Newsnight - Brain Gym part 2

Part 2 of the Brain Gym segment on Newsnight, Tuesday 2nd April 2008.

Interview with Paul Dennison

Part 1 here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5rH7k...

Edit: For more on brain gym, visit Dr Ben Goldacre's blog "Bad Science" here:
http://www.badscience.net/?cat=32

• Category

  Education

[masalinks]

I had considered posting it under the comedy section.

[freefrench]

Why knock it? Because million of pounds of our money is being spent on complete quackery. No-one would deny that getting kids to focus and exercise helps them study better. But there's no such thing as a f#cking "energy yawn". And this dangerous bastard is making millions out of peddling complete bollocks. Just listen to him. Listen to this interview. He's a dick.

[macflyfilm]

But it was founded in LA by a guy who can barely speak - it simply must be the real thing! ;)

[Christa Graves]

I feel sorry for Mr. Dennison, just because he doesn´t come across very well doesn´t mean what he has created is rubbish. Please ask yourself, can a method really spread across the globe (80 countries) be mumble jumble? Do you really need scientific proof? Can you trust a scientist anyhow who just simply operates within his own paradigm? You cannot judge the contents of a book by its cover. You need to read it and so it is with anything. Try it for yourself and then come back and judge it.

[RobCoxxy]

Close your eyes. You can imagine being swindled by Yogi Bear.

[enragedhedgehog]

My brain button just popped and processed energy went all over the ceiling.

[RedWurm]

Letting children have a break in lessons and do a bit of physical exercise will work. It also has the added benefit of not giving part of a school's budget to a charlatan and not involving lying to children about the particular brand of magic he's peddling.

The alternative to fiction is reality.

[caritotorres24]

the interviewer is such a moron, he is doing his job objectively, he is on a witch haunt on this teacher that might not be a good writer, but has clearly had an impact on the classrooms where his books have been applied. The neuroscientists had a lot to criticize but I didn't hear any alternatives.

[dogbags]

what a fantastic amount of bullshit

[Nilguiri]

Why is this charlatan moron not in a mental facility or a jail? My brain hurts!

[andywaggott]

It's my opinion that Paul Dennison should have pressed a few brain buttonsor done a few exercises before he came on here for this interview - he came across almost as a complete charlatan, who'd have thought...