We all know that it's not a good idea for someone to sit too long, for health reasons that are too long to explain here. However, in many classrooms, children are still forced to sit at a table for a long time.
This publication analyzes why and how it affects young people. It was written by Brad Johnson and talked about education, physical education, school administration and leadership. He is a co-author of "Learning on Your Feet: Combining physical activity in the K-8 class".
This publication appeared for the first time in the Principal's publication, published by the National Association of Primary School Directors. They gave me permission to republish it. You can find more information on Johnson's website, doctorbradjohnson.com.
By Brad Johnson
With the decline in physical education and recreational time in the past 30 years, several disturbing trends have emerged. First is the problem of obesity: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 1 in 3 children in the US Law He is overweight or obese, double the eighties. From 2000 to 2009, the incidence of diabetes in adults (Type 2) in children and adolescents increased by 30 percent.
The diagnosis of children with attention / hyperactivity disorders has also increased sharply in recent years. In the 1990s, the use of psychostimulants such as Ritalin skyrocketed to 700 percent, and the United States now consumes nearly 90 percent of such supplies of drugs in the world. There were 5.7 million children aged 6 to 17 years who had been diagnosed with ADHD. If these statistics are related to infectious diseases, we will declare it a full epidemic. Instead, we call it education as usual.
Is it any wonder that children are bored, not doing assignments, annoying or disconnected when all they do is sit at a table and listen to lectures or work on assignments with little physical activity involved? From kindergarten to high school, students spend most of their academic life on the table. A class where students work quietly on their table may seem ideal, but the amount of time we put in a sitting position is almost inhuman.
[The right way, and it turns out to be wrong, the way children feel calm in class]
Brain-body connection.
Beyond the obvious problems related to health, research shows that sedentary education may be the reason why students' creativity and intelligence are hampered throughout the years of their formation.
Until the age of 4 years, children play and learn continuously in a state of constant movement. But when they enter school, the focus changes to uniformity, control, compliance with regulations and sitting at the table. We hurt our students in terms of general education and student achievement. So, what movements and learning are so important?
First, physical activity increases brain elasticity, which allows children to learn more easily. Second, there is evidence that contact with the natural environment has a calming effect on children. And third, exercise releases endorphins (neurotransmitters that produce a sense of well-being) that makes children feel more relaxed. Finally, the part of the brain that processes movement also processes learning. So when students sit still, the learning process is actually blocked rather than improving.
Some studies offer evidence that many years of fine motor exercise allows brain reorganization and nerve growth. Physical movements, such as standing, stretching, walking or walking, can help the brain to concentrate. If students feel sleepy, for example, they should be left standing in the back of the room for two minutes and lying on their own.
When I teach middle-level science, I always make students move. It will allow students to stand next to their table, sit on the floor or lie on the floor, even when taking notes. If a student has excess energy, he will let them do push-ups behind the class. This is the norm for class quickly, so there are some behavioral problems.
Changes in body position help develop the vestibular system (inner ear and balance), change blood chemistry and develop central muscles. And physical activity, especially strength and balance training, helps develop the executive part of executive functions where new learning is processed. Executive functions include cognition, organization, focus, emotional regulation and the ability to do many tasks, all of which help students succeed academically.
Unfortunately, only 1 in 12 students had the strength and balance of students in the 1980s.
Influence of technology
In the past 20 or 30 years, Americans have fallen in love with technology to the point where we believe that every child must have a device and that the device will be a great balancer in education. But the decline in scores might indicate that technology is more guilty than cure.
When we examine the countries that lead the world according to the international PISA score, we see a striking difference. In Finland, students receive 15 minutes of rest not only once or twice a day, but every hour. Finnish officials told Politico that they did not need a laptop or iPad to reach the top of international education. When the morning class starts, the smart phone disappears. Students, some of the best performers in the world, cut paper charts and solve the equation using an awkward plastic calculator. Teachers prefer practical learning methods, using a blackboard, not a blackboard.
Likewise, South Korea wanted to immerse its schools in technology a few years ago, but realized that too much technology might not be good for students. Schools limit the amount of class time spent on computers and have not seen a decrease in test scores.
Class management
When they are surveyed, teachers generally say that class administration is the most difficult part of teaching. We have all been trained in various methods for managing behavior. Many say that relationships, expectations, and consistency are the key to behavior management. But behavior is less related to teacher actions than to students themselves.
If a student swings, swings or touches a pencil or foot constantly, that does not mean that they do not care about rules and expectations; that means they are children who have a lot of energy. As I mentioned earlier, the area of brain executive function is responsible for regulating emotions, organizational skills, focus and multitasking, traits that influence students' ability to behave in class.
Imagine a director walking at the end of a classroom and watching students bow at their tables, touch a pencil or a bottle of water. Your first thought might be that the teacher doesn't participate or the lesson is boring. The reality is that it cannot be true either; on the contrary, students may be lacking
Central strength to sit and focus on the lesson.
The study said
In the past three decades, we have seen a large increase in the diagnosis of ADHD and the number of students who are overweight and obese. This is a recipe for disaster. Classes that are physically active can change this trend.
What are the effects of adding more physical activity to academic classes? Mark Benden, director of the Ergonomics Center at Texas A & M, has many schools that use pilot programs to make classrooms more active. His research shows many benefits: there is a decrease in medication for ADHD among students in their classrooms; The body mass index among overweight students in the active class showed a significant decrease. Executive functions and working memory show a significant increase, which leads to improved academic performance.
Physical activity also shows positive results in alternative schools. Classes of students with behavioral problems and learning problems began using treadmills and stationary bikes at the beginning of class. Within four months, students use fewer drugs, improve their behavior, and increase their average grades in reading, writing, and mathematics.
These results reinforce the idea that traditional, immovable classrooms centered on tables must be redesigned to better adapt to student needs. It can even be as simple as giving students a "brain break" every 15 minutes to stand and stretch, or offer a stable ball chair, mats and other accessories. To improve student focus, task behavior, performance and general well-being, including physical activity in the classroom. It's time to get students out of their seats and learn about their feet!