Memexspan memspan: History
   
     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
       about us

 

Contact Person: Jan Kuyper Erland
Content Developer - Intervention Analyst, Performance Consultant, and Researcher
Founded: 1981

Mission Statement:

To improve memory and analytical thinking skills for increased learning proficiency and higher literacy levels necessary for advanced systems and technologies, through pattern-detection and sequencing-skill training in schools, facilities, and homes.

Program Area:
To improve Information-Processing, Learning Styles, and Intelligence by applying Brain-Based Learning through The Bridge To Achievement (The BTA) ® with "Span Power" ™ training to create the agile, focused mind.

For individuals age 9 to 15. Cognitive Skills Training for Grades 4-9, in classrooms and home schooling.

The BTA ® program has been self-supporting by nominal class tuitions. Client base includes public, private, and parochial schools, colleges, universities, business and corporate settings.

Focus of Organization:

To research, develop, and implement innovative, non-discriminatory learning methods and materials. To give workshops and seminars to inform the general public on educational practices and policies. To offer training in cognitive skills and memory through accelerated learning procedures to expedite educational excellence, workforce development, and workplace retraining needs.

History:

Development: 1980 - to present
Operated The Bridge To Achievement (The BTA) ® programs at twelve national test sites, three geographical locations with multiple replications, with over 2500+ individuals

4 years in Vero Beach, Florida (South East Region) 1984 - 1987
6 years in the Iowa-Illinois Quad Cities (North Central Region) 1983 - 1987
18 years in Kansas-Missouri (Central Region, several cities) 1981 - 1999

Dates evaluated: 1983 - to present
Dates field tested: 1983 - 1999
Two Kansas - Missouri public school districts, Iowa parochial schools, a private school, private colleges, business & industry.

Creating The Agile Mind Through High Performance Thinking ®

What Is The BTA?

The BTA ® is a research-based accelerated learning technology. It is designed to create faster and more accurate personal information processing, enhanced learning styles, critical thinking, and memory training. The BTA ® consists of a cognitive skills training methodology for the students, ages 9-15, and parent consumers. The BTA ® has documented over two years' academic achievement gain above the 1 to 1 1/2 years' growth the teachers routinely received (creating a +3 - +4 year's gain) obtained in just 48-days of training, 30 to 40-minutes daily, Mon-Fri. Gains maintained two year's longitudinally for classrooms that followed The BTA ® Executive Criteria.

In the same study, two low achieving 4th grade classrooms that fell below the National Norms annual growth expectations in many academic subjects during 4th & 5th grades, were functioning at one- to- two + years above grade level when entering 7th grade, two years subsequent to BTA treatment. Longitudinal 6th grade Nat'l Norm School percentile scores (1-year post BTA): Composite - 84%, Reading Comprehension - 86%, Reading Total - 84%, Math Problem Solving - 79%, Math Total - 77%, Language Total - 86%, and Science - 89%.

A typical 6th grade classroom (n=25), two years following the BTA initial treatment in 8th grade, evidenced Iowa Test of Basic Skills Standard Score Point Difference (DSS) points of over twice the DSS points of a classroom (n=26) of high performing Gifted students' 8th grade ITBS Composite score (44 pts. vs. 21 pts. over the Nat'l Norm 8th grade expectations). This average 6th grade class also scored +20 DSS points higher than the Gifted class for Reading Total and +24 DSS points higher for Math Total longitudinally.

Two-Year 8th grade Longitudinal National School Norm percentiles for this 6th grade BTA treatment class were: Composite - 98%, Reading Comprehension - 96%, Reading Total 95%, Math Problem Solving - 99%, Math Total - 99%, Language Total - 89%, Science - 99%.

An earlier published research report (Erland, Spring 1989 JALT) of 140 individuals compared six age groups within ages 10-15 and 16-to-adult, and high ability versus low ability, and found that all age groups and learning levels had statistically significant robust cognitive skills gain from The BTA ® training. A subsequent 1 to 3 year published longitudinal study showed that the results maintained and accrued with time. (Erland, Summer, 1989, JALT). Many of the early students are leading high level executives/officers for major corporations and in public service (see www.memspan.com/years.pdf).

Need For The BTA ®

Good visual and listening sequencing memory ability are underpinnings for learning technical skills and are a requirement for high intellect, fast learning, and critical thought. Existing accelerated learning and intelligence methodologies have limited statistical gains with supportive LONGITUDINAL achievement test data (demonstrating lasting gains that exceed one-year's time frame). Jan K. Erland research studies demonstrated that most alternative training programs can show one-year-jumps in achievment test data - as they are now revealed on typical student computer dashboards. This information can be misleading for parents.

Many students are not functioning at their highest learning capacity, and may be below average in visual and auditory memory patterning and sequencing needed for technological skills which include reading, math, & science.

Research in education and psychology suggest that those who struggle to read, learn mathematics, or understand written or verbal instructions, lack the underlying mental skills or fundamentals needed for those tasks.

BTA ® Characteristics

The BTA ® is a research-based innovation designed to expand the ability to see, hear, understand, organize, and remember complex technical information. The 24-hour, inclusive methodology is results-based on four varying time formats, and has the following characteristics:

Sharpen participants' focus and ability to learn quickly.
Learn how to integrate, sequence, and code chunked information rapidly.
Increase the capacity to learn new technical skills rapidly.

BTA ® Uniqueness

The BTA ® is the most comprehensive accelerated learning program available, combining interdisciplinary techniques in psychology, education, music, arts, & cognitive science for rapid results in achievement applying musical choral speaking with historical-theatrical, puppet characters, offering encouragement to engage at simple levels advancing to difficult.

The BTA ® is based upon a fusion of prominent intelligence and learning theories, including Guilford's Structure of Intellect, Intelligence Theories, and Lozanov's Accelerated Learning Theory applying the arts, music, and the theater.

Uniquely, The BTA ® is statistically documented to obtain fast and measurable gains in reading, math, spelling, language, science, social science, listening, and sequencing in a few weeks' training time.

Existing memory concepts consist of cumbersome practice and link memorization sharing computer stations. Other programs apply specialized skill enhancement, or drills with a clinical specialist at their location. This training requires involved to-from driving time. Other cognitive training programs require more extensive practice to obtain one years' academic growth, and then lack more than one-year longitudinal maintenance gains documentation showing lasting outcomes.

The program is unrivaled by existing programs because there are few short-term-working memory training and information processing/cognitive improvement systems leading to improved academic achievement in all subject areas, with maintenance and transfer to critical thought and communication proficiency.

Professors from four national universities, in the fields of psychology, special education, and education, monitored the twenty years of published research longitudinal data collections. This completed five 1-3 year longitudinal studies of seated and returning subjects, always difficult to obtain, requiring six-eight years to clasroom implement, track longitudinally, evaluate, and then publish each trial study. Similar programs may look the same, sound the same, but their long-term results may not be the same.

Contact Us:

Jan Kuyper Erland, CEO, Program Developer, Researcher
Mem-ExSpan, Inc.
The Bridge To Achievement ®
2126 Connecticut Ave. NW
Suite # 27
Washington, DC 20008
www.memexspan.com
Tel: 785-749-5402
email: jan@memexspan.com