The Origins of the Fiteracy Workshops
The Fiteracy workshops were created using evidence based research to create a " learning framework " for teaching health concepts.
Dr Brian Cambourne created the " Cambourne's Conditions of Learning" over a 40 year period and created an ecologically valid and educationally relevant theory of literacy learning.
His daughter, Brodie, who learned to read as a child using this framework, was able to see the strong connection between " the ability to read or understand health literature" and the often poor health outcomes in areas.
The Fiteracy Framework was created using the " 8 Conditions of Learning" created by Dr Cambourne and the same learning environments are now used in Fiteracy programs and health programs to assist people wishing to learn health concept
Dr Brian Cambourne created the " Cambourne's Conditions of Learning" over a 40 year period and created an ecologically valid and educationally relevant theory of literacy learning.
His daughter, Brodie, who learned to read as a child using this framework, was able to see the strong connection between " the ability to read or understand health literature" and the often poor health outcomes in areas.
The Fiteracy Framework was created using the " 8 Conditions of Learning" created by Dr Cambourne and the same learning environments are now used in Fiteracy programs and health programs to assist people wishing to learn health concept
Brodie Cambourne MSc (Hons) BSc
Brodie Cambourne is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist who has been working in the area of brain development and brain health for over 25 years , During this time she has worked with babies through to 100 year old clients.
Her work as an exercise physiologist began with working with children and developing parent inclusive exercise programs for children. During these initial years as an exercise physiologist, Brodie found it hard to assist children with managing their weight purely through exercise and at this stage the food pyramid and eating guidelines were promoted throughout schools, tuck shops and family loungerooms. It was difficult to stray from these guidelines and it was also difficult for children to combat obesity through exercise alone. Brodie completed a Masters ( Hons) thesis in the areas of child exercise and obesity prevention in 2001 and still uses what she learned writing her thesis in her current work with adults. Her thesis used her fathers “conditions of learning” to assist children and their families to learn about “ the importance of exercise”
After running a children’s gym for 8 years, Brodie moved into the area of attempting to mould exercise into a child’s life as early as possible by working with families with babies and toddlers.
Her Baby Fiteracy program was rolled out through many QLD areas through the Communities for Children Project. The families were encouraged to read with their children and exercise with them and the result was the development of many children who became confident learners through their confident reading skills. Brodie is still in contact with many of these families who share stories of their children succeeding at school and enjoying physical activity as these were activities they became attached to with their parents and carers at young ages. Although, during these early years, Brodie was not able to work in the area of metabolic health, she is confident the Fiteracy program was able to assist with developing families and children who are confident learners and critical thinkers due to their love of learning .
“ My hope now is that these young children, who are confident readers and know how to seek knowledge , will also be able to read and learn more about metabolic health as confident young adult learners”
Whilst working with babies her work extended to working with developing movement programs for babies and their parents and often the grandparents of babies were the carers. It was during this time that Brodie became interested in the brain and effects of exercise on adults who have been experiencing depression and anxiety. Her Fiteracy programs became “low anxiety” learning groups for parents who may need exercise to assist with natal depression and then extended into programs for parents who may be experiencing PTSD and needed emotionally safe places to exercise with their babies.
Grandparents would often attend these programs with their grandchildren and Brodie became interested in exercise for brain health for older people.
For past 10 years, Brodie has been working in the area of Parkinson Disease, Stroke Rehabilitation, PTSD , Anxiety and Depression . Although the exercise for people with these conditions was beneficial for their movement and to encourage social connection, it became difficult for Brodie to ignore the background health data of these group. Brodie noticed that many of her clients at BrainFit Exercise Physiology also had underlying metabolic health conditions.
Over 10 years Brodie has worked with many clients and their families through some of the saddest and most difficult times whilst watching their bodies slowly give up the ability to keep exercising and moving.
“ It has been an honour to work with such brave and committed clients and their families whilst they never gave up on the benefits of exercise until they could not exercise any more, it has been equally heart breaking saying good bye to so many of them”
It was the fact that not all these people were older people that created the motivation in Brodie to start to investigate “ why exercise alone is not enough” and the need for her clients to start to address their metabolic health concerns as early as possible .
She has role modelled the benefits of “ changing your movement fuel” by applying a low carb approach to marathon paddling and has used low carb fuelling to help he win a number of the open women’s ultra marathon races over the past 5 years.
She is now determined to help people of all ages learn about metabolic health and the emerging research illustrating the links between metabolic health and brain health.
Her Fiteracy program has now extended into assisting people of all ages to continue learning, reading and becoming critical thinkers of exercise and nutrition advertising.
Her program includes many older adults, some in their 80s and 90s who are achieving health benefits from learning strategies for managing their ‘exercise and movement fuel”
Her work as an exercise physiologist began with working with children and developing parent inclusive exercise programs for children. During these initial years as an exercise physiologist, Brodie found it hard to assist children with managing their weight purely through exercise and at this stage the food pyramid and eating guidelines were promoted throughout schools, tuck shops and family loungerooms. It was difficult to stray from these guidelines and it was also difficult for children to combat obesity through exercise alone. Brodie completed a Masters ( Hons) thesis in the areas of child exercise and obesity prevention in 2001 and still uses what she learned writing her thesis in her current work with adults. Her thesis used her fathers “conditions of learning” to assist children and their families to learn about “ the importance of exercise”
After running a children’s gym for 8 years, Brodie moved into the area of attempting to mould exercise into a child’s life as early as possible by working with families with babies and toddlers.
Her Baby Fiteracy program was rolled out through many QLD areas through the Communities for Children Project. The families were encouraged to read with their children and exercise with them and the result was the development of many children who became confident learners through their confident reading skills. Brodie is still in contact with many of these families who share stories of their children succeeding at school and enjoying physical activity as these were activities they became attached to with their parents and carers at young ages. Although, during these early years, Brodie was not able to work in the area of metabolic health, she is confident the Fiteracy program was able to assist with developing families and children who are confident learners and critical thinkers due to their love of learning .
“ My hope now is that these young children, who are confident readers and know how to seek knowledge , will also be able to read and learn more about metabolic health as confident young adult learners”
Whilst working with babies her work extended to working with developing movement programs for babies and their parents and often the grandparents of babies were the carers. It was during this time that Brodie became interested in the brain and effects of exercise on adults who have been experiencing depression and anxiety. Her Fiteracy programs became “low anxiety” learning groups for parents who may need exercise to assist with natal depression and then extended into programs for parents who may be experiencing PTSD and needed emotionally safe places to exercise with their babies.
Grandparents would often attend these programs with their grandchildren and Brodie became interested in exercise for brain health for older people.
For past 10 years, Brodie has been working in the area of Parkinson Disease, Stroke Rehabilitation, PTSD , Anxiety and Depression . Although the exercise for people with these conditions was beneficial for their movement and to encourage social connection, it became difficult for Brodie to ignore the background health data of these group. Brodie noticed that many of her clients at BrainFit Exercise Physiology also had underlying metabolic health conditions.
Over 10 years Brodie has worked with many clients and their families through some of the saddest and most difficult times whilst watching their bodies slowly give up the ability to keep exercising and moving.
“ It has been an honour to work with such brave and committed clients and their families whilst they never gave up on the benefits of exercise until they could not exercise any more, it has been equally heart breaking saying good bye to so many of them”
It was the fact that not all these people were older people that created the motivation in Brodie to start to investigate “ why exercise alone is not enough” and the need for her clients to start to address their metabolic health concerns as early as possible .
She has role modelled the benefits of “ changing your movement fuel” by applying a low carb approach to marathon paddling and has used low carb fuelling to help he win a number of the open women’s ultra marathon races over the past 5 years.
She is now determined to help people of all ages learn about metabolic health and the emerging research illustrating the links between metabolic health and brain health.
Her Fiteracy program has now extended into assisting people of all ages to continue learning, reading and becoming critical thinkers of exercise and nutrition advertising.
Her program includes many older adults, some in their 80s and 90s who are achieving health benefits from learning strategies for managing their ‘exercise and movement fuel”
Dr. Brian Cambourne, Associate Professor
Since 1980 Brian Cambourne has been researching how learning, especially literacy learning occurs. He has conducted this research in the naturalistic mode he prefers by sitting in classrooms for many hundreds of hours. Cambourne argues that teachers who are dissatisfied and/or frustrated with the methods they use to teach literacy are prisoners of a view of learning which is based on quite invalid assumptions and which seriously complicates the process of learning to read and write. He argues for an alternate view of learning and an approach to teaching literacy which uncomplicates the process of learning and makes literacy more accessible to more students, especially non-mainstream students. Furthermore, his data show that this approach to learning leads to the development of highly literate, critically aware, confident readers and writers, who continue to read and write long after they have left school. He has a strong prejudice that literacy is a cultural resource which enables the less privileged members of any culture to challenge those potentially elitist groups who seek to keep economic and political power for themselves. He also believes that we can only have better, fairer, and kinder societies if highly productive, critical literacy is made accessible to as many members of a culture as possible.
