Brain Exercises Through the Brain Gym and Me Program Makes Learning a Pleasure
May 12th, 2007 by 
diana
Every child can learn. There are no problem learners, only problem learning programs and systems. With proper learning techniques, learning can a pleasure, even for those facing difficult learning challenges. If we teach to the way children learn best, through movement, play and language expression, we achieve better results. We discover that no matter how many times we repeat a learned task, if a better way is presented, we can learn that way, and a new pattern is developed. This is true learning. The results bring better health and wellness, intelligence, and more fulfillments, both personally and professionally.
Learning is that magical thing that takes place in a split second and changes us forever. And who knows more about true learning, than international award-winning learning expert Paul E. Dennison, Ph.D. Dr. Dennison received his doctorate in education in 1975 from the University of Southern California for his research on reading and cognitive development and is the founder of the Brain Gym Program. This program has received astonishing worldwide media attention recently with media spots on CBC Radio’s 1 “Ontario Today” and City TV, “Breakfast Television” with Jill Hewlett, and a full-page article in Woman’s World Magazine, May 8th edition. The Woman’s World article talks about how beneficial the Brain Gym program is for those who are stressed or forgetful. It states by following these simple techniques, you can give your brain a workout and help achieve a calmer you. In fact, Deborah Bebb, who was interviewed for the article, states, “Brain Gym is so easy, anyone can do it. And it works! Now I feel calmer at home and at work. I can remember everything and get more done. It definitely made my brain work better.”
The Woman’s World article also provided the following Brain Gym exercises to boost your brainpower:
1) Double-doodle – Using both hands like a conductor, “draw” large, free-form mirror-image shapes in the air.
2) Lazy 8’s – In the air or on paper, “draw” figure 8’s with your right hand, following the movement with your eyes. Then do the same with your left hand, and then, with both hands at once.
3) Cross-crawl – Slowly march in place, bringing your opposite elbow to your knee each time. Doing just a few of these will increase your focus.
Additionally, Dennison received a rave review from Reader’s Views, where Professional Reviewer, Debra Gaynor states, “Brain Gym should be mandatory reading for all teachers, as Dennison has successfully returned the pleasure of reading by presenting his lessons in an easy-to-understand format.” Additionally Gaynor reports, “What I came to realize is that, for educators, effective teaching isn’t about presenting the information and letting the student passively take it in, but about connecting the information to the movement of the body in an active way.”
So how does the Brain Gym Program work? This movement-based system introduces simple physical activities to enhance a learner’s ability to process information, and effectively respond. The Brain Gym learning program is based on five basic premises known as the Five Principles of Educational Kinesiology.
These include:
1) Draw Out: Intelligence Is Inborn
2) Focus: Attention Follows Intention
3) Notice: We Learn What We Actively Experience
4) Move to Learn: Growth Is a Search for Balance, and Imbalance a Search for Growth
5) Interconnect: Each One of Us Is Affected by Every Other
Brain Gym was created to assist people in all facets of daily life. Brain Gym is also based upon three simple premises:
1) Learning is a natural, joyous activity that continues throughout life.
2) Learning blocks are simply an inability to move through the stress and uncertainty of a new task.
3) We are all learning-blocked to the extent that we have been conditioned to inhibit our movements.
Who benefits with using brain exercises? Everyone. For students and educators they can experience increased levels of focus, organization, communication, self-confidence and positive attitude towards learning and then the added bonus of 20 to 50% higher test scores. Parents and clinicians benefit as well, as it directly impacts readers’ motor, cognitive, behavioral, emotional, visual, and reading skills. Business professionals benefit, as it is a highly effective performance management tool, which empowers individuals to thrive in the workplace, increasing employee satisfaction and productivity.
The lessons, such as coordinating your brain and body together to “walk your talk,” help people think and communicate clearly, improving individuals’ memory, focus, organization, and concentration. Brain Gym is now practiced in more than eighty countries’ schools across the world, and the book sales have toppled over 415,000. Teachers and their pupils benefit from the Brain Gym tools, as everyone can experience increased levels of focus, organization, communication, and self-confidence, along with positive attitude towards learning.
To learn more about the Brain Gym Program visit Dr. Dennison’s website at www.braingym.com. Dr. Dennison’s Book, Brain Gym and Me: Reclaiming the Pleasure of Learning (ISBN #0-942143-11-6, 266 pages) is available on his site as well as through Amazon, and through Unique Books Wholesalers and The Distributors Wholesalers.
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Dr. Paul E. Dennison and his wife Gail E. Dennison through their visionary insight into the learning process developed the Brain Gym Program, http://www.braingym.com. The program is taught in a variety of settings, including schools, corporations, and athletic training programs. The Dennisons have coauthored a series of books and manuals including their latest, Brain Gym and Me: Reclaiming the Pleasure of Learning. For additional information please contact publicist, Diana Ennen, diana@virtualwordpublishing.com.
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