Allison Cameron

Sept 20th 2010

In EdPsych class last week, we watched a video about a woman named Allison Cameron. She is a teacher at City Park Collegiate High School in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This school is focused on alternative learning and generally kids that need a little bit of extra help attend this school. More than half of Cameron’s class is diagnosed with ADHD or Oppositional Defiance Disorder.

Allison Cameron read a book named Spark by Harvard Professor Dr. John Ratey, and found the content intriguing. In short, his book is about the effect of exercise on focus and learning. He found that in teenagers, if kept in constant motion with their heart rates between 65% and 70% for twenty minutes, they could concentrate more. According to Dr.Ratey, kids are sharper, more attentive, less fidgety, less impulsive, and can sustain attention longer when they raise their heart rates regularly. Allison Cameron decided to try this on her grade 8 class, and she had amazing results! Her class gained a full grade level in English, which is about double what they would normally do. In addition to the gains at school, they were better behaved at home too. Parents were telling her that they had better attention and behavior, were eating better, and even were encouraging their parents to go for walks around the neighbourhood.

I found this video very interesting! I know through my own experience that when I have a day of eating poorly and being lethargic, I can’t focus on anything and all I want to do is watch TV. On the other hand, when I have a day that I jog or go to the gym and eat well, I feel like I can do anything, like I can take on the world! I find it very intriguing that there is actual proof that working out can help you focus. I always thought so much, but now that I know there’s some concrete information behind it, I’ll be going to the gym all the time! Maybe this way I will do really well in my Educational Psychology class!