only reduces their capacity to retain more
information for longer periods, but actually
degrades the neural circuits that were once
used for deep thought and concentration,
while at the same time strengthening those
used for cursory reading and multitasking.
Conversely, applying memorization exer-
cises to one subject can positively affect per-
formance in all subjects.
In his best-selling book, “Deep Work,”
Cal Newport states that, “a side effect of
memory training, is an improvement in your
general ability to concentrate. This ability
can be applied to any task demanding deep
work.”
Nowhere is this more apparent than with
the dwindling ability of my students to ad-
here to step-by-step directions. Over the last
few years, my science lab directions have
gone from one set per lab, being written ex-
clusively on my whiteboard or overhead for
the students to follow, to being posted on
each wall, my website, a copy handed to each
student, and a “pre-reading” of the lab and
my expectations. Still, compliance to the di-
rections is markedly decreasing, and this is
24
Leadership
by no means exclusive just in my classroom;
my colleagues agree that this group of chil-
dren insist on asking for guidance, instead of
dedicating time to read the directions they
know will answer their questions. Teachers
are becoming the oars to help students navi-
gate the shallows.
Metabolic syndrome: Exacerbating
childhood obesity
“The brain appears to be designed to 1)
solve problems, 2) related to surviving, 3)
in an unstable outdoor environment, and
4) to do so in nearly constant motion. I
call this the brain’s performance envelope”
(Medina, 2008).
Our modern day classroom design runs
in stark contrast to the way our evolution-
ary brains were designed to process and re-
tain information. In his book “Brain Rules,”
John Medina suggests that if one wanted
to design an environment detrimental to
learning, they would develop something
eerily similar to the average American class-
room: predictable, artificially illuminated
and physically confining. Force the inactive
child to stare at a computer screen in that
cognitively restrictive environment, and you
exacerbate the problem.
The brain works best when in motion be-
cause exercise increases the amount of oxy-
gen to the brain; while exposure to natural
sunlight has been shown to improve mood,
restore disrupted wake/sleep cycles that are
the direct result of too much artificial light
from computer screens, and positively im-
pact metabolism (Garber, 2013).
Today’s average teen is spending up to
nine hours per day in front of a screen –
thanks in part to classroom computers and
tablets. That’s a shocking statistic, but even
more disturbing when research shows that
screen time is directly responsible for weight
gain, high blood pressure, high fasting glu-
cose, and elevated triglyceride levels. Unfor-
tunately, the effects of metabolic syndrome
may only be remedied with a screen time re-
duction. Diet and additional exercise alone
cannot undo the damage. “High screen time
was associated with an increased likelihood
of (metabolic syndrome) independent of
physical activity, diet and other important