Mediated Learning : Teaching, Tasks, and Tools to Unlock Cognitive Potential

Mandia Mentis is an educational psychologist and senior lecturer in the Special Education and Educational Psychology Programmes at Massey University, New Zealand. She is an accredited trainer of Instrumental Enrichment (FIE) and the Learning Potential Assessment Device (LPAD), having completed her training at the International Centre for Learning Enhancement in Israel under Reuven Feuerstein. Over the past 20 years, she has run Instrumental Enrichment (FIE) workshops with the Cognitive Research Centre in South Africa and with the Australasian Institute for Learning Enhancement in New Zealand. She has contributed extensively to research projects and publications and has co-written and published two books on Mediated Learning and Instrumental Enrichment. Mentis taught at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels and has worked as an educational psychologist in both special and inclusive education settings. Her teaching and research interests include cognitive assessment, teaching for diversity, and e-learning. Her doctoral research focuses on developing effective e-learning communities of practice.

Marilyn Dunn-Bernstein’s diverse career in education spans 36 years. Along with her 20 years as a high school vice-principal, she has studied under Reuven Feuerstein and implemented the principles of structural cognitive modifiability, IE, and MLE in an extensive range of educational settings. These included 10 years of research, writing, and lecturing with the Cognitive Research Unit of the University of the Witwatersrand and 16 years of work with the Gifted Child Program for disadvantaged individuals in South African townships. Her current work as a psychologist in Australia involves enhancing cognitive, emotional, and creative development in individuals with autism, Down syndrome, Asperger’s, and gifts. She also works with undergraduate psychology and social sciences students, and has been part of the team that runs Feuerstein workshops in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. She holds a PhD in education, a masters in psychology, and a degree in human behavior.

Martene Mentis has twenty years of experience in education and has taught at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Her diverse educational background includes 6 years with the Cognitive Research Centre, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, where she contributed to research, lectured in Instrumental Enrichment (FIE) workshops, and helped develop educational resources, including two books on Mediated Learning and Instrumental Enrichment. She completed her training in FIE under Reuven Feuerstein, at the International Centre for Learning Enhancement in Israel, and in the Learning Potential Assessment Device (LPAD) at the Cognitive Research Centre in South Africa. She has an honours degree in fine arts and a master′s degree in education. She currently is an independent scholar, artist, and illustrator, working as an art educator and graphic designer in New Zealand.