys are made differently. They are the outdoorsy type who need a good work out :)
DeleteSo good to know that the kids love the school and system so much. No matter how good a school or system can be, if the child doesn't want to attend / listen / learn.. it's really of no use!
ReplyDeleteAi @ Sakura Haruka
That's so true. And not every child is for the system too.
DeleteGlad that both Ewan and Faye enjoy Heguru so much :)
ReplyDeleteIf I had no money and time constraint I don't mind sending my kids too. Currently Adam (7yo this year) is attending P1 + Mindchamps reading program only.
Ashton (coming 4yo) attends childcare and nil enrichment.
I know what you mean. Before I become a parent and I hear my parent friends say their children are doing piano, right-brain training, and what not. I'm like, "seriously? That's so much!" And they said they kids enjoy it that's why they are doing it. I couldn't believe it until my own kids share how happy they are to attend class
DeleteWe have not tried any right brain classes yet. Heguru looks really fun. Wished they have trial classes so that we can try try see see first.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post is your best bet!
DeleteHey May! I actually saw this Heguru outlet at Waterway point and was kinda interested on the classes. However, I am not sure if Isaac (12months old) is ready for such classes at this age even though they seem to have kids as young as 9 months old attending. Was really curious what goes on in their classes until I read this. Thanks for sharing this with us! :)
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure! I am so glad it helped you understand a lot more about what Heguru has to offer =) Do note though that the Fusionopolis school is run by a different principal at Waterway. There might be a slight difference in procedures.
DeleteI have not tried it yet for my kids as once I attended a session for sometime and felt like all cards flashing and too fast.
ReplyDeleteYup! You should catch up on my first post and I was just like you. Find out why I changed my mind =)
Deletehttp://mmlittlee.blogspot.sg/2015/10/the-heguru-method-for-ewan.html
I have heard some good and some not so good feedback about Heguru. I have not tried personally for my kids yet. It is good that your kids like the sessions.
ReplyDeleteAs shared by Ai. "No matter how good a school or system can be, if the child doesn't want to attend / listen / learn.. it's really of no use!" and my children seem to like it so much to not want to skip it.
DeleteWow! I was considering Heguru for Angelina next time as it just open a new branch at waterway point. But i didn't know what they taught n ur posting come just in time!!! And I always believe in flash cards fast as my son is slow speech at age 3 n i do a lot of flashcard till he pick up speech fast n recognise many words. Now I can consider bring Angelina over when she is older, n hopefully she will say "Heguru! Yahoo!"
ReplyDeletehahaha Jia You! Hopefully it'll really be Heguru Yahoo! Glad this post came to good help with your decision-making!
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ReplyDelete"Exploring right brain training is fascinating as it unlocks new dimensions of learning and creativity. This article presents insightful approaches to harness the potential of the right brain hemisphere, emphasizing its role in holistic thinking and innovative problem-solving. Right Brain TrainingIt's intriguing to learn about exercises and techniques that stimulate this aspect of cognition, providing a pathway for a more balanced and imaginative mind."
ReplyDelete