Becoming a NBI practitioner has been a long-term goal that I finally managed to achieve in 2022. I have always expected it to make a difference to people’s lives but never realised just how big an influence it will have on students and their studies.
What is the NBI brain test?
The NBI tests give you a descriptive, non-judgmental assessment that identifies your thinking preferences in the 4 brain quadrants of the brain. These tests results are objective and an analysis of an individual’s thinking preferences.
When used in conjunction with a student’s NBI learning style profile, you can use the results to get a better understanding of how a student thinks regarding his studies compared to their day to day thinking & problem solving.
I have worked intensively with a couple of students who battled academically but were overall very clever students. Their test results frustrated and demotivated them, leaving them at the brink of giving up. They were “just not seeing the results” despite their best efforts.
Let’s have a look at 2 students whom I’ve had the privilege of working with this year.
After doing the NBI profile & the NBI learning profile with the students we embarked on a journey of extra lessons on studying and exam preparation.
Student 1 – A Gr 12 neurodivergent student with a wonderfully different view of the world did so well in his exams after our interventions based on the NBI results that he achieved a special reward for the “Most improved student” at school after his prelim exams!
Student 2 - A GR 10 neurotypical student who battles to focus for long periods of time, managed to improve his overall average by 10% in just 6 months! This alone should be evidence that understanding and acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses, regarding the way you think, will go a long way to assist you academically.
Seeing the joy return to a student’s face when they finally receive the marks that they’ve been working towards will always motivate me to keep on trying!
By using the NBI profiles, I was able to explain to the students by showing them the graphs of their profiles why they do things & think in a certain way. It also helped them to understand why they did things differently from their family members & friends. (And most importantly, that it was OK to be different!) We were also able to identify the pitfalls for a certain way of thinking and how to watch out for thoughts that might sabotage their best efforts or intentions.
By understanding themselves better these students experienced less anxiety when they needed to prepare for the exams & motivated them to keep on trying.
I will recommend the NBI profiles even more now that I’ve experienced the journey with these two students. I have always believed that it is an exceptional tool from the results that I have experienced in my own life but now I know just what a big difference it can make to a student’s academics.
Sunita Glanvill
Educational Support Services
B.Ed. Hons (Learner Support)
Certified NBI® Practitioner
Mobile: 084 620 3253
Email: sunita@thinkingkids.co.za
Facebook: learnersupport