IdeaChain is designed to improve reading (and listening) comprehension.
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IdeaChain is a product of MindPrime, Inc.

Pre-Lesson Tips & Notes

Pre-Lesson Profile & Post-Lesson Profiles

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Using IdeaChain Outside the Lesson

Client Exchange


Frequently Asked Questions

Lesson 1

My student thinks the hand signs are silly? I am not sure how to respond.

It's like pulling teeth to get my son started. What do I do?

I keep telling my student how to describe a good picture, but he doesn't seem to understand. How do I make him understand how to do it?

My student says she doesn't "make a picture." What do I tell her?

My student gives me the absolute minimum in description. What should I do?

My student does everything fast, fast, FAST! I think he could do much better if he just slowed down. How should I handle that?

What do I do if my daughter becomes restless with the repetition of describing pictures?

My child is concerned that using the hand signs and key questions at school is 'cheating.'



My student thinks the hand signs are silly. I am not sure how to respond.
It does feel silly doing the hand signs in the beginning! Laugh and have fun with it. Assure the student that the silliness helps with memory. Whenever the key questions or hand signs come up, do them with the student. It is also a good idea to show the student how to use the hand signs at school or in public, without being conspicuous about it. When the student is trying to remember one of the signs or one of the key questions, remind them in a sly, silly way.

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It's like pulling teeth to get my son started. What do I do?
Please understand that you are not alone. It is not at all uncommon for a student who is already working extra hard to keep up with school, to be reluctant about doing anything else that involves 'learning.'

Your commitment tells your son a lot about how the two of you will make it through IdeaChain. Use every motivation that you can think of, but above all, do the program through the teeth pulling. Most students do not have the maturity to see the big picture of how IdeaChain can help. Your vision must carry them through the early stages.

Once the first ten minutes of the lesson are underway, most students become engaged with doing MindPrime's IdeaChain program. You may want to consider some incentive that is linked to only the first ten minutes of the lesson. That way there is a reward for the starting itself.

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I keep telling my student how to describe a good picture, but he doesn't seem to understand. How do I make him understand how to do it?
It is almost second nature to teach a student how to do something by giving them instructions to do this (whatever it is) first, and then next you do this...and so on. For a student to learn with this method of instruction assumes that the student can organize information and integrate it with what is already known. Students with poor imaging ability do not seem to respond well to a set of instructions.

A method that works well for this type of student is to teach indirectly by asking questions about what you need in order to form your own image. You are working in context, not giving instructions. You and your student are actually doing the process.

For example, if a student is describing a picture in a way that you can't form a very good representation in your mind, don't "tell him how to do it", rather tell him your problem with the communication. "Emile, I have a good picture of the dog and I know there is a girl somewhere, but I don't know where to put her. If you need to, show me with your hands and I'll help you put words with your gestures." Or, "Emile, I know there's a girl with brown hair, but I don't know anything else about her. I need to know more about her to make a mental picture. Let's go through the key questions (using the hand signs) to give you ideas about what to tell me."

When you ask for information in this way, you are doing some powerful 'teaching.' The student begins to understand why you are asking for information (to create your picture) and what kind of information you need (sizes, shapes, colors, background, etc.) You have also given the student a way, with the use of the hand signs and key questions, to independently figure out what information is needed. You may need to provide structure by asking questions and prompting the student what to do next, but the student can successfully figure out the information.

Some students are very slow at this process in the beginning. Give them the time they need to think.

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My student says she doesn't "make a picture." What do I tell her?
Some students are very literal about the word picture. To them a 'picture' means something like a photograph or a magazine picture. They get disturbed when what is in their head does not look like that photograph or magazine.

Talk to her about how mental pictures or images are not like photographs. Suggest that she imagine (pretend) that she has eyes inside her head that 'see' differently than her real eyes on her face. The 'pictures' that inside eyes see are different than a magazine picture or photograph.

Tell her you want to do a little exercise that will show her what a mental picture looks (and feels) like.

Ask the student if she can remember what __(name a friend or teacher)__ looks like. Have the student give you a brief description - hair, eyes, height, and/or some distinguishing characteristic. Say, "Right now, while you're thinking of __(whoever)__, that thought is a mental picture. That memory is what you do (and feel) when you 'see' with your inside eyes. That's a mental picture or mental image. You do make mental pictures. Mind pictures or mental images look and feel different than pictures you see with your outside (real) eyes. When we're doing your MindPrime IdeaChain exercises trust that what we're doing is helping you create mental pictures."

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My student gives me the absolute minimum in description. What should I do?
This is not uncommon behavior in Lessons 1 through 4. The student does not see how much this process will help in school. When the student begins to see how much creating mental images can help with communication and school work, you will usually see a change.

In your lessons, keep asking for information. Say very specifically what you want. "Give me a full description of the things you see in the picture." When the student does provide enough information, ask, "What should I see for …? Tell me more about…." Sometimes a simple "And?" will draw out more information.

When you describe pictures to the student be sure that your descriptions are full of detail. The student is creating images with your words and grows from that experience.

When you get close to the end of a lesson, suggest, "If this description is really rich in detail, we'll stop after this picture. Otherwise, we'll need to do another one to get enough practice."

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My student does everything fast, fast, FAST! I think he could do much better if he just slowed down. How should I handle that?
There are many reasons why some students do everything at warp speed. Consider this possibility that will help you understand more of what may be going on with your student.

When a student has a hard time holding on to incoming information (remembering and organizing), he can develop the habit of slinging it back as fast as possible before it goes away. If he gives it back in a flash, he has a better chance at retaining some of it even if the information is not integrated with anything else.

Now when this behavior starts, it is a very unconscious response. It is simply an adaptation that works for the student some of the time. After a while it becomes a habit with no conscious connection to the reason for the behavior.

It is impossible at a distance, and even one to one, to tell you why your student does this. Respond by focusing your attention on the quality of the response. If the response is off course, be persistent and ask again for a more appropriate response. From time to time you may want to comment that you think it would take the student less time to think for a moment before responding. Make this comment and go on, don't harp on this. Again, focus on what is going right.

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What do I do if my daughter becomes restless with the repetition of describing pictures?
There are several ways to create diversity in the sessions. Do lots of switching places, with you doing more descriptions than are suggested in the lesson script. Include more objects as well as pictures for description. Have your daughter describe an object in the room where you are working, or something out the window. The "Tell Me About…" game in the Other Activities section is a good application of the lesson principles.

Students also like to collect their own set of pictures from magazines that they like. This should be done outside the lesson time. Your daughter could put her pictures in an envelope so that you do not see them ahead of time. You may even want to purchase a new magazine for this. Use album and video covers also. Make sure the pictures on the covers are not too complicated.

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My child is concerned that using the hand signs and key questions at school is 'cheating.'
Many students who are poor at imaging have had few strategies that supported memory and recall. They are unfamiliar with having a system that actually gives them support.

Explain that there is a difference between sneaking in answers to questions and using a strategy or support to find the answers in your own mind. The goal of much learning is to use your mind to figure out an answer or how to do something. The hand signs and key questions help you use your mind better.

You may also want to talk to your daughter's classroom teacher. Most teachers will welcome that a student is using a strategy to remember and organize information. The teacher could even encourage your daughter to use the hand signs at school.

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