AchievementInMind is about creating sensational, innovative resources, and bringing new skills and understanding from the findings of brain and sensory development to teachers and learners. Resources that are practical and strategies that work, ILP and ActEi bring together research and best practice approaches in a fresh and practical way.
Background to ILP and ActEi
ILP and ActEi have been created by teacher, trainer and practitioner Simon Olding. Back in the late 1970s as a child in school things weren’t too optimistic. Simon spent his early school years in remedial classes, and as the 80s rolled by his continual failures in learning meant that he attained only one CSE, in home economics. A handy skill but not a great qualification! As an adult, and free to use strategies that worked for him, Simon developed a passion for learning, and keen to share it, qualified as primary teacher specialising in physical education at DeMontfort Univiersity, Bedford.
Recognising in many of the children he taught, the same type of difficulties that he faced in the classroom, and feeling a deficiency in his own knowledge and training, Simon began some left field study in programmes such as Brain Gym, kinesiology, bio-feedback,neurology, and sound, sensory and movement therapy. These approaches offered a refreshing insight into an abundance of strategies that are making a positive, practical difference to many individuals worldwide.
In the following years Simon qualified as a sports coach, biofeedback, Heart Math and Listening Program practitioner, and an educational consultant and trainer. He worked as a practitioner supporting children with learning, behavioural or emotional problems, and delivered inset training to schools.
His work was always very well received; there was a great satisfaction in seeing individual children break new ground and overcome problems, and adults and teachers who attended his training were fascinated and excited to apply new skills, especially to help children who struggle.
However, as a teacher, and aware of the constraints on teacher’s time and resources,Simon felt that the one-to-one approach and training-focused programmes could never move beyond benefitting the few, and felt determined to develop programmes that could be used easily and effectively in schools, by teachers, assistant or parents themselves.
So the journey began to synthesise and shape this knowledge so it could be used in a real classroom with real kids, in real time and be really effective.
ILP was inspired by the brilliant work of neurologists such as Sperry, and Gazzaniga, and educators Drs Hannaford, Dennison and Goodheart. Their individual studies on brain function show how a person’s brain and body dominances create a ‘profile’ which reveals their natural preference for particular styles of receiving, processing and communicating information.
ActEi draws from the fields of sensory and childhood development, infant reflexes, kinesiology, play, yoga, emotional intelligence, movement science and natural vision therapy. It takes into account the seminal works of pioneers and experts in their fields. The absolute focus of ActEi was to synthesise, simplify and produce a useable and above all,highly enjoyable developmental programme of games for everyone to use.
Finally, after many trials, pilots and reworkings, ILP and ActEi have achieved their object of being easy to use, practical, school friendly and getting results!
Now they are being used successfully here in the UK and across the globe from the USA, to Portugal, the middle east and South Africa. So if you want to experience for yourself how they can make a difference, subscribe, entering your name and email address on the right and we’ll share with you some of these great resources to try, for free,right now.
Wishing you and your children achievement and success
