We here at High Performance Learning are committed to helping our clients overcome any educational difficulties they may have so that they are able to excel at school and life. This part of our website will enable you to share in some of their achievements.
Client Testimonials: Online Tuition with High Performance Learning
Client Testimonial: Wendy Laursen
Wendy did an Advanced Communications Skills Course as part of her university studies. Today she is an Award-Winning Journalist working internationally in the maritime industry.
Wendy Laursen
I sought Chris Brooks out initially as a way of doing the Advanced Communications Skills Training I was required to do as part of my university studies. I was not located near the university at the time and so sought the distance education alternative offered by High Performance Learning – individual training in their specialised online meeting room live over the Internet. What I received was a very personal, tailored program that gave me far more than any off-the-shelf training course could.
Chris’s training, although undertaken about 10 years ago now, continues to make a difference to my success and happiness.
Leanne talks about her early frustrations in getting support for her son and her relief in working with Chris Brooks.
Leanne Letinic
I have two sons both who have had individual learning difficulties with school work and social skills. The youngest was identified at Kindergarten by his teachers for lacking concentration and underdeveloped social skills. Following assessments from psychologists, paediatricians, occupational therapists and speech pathologists plus eyesight and hearing tests each gave their diagnosis and results, some attaching names like ‘dyslexia’. This was extremely disruptive for my son (children love routine) not to mention his self-esteem and it only provided further isolation from his peers.
I continued to follow the recommended programs and specialist appointments for a number of years, all the while feeling like I was on a merry go round with no real solutions… very frustrating. Not to mention the effect it had on my son. He gradually got behind his peers more and more.
Through word of mouth from our neighbour we heard of High Performance Learning and their reading program which had taught their son to finally read!
Naturally we were sceptical when we started and surprised with the some of the methods. It was really quite simple – avoid treating the diagnosis eg ‘dyslexia’ and look at our son in a more holistic way. It was more about my son’s well being and bringing his anxiety to nil level before anything else was attempted. It makes perfect sense but no one up until that point had even come close. Finally, someone who treated my son as a normal child, recognized his potential and has never raised his voice at him once!
My son would not be able to read today without the intervention of the clever unique reading program with coloured letters that was designed and invented by Chris Brooks. As a family unit we have all benefitted by learning some simple techniques to use when feeling anxious or stressed. These tools are vital in today’s world.
Today both my sons attend High Performance Learning with Chris Brooks, who has become a valuable mentor in their lives particularly as they are now both young and impressionable teenagers.
If you want a learning program which will not only improve your child’s academic achievements to their full potential and like myself learn something yourself along the way as an added bonus then I do not know of any other organisation that can offer such an enriched learning environment like High Performance Learning with their two enthusiastic and passionate teachers, Chris and Amanda.
Matthew was in Grade 4 when he completed the Basic Learning and Language Skills Program.
Matthew, Eva and Luke Bagnara
Hello, my name’s Matthew. I go to High Performance Learning. Since I’ve gone there I’ve learned lots of different things. My English skills have improved. I’m really happy because we get to do lots of types of things, and we even go on the Internet from time to time, and I really like it.
I really like to read now. When I came to High Performance Learning I didn’t like to read much, but now I love it . . . and I don’t go to dinner when I’m told because I’m reading – I just really like it.
Maryann is the mother of Philip. Philip was in Year 3 when he completed the Basic Learning and Language Skills Program.
Maryann and Philip Duffield
Prior to starting with Chris Brooks I was feeling quite frustrated and disillusioned with the school system. I knew I had quite an intelligent young boy but he was exhibiting signs of being bored at school, he wasn’t reading at all, and his attitude towards school was definitely not enthusiastic.
Once starting with Chris, both Philip and I chose to be committed to this program, it was a team effort by everybody involved, and we had to reconstruct our lives around this commitment. We stopped computer games and focused on the program.
The difference I have seen in Philip has been remarkable. He has gained in confidence. Prior to starting with Chris, Philip was a little boy who wouldn’t even look at a book, he didn’t have the concentration to sit down to any such task. Now, he is reading at least three novels per week and I am having trouble getting his head out of a book. When I pick him up from school he is sitting on the bench reading quite difficult novels. His teachers say that they forget that he is only a Year 3 boy. He is now reading Year 6 and 7 novels and his confidence has grown immensely. I am very indebted to both Chris and his program for the assistance he has given me and Philip.
I strongly believe that having completed this program that Philip’s future will be strongly enhanced, and I am greatly indebted to Chris.
Gavin is an adult in his 40s who completed the Basic Language and Learning Skills Program with his 6 year old daughter and wife.
Gavin, Yvonne and Erin Fraser
I found doing the course really fun. Especially the pronunciation of all the vowels, learning to speak Australian English with my broad Scots accent and it caused Amanda tears of joy. I found it really, really helpful and I am looking forward to doing the maths program because I reckon that I missed out on a lot in my own education many years ago. High Performance Learning is really good fun.
Yvonne talks about doing the Basic Language and Learning Skills Program with her 6 year old daughter. Yvonne also completed the program herself.
Gavin, Yvonne and Erin Fraser
We brought our daughter Erin along, basically, at school she was lacking confidence, and didn’t have enough confidence in herself in regard to mainly reading. We went on the program with our daughter Erin and we got a lot of benefit from it, and Erin, her confidence now, especially at school has just soared.
She’s doing so well at her reading, and now we are going onto the maths program and hopefully she will benefit as much as she has with the reading program because it is amazing just how much confidence she has now in herself.
So basically, yeah, we can’t say enough about it – it is fantastic.
Rob started working with us in his late 20s as a mature-age student studying Psychology and Sociology at University. Rob was an inefficient reader because he did not use Synthetic Phonics as his word-attack strategy – this slowed down and weakened his comprehension of complex material. We fine-tuned his advanced study skills and he completed our Basic Language and Learning Skills Program. The changes to his life have been huge: he obtained his degree; he is now more confident and effective at work and in his social life; and he enjoys reading fiction for the first time in his life. He has joined the High Performance Learning Literature Club, keen to develop his fiction reading skills so he can get the deeper meanings from his reading.
Robert Green
Looking back it was ridiculous that I went to Uni and studied Psychology without a purpose. It is a reality of the capitalist world that that the Uni didn’t ask me my purpose before accepting me. I will say it again, if I had my time again I would choose Philosophy with Sociology, Psychology or Neuroscience as my second major.
I can’t speak highly enough of a High Performance learning education, it has changed my life “completely” – Taken from Chris Brooks who said of the reading program that “it will change my life completely”.
One of the best ways to express that change is that my brain is always on the go and I always want it to be on the go. I find time is flying and that time where I wasn’t using my brain was wasted time.
Everything that I was promised before I started came true.
Michael was in Year 7 when he completed the Basic Learning and Language Skills Program. He followed that up with a Maths Program.
Hi there,
I thought I would touch base with you after about 4-5 years since working with Amanda from High Performance Learning…
I’m not quite sure if it was completely as a result of your reading and maths tuition, but there were definitely some significant changes that occurred in my behavior and school performance in the years following…
I remember before your tuition I was always one of the slower kids in the class, and never aspired to do anything post-school that would involve reading/writing…
However a few years after finishing my course with you, everything did a 180 degree turn and I finished Year 12 in the top 5% of the state, and was also accepted into Law/Psychology at Flinders University.
Although at the time I was skeptical of its effectiveness, obviously something happened which changed how I learn, and I would like to thank High Performance Learning for that!
Ann is the mother of Lewis. Lewis was in Year 7 when he completed the Basic Learning and Language Skills Program.
Ann and Lewis Millhouse
Lewis has just finished the BetterThanaBook Program and we’ve had amazing results. The way the program has been organised has been easy to follow, well thought out. It has improved Lewis’s thinking skills, his attitude to work. The homework at night wasn’t onerous, it made sense. Each week it built on his knowledge. We found it something that the family could get involved with, particularly the etymology, I found that myself very useful. I think that it is a very good approach to lifelong learning.
We did BetterThanaBook with Lewis because he was in Grade 6 and having troubles with learning, particularly in the areas of spelling, reading, writing, maths – a whole range of issues. We had tried lots of things in the past, nothing worked, we didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. So this has been wonderful for Lewis. He’s reading now. I don’t think there’s a word he can’t read. He’s got the skills, he’s got the rules for English that have really helped him progress.
Lewis was in Year 7 when he completed the Basic Learning and Language Skills Program.
Lewis Millhouse
When I started BetterThanaBook I could barely read any books, and I couldn’t do most reading. Now I can read any word. It’s really improved everything I am doing. I’m getting out there and reading. I can finally just sit down read. I’ve never been able to do that before. I’ve realised what a great feeling it is to just sit down and read, and just relax. It is quite nice to know I can read.
With BetterThanaBook all my other subjects, like my maths, have even improved. With learning the etymologies of words and the meanings of words, all my other subjects like Society and Environment, and all of them, have all improved really, really well – I’m finally getting on in school really, really well.
After failing his Year 12 Matriculation Glynn did an Advanced Study Skills Course and the subsequent year was admitted to University. While at University Glynn did the Basic Learning and Language Skills Program.
Glynn Robertson
I wasn’t a confident reader. I wasn’t really a confident person. After finishing the course I’m feeling more confident, I can read, I can comprehend ten times better than I originally could. I’ve also gained a knowledge of other languages and looking forward to doing some other languages because of it.
I’m starting to read novels. I haven’t read a novel for two or three years. I’m starting novels and starting to enjoy them I find them relaxing.
It’s also helped me with my public speaking. I’ve gained a lot of confidence doing orals in class, progress reports. I find that I’m a lot more confident. The feedback has also been that I am a lot more confident when I am speaking. I’m a lot clearer, I used to mumble quite badly but now I am a lot more audible, and people are commenting on that.
Not only has it helped my reading, it’s also helped my thinking. My thinking is a lot faster, my head is a lot clearer. I can concentrate in things like sport, school, and in general in life altogether.
My sport has improved, I’m becoming more confident, a better skilled person, and I can communicate better with coaches, players, any other type of management I have to deal with.
Our three children commenced the High Performance Learning Reading Program in 2007 after struggling through the early primary school years. Immediate improvements in their self-confidence and academic achievements were noted. Completing the program over twelve months took a lot of commitment but the end results have been well worth all the effort. Our children now enjoy success at school and have a positive and mature attitude to learning. All three children have requested to return and do the Math Program at High Performance Learning.
We would not hesitate to recommend High Performance Learning as an outstanding private educational facility.
Thank you Chris and Amanda for providing this wonderful service.
Duncan did an Advanced Study Skills Course while in Year 11. He later studied medicine and became an author.
Duncan Graham
My name’s Duncan Graham. I studied with Chris Brooks in around 1990 and did a year’s worth of Concept mapping with him. I think I was in about Year 11 at the time and it gave me great skills to be able to get a good overview of the knowledge I was trying to master. At the time I remember applying it quite mechanically, but to great effect. At the time I went from a B, B+ student, occasionally A student, to consistently an A student which was at the time useful because I was trying to get into Medicine, and it helped me achieve that.
Although, I think the greatest benefit I’ve got from it has been sometime down the track – after I had been to uni – I used it there as well, still applying it a little bit mechanically, but it was more a part of my approach to study in that I didn’t have to use it so mechanically, but it was ingrained in the way I actually approached my reading and my study.
And then, slowly, it has become how I think really . . . not the way I think, but the way I approach thinking, would be a better way of putting it. And I’m now a writer – I write for the theatre – and it gives me great benefits in that I am able to see very quickly the way in which a story can unfold, and the various points of view within a story, and so it gives me really useful tools to approach a character.
It’s such a wonderful thing in my life, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to learn such a great skill.
Wendy did an Advanced Communications Skills Course as part of her university studies. Today she is an Award-Winning Journalist working internationally in the maritime industry.
Wendy Laursen
I sought Chris Brooks out initially as a way of doing the Advanced Communications Skills Training I was required to do as part of my university studies. I was not located near the university at the time and so sought the distance education alternative offered by High Performance Learning – individual training in their specialised online meeting room live over the Internet. What I received was a very personal, tailored program that gave me far more than any off-the-shelf training course could.
It was challenging at the time. I had to think about a lot of things that I hadn’t really considered before, but I continue to think about and develop what I learnt and to use the techniques that I was shown. These I applied initially to my research project for university but I continue to use them in all sorts of aspects of my work (as a technical journalist) and in my communications with others.
I think clearer and work better and faster now than I ever thought possible. Never having felt like a creative person before, I now enjoy being creative in my work. This is reflected in how I gather and evaluate information and how I assess situations for their uniqueness and creative story-telling potential. This has been recognised very favourably by others on a number of occasions.
Chris’s training, although undertaken about 10 years ago now, continues to make a difference to my success and happiness.
After failing his Year 12 Matriculation Glynn did an Advanced Study Skills Course and the subsequent year was admitted to University. While at University Glynn did the Basic Learning and Language Skills Program.
Glynn Robertson<
The Learning Skills Program I did with Chris Brooks totally changed the way I study, and the way I go about doing my work. Its taken me from a struggling student to one of the highest performing students in my class. I didn’t look like going into university, and now I’m in university and enjoying every minute of it. It’s taught me how to study for exams, from planning my study holiday to just mapping out topics so I can understand them in a way that only I can understand them, which has totally changed my life from zero to hero. I can’t thank him enough for it.
