My Experience With Brain Gym
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
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Brain Gym supporters believe the exercises included in the program unlock all parts of the brain which assist learning. The exercises are simple and enjoyable movements and activities designed to enhance whole brain learning. Prior to my using Brain Gym, I attended a number of professional development sessions to gain some knowledge of the system. Later, I organised sessions for my own teachers in my Mathematics department. These sessions included practical demonstrations as well as time for my staff to actually learn how to do all the exercises themselves. I brought a number of copies of books on Brain Gym for our teachers' library and we published a Beginner's Guide to Brain Gym for all the Maths' staff to give them a starting point to use with their classes.
Here is a summary of my experiences with Brain Gym. I began to use it with a less able group of 15+ Year Eight students. Our school timetable provided us with two seventy minutes periods per week. One of these periods was the first of the day while the other was the last of the day, immediately after the lunch break. In each period, I used Brain Gym exercises designed to enhance learning in Mathematics, twice per lesson. I used these to help break the long lesson into different segments and used different teaching strategies to get the most out of each lesson.
Here is a summary of my experiences with Brain Gym. I began to use it with a less able group of 15+ Year Eight students. Our school timetable provided us with two seventy minutes periods per week. One of these periods was the first of the day while the other was the last of the day, immediately after the lunch break. In each period, I used Brain Gym exercises designed to enhance learning in Mathematics, twice per lesson. I used these to help break the long lesson into different segments and used different teaching strategies to get the most out of each lesson.
The learning and behaviour of the class progressed well during the first semester. However, as the year progressed, I was asked to include in my class behaviour problems from other classes which meant the class grew to 20+ students. These extra students created more demands on my time and gradually I phased out Brain Gym to give me the extra time I needed to complete the teaching program. This, of course, turned out to be a mistake.
What then began to happen was that the students were less and less on task and discipline problems began to escalate especially in the after lunch period and especially as we came into the summer months. This puzzled me because I was still using a variety of teaching techniques and dividing the lesson into short sharp sessions in an attempt to keep their interest and work ethic at a high level but nothing I did improved the situation. Finally, I realised the only thing that was different in my lessons was my failure to continue Brain Gym.
Earlier in the year, I did Brain Gym not realizing what a good impact it was having on my class because all was going so well. I only realised its impact when it was not there.
What then began to happen was that the students were less and less on task and discipline problems began to escalate especially in the after lunch period and especially as we came into the summer months. This puzzled me because I was still using a variety of teaching techniques and dividing the lesson into short sharp sessions in an attempt to keep their interest and work ethic at a high level but nothing I did improved the situation. Finally, I realised the only thing that was different in my lessons was my failure to continue Brain Gym.
Earlier in the year, I did Brain Gym not realizing what a good impact it was having on my class because all was going so well. I only realised its impact when it was not there.
Brain Gym advocates using a different set of exercises and activities to fit into the learning situation they are in. Below is a list of skills, for example, that can be enhanced through the use of individual groups of Brain Gym exercises.
reading skills
thinking skills
answering questions
better spelling
Maths skills
writing skills-(earlier printing, writing, drawing)
creative and expressive writing
listening skills
speaking skills
sports and play skills
study skills
speed reading skills
test/exam skills
focusing skills
the skill of a positive attitude
reading skills
thinking skills
answering questions
better spelling
Maths skills
writing skills-(earlier printing, writing, drawing)
creative and expressive writing
listening skills
speaking skills
sports and play skills
study skills
speed reading skills
test/exam skills
focusing skills
the skill of a positive attitude
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