Cool Brain Research

What? What is he currently reasearching?
Dr. John Ratey is a Clinical Psychiatrist and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard. His current research deals with exercise and the brain. He published a book in 2008 called, "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain." This book is about how exercise can help students in the learning process. It talks of how exercise addresses different systems of the brain including the attention system, impulse control system, learning and memory and the executive functioning area; it also promotes a good internal environment for learning (causes a release of neurotransmitters and talks of how exercise promotes neurogenesis.

So What? What does his research have to do with education?
His research deals with education in saying that exercise helps the student to learn. The experiments that have been done in different schools have shown that students who have a regular exercise program do better in school. If this is the case then schools would do good to continue physical education programs and to make sure that each student has the chance for physical activity each day. This could be a way for teachers to help their students become the best possible students.

Now What? How might I use this knowledge in my future career as an educator?
I would use this knowledge as a teacher by encouraging physical education in the school curriculum for all students. I would make sure that it was catered to each persons needs, because not all like doing the same thing. Giving students options in physical education gets more students involved in physical activity. Another thing I would do is try to incorporate physical activity into my lessons as much as possible. Depending on the subject, that could be hard but doable. I may also start an exercise club which met before school, this way I would provide another opportunity for physical activity for students.