Thinking Memory Series : Basic Course for Adult Mental Wellness

About course

Course description

The Thinking Memory® programme developed by Dr Refael Feuerstein is based on the late Prof Reuven Feuerstein’s idea that memory is an active process of recreating reality. The goal of the program is to improve cognition and memory in adult learners and older adults. It starts with a dynamic assessment to help you determine your cognitive learning profile, while another personal assessment at the end will enable you to see progress in your own cognitive and memory abilities. While the self-assessment at the beginning and end will be done on a computer or tablet, the majority of the course will be “high-touch” with constant activities and interactions with the trainer.

As part of the course, you will receive a 180-page course workbook that consists of novel, progressive tasks in multiple modalities to train specific cognitive functions by creating maps to time, space, everyday life, and social networks. You will also learn to improve the three specific phases of a mental act, which is the way your brain inputs, elaborates and outputs information. This will be done using instrumental enrichment (IE), which is a cognitive enhancement tool that has been established over the last 60 years as a proven approach to create structural cognitive change.

Most importantly, the course will be facilitated by cognitive coaches trained in the art and science of Mediated Learning Experience (MLE), which is a pedagogical approach where a mediator actively helps you to navigate tasks and establish principles that can be applied to life. At the end of the course, you will receive a certificate to mark the completion but also the beginning of your lifelong journey to better thinking, learning, and memory.

Course objectives

For people over the age of 60 in Singapore, 8.8% live with dementia (2023 Well-being of the Singapore Elderly study), while 12.5% experience mild cognitive impairment, according to a 2022 study led by Dr Liu Ling-Yun from the National University of Singapore. This course is intentionally held regularly over a few months as it takes time for the brain to establish new neural pathways for thinking and memory. Over the 60 hours of mediated learning, you will become more aware and in control of your cognitive functions and thinking skills that are the foundation for recreating memories.

Target audiences

This course is meant for working and older adults who want to unlock hidden potential for cognitive and memory skills by creating an greater awareness and control of their metacognition.