Brain Gym

[shakingmyfattybumbum]

Why oh why is this nonsense still be perpetuated as fact in our schools? I am a former S/school teacher and had to sit through this crap on inset days. That was bad enough but was just having a look at DS1's primary school website (he will start in Sept) and behind the kids in a photo was a big poster with the words 'Use both sides of your brain'. WTF? How can teachers of all people be so ignorant? And don't even get me started on the 'hydrate your brain' rubbish! I cannot remember the last time we heard of a child dying from a dessicated brain because their teacher refused to let them swig from their water bottle. Grrr!
Has anyone out there (ideally with science credentials) ever commented on this at their child's school?

There's a fantastic bit in Bad Science about this. Luckily I've never found anyone at my school using it because I don't think I'd be able to bite my tongue! Moving around during lessons, getting a bit of fresh air and shaking it up a bit = pretty harmless stuff, but I do object to people wrapping it up as psuedoscience.

Yes, I would agree with you. Nothing wrong with a bottle of water or breaking up a lesson with a bit of jigging around. At my last school (rated outstanding by ofsted) a hideous bully of a woman would make us teachers stand up in briefing (first thing in the morning) making us do ridiculous things with our arns to 'connect the two sides of our brains'. Even the science teachers didn't challenge her on it. It was deeply depressing.

My son's school recommended he should do Brain Gym. The sessions were after school once a week and he hated it.
Don't really know what it was meant to do for him, other than irritate! He continued for a term.
So he has now stopped and does football instead - much better. I think football does far more for him than playing twister and getting sweaty in a class room.

Oh its absolutely stupid!

I remember when DS2 was in reception and after a bout of bad behaviour, he had to have daily written reports from the teacher. On one of them it said "ok most of the day but messed around and acted silly during Brain Gym".

I didn't have a clue what that was so asked ... when the teacher demonstrated it I thought there was no wonder he messed around during that - if someone was to ask me to do it, I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face!

I do wonder where they get this crap from.

it is complete tosh, in respect of your brain, but having water regularly does keep you awake (it's physical rather than mental, though) and again, with feeling tired, if you run around for a bit it wakes you up.
but only in the same way that regular exercise keeps you active.

I don't see the harm in it, though. people like a bit of pseudo-science as it enables them to put reason behind stuff they don't understand.

There are some papers on this hydration and brain function subject though.

D'Anci et al (2006) Hydration and cognitive function in children Nutrition Reviews 64(10) pp. 457-464

Bar-David Y (2005) The effect of voluntary dehydration on cognitive functions of elementary school children Acta Paediatrica 94(11) pp.1667-1673

Ther's a difference between keeping sensibly hydrated (and even taking brief breaks from sustained work) and the psuedo science bollocks that brain gym claims for itself though!

If your brain was not 'hydrated' you would be dead, so the sentence in itself is bollox. That is my point.

Also why teach children rubbish science? That is not why I send my son to school.

My son's school does something similar called Gym Trail based upon Brain Gym. However, there is no rubbish about hydration just things like practicing balance and co-ordination (good for my son who is ASD with sensory issues).

Brain Gym is bolloux but I don't blame the teachers for this as belief in it's effectiveness is widespread and comes from the Govt down.

In the NHS our "Brain Gym" is called "Omega 3/fish oils". And I see it recommended regularly by the consultant paeds.

I think Ed Balls said recently that it was crap (not in those exact words obviously) but it hasn't filtered down to the schools yet. I can't believe that tyrant at my last schoolwas actually getting PAID EXTRA MONEY to get us to connect the two sides of our brain.

I will not be happy when my son comes home from school telling me that he used both sides of his brain. FFS they (scientists I mean) don't even know what half of the brain is FOR yet. Also I think leftbrain/right brain and 'learning styles' have also recently been discredited. Lord above, it makes me want to home educate! Bet they don't have brain gym at Eton - save it for the plebs.

The local authority where I teach jumps on any old new initiative in an attempt to look forward-thinking and ahead of the game...so of course they fully signed up to this bollocks, and the associated training, probably spending thousands of pounds (which could have gone on books/software/equipment for the actual children, you know, the ones who matter). We spent many hours of Inset making figures of 8 in the air and drawing on each others backs, all the while thinking 'what the fckity fck'....then a report came out last year by Ed Balls saying it was actually officially a load of shite and it was all swiftly dropped.

Why authorities in very deprived areas feel the need to try everything going (42 new initiatives here last year) rather than put money into actual straightforward old-fashioned learning is beyond me....

It is very depressing isn't it? If I could afford it, I would home educate my children but I will have to return to work.

You are right in that it is the schools in the most dperived area who jump on all the bandwagons (and then get commmended by Ofsted for doing so) and I guess lots of the under-educated parents don't have the background/confidence to challenge what the schools are peddling to their children. It does my head in. Likewise 'thinking days' - so what does one's child do for the other 364 days of the year???????

Yes - let's challenge this...

Gosh so am I NBU then?

OK, anyone who has read this thread - if you see any pesudo scince being peddled as fact to your kids at school then it is your duty to challenge them on it. Lots of info on Bad Scince if you need back up!

Gosh I mean sciEnce (both times). Not sure what happened there!

Lost count of the amount of shite things we've had to try and introduce, whilst being told by above that it's what Ofsted really want to see...learning styles, left/right brain, brain boosters, golden time, circle time, optional head massages, actual bribery (be on time for a week, get a mountain bike etc)....it makes me so angry.

Me too Stresshead (can see why). I amout of teaching now but will reluctantly return in 3 years so that we can move house. It's all this stuff that makes teachers stressed I think. The last school I worked in (near where Shameless is based on) was atrocious. The behaviour was unreal. The only way I could get my classes under control was constant bribery (sweets etc all paid for out of my own pocket). Staff were always crying etc with stress due to the awfulness of the kids.Senior management all hid in their offices and didn't want to know. Meanwhile the damn school gets an outstanding from ofsted due to their ticking such boxes as 'healthy eating' and 'brain gym'. Makes you want to weep.

I would love to know how many tachers send their kids to private schools or home educate. Bet it's quite a few!

erm ... teachers
I can spell (honestly) but I can feel myself getting stressed out typing this and so am violently banging on the keyboard!!

Excellent programme about this on radio four, I think it was Monday or Tuesday morning, this week. Talked about neuro education research. Did not make any stunning claims but adding to the de bunking of brain gym etc while being sympathetic to teachers.

I wonder how long I should leave it before commenting on the aforementioned poster in my son's new school? If I do it on day 1 of him starting school, they will think I am a loon.

Brain Gym is worryingly still alive and well in at least some secondary schools. DS2 is Dyspraxic, year 7 - I got a call from the SENCo to ask if he could come along to Brain Gym sessions as "she felt they would help his co-ordination issues" (if that were true, don't you think the OTs, the physios and the Paediatrician would have suggested it sooner?). I ranted at some considerable length and quoted Goldacre to her .

Brain gym.. learning styles etc still being used in the school where I teach. The NEW thing for us is blp... building learning power.. the 4 or 5 Rs. Absolute crapola and the SMT jump on the bandwagon and pay consultants to come in and praise the new idea on teacher days and say how we must all do this... must be in your PM lessons..OFSTED are looking for it.
It makes we want to weep. Why can't I just teach Biology?
Most of us try to ignore it as much as possible but a few strange SL buy into it! Must be wanting a promotion...