The Sport of Learning

According to U.S. Excel Games founder, Certified School Psychologist, Special Educator, and Columbia University Psychology Ph.D., Dr. Rita Brown-Holloway, “the sedentary, right-brained instructional format typically utilized in American classrooms is often contraindicated to the learning styles of a large portion of American youth---particularly, our ethnically diverse students.”  Instead, on-going research (Brown-Holloway, 2013-Present) suggests that when gross motor skill, play, or sport is infused in the learning process children:

 

• can be more easily engaged,

• absorb more content and learning material,

• stay on task for longer periods of time, and  

• develop a natural love of learning.

 

The USXL Games

Conceived in 2013, The USXL (U.S. Excel Games) made its CT debut in Spring 2018 in the Bridgeport Board of Education with various Olympic-type, individual, and team sports, infused with academic learning and skills acquisition in the critical areas of Reading, Language Arts, and Writing; Math and Science/STEM; PSAT & SAT skills mastery; as well as, socioemotional learning and Health & Fitness.  

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The Common Core 

The USXL is so much more than fun and games! In keeping with the Common Core's them of personalizing learning for today's youth,  the USXL utilizes 'play', the universal language of children, as the accessway to increased academic and personal achievement for youth in a fresh, new, and exciting format. In addition to being perfectly aligned with the Common Core, learning content is also aligned with:

• DRA’s

• Smarter Balanced Test

• PSAT's

• SAT's

 

Inclusion Model

The nation’s first USXL Games boasts the first Inclusive/Blended model where disabled and non-disabled, LD and ADHD, Gifted and Handicapped youth, to name a few, will team up to assist, encourage, and cheer one another on as they run, jump, and even swim their way into mastery of the Common Core! While the USXL's longer-range goal is to serve youth in grades K-12, Year 1 will target Grades 1, 3,  and 5. In addition, Grades 8 & 10 will be serviced as part of the USXL's PSAT/SAT cohort.

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Strategy Instruction

In keeping with the Common Core's general goal of having students take more responsibility for their own learning, metacognitive instruction, study skills, and effective notetaking instruction will serve as a cornerstone of the USXL's program efforts.  To achieve the program's critical metacognitive goals, youngsters will be taught to "think about their thinking," control their cognitive activities, and engage in effective "repair strategies" to ensure that their learning goals (i.e., understanding math facts and sightwords, for example) are being met throughout each sporting event. 

 

Cognitive Agility Training

The USXL provides Cognitive Agility Training (CAT) designed to improve youngsters' memory and retention skills; sharpen concentration ability,  and increase overall thinking and problem-solving,  of academic content and material. CAT at the USXL is specifically targeted towards increasing students ability to acquire sightwords, memorize word definitions and math facts, and improve text comprehension.