LOS ANGELES—BrainWare SAFARI, an interactive computer program for “cognitive skills development” sold by the Learning Enhancement Corporation will be introduced at Armenian Mesrobian School in Pico Rivera, CA, as part of a new approach to “integrate brain research into the curriculum.” Mesrobian is the first school in the Los Angeles area to incorporate this program. Students from elementary school through high school will have access to the program beginning with the 2013-2014 school year.
BrainWare SAFARI incorporates neuroscience and video-game technology into a software program that claims to develop the capacity to learn and think for users aged 6 and up. According to research advertised on the BrainWare website, 12 weeks of using the program improved the cognitive ability of students with learning disabilities in grades 2 to 4 by an average of over 4 years. “BrainWare Safari develops 41 cognitive skills in a comprehensive, integrated, and highly engaging way,” the company says. The areas of skill development are grouped into attention, memory, visual processing, auditory processing, thinking, and sensory integration.
Mesrobian School, founded in 1965, is working to incorporate a variety of educational strategies grounded in neuroscience research under the leadership of Principal David Ghoogasian, an educational consultant and school improvement facilitator nationally and internationally recognized for his expertise in the brain and learning as applied to classroom practice.
“We are very excited to be bringing educational practices based on what we now understand about how our brains learn to the traditions of excellence at Mesrobian,” said Ghoogasian. “We believe that BrainWare SAFARI and the other strategies we will be adopting will help provide our students with the best possible preparation for whatever challenges they will encounter in life.”
In addition to implementing BrainWare SAFARI to help students develop their cognitive skills, students at Mesrobian will be educated on how their brains work, and teachers will participate in professional development experiences to help them understand and apply neuroscience principles in their classrooms.
“Mesrobian School has been known for the high quality of its education and the way that it nurtures the development of each individual student,” said Betsy Hill, BrainWare SAFARI’s President and Chief Operating Officer. “Adding BrainWare SAFARI to the curriculum will further the school’s goals to help each student develop his or her potential as far as it can be developed. We look forward to working with the forward-thinking team of faculty and the wonderful students at Mesrobian.”
