Posted by School teachers may need to rethink their age old tradition of not allowing students to chew gum in their classrooms.
But a recent study by U.S. researchers has shown that students who chew gum in class – especially those in math classes – perform better than those who don’t chew gum.
The 14-week study was funded by Wrigley, a gum maker, and led by Craig Johnston and a team from Baylor College of Medicine located in Houston.
108 college students ranging from 13- to16-years-old were studied at a Houston charter school that serves mainly low-income Hispanic students.
About half of the students chewed a stick of gum during class, tests and homework. Eighty-six percent of the time while in math class, and 36 percent of the time while doing homework. The other half of students didn’t chew gum.
The results showed that after 14 weeks, the students who chewed gum showed a three percent increase in their math scores, according to the Texas Knowledge of Assessment and Skills, or TAKS test.
Johnson and his associates said the results were a small but statistical change.
Now where was this study when I was still in the lower education system? Remember the kid that was always getting in trouble for chewing gum in class? That was me.
At least it all makes sense why my math skills are so bad now, every time I got in trouble in math for chewing gum; I lost a bit of mathematical knowledge.
Chewing gum at school sounds good, unless you are the one having to clean the gum up that the kids at school stick everywhere. Or maybe the students could take turns cleaning the school, then it might work.
Uh oh Matt, you better duck.
Rather than giving the students detention, why don’t the schools make them clean up the school? Sounds like a good idea to me!