|
Top
|
Introduction:
|
|
Brain Gym® is a registered trademark of the
Educational Kinesiology Foundation.
|
|
Reference
Brain Gym: Teacher's Edition Revised by Paul E Dennison
and Gail E Dennison ISBN 0-942143-02-7
|
Brain Gym is basically a series of simple movements which
children can make to enhance the experience of whole-brain
learning.
In Alistair Smith's book 'Accelerated Learning in practice' he
explains that for most of the population the right side of the
brain controls many of the motor functions of the left side of
the body and vice versa. Physical activity with
co-ordinated cross lateral responses will develop neural
pathways across the two sides of the brain - effectively
linking movement to brain development.
So brain gym is a quick and effective way of changing the
physical and mental state of learners. It involves both
physical and mental activity.
The groundwork for Brain Gym was developed by Dr Paul Dennison
and his research into how physical movements contributed to
brain development in babies and young children. Babies
naturally carry out certain movements and what Dr Dennison did
was adapt these movements so that they could be used with
children and adults.
In his book Dr Dennison describes Brain Gym activities that
address:
|
|
Midline Movements
|
- help to co-ordinate one side of the brain with the other
|
|
Lengthening Activities
|
- connect the back and front areas of the brain. This
helps us to develop and reinforce the neural pathways that
enable pupils to make connections between what they already
know and the ability to express and process that information.
|
|
Energy Exercises
|
- increases the flow of brain-body communication
(electromagnetic energy)
|
The history and basis for each series of movements is
described in detail in the book.
A resource developed which can be accessed for use in the
classroom is Alphabet Edit (see resources section below).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Top
|
Resources:
|
Cohort
2 Resources from Day 4 Training 
|
| Making
it work in Schools DfES publication (goto page 13 &
14) |
| Rub
a dubs |
| Lazy
eights |
| Names
in the air |
| Double
doodle |
| Alphabet
edit
|
|
|
|
Websites:
|
| www.braingym.org |
| www.cainelearning.com |
| www.6seconds.org
|
| www.brain.com
|
|
|
Top
|
Examples submitted by project schools:
|
| Brain
Gym Alphabet
(27kB) (Manorbrook Primary) |
| Brain Gym (with Duck) PowerPoint
presentation (212kB) (Kenny Duncan, Advisory Service)
|
|
Top |
Resources