Bal-A-Vis-X encourages student learning
Staff writer
"W-O-D-N-I-W. Window."
My second grade son, Erik, smiled in astonishment as he spelled the word, "window," backward. What made that so exciting was the fact that he couldn't spell the word forward — much less backward — just a few minutes earlier.
What was even more bewildering was that while Erik spelled the word — both ways — he bounced two brightly colored racquetballs on the floor, bouncing with the right hand and catching with the left hand.
This feat wasn't the result of some magic trick, but was actual mind power at work honed through the use of Bal-A-Vis-X (BAVX) a series of balance, auditory, and vision exercises which require full body coordination and focused attention.
Bal-A-Vis-X is part of the regular school day at Marion Elementary School under the direction of aide Pam Jones, BAVX instructor. This is the second year BAVX has been taught to the entire MES student body.
"Before the last school year, Mr. (Stan) Ploutz (MES principal) approached me and asked if I'd be interested in doing Bal-A-Vis-X schoolwide," Jones recalled.
"For me it was like a dream come true to bounce balls all day," she added. "We're the first school in the nation to offer it schoolwide."
Created by Bill Huber, a Wichita public school teacher who has taught at both the first grade and middle school level, BAVX exercises demand cooperation, promote self-challenge, foster peer teaching, and are fun.
BAVX uses principals of educational kinesiology — also known as "brain gym" — and combines those principals with recreational tools like beanbags, racquetballs, and balance boards.
BAVX exercises force students to "cross the mid-line," the center of the body running from the head through the torso to the feet.
Crossing the mid-line forces the two hemispheres of the brain to work together.
"Language and logic is on the left side," program creator Huber recently told a crowd of more than 100 USD 408 parents and staff gathered at the Marion High School gym. "The right hand activates language and logic. The left hand activates the whole picture."
As a female student demonstrated a beanbag exercise, Huber noted she "crossed the mid-line six times."
"Every time she crosses the mid-line she's using balance, auditory, and vision skills," Huber said.
While school and learning comes easy for some students, it's difficult for others. Usually, that's because the non-language and logic side of the brain is dominant.
"That's why when you're stressed the non-dominant hemisphere totally shuts down," Huber said.
Initially, Huber developed the program to help students with learning difficulties. However, all students benefit from the exercises which force the two brain hemispheres to communicate.
Besides "crossing the mid-line" BAVX exercises also improve students' auditory and visual skills.
Pam Jones' experience
If not for Marion resident Pam Jones it's unlikely Bal-A-Vis-X would be used in USD 408. However, after personally witnessing the positive gains caused by the program, she's a firm believer.
"Three years ago my son Keith, a sixth grader at the time, was struggling in school," Jones explained. "He had vision track problems and was two grade levels behind in reading and math. We'd been to several specialists and no one could tell us what was wrong."
At the same time, Jones learned two of her sons needed vision therapy, estimated to cost $260 per hour.
"And they needed 25 sessions!" she said.
Unable to afford such a commitment and looking for answers regarding Keith's school problems, Jones heard about Huber from a friend who works as a special education teacher in Wichita.
"She knew of a cutting edge program that was seeing great results," Jones recalled. "Her son was with about 20 private students who had been attending Bill's classes and she'd seen the progress Bill was making with her son."
Traveling to Wichita to meet Huber, Jones said he immediately knew why Keith was having trouble in school.
"Keith had vision track problems. Those specialists had no idea what was wrong and Bill had Keith figured out in 10 minutes!" Jones said.
Keith also had dominance problems and trouble with the visual and auditory crossings, Jones said.
The Joneses then began traveling to Wichita for private classes with Huber.
"Within one year after starting Bal-A-Vis-X Keith's test scores jumped two grade levels and the teachers here (at MES) saw the growth in Keith," Jones recalled.
Excited about the gains she was seeing personally, Jones brought Huber's Bal-A-Vis-X videotape to former USD 408 superintendent Gerry Henderson and former MES principal Terry Slattery. They were interested.
"USD 408 was excellent and very open in listening to me," Jones said. "If anyone ever wants to try something different and innovative they'll listen to you here."
During a BAVX training session conducted by Huber in Wichita, Jones attended accompanied by Slattery, a USD 408 school board member, librarian, and speech therapist.
"The next year, Bill came here (to Marion) and did an inservice," Jones recalled.
Trained as a recreation therapist, Jones — at that time — was working as a para at Marion Middle School where she did some BAVX with students there.
Then before the 2003-04 school year, MES principal Stan Ploutz approached her about doing the program schoolwide.
"I visit the classrooms once a week," Jones said. "They have lab time where students come to the lab for BAVX. But teachers also do the exercises in their classrooms.
"Some classes start the day doing Bal-A-Vis-X. Before tests the teachers give the kids a chance to do their exercises," Jones said. "It helps them relax.
"Students cross the middle with their hands, feet, and eyes when they do the exercises," Jones said. "The X (in Bal-A-Vis-X) not only stands for exercise, but also stands for 'cross' as in cross the mid-line. The more we cross with our hands and eyes, the more we cross with our brains."
Initially, MES started the schoolwide program with one set of balls and bags per grade level, purchased by the school's PAC, Parent Advisory Council.
"Now, I believe each classrooms has its own set," Jones said. "Last year, we sold Bal-A-Vis-X balls and we had a number of parents who bought sets."
Last year, MES parent, PAC, and school board member Chris Sprowls made balance boards for BAVX use.
This year, the Bal-A-Vis-X program is being used to help with spelling.
The students spell a word as they bounce (a ball) with the right hand, one bounce for each letter. "You bounce right, catch left, pass over left," Jones said.
"Language is on the left side of the brain," she added. "As you bounce right, pass over left, it makes a mental picture of the word in your head.
"They can just see the letters and spell them back," Jones explained. "There are kids here (at MES) who struggle with spelling. What's interesting is after they do this they can spell faster backward."
During his visit to Marion, Huber told the crowd gathered at the MHS gym that "Marion is famous," he said.
"You're the only district in the world that has Bal-A-Vis-X being taught throughout an entire school (K-6) on a daily basis, and now in the middle school."
Deanna Thierolf is teaching the program at Marion Middle School.
Jones thanked Huber for developing the program.
"In our world today you hear a lot of talk about heroes," Jones said. "To us, that word describes Bill (Huber)."
Jones said MES is working on an assessment tool to measure student growth based on the BAVX program.
"Over the next year or so we'll see the results of Bal-A-Vis-X," she said.
Although results may not yet be measurable, staff are seeing positive changes in students.
"But it's hard to say whether it's only coming from Bal-A-Vis-X. We have a lot of things offered here which provide extra support to children. But it all results in a more confident, well-rounded child.
"Bal-A-Vis-X helps how they (students) feel about themselves," Jones said. "I've had some sixth grade students tell me they're not in the principal's office as much as before.
"If kids feel good about themselves it spills into other areas too."
