Why should movement be incorporated into the classroom curriculum? Presented by Evan, Melani, April, and Larissa

What is physical activity?  Physical activity is any movement that requires energy to be burned.  Physical activity can be beneficial in many ways:  It can promote strong bones and muscles  Increase endurance and flexibility  Reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes  Relieve stress and anxiety

Childhood Obesity  Overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water, or a combination of these factors.  Obesity is defined as having excess body fat.  Being overweight and obesity are the result of “caloric imbalance”—too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed—and are affected by various genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.

Obesity continued...  The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 20% in Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12– 19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period.  Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Obesity continued…  Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self- esteem.  Healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy eating and physical activity, can lower the risk of becoming obese and developing related diseases.  Schools play a particularly critical role by establishing a safe and supportive environment with policies and practices that support healthy behaviors. Schools also provide opportunities for students to learn about and practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors.

Different Types of Learners  There are four primary learning styles:  visual  auditory  read-write  kinesthetic  There are a variety of types of learners in a single classroom.  Therefore, it is important to incorporate multiple teaching methods.  An active learning process involves listening, demonstrating, interacting, and understanding in order to engage all learners.

Why is Movement Important in the Classroom?  In the classroom, physical activity translates to students who are less fidgety, more focused and can concentrate for longer periods of time.  According to Elliot and Sanders, “In addition to the health benefits of physical activity, movement is an integral part of the young child’s life and education, for it is through movement that children develop social, emotional and cognitive skills. For young children, movement is a critical means of communication, expression and learning. It is imperative that classroom teachers give children as many opportunities as possible to be physically active and to learn through movement.”

Continued…  Standing appears to provide a 5–15% greater flow of blood and oxygen to the brain, thereby creating more arousal of attention (Jensen, 1995).  Specific movements can stimulate the release of the body’s natural motivators, such as noradrenaline and dopamine, which wake up learners and help them feel good, maximize their energy levels, and improve their storage of information and retrieval (Jensen, 2000).

Continued…  Neuronal connections made through movement of the body help children develop the neuronal systems they will need when ready to read (Hannaford, 1995). Elementary teachers can integrate teaching experiences and pedagogical strategies to incorporate movement into the classroom. Teachers should value the importance of physical activity and how it can enhance the learning outcomes for students.  Some students learn best through movement during instruction. If you prevent these students from moving, they have trouble learning. Kinesthetic learners put all of themselves into learning. You may recognize them in the classroom because they tap fingers, doodle, swing feet and prefer hands-on learning to listening or watching. Rather than trying to keep them still, help them learn through movement.

Continued…  Due to the strong pressure put on schools to prepare their students for the standardized  Ask yourself:  Can movement be taught in the classroom?  Can Math, Language Arts, Social Studies and Science be taught using movement?  The answer to these questions is, “yes:”

How Can Movement be Integrated in the Classroom Curriculum?  As future teachers of young children, we know that most children are innately physically active. They learn as they move throughout their environment.  Aerobic Activities  State Changes  Energizers/Learning Activators/Brain Breaks  Integrated Activities  Energizers are classroom based physical activities that integrate physical activity with academic concepts.

Aerobic Activity Time  Aerobic benefits: increased heart rate and breathing rate  Muscular Strength and Endurance benefits  Flexibility benefits (stretching)  Get oxygen to brain  Increased attentiveness and focus

State Changes  Stimulus that brings about a change in a student ’ s thoughts, feelings, or physiology  Effective technique for highlighting what needs to be of focus  Combine repetition with state changes and recall/comprehension increases

Types of State Changes:  Directional  TTYN (Turn to Your Neighbor)  Differ area of teaching & proximity  Different areas of classroom for aids  Traveling  Get up and move  Switch seats  Questioning  Stand up if…  Wiggle your fingers if…  Human graphing  Different Colors  Paper  Font  Presentation

Energizers  Enhances learning environment  Promotes readiness for learning  Creates excitement  Overcome fatigue, drowsiness, and drag  Sense of shared fun and boosts teamwork

Integrated Activities  Addresses the needs of kinesthetic learners  Promotes deep understanding of concepts  Serves two purposes: Movement and Activity to Meet A Curricular objective  Examples:  Acting out the meaning of a given word  Making the shape of letters using your body  Use hopscotch as a tool in teaching addition

What may be some arguments against integrating movement in the classroom?  Safety Hazards – Not enough space in the classroom for movement activities to take place  Not enough time to fit it in  Behavior problems/Classroom management issues  Students can exercise on their own time, not in the classroom.  School board and administrators feel that teachers should teach to the test and only rely on what needs to be taught by using direct instruction.

Concluding Thoughts…  Due to budget cuts and the pressures to perform on standardized tests, children are not getting the recommended 60 minutes of PE each day at school.  By integrating physical activity into the classroom curriculum, teachers would help their students to develop physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively.  Physical activity has been proven to improve academic achievement, cognitive skills and behavior, and enhance concentration.  Physical activity is CRITICAL in educating the whole child.

Resources   forks.k12.nd.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid= forks.k12.nd.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid= 9567   Ideas for Learning Through Movement in the Classroom | eHow.com classroom.html#ixzz1sDd2PMDm Ideas for Learning Through Movement in the Classroom | eHow.com classroom.html#ixzz1sDd2PMDm    

Resources continued…  National School Board Association-  National School Board Association- umentTheNeedforPhysicalEducationandPhysicalActivityinOurSc hools.txt National School Board Association- umentTheNeedforPhysicalEducationandPhysicalActivityinOurSc hools.txt  Elllo-   International Debate Education Association- 