In a webinar presented by Coach Paul Zientarski of Naperville, Illinois, the main focus is on the importance of physical activity being implemented in schools and the positive effects of physical education programs. Not only can physical activity influence one’s body and weight, it also impacts the mind and can improve learning. Exercise prepares the mind in a number of ways, including improvements in impulse control, attention, and behavior. The webinar included evidence from previous studies that have shown the effects on the brain when physical activity is present in a child’s day. One example showed the comparisons of brain activity of students that were sitting quietly before taking a test and those that had taken a 20-minute walk before the test. Results showed that while taking the test, those that had walked for 20 minutes were using more brain activity than those that had not taken a walk beforehand (image below). Based on this result, even the simple movement of walking can enhance the brain and prepare it for learning.
Paul Zientarski also discussed his own program, Learning-Readiness Physical Education (LRPE). The physical education course took place before a reading class, so that the influence of physical activity on learning and achievement in the classroom could be measured. The program included different components such as core strength, cross lateral activities, team building, and academic support while exercising. Academic support while exercising allowed students to study or do some type of academic tasks while doing low-intensity activity such as riding a stationery bike. By the end of the semester, kids in the exercise class did 56% better in the reading class than the ones that did not participate. The school was so impressed with these results, they did the same program with children struggling in a math class and saw improvements with that as well. Similar programs are being implemented in schools across the country, so it is possible to use this intervention in a variety of communities and schools. These physical activity programs could also be used during the school day to increase standardized test scores, and also show students a way to prepare for tests such as the SAT, ACT, and GRE.
This information could be useful for health educators to take into the schools and promote the positive learning outcomes for students that can come from exercising. This could greatly benefit many school districts that are considering taking out physical education and recess from the school day and help them to understand the many learning benefits that can result from exercise. However, it can only be successful if physical education teachers are willing to work hard and get the children moving and involved. If implemented in an appropriate way, this could lead many school administrators to improving physical education and motivating the physical education teachers to get more involved in programs like LRPE. For more information on the benefits of physical education in schools, check out https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/pecat/quality_pe.pdf.
Webinar: http://physicalactivitysociety.org/2016/09/13/naperville-illinois-webinar/
This study is one that if I was going into physical education, I would 100% implement and help encourage other educators to do the same. I know for me, I always have a better attention span and feel more awake if I do some sort of physical activity, whether that is taking a run, going for a walk or just getting up and moving around if I have been sitting still for a long period of time. In a culture that now puts so much emphasis on academia, which yes, is very important, but physical activity tends to get pushed aside, I think this is a great study to present to a school board system regardless of the level of education. I know that when I was taking the GRE and other standardized tests, they are very strict about not getting up from the test and keeping movements to a minimal, but I truly believe that if I was allowed to take a lap or even move around when I felt my brain and body getting restless, I would of improved my score. I would like to see this study in a variety of education levels and see the results if physical activity really does improve attention span, and grades.
Reading your blog post reminded me of an initiative that was as implemented in some schools in Nebraska (http://netnebraska.org/basic-page/learning-services/whole-child). Between class periods, the teachers and the students engaged in short bouts of physical activity. In addition, the teachers and students scheduled groups walks together from one school to another. I believe that if we want to integrate these kind of programs in schools, there needs to be multiple levels of support. The PE teachers need more support in terms of training and autonomy; as we learned in class, PE teachers are the only teachers that cannot take days off for training. In addition(as shown in the video), the other teachers need to get involved as well; the PE teachers cannot do everything, but they can train the teachers on the physical activities that can be done between or during class periods.
I hate how we ‘do things backwards’ in so many areas of education. We used to have recess without a second thought. Then we take recess away and (for a myriad of reasons) children are becoming restless, overweight, and performing poorly in school. Then it takes a senior level research to say, “Hmmm maybe, just maybe, we should let them…play!!!” Funding, planning, IRB approval later we determine that PA is good for kids, which we arguably knew all along. It’s silly. However, I think its very cool that we have quantifiable data with the research mentioned regarding test scores comparing kids who were physically active versus not. Hopefully this evidence will be enough to prove to the administrators and policy makers (who never step foot inside a classroom) that PA is an essential component of the school day.
This is really great information. I love that research has shown that exercise can be something utilized in the classroom as a way to get children to improve their scores. What is really interesting to me though is the brain scans. I can see that the brain is more activated after a 20 minute walk, but I am curious at the “after sitting quietly” side. I am wondering if the results would be different if they were taught mindfulness. Many studies have found similar increases in test scores when children were taught mindfulness. So, perhaps it was just mindlessness that was not activating the brain? Maybe they can combine both and practice some mindful exercise like yoga. Either way, I agree with Staci, the problem is going to be getting policy members to make the change, because the research is
there and just needs to utilized.
http://time.com/3682311/mindfulness-math/