Improving Congitive Thinking with Thinkersbox
Being a parent cum teacher I am always on the look out for programs that can really stretch my kids and improve their learning abilities. Last month I was invited by ThinkersBox to let the boys try out their cognitive skills assessment. I was keen to learn more about which areas they were weak/strong in so that I have a better understanding of how was their learning process.
I’m very keen to know what were the boys weaknesses and how I can tailor my teaching so that it would boost their learning capabilities. The assessment would certainly give me an insight into their learning abilities. It would provides answers to why the boys are careless in their work, why they forget the thing they have learned or why they just cannot figure out the question.
The boys
As Monkey boy and Doggie boy are of different age group the assessments that they went through were different. Monkey boy’s assessment lasted 3 hrs and he was tested on 27 Cognitive Skills while Doggie boy’s assessment lasted an hour and were for 11 Cognitive Skills.
Monkey Boy’s Report
Monkey boy was tested on 5 learning functions:
- Comprehension
(The speed at which information is processed and understood) - Memory
(The capacity of remembering previously taught information to store and retrieve for use) - Problem Solving
(The ability to apply knowledge to given questions/problems to arrive at the right answer) - Evaluation
( The ability to judge and decide which is/are the most appropriate methods to apply to solve given questions/problems in relation to problem solving) - Creativity
(The ability to be flexible and adaptable to different factors of given questions when questions are phrased differently or when numbers are slightly re-arranged)
He did relatively well on the assessment as he based on a scale of 1-9 he scored a 9 for 3 out of 5 main areas. Monkey boy scored a 7 for the other two areas where he was slightly weaker. Looking at the results he can be considered a High achiever however I’m sure that he can still be stretched and yet to perform up to his optimal capabilities.
Areas needing more attention
Monkey boy is weaker in Figural Content learning, Memory and Creativity.
Doggie boy’s report
Doggie boy’s results were not as outstanding as his brother. There were more areas which needed attention and certain pressing issues which I need to start working on immediately with him.
Based on the results he has issues with visual closure, vocabulary( math and reading), understanding verbal relations and extended verbal information.
What does that all mean?
In short it means that he has problem grasping information if they are delivered to him in a huge chunk. It has to be broken down into small steps and fed to him piece by piece. He needs more attention on helping to build up his vocabulary and reading skills as he maybe able to see complete words in reading. He has problem following directions and understanding overall ideas/concepts. A lot of explanation is needed before he is able to truly grasp what you are trying to teach him.
The instructor suggested that I use the fry slight word list with Doggie boy as I have tried phonics with him and it doesn’t seem to work.
My thoughts
It was a real eye opener for me to learn how the boys actually fared in their learning ability. I do know that Doggie boy is weaker in his academic learning as compared to his brorther but I didn’t know that he faced so many different issues that were raised up through the assessment. Now that I know the areas which they need more focus on I will giving them more materials to help improve their weaknesses.
In the following weeks to come I will be sharing more on how with the help of ThinkersBox I am using their suggested material to add in the cognitive development of the boys through home learning.
More on Thinkersbox
Here is an intro video below to learn more about what the company can offer.
If you are interested to get your child tested they do offer a Complementary Learning Assessment for children aged 5-12 years old.
420 North Bridge Road, North Bridge Centre
#03-03, Singapore 188727
Contact Number: 6773 4886
Disclosure: I was given a complementary full assessment of the boys for my honest review. Opinions are 100% my own.
is the first three Digital Downloads which the kids have seen. I showed the videos to all 3 kids and they were fascinated by the antics of little panda and his friends Bob the Bobcat and Lola the Elephant. We also viewed 
as a follow up to the first set.