Feuerstein programs are based on the theory that intelligence is modifiable, not fixed. Instrumental Enrichment Basic (IE Basic) is designed to complement brain architecture in early years.
Student’s cognition can be augmented and refined through the mediation of a teacher trained to:
support emergent cognitive functions
improve absent or deficient functions
enhance intrinsic motivation
develop social and emotional skills.
IE Basic supports young students at all levels of functioning, from individual needs to gifted. It may also be used with less able learners.
Training is offered in two modules covering eleven IE Basic instruments.
The Importance of the Early Years
The successes of the Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment programs are well documented. Professor Reuven Feuerstein came to understand the importance of the early years as the time when children’s cognitive functions are emerging and developing, but he noted that not all children automatically develop all their thinking processes. Professor Feuerstein and his colleagues responded by developing IE Basic.
The IE Basic program is designed specifically for young children and is relevant for students in early learning centres or in their first years of school (pre-school to Year 3). It includes instruments such as From Empathy to Action and Discovering the Absurd.
How does IE Basic work?
This Feuerstein program for early years develops the neural network for academic achievement and for socialisation and emotional intelligence. The cognitive and affective dimensions of learning are seen as two sides of the same coin and the tasks in the instruments are seen as the bonds that merge these to develop competent and emotionally balanced learners. The instruments include:
auditory, verbal components
written work and graphic materials
symbol identification and interpretation
non-verbal reasoning, inferential and abstract thinking.
IE Basic is designed to address all curriculum areas. During mediation the student is educated about their own thinking processes, giving them more control over learning behaviour. The processes involved in thinking are revealed, labelled and understood by the child. When they think about their thinking, they learn to pause before acting, selecting the best course of behaviour and applying processes for organising their information and the ways to use it.
Who benefits from IE Basic?
IE Basic benefits younger children of all abilities and in different settings. They will be supported as their cognition emerges and develops and they will understand their own thinking processes. Students with disabilities can be evaluated in order that the specific absence of deficient channels for learning and neural networks can be improved.
Training in IE Basic is offered in through The Development Centre as two modules. Training in IE Basic is designed for early years and individual needs educators and those working with the less able. It is critical that participants have the opportunity to implement IE in their individual settings for 2-3 hours each week. The courses are designed to be used with whole class groups, small groups and as a one-to-one therapeutic intervention.
IE Basic Module One explores Instrumental Enrichment, the Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) and the first seven Basic instruments:
From Unit to Group
Organisation of Dots
TriChannel Attentional Learning
Orientation in Space
From Empathy to Action and
Compare and Discover the Absurd
IE Basic Module Two is offered for those who have completed Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment Basic One. The first seven instruments are followed by three additional instruments to more fully address the cognitive develop needs of the younger student.