Finally, a brain science finding with a major impact on teaching … and the story of my change
Think Tank: Exercise
Curtis Kelly
Finally, a brain science finding with a major impact on teaching … and the story of my change
When I first heard the podcast ten years ago(“ Deep” link on first page), it changed my life. That is why I chose it for this Think Tank. Ginger Campbell, the host of the Brain Science Podcast, considers it one of her favorites too.
When I listened to Dr. John Ratey for the first time, I understood the implications of his research right away. Unlike so many other findings in neuroscience with little impact on teaching, this one would affect the way I teach.
Rather than showing us new ways, neuroscience usually just gives the basis for what we already knew intuitively, such as that personalization leads to engagement. What Ratey found about exercise and movement, however, is different. Ratey’ s work relates to many of our deepest concerns about the classroom: What can I do for my students when they are so faded after a long day of classes? Is their brain power at a low too? Ratey also provides some solutions: They need their hearts to pump harder to wash away toxins. Make them move.
Thanks to this podcast, I have made numerous changes to the way I teach. These changes did not happen right away, so let me tell you how I came to them.
To start with, I have long known that glutamate is the most important neurotransmitter in the brain – it lets neurons send signals – but I did not know that it was also toxic. If you use your brain a lot, with no neural recovery time and low blood flow, glutamate builds up. At high levels, it is toxic and causes cell damage and death, which we experience as mental fatigue. To paraphrase an NIH study:
Mental fatigue appears as a decreased ability to intake and process information over time. Mental exhaustion becomes pronounced when cognitive tasks have to be performed for longer time periods with no breaks( cognitive loading). It results in a lack of motivation, sensitivity to loudness and light, irritability, affect lability( strong emotions), stress intolerance, and headaches.
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