Customer Reviews

Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First, a little bit about the author. Carla Hannaford is a Ph.D. neurophysiologist and educator who was a professor of biology for twenty years. She is an internationally recognized consultant on education and is recognized for oustanding teaching of science by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Smart Moves is not just for teachers or parents. It is for everyone! Anyone who has been labeled as hyperactive, with ADD, ADHD or dyslexia or anyone who wants to enhance

their mental functions or make the learning process easier can benefit immensely from this book.

Carla shows how Brain Gym, a system of physical movements and exercises to enhance brain functions, are based on scientifically established neurophysiological functions and how it can be used by both children and adults to both overcome learning difficulties and improve general brain functions related to learning, coordination, communication and physical performance.

I have had personal experience with Brain Gym, since my wife has been a Brain Gym instructor for over five years. I have seen how it has helped both adults and children to enhance their learning skills, overcome learning difficulties and in general improve their mental functions. I therefore highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in improving their mental performance! It is well written, insightful, practical, interesting and most beneficial.

Books on education and/or how to overcome learning disabilities and hyper-active mental states are not hard to come by. But many do not provide proven, accessible no-cost methods for achieving immediate, verifiable results, such as one finds in this indispensable tome. There couldn't be an easier way to learn about and use the most innovative and useful concepts in education today, than reading this book. Through simple physical exercises (developed by Dr. Paul and Gail Dennison with a team of researchers), Ms. Hannaford, who is a neurophysiologist, proves that mental processes are accessed via physcial movements and can be significantly improved with little or no difficulty.

I originally began using these exercises for myself as a professional violinist, to improve concentration, relaxation in performance and just general handling of stress on stage. It was so helpful I showed it to my adult amateur students and they learned new music far more rapidly than would be normal for their level of skill. Over the past 13 years I have taught these exercises to actors, musicians, doctors, teachers, writers, etc. in New York and have gotten consistent results. The best part of it is, each exercise takes only a few minutes or for some, a few seconds. They don't cost any money (unless you want to take a class or see a specialist) and I can do them backstage or in the bathroom or anywhere, really. It's terrific. If you're interested in brain development in children, especially babies, I also recommend "How to Teach Your Baby to be Physically Superb" by Glenn Doman. Enjoy!

Carla Hannaford's book is a revelation. In this easy to read book (I found it hard not to put down!) she explains that simple movements/exercises greatly enhance learning and our capacity to learn. Using these techniques has effected my practice sessions, performances (I'm a pianist) and the way I deal with stress.

As a result, I am more aware of the ways I internalize information and that full body and brain integration (left and right hemispheres)is KEY to unblocking hidden potential.

This is priceless information and it can be found in this book!

This is an immensely helpful book for parents who have smart children who are lagging behind their peers in learning to read and write. Hannaford maintains that learning should incorporate the entire person -- including lots of movement. Her book offers an overview of what may be occuring neurologically, reassuring anecdotes, helpful excercises and, most importantly, the positive idea that since children learn in different ways and at different times, those who are teaching them must find the right way to teach them. Even children with visual or auditory processing problems can learn the appropriate material if that material is presented focussing on each child's strengths. This book is a good stepping stone for parents, leading them to seek the appropriate help (through the school and perhaps with a neurologist) for their children.

This book contains research results, practical ways to help enhance learning, and an introduction to Brain Gym and its core exercises. As an occupational therapist I highlighted something on almost every page either as a reminder for me to consider the information in reference to my therapy sessions, or to discuss it with parents. The developmental information presented about when different areas of the brain mature and the practical implications of the maturation were very helpful for me.

This book gives an excellent description of waht is going on inside a child and it explains why play is so important to the development of a healthy child. It gives great exercises a parent can do to promote good sensory processing. Additionally, it is highly recommened by some of the top therapists in the country who work with sensory processing problems.

I've been doing BrainGym exercises for the last 8 months and have enjoyed a marked improvement in my general coordination, and my ability to focus and handle stress. Hanniford's book, while often too technical for my untrained mind, helped me to understand the "Why's" behind the method. As will all BrainGym-related books, however, "Smart Moves" could benefit from the talents of an astute editor and a proficient illustrator.

A revised and enlarged edition of this classic (1995) has just been published. Carla is always at the cutting-edge. Her insights have been confirmed by advances in neuro-sciences and all of the first edition are still valid. But it is good to have some additional new input from the past 10 years. I'll first select a few quotes as appetizer.
Candace Pert, from Georgetown University, in her Introduction, admits that Carla "has also highlighted new research and insights which go beyond my 1999 book Molecules of Emotion... Learning is naturally a pleasurable experience and Carla Hannaford shows us how to return to that state as she explores the research, and ways and means of achieving the optimal learning environment."
Carla in concluding her Preface: "It has been a wonderful experience to bring forward so much new research, which strongly supports our need as human beings to connect, love, laugh, play and share music with each other to make each moment the best learning experience possible. I invite and challenge you to partake of the new findings of science, and to explore simple ways to optimize our experience and that of our children, to live more complete, passionate, creative, satisfying lives."
An important up-date is the heart-brain connection, more elaborated in her excellent book: Awakening the Child Heart: Handbook for Global Parenting. Other short, but significant up-date reports are interspersed throughout the book.
There are more expansions in Chapters 11: The Vestibular System, and 12: Fight and Flight--The Stress Effect on Learning.
Additional paragraphs on oxytocin and dopamine in relation to learning have been included. Those who don't mind being distracted by more neuro-chemistry, may find Why We Love and The Edge Effect also interesting.
There are some changes and additional diagrams and photos. I'm glad that Carla's own artistic sketchings are all kept.
This book is a "must" for every parent and educator.

I read this book -- the first time -- when it was initially released in 1995, and I was overwhelmed by the validation it provided me. At that point, I'd been a children's movement specialist for 16 years and had been working tirelessly to help teachers and parents understand the importance of movement in the child's life and education. Carla Hannaford -- a neurophysiologist! -- was now backing me up!

With today's increasing emphasis on standardized testing, Smart Moves becomes an even more important resource, as it details why the mind and body are NOT separate entities. I display this book at every presentation I make to parents and teachers!

Rae Pica
Author, Your Active Child

Hi-- This info is essential for any teacher and great input for parents. I've personally known Carla for 15 years---and want to say that she truly knows her stuff! Carla explains how we learn in this book. She also gives solid research for why we need to move, speak, and express ourselves in order to learn. I recommend this book highly. If you get a chance to take one of Carla's workshops--don't miss the opportunity! Chris Brewer