Chewing gum could stage a comeback in Chinese classrooms if authorities give green light to recommendations by the Chinese Psychological Society...“Chewing can help people improve their concentration span as it can boost the number of red blood cells in the brain by up to 28 per cent,” said Mei Jian, an expert with the society, citing research carried out at Kyushu University in Japan.
If this is true--and one report from the Mumbai (Bombay, India) Mirror isn't enough to convince me--I would rethink my policy.
Hat tip to the Education Wonks (see blogroll at left).
2 comments:
A few of our middle school students read a similar report, and approached our principal with their findings. Their negotiating efforts were rewarded with a one year "gum chewing ban lifting" pilot at our school, with the continued prohibition of gum chewing in physical education and science laboratories.
After that year, we reinstituted the ban. Not that it makes much differnce. My kids chew gum anyway. However, as you know, there are many more things to worry about in a classroom. I don't have time to chase all the gum-chewers down. So they continue to chew "under the radar."
Thanks for the mention! :-)
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