Building Better Learners

This book was the enthusiastic effort of seven dedicated educators who knew the late Edward A. Snapp, Jr., Physical Therapist. Encapsulated here are thousands of bits of information from the notes that Ed referred to as "just a scratch on a mountain". You will find information on how you can help your 1^st or 2^nd grader be better equipped to successfully respond to academic instructions as well as increase your child's level of coordination in all activities, including sports. Even Pre-K and Kindergarteners would benefit from Visual Tracking, Fact Teaching, Pounding and Counting, and Matching Varied Rhythm. Snapp believed that learning begins at conception. Genetics provides the structure to function and the environment will determine if the function is successful. All people have learning gaps. This book will guide you through Snapp's methods to replace these gaps with learning ability by taking the child through basic human movements.

Dr. Schmidt has worked with six other educators in selecting materials for this book. She has had teaching experience in all age levels of body movement styles as a physical educator. Late in her career, Dr. Schmidt met Physical Therapist, E. A. Snapp, who introduced her to an entirely new approach to human movement and how one learns (and one teaches) those movements while giving attention to the learner's background, perception, and fatigue. Snapp believed that learning begins at conception, following the Genetic Code and that the failures, caused by trauma, meant that things learned before birth had been erased. Schmidt used his techniques with age-group gymnasts by simulating the prenatal environment: darkness, fetal position, etc., as developed by Snapp. In addition, she used his basic crawling patterns that together resulted in improved movement patterns in her athletes. The Snapp Approach methods are presented in Building Better Learners.