?>

Mission and Program

IC&TA
International Consulting & Trade Associates, Inc. (IC&TA) is is affiliated with the international Feuerstein Institute in Jerusalem, Israel and the North American Feuerstein Alliance (NAFA) IC&TA is a designated Authorized Training Center (ATC) licensed by The Feuerstein Institute.

MISSION
The primary mission of IC&TA is the training and implementation of (FIE) Instrumental Enrichment, a cognitive education program, for professionals and parents in a variety of educational, human service, and corporate settings. Our aim is to prepare individuals to be fully conversant with the theory, application, relevant research and appropriate assessment techniques for full implementation with a variety of student populations of a wide age range. Although we are involved in the training of professionals in regular-education settings, we also specialize in preparing professionals and parents who are working with students who have special needs.

What is F.I.E. (Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment)?
FIE is a systematic program for developing critical thinking skills across a wide range of learners, including those who are gifted and talented, those who are making normal progress in school, and those who have one or another learning difference. This program maximizes the cognitive potential of all students to increase their self-esteem and lowers the incidence of risky behaviors. It has been used in the US and abroad since the 1970’s, and has resulted in documented improvements in reasoning, math, comprehension, thinking habits, and problem-solving skills. In different ways, the program has shown measurable cognitive benefits to students from each of these groups, as documented in more than 2000 research studies world-wide. The program has been used in 80 different countries in 18 languages.

Three additional services are provided by IC&TA:

  1. Regular follow-up. Follow-up may take the form of no-cost consultation with those implementing the program through remote connections such as electronic mail or telephone; more often, however, it takes the form of no-cost on-site visitations to the trainee’s educational setting where he/she is implementing the program. In this context, the trainer may team-teach an FIE lesson with the trainee and provide feedback, or may carry out a demonstration lesson with the trainee’s group of students. Follow-up sessions are scheduled several times per year to occur in between the various training sessions at each level of FIE, e.g., after two days of training, after another two days of training, etc.
  2. Guidance in conducting assessment to determine the effects of FIE on trainees’ particular populations. The trainer helps the trainees design assessments that fit the local context, advises about data collection, assists in analyzing the data collected and works with the trainee to interpret the results of the assessments. The emphasis is on a multi-modal approach to assessment, using a variety of credible assessment instruments to fit the particular type of population with which FIE is being implemented. These assessments prove valuable in establishing the ease for continuing implementation of FIE in various contexts.
  3. Assistance in preparing grant proposals for external funding to support the training and implementation of the FIE program. We can recommend the language  that most carefully describes the program, for inclusion in the proposal, and suggest possible funding source

For Further Information & Assistance Contact:
Director: Selma Schein
Email: Ischein123@cs.com
phone: 860-523-4506

Director of Training:
David S. Martin, Ph.D.
Email: davidchina_2O00@yahoo.com