Brain Gym

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Pseudoscientific concepts

Claims:

Any learning challenges can be overcome by finding

the right movements, to subsequently create new
pathways in the brain.
The repetition of certain movements "activates the
brain for optimal storage and retrieval of
information."
Related scientific disciplines:

Physiology, Neuroscience
Year proposed:
1980

Original Paul E. Dennison and Gail E.

proponents: Dennison

Current Paul and Gail Dennison

proponents:

Brain Gym is a commercial training program that claims that any learning challenges
can be overcome by finding the right movements, the use of which will create new
pathways in the brain. They claim that the repetition of the 26 Brain Gym movements
"activates the brain for optimal storage and retrieval of information." Its theoretical
foundation has been thoroughly discredited by the scientific community, who describe it
as pseudoscience. Peer reviewed scientific studies into Brain Gym have found no
significant improvement in general academic skills. Its claimed results have been put
down to the placebo effect and the benefits of breaks and exercise. Its founder, Paul
Dennison, has admitted that many of Brain Gym's claims are not based good science, but
on his "hunches".[1] It is widely used in British state schools.[citation needed] It is also offered to
both children and adults in parts of the United States and Canada.
Contents
[hide]
 1 History
 2 Claims
 3 Organisational structure
 4 Scientific criticism
 5 Criticism in the media
 6 See also
 7 References

 8 External links

[edit] History
What became Brain Gym began in Paul and Gail Dennison's work in the 1970s,
researching more effective ways to help learning disabled children and adults. They call
their field of study, which they founded during this period, "Educational Kinesiology"
(Edu-K), a form of applied kinesiology. They define Edu-K as "learning through
movement".[2].

Some of the specific movements the program uses were, according to the Brain Gym
website, developed from Paul Dennison's "knowledge of the relationship of movement to
perception, and the impact of these on fine motor and academic skills." Others were
learned during his training as a marathon runner, his study of vision training, his study of
Jin Shin Jitsu (a form of acupressure), and his study of Applied Kinesiology.[3]

The Dennisons presented their program under its current name in their booklets
Switching On: A Guide to Edu-Kinesthetics (1980) and Brain Gym – Simple Activities for
Whole Brain Learning (1986).[4]

Brain Gym is now used in more than 80 countries.[2]

[edit] Claims
Rubbing the brain buttons, in order to "improve blood flow to the brain", to "switch on
the entire brain".[5]

The program is based on the premise that all learning begins with movement, and that
any learning challenges can be overcome by finding the right movements, to
subsequently create new pathways in the brain. It claims that the repetition of certain
movements "activates the brain for optimal storage and retrieval of information" and
"promotes efficient communication among the many nerve cells and functional centers
located throughout the brain and sensory motor system."[6] There are 26 of these
exercises, which are designed to "integrate body and mind" in order to improve
"concentration, memory, reading, writing, organizing, listening, physical coordination,
and more."[2]

Educational Kinesiology teaches that brain function is defined in terms of three

dimensions: laterality is the ability to co-ordinate the left and right sides of the brain,
focus is the ability to co-ordinate the front and back of the brain, and centering is the
ability to co-ordinate the top and bottom of the brain. According to Brain Gym, people
whose brains are not interconnected properly in the three different dimensions suffer
from corresponding deficits; for example, the ability to move and think at the same time
is dependent on laterality (left to right co-ordination). The Brain Gym exercises are
claimed to work by interconnecting the brain in these three dimensions.[7] Anatomical,
physiological and neurological research does not support this model.[8]

[edit] Organisational structure

The Educational Kinesiology Foundation is a non-profit educational organisation based
in Ventura, California. It was established in 1987. It has a board of directors, but their
names are not listed on the Brain Gym website. Brain Gym International is also based in
Ventura. The relationship between the two organisations is not explained on the Brain
Gym website. Brain Gym is a registered trademark of Brain Gym International.[9]
The Brain Gym instructor program is open to anyone. To become qualied as a consultant
there is a four stage training program, which consists of fourteen short courses of
between twenty-four and forty hours in length. The trainee must also complete fifteen
case studies, and attend six private consultations with a qualified instructor - these can be
completed over the telephone.[10][11]

[edit] Scientific criticism

Doing the "hook-ups" movement, "to calm the mind and improve concentration".[5]

Brain Gym has been criticized as being wholly unscientific in a wide-ranging and
authoritative review of research into neuroscience and education published in 2007 by the
UK Economic and Social Research Council's Teaching and Learning Research
Programme.[12] The report noted that doing any exercise can improve alertness, and
exercise systems like Brain Gym, regardless of their pseudoscientific ideas, may help for
that reason.[13]

In May 2006, Professor Usha Goswami, the director of Cambridge University's Centre
for Neuroscience in Education, wrote an article published in Nature, in which she says
that BrainGym and similar programmes are based on "neuromyths" that "need to be
eliminated". She attributes the "success of the brain-based learning industry" to
"inspirational marketing" which "ensures that teachers who attend these conferences do
get 'sold' on the supposed benefits of these programmes" and to "placebo effects" that
"may indeed bring benefits to children in the short term." In summary, she says that
teachers are very interested in neuroscience, but science is not yet ready to offer practical
advice.[14]

In 2008 Sense About Science published a briefing document in which thirteen British
scientists responded to statements taken from the "Brain Gym guide (Teacher’s Edition)".
Each of them entirely rejected the statements that were put to them. Brain Gym's
scientific content was described as "pseudo-scientific". One of the scientists, Professor of
neuroscience Colin Blakemore, said that "there have been a few peer reviewed scientific
studies into the methods of Brain Gym, but none of them found a significant
improvement in general academic skills."[15] Sense about Science, along with the British
Neuroscience Association and the Physiological Society, wrote to every Local Education
Authority in Britain to warn them about the program.[16]

In 2007 Dr. Keith Hyatt of Western Washington University wrote a paper in which he
analysed the available research into Brian Gym, as well as its theoretical basis. He
concluded that Brain Gym is not supported by research, and that its theoretical basis does
not stand up. The paper also encouraged teachers to learn how to read and understand
research, to avoid teaching material that has no rational basis.[17]

[edit] Criticism in the media

Brain Gym has been heavily criticized by Dr. Ben Goldacre of The Guardian's Bad
Science pages, who found no supporting evidence for the assertions put forward by Brain
Gym proponents in any of the main public research databases.[18] Upon learning that the
program was used at hundreds of UK state schools, he called it a "vast empire of
pseudoscience" and went on to dissect parts of their teaching materials, refuting, for
instance, claims that rubbing the chest would stimulate the carotid arteries, that
"processed foods do not contain water", or that liquids other than water "are processed in
the body as food, and do not serve the body's water needs."[19] Many teachers responded
by writing letters in support of Brain Gym based on their first hand experience and its
effectiveness in classroom settings. Goldacre reiterated his point that exercises and breaks
were good for students, and that he was merely attacking "the stupid underlying science
of Brain Gym".[20]

In a separate column, Guardian writer Philip Beadle sided with him, adding that
Goldacre's "argument is with what Dr Barry Beyerstein, a professor of psychology at
Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada, describes as 'commercial ventures
promoted by hucksters who mislead consumers into thinking that their products are sound
applications of scientific knowledge'."[21]

Newsnight did a piece on Brain Gym in early April 2008, which included an interview
between Jeremy Paxman and Paul Dennison. During the course of the interview
Dennison was challenged on the fact that many of the statements in the Brain Gym
Teachers' Manual are "arrant nonsense". Dennison said that he "leaves the explanations to
the experts", and, when challenged on his assertion that "processed foods do not contain
water", his defence was that "15 years ago that was the best information I had, and no-
one has complained about the teachers edition so far".[22]

Charlie Brooker, also writing in the Guardian, has expressed incredulity that the
Department for Children, Schools and Families is supportive of Brain Gym, despite its
broad condemnation by scientific organisations, and despite it being apparently nonsense.
[23]
[edit] See also
 Pseudoscience
 Alternative therapies for developmental and learning disabilities
 Kinesthetic learning

[edit] References
1. ^ "News in brief", The Times (2008-04-05). Retrieved on 1 September
2008. "Paul Dennison, a Californian educator who created the programme,
admitted that many claims in his teacher’s guide were based on his 'hunches' and
were not proper science."
2. ^ a b c "Brain Gym - about". The Official Brain Gym Web Site. Retrieved on 2008-
08-11.
3. ^ "Brain Gym - FAQ". The Official Brain Gym Web Site. Retrieved on 2008-08-
11. "Many of the BRAIN GYM activities, like the Owl, the Elephant, and the
Alphabet 8s, were developed from Dr. Dennison’s knowledge of the relationship
of movement to perception, and the impact of these on fine motor and academic
skills. Others were learned during his training as a marathon runner, his study of
vision training, his study of Jin Shin Jitsu (a form of acupressure), and his study
of Applied Kinesiology (taught to the public as the Touch for Health synthesis)."
4. ^ "Brain Gym - FAQ". The Official Brain Gym Web Site. Retrieved on 2008-08-
11.
5. ^ a b Beare, Kenneth. "Brain Gym Exercises". About.com. Retrieved on 2008-10-
11.
6. ^ "Brain Gym - FAQ". The Official Brain Gym Web Site. Retrieved on 2008-08-
11. "BRAIN GYM works by facilitating optimal achievement of mental potential
through specific movement experiences. All acts of speech, hearing, vision, and
coordination are learned through a complex repertoire of movements. BRAIN
GYM promotes efficient communication among the many nerve cells and
functional centers located throughout the brain and sensory motor system."
7. ^ "Brain Gym - FAQ". The Official Brain Gym Web Site. Retrieved on 2008-08-
15. "The Dennisons describe brain functioning in terms of three dimensions––
laterality, focus, and centering. Laterality is the ability to coordinate one side of
the brain with the other, especially in the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic
midfield, the area where the two sides overlap. This skill is fundamental to the
ability to read, write, and communicate. It is also essential for fluid whole-body
movement, and for the ability to move and think at the same time. Focus is the
ability to coordinate the back and front areas of the brain. ... Centering is the
ability to coordinate the top and bottom areas of the brain. ... The BRAIN GYM
movements interconnect the brain in these dimensions, allowing us to easily learn
through all the senses, to remember what we learn, and to participate more fully in
the events of our lives. ..."
8. ^ See the brain and human brain articles.
9. ^ "Brain Gym - FAQ". The Official Brain Gym Web Site. Retrieved on 2008-08-
15.
10. ^ "Requirements for Licensure as a Brain Gym Instructor / Consultant" (pdf).
Educational Kinesiology Foundation (2007). Retrieved on 2008-08-15.
11. ^ "Brain Gym Instructor & Educational Kinesiology Consultant Professional
Training Track". The Official Brain Gym Website for the UK. Retrieved on 2008-
08-15.
12. ^ "Neuroscience and Education: Issues and Opportunities" (PDF). the ESRC's
Teaching and Learning Research Programme website. Retrieved on 2007-08-
03. "The pseudo-scientific terms that are used to explain how this works, let alone
the concepts they express, are unrecognisable within the domain of neuroscience."
13. ^ "Neuroscience and Education: Issues and Opportunities" (PDF). the ESRC's
Teaching and Learning Research Programme website. Retrieved on 2007-08-
03. "short sessions of Brain Gym exercise have been shown to improve response
times, and such strategies, if they are effective, may work because exercise can
improve alertness."
14. ^ Goswami, Usha (May 2006). "Neuroscience and education: from research to
practice?" (fee required). Nature 7: 406–413. doi:10.1038/nrn1907,
http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v7/n5/abs/nrn1907.html. Retrieved on 11
August 2008. "Cognitive neuroscience is making rapid strides in areas highly
relevant to education. However, there is a gulf between current science and direct
classroom applications. Most scientists would argue that filling the gulf is
premature. Nevertheless, at present, teachers are at the receiving end of numerous
'brain-based learning' packages. Some of these contain alarming amounts of
misinformation, yet such packages are being used in many schools.".
15. ^ "Sense About Science - Brain Gym". Sense About Science. Retrieved on 2008-
04-11. "These exercises are being taught with pseudoscientific explanations that
undermine science teaching and mislead children about how their bodies work. ...
There have been a few peer reviewed scientific studies into the methods of Brain
Gym, but none of them found a significant improvement in general academic
skills."
16. ^ Randerson, James (2008-04-03). "Experts dismiss educational claims of Brain
Gym programme", The Guardian. Retrieved on 6 October 2008. "Two leading
scientific societies and a charity that promotes scientific understanding have
written to every local education authority in the the UK to warn that a programme
of exercises being promoted to help child learning relies on "pseudoscientific
explanations" and a "bizarre understanding" of how the body works."
17. ^ Hyatt, Keith J. (April 2007). "Brain Gym - Building Stronger Brains or Wishful
Thinking?" (fee required). Remedial and Special Education (SAGE Publications)
28 (2): 117–124. doi:10.1177/07419325070280020201. ISSN 0741-9325,
http://rse.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/28/2/117. Retrieved on 12 September
2008. "a review of the theoretical foundations of Brain Gym and the associated
peer-reviewed research studies failed to support the contentions of the promoters
of Brain Gym®. Educators are encouraged to become informed consumers of
research and to avoid implementing programming for which there is neither a
credible theoretical nor a sound research basis.".
 18. ^ Ben Goldacre (2003-06-12). "Work out your mind", The Guardian. Retrieved
on 3 August 2007. "On the off chance that it might not be rubbish I looked it up
on the main public research databases. Nothing supported their assertions."
19. ^ Ben Goldacre (2006-03-18). "Brain Gym exercises do pupils no favours", The
Guardian. Retrieved on 3 August 2007. "I've accidentally stumbled upon a vast
empire of pseudoscience being peddled in hundreds of state schools up and down
the country."
20. ^ Ben Goldacre (2006-03-25). "Exercise the brain without this transparent
nonsense", The Guardian. Retrieved on 3 August 2007. "The advice they are
offering is sensible: "take an exercise break to help you concentrate" ... But in
stark contrast, the science they use to justify this so often seems to be bogus,
empty PR, that promotes basic scientific misunderstandings, and most of all is
completely superfluous in every sense except the commercial: because the ropey
promotional "science" is the cornerstone of their commercial operation, they need
it to promote themselves as experts selling a product that is unique and distinct
from the obvious, sensible diet and exercise advice that you can't copyright."
21. ^ Philip Beadle (2006-06-13). "Keep your pupils stretched and watered", The
Guardian. Retrieved on 3 August 2007. "[Ben Goldacre's] argument is with what
Dr Barry Beyerstein, a professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University in
Burnaby, Canada, describes as "commercial ventures promoted by hucksters who
mislead consumers into thinking that their products are sound applications of
scientific knowledge."
22. ^ "Interview with Paul Dennison", Newsnight (2008-04-02). Retrieved on 12
September 2008. "Is the fact that you're not medically qualified explanation
enough for statements in this teachers manual of the kind that "processed foods do
not contain water", which you know is arrant nonsense?"
23. ^ Brooker, Charlie (2008-04-07). "Charlie Brooker on the pseudoscience of Brain
Gym", The Guardian. Retrieved on 1 September 2008. "All of which sounds like
hooey to me. And also to the British Neuroscience Association, the Physiological
Society and the charity Sense About Science, who have written to every local
education authority in the land to complain about Brain Gym's misrepresentation
of, um, reality."

[edit] External links

 Official Brain Gym website
 The Skeptic's Dictionary: Brain Gym

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_Gym"

Categories: Pseudoscience | Special education | Alternative therapies for developmental
and learning disabilities | Manipulative therapy | Pedagogy
Hidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced
statements since November 2008

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