Brain Power Knows How To Spot Potential!
Brain Power is an innovative leader in after-school education. By helping students to achieve their full potential, Brain Power is giving creative, curious kids the tools they need to stand out and make their mark on the world.
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” — Abraham Lincoln
Human beings are born with the same common attribute — they possess potential. Some fulfil it early in life while others need guidance and nurturing to achieve their full potential.
Unlocking potential is the goal and purpose of Brain Power, an innovative leader in after-school enrichment education for bright, high-potential students. Despite common belief, highly intelligent kids do not always shine in the classroom. “This is why we open doors to opportunities for high-potential kids,” says Brain Power’s CEO, Vanessa Iarocci. “Our research shows that 60 per cent of high-potential kids actually underachieve based on their potential, and grow at a slower rate compared to other kids. This is likely happening because they are bored in the classroom and their particular type of intelligence isn’t being recognized and nourished.”
Brain Power delivers dynamic on-site classroom instruction for students in Grades 1 through 12, complemented with virtual learning that was adopted soon after the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in 2020. Inperson classes are held evenings and weekends at its headquarters in Vaughan, Ontario, as well as at Hillfield Strathallan College in Ancaster (Hamilton area). A new location is slated to open in September 2022 at the Prosserman JCC (4588 Bathurst Street, North York) — and classes in both locations will be restricted to 12 students or less. As a result, instructors will be able to carefully monitor the progress of their students, a feature of Brain Power that clients cherish.
“We offer academic mentorship by PhD instructors who are experts in their respective fields,” says Iarocci. “This isn’t traditional tutoring, of course! We also extend our learning beyond the classroom. For example, after every class, parents get an email about their child’s performance, the material covered, and details about the weekly homework. The instructor gives feedback on student submissions online within six days of assigning homework!”
Brain Power is a very tightly knit community. We often say that once you join Brain Power, you’ll be attending each other’s graduation and wedding. The program was formed 30 years ago when Dr. Reuven Rashkovsky developed a teaching method that caters to students who have a learning level of three to four years above their age. The method is scaffolded by design and provides students with accelerated learning that is essential for success in an increasingly competitive world. “Our students excel in developing critical thinking skills and they learn how to channel their energies and creativity in the direction of success,” says Dr. Joel Benabu, head of Toronto Campuses.
Brain Power’s innovative curriculum does so by transforming students into proficient problem-solvers, creative thinkers, avid readers, exceptional writers, passionate speakers and empathetic listeners. The wide range of knowledge and skills Brain Power imparts to students is at the core of the Program’s success!
“We Offer Academic Mentorship By Phd Instructors Who Are Experts In Their Respective Fields” — Vanessa Serra Iarocci
Very simply put, award-winning Brain Power programming provides kids with an early competitive edge. With the investment of personal attention in their learning, Brain Power alumni have used their skills for transformative social change, thereby improving the quality not only of their own lives, but also the lives of others in their communities and the world at large. “At Brain Power, I was encouraged to think proactively about impacting my community,” says Michal Moshkovich, notable Brain Power alumna. “I ended up getting into the University of Toronto’s Medical Program (2022/3). As a doctor, I’ll be able to impact others positively.”
In each field of study, Brain Power allows students to undertake exciting challenges in areas of interest not normally offered in their schools or other after-school programs. For example, its Math & Problem Solving curricula include problem-solving strategies, memory development, logic and reasoning, reading comprehension, managing stress and test anxiety, and creative lateral thinking.
Brain Power’s English Language Arts program, spearheaded by Karine Rashkovsky, offers reading analysis, sophisticated vocabulary, forays into philosophy, advanced writing skills, grammar and fascinating topics across the humanities. Its Public Speaking course focuses on rhetoric, presentation and speech training, interview skills, body and voice coaching, debate, and even addresses the power that humour and wit can have on the intellectual growth of students.
Brain Power also offers a University Preparation course (UP), as well as an Entrance Exam Preparation course (EEP), which helps students successfully navigate high-school admissions applications. This course focuses on exam-taking skills, practicing multiple-choice tests, stress management, test-time management, interview readiness, study skills, goal attainment and turning weaknesses into strengths.
All of Brain Power’s instructors are experienced professionals with graduate degrees, and many have PhDs. “We employ individuals with advanced degrees who have dedicated their lives to instruction,” says Iarocci. “They are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about their subject matter. This is how we prime students to express their ideas freely and nurture a profound love of learning.”
It is estimated that the world’s population will hit the eight billion mark on November 15th, 2022. That’s a huge number of young people applying to university and looking to start careers in their chosen fields. By helping students to achieve their full potential, Brain Power is giving creative, curious kids the tools they need to stand out and make their mark on the world.