Noted Neurophysiologist Carla Hannaford to teach "Brain Gym" techniques to educators, students, parents

Listen to Dr. Hannaford's interview with TCC's Margie Menzel

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (September 26, 2006) - Dr. Carla Hannaford, known for her groundbreaking work on the relationship between movement and learning, will demonstrate the best ways to achieve student success at Tallahassee Community College.

A biologist and educator with more than 30 years of experience, Hannaford is the author of Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head, in which she wrote that "movement is essential to learning. Movement awakens and activates many of our mental capacities." One of her studies, for instance, determined that children who spent an hour a day exercising did better on exams than students who didn't exercise at all.

Hannaford will explain the physiology of learning - including heart and brain research and the effects of movement, nutrition and environment - in an evening workshop, free and open to the public, on Oct. 5. She'll also demonstrate "Brain Gym" exercises, which dramatically accelerate the higher functions of the cerebellum: memory, spatial perception, language, attention, and decision-making.

"Students who have trouble taking tests are going to learn techniques to keep their stress in control," said TCC Math Professor Karen Kinard, who encourages parents to attend as well - "especially if they notice their children having trouble learning."

In addition, Hannaford, a former counselor for students with learning disabilities, has conducted extensive research on how movement and learning interact for exceptional children.

"Brain Gym is one of the most important strategies I have encountered in my 30 years of teaching," said Cynthia Gaines, a teacher of exceptional students at Gilchrist Elementary and 1984 Florida Teacher of the Year. Gaines spends the first 30 minutes of each day doing Brain Gym activities and integrates them into her teaching.

"Professionally, I am very committed to Brain Gym - personally, even more so," said Emily Millett, a former member of the Leon County School Board whose granddaughters are reading on grade level "after a bad start. For the oldest, after years of tutoring had no impact, we discovered she had vision problems that were correctable with a combination of Brain Gym and vision therapy. She went from reading at a first-grade level to reading at a fifth-grade level in six months."

Hannaford's public workshop will run from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5 in EWD 105 and 107. She'll also conduct a two-day workshop for educators, which offers continuing education credits and Brain Gym certification, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 7 and Sun., Oct. 8. For more information, please contact Emily Millett at (850) 385-5444 or Emillett10@earthlink.net.