John J. Ratey, MD

Can exercise help people learn?

CBC News - The National (Special Feature titled "BRAIN GAINS") 

It’s an exciting idea, and one that’s being tested in the U.S. and Canada. One pilot program took place in the spring of 2008, when Saskatoon teacher Allison Cameron put her Grade 8 students on treadmills during class. She tracked their results, not just in behavior, but in academics, and the results were astonishing.

Find out about her experiment, and much more on this subject, by clicking on the links below.

Feel free to share your views on the subject using the "Comments" links below.

Physically Active Play and Cognition. An Academic Matter?

By: Jacob Sattelmair and John J. Ratey

The authors discuss the growing evidence that strenuous physical activity is not only healthy for students but improves their academic performance. Based on such research, they argue that schools in the United States need to stop eliminating physical-education programs under the current political pressures to emphasize academics and instead to reform traditional physical education. Modern physical education should move away from its competitive-sports approach to one that employs a wide range of play involving strenuous physical activity for every student. [Read the complete article ...]