Blind Spots - by Kimberly Nix Berens (Paperback)

About the Book

"In this unflinching and compelling book, learning expert Dr. Kimberly Nix Berens reveals the "blind spots" that perpetuate ineffective teaching practices -- leading to mediocrity and failure for a majority of students. For more than 20 years, she has been developing an educational method that uses behavioral science to rapidly accelerate the core academic and cognitive skills of kids. As a result, thousands of students have achieved high levels of expertise in academic areas, including those children who were once labeled as learning disabled" -- back cover.

Book Synopsis

In the United States, a majority of students graduate below proficiency in all academic subjects. Parents of struggling students feel overwhelmed and confused about how to help their children simply survive school, let alone succeed. Various school reform efforts have been tried and all have failed. But all hope is not lost. A science exists that allows children to learn as individuals even though at school they are educated in groups. One that avoids senseless labels that sentence children to lifetimes of failure and mediocrity.

Dr. Kimberly Berens and a team of scientists have spent the last 20 years perfecting a powerful system of instruction based on the learning, behavioral, and cognitive sciences that they call Fit Learning. This method of teaching has been proven to markedly improve how students understand and achieve, even for children who have been told they have learning disabilities or other disorders that interfere with their ability to learn.

Blind Spots reveals the history of our broken education system and shows that by using this teaching system in the classroom, we can unlock the vast potential hidden within every child.

Review Quotes

[Dr. Berens] debunks many popular myths that pervade current educational practices [...]--Matt Circoria, Host of The Behavioral Observations Podcast

[Dr.] Berens also shows how we can correct that dismal situation once we focus on the behavioral science of learning.--Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada

A great read for anyone - teacher, school administrator, or parent - who wants to examine approaches to education and refine their school to better fit the needs of more students.-- ""Motherhood Moments""

An easy-to-read and evidenced-based book meant for anyone providing or receiving education.--Ryan O'Donnell, MS, BCBA, Creator and Host of The Daily BA; The Controversial Exchange; and CHATTcon

Dr. Berens position is that educators should . . . use only what works and let science lead the way.--Patrick C. Friman, Ph.D., ABPP, Vice President of Behavioral Health at Boys Town and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at University of Nebraska Medical Center

In this debut education book, Berens challenges pedagogical orthodoxy and argues that all children, including those with neurological differences, can acquire fundamental skills if teachers understand how learning happens and how to measure it.-- ""Kirkus Reviews""

Kimberly Berens has written a book about education that every teacher, every policymaker, and every parent should read.

Kimberly Nix Berens has written a straightforward and highly readable book about the failure of our education system and what it is possible to achieve when science is at the heart of instruction.--Cathy L. Watkins, Ph.D., Professor Emerita at California State University, Stanislaus

Using data and science, Berens opens educators and parents' eyes to the atrocities of our educational system.--JReynolds, For the Love of the Page

About the Author

Kimberly Nix Berens, Ph.D., is the founder of Fit Learning, an educational program that uses behavioral science to transform the learning abilities of children. In 1998, as a doctoral student in learning and behavioral science, Dr. Berens founded Fit Learning in a broom closet on campus at the University of Nevada, Reno. Since those humble beginnings, Dr. Berens has helped drive the expansion of her organization by establishing a formal certification and licensure in her powerful method of instruction. As a result, Fit Learning now has 31 locations worldwide, with more opening each year. A frequent public speaker, Dr. Berens has given over 100 presentations throughout her career on a variety of topics.