Visitors walking through Carleton High School are often surprised when they pass Bradley Gordon's French class and see students riding on exercise bikes and sitting on yoga balls. Is it a French class, or is it a gym class? Well, it's a bit of both!

Two major concerns in education are childhood obesity and ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, a disorder that results in restlessness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. With high rates of obesity and also students struggling with ADHD in classes across the country, Mr. Gordon came up with an innovative intervention to address both. He decided to infuse academic studies with physical activity in his own classroom.

The idea came to Gordon after a personal experience in university while working on his bachelor's degree. "I didn't have time to schedule a separate slot for exercise, and my health deteriorated rapidly," said Gordon. "After feeling sick and fatigued for months, I decided to couple my studying with my workouts. To my surprise it proved incredibly helpful. My grades started improving and so did my overall fitness and health."

Gordon implemented the approach with his students to great effect last year. Despite the students' excitement and academic improvement, he met resistance from the school's principal, Dawn Epstein, who was not convinced that academics and physical exercise should be amalgamated. "Although exercise is certainly important, I didn't think it had any place in academics. I assumed exercise would exacerbate ADHD,” Epstein asserted.

It turns out Ms. Epstein’s reaction is a common misconception. As Dr. John Ratney, psychiatry professor at Harvard Medical School, explains: “Exercise turns the attention system on, and helps with working memory, prioritizing and sustaining attention.” Sustained physical exertion causes kids to be less impulsive and more prone to learn. That’s precisely what Mr. Gordon found a year into the intervention. “My students’ endurance, both physical and mental, has improved. They are fit, and eager to learn. Even students diagnosed with ADHD have displayed less physical agitation, which has helped them to learn better.” So, when you walk by Mr. Gordon’s class and see bikes spinning, know that minds are at work.