Truck and Barter

“Insulin mops up glucose in the bloodstream, and chewing causes the releasevof insulin, because the body is expecting food. Insulin receptors in the hippocampus may be involved in memory. Therefore, it has been hypothesized that chewing might improve long-term and working memory. In an experiment, one-third of 75 adults tested chewed gum during a 20-minute battery of memory and attention tests. One-third mimicked chewing movements, and the rest did not chew. Gum-chewers' scores were 24 percent higher than the controls' on tests of immediate word recall, and 36 percent higher on tests of delayed word recall. They were also more accurate on tests of spatial working memory. Chewing gum elevated heart rate significantly above that in the sham chewing and control conditions. This response may improve cognitive function due to increased delivery of blood to the brain. But attentional tasks, which might be described as assessing purer aspects of "concentration," were unaffected by chewing gum. Thus, chewing gum may improve performance in certain memory tasks. Nevertheless, teachers typically ask students to stop chewing gum when they enter the class.”

- Efficient Learning for the Poor- Insights from the Frontier of Cognitive Neuroscience, World Bank, p. 32.

Related;

Learning with All Kinds of Minds; We now know that we all differ in the way we think. We have different areas of natural strength and weakness which can deeply affect our learning experience. We look at some alternative approaches to helping children achieve their potential and we hear from the mother of a boy with Tourette's syndrome who's school experience has been transformed. Also a psychologist speaks about the importance of teaching children to manage their emotions in school- a podcast from Radio National, see also the various links on their website.

Enlightened Educator- weblog

All kinds of Minds; is a non-profit Institute that helps students who struggle with learning measurably improve their success in school and life by providing programs that integrate educational, scientific, and clinical expertise

Connecting Minds: Unlocking the Potential (upcoming conference)