A radical proposal! Why not find ways to use movement to assist learning during a lesson? My sister teaches a reading class for children using a program called Zoophonics which ensures learning in the muscles as well as in the brain because the students make the shapes of the letters with their bodies as they say them. As an acting teacher, I use movement to help actors memorize scripts in their muscles. Doing so has released many actors from the fear of memorizing lines.If I can do this at the college level, and my sister at the primary level, I am sure that some creative teachers could invent ways to teach everything actively. Descartes was wrong!
Short of taking a test where movement might make cheating too easy, is there any reason kids can't get up and move around every few minutes? On their own, say, after completion of a task or reading a passage.
School rules about constant sitting through the high school years seem unfair to students, particularly boys.
1
I'm a teacher. At a middle school where I worked in the past we were empowered to take the students out at the end of class for outdoor active time. We had 90 minute classes which is too long for 13 and 14 year olds to just be sitting. So if they were attentive and well behaved they were rewarded with 15 minutes of exercise.
I had a variety of balls. The boys were grateful to be very active. The girls generally wanted to clump up in a corner and gaze at their cell phones. So I had them walk the perimeter . But they would not put away the phone. So sad and does not bode well for the health of future generations.
However the exercise time was great. They arrived at their subsequent class refreshed and the possibility of getting to do it again was a positive behavior consequence. Teenagers respond much better to rewards.
I had a variety of balls. The boys were grateful to be very active. The girls generally wanted to clump up in a corner and gaze at their cell phones. So I had them walk the perimeter . But they would not put away the phone. So sad and does not bode well for the health of future generations.
However the exercise time was great. They arrived at their subsequent class refreshed and the possibility of getting to do it again was a positive behavior consequence. Teenagers respond much better to rewards.
2
Funny that most of the comments start.... "When I...."
There's no "When I...." anymore. Times have changed, the society has changed. There's more competition out there, more to work on because we don't want to stay behind other countries, test results have to be above average if we want to continue progress...
How about a less chaotic environment???
How about less crowded classrooms???
How about a cap of no more than 16 kids in each classroom???
How about two teachers per classroom???
How about more based-project curriculums???
Teachers would teach better; more attentive and calmer. Kids, naturally will be more inclined to relax when learning and learn. A quite environment makes wonders on any person trying to concentrate...
Have a variety of sports equipment with proper supervision for the ones who want to play and "Just Dance" video during recess time. All kids I have know love to dance and do it without thinking: "I have to exercise!"
How about learning a sport for the love of a sport? Not for the love of the competition that all sport organizations make us believe it is for... And for our kids to learn... just to learn it we have to commit to pay exorbitant amounts of money???
Demand your local government to stop cutting the education budget every year and make them invest in your kids future...
7
Most of the geniuses we had in the past, had to sit still on their benches.
Most of the morons we have now on entertaining, we're moving in class.
Most of the morons we have now on entertaining, we're moving in class.
And where did you get that the geniuses in the past had to sit still on their benches???
On the contrary, they were never sitting still in class and most of them didn't even attended school until later...
They learned out of curiosity! Something that kids cannot do, now days, because the media joke of a world we have created...
On the contrary, they were never sitting still in class and most of them didn't even attended school until later...
They learned out of curiosity! Something that kids cannot do, now days, because the media joke of a world we have created...
3
In my daughter's elementary school in Toronto, all students start every day by dancing to a video.
1
Before school starts, students should be encouraged to run around. In classes, there should be activities that don't require sitting. Taking away recess should never be a punishment; kids need it and teachers benefit from kids who have had it.
Parents who are helping their children prepare for a test should incorporate physical activity too. It's much easier to practice spelling, state capitals, multiplication tables, etc., when you're shooting baskets or jumping rope.
Just do it.
Parents who are helping their children prepare for a test should incorporate physical activity too. It's much easier to practice spelling, state capitals, multiplication tables, etc., when you're shooting baskets or jumping rope.
Just do it.
4
Get rid of gym class and offer free after-school sports from elementary school on. Gym class is more of the same teacher-led instruction with the goal of introducing kids to organized sports; it's rarely about free play and movement. If kids want to learn a sport, let them do it after school for no charge.
What young people need is free time outdoors to move and play and collaborate. It's called recess. Give them three 20-minute recesses a day, at least through eighth grade. We'd see fewer "discipline" problems.
What young people need is free time outdoors to move and play and collaborate. It's called recess. Give them three 20-minute recesses a day, at least through eighth grade. We'd see fewer "discipline" problems.
5
My School District uses GoNoodle, a music and movement online program. We've seen a lot of engaged happy students at my campus and the teachers love it too. If you've spent time in an educational setting, you'll figure out quickly how much kids benefit. Too bad testing pressure eclipses it in some districts.
3
This will sound ridiculous, but in grade school we marched around the room reciting multiplication tables, history facts, geography facts. It was like a refresher course to get our little brains ready for the new stuff we'd be sitting down to learn. The teacher made a game of it, and we loved it.
Of course, rote learning has become anathema. Funny, though, I grew up and went to engineering school. Knowing the times tables backwards and forwards let me move ahead on concepts without having to waste time estimating the product of two easy numbers.
Maybe marching kids around reciting the times tables isn't such a bad idea.
Of course, rote learning has become anathema. Funny, though, I grew up and went to engineering school. Knowing the times tables backwards and forwards let me move ahead on concepts without having to waste time estimating the product of two easy numbers.
Maybe marching kids around reciting the times tables isn't such a bad idea.
8
Granted, some traditional methods were never very effective, but the relentless march in education for "reform" is directly tied to the lack of student motivation, the permissiveness in public education, and the abdication of parent and student accountability for their education. I've been a public school teacher for 12 years, and every year brings a new theory, a new approach, new techniques, all of which have been developed by highly paid theorists who do not--and many never have--deal with students. These new elements are fine to a degree, but they can't replace student participation in their own education; but no one in politics or media want to talk about that. I have also seen in the last 12 years that, despite budget cuts every year that eliminate teachers and support staff resulting in larger class sizes and less support and services for students, the theorists never decrease.
Yes, exercise and activity are essential; more blood and oxygen to the brain improves our chances of learning; that's hardly a new discovery! But learning also comes from sitting down and writing an essay, reading a book, analyzing and solving a problem.
Yes, exercise and activity are essential; more blood and oxygen to the brain improves our chances of learning; that's hardly a new discovery! But learning also comes from sitting down and writing an essay, reading a book, analyzing and solving a problem.
3
@Gustav Aschenbach: Your first sentence is wrong, and that is proved by the rest of your comment. You correctly say that education theorists who may have no teaching experience, and politicians and (uncritical), who never ask teachers for their knowledge, media, are driving the "reform" fads that undermine education. "Permissiveness" and so on are easy targets that don't have the political power to fight back, but parents, students, and. teachers don't make decisions about curriculum. That's in the hands of politicians and administrators, who often care only about test scores -- oh, speaking of degenerate "reforms", need I say more?
Correction: "(uncritical)" should be "(uncritical media)". But it's politicians, theorists, and bureaucrats who cause the trouble.
movement, fresh air, sunlight, water,..and when they do sit down not a chair that hurts your back-side after 10 minutes.
PS. don't start academic subjects until after 8am
PS. don't start academic subjects until after 8am
2
As a graduate student in mathematics at UC Berkeley I banged my head against the desk trying to do difficult work assignments. Then I went for a 1 hour run in the hills above the campus and solved them while running.
I ran on wooded trail: roots, ruts, streams, you name it. My brain hyper-aware of what my feet had to do, and bingo! a difficult proof solved in the middle of [mindlessly?] running.
I ran on wooded trail: roots, ruts, streams, you name it. My brain hyper-aware of what my feet had to do, and bingo! a difficult proof solved in the middle of [mindlessly?] running.
5
I hear you and agree with you. While the hills above campus are beautiful, since Cal is already on a hill, running ON campus itself should do the trick. However, my question to you is should we add showers to classrooms, since I, for one, solve many difficult problems while showering?
1
We men and our sons have known this all along. We suffered and failed. You might also read "The War Against Boys" by Christina Hoff Sommers.
The long trend of girls succeeding and boys failing in elementary school may reverse.
The long trend of girls succeeding and boys failing in elementary school may reverse.
Taking away recess, as many schools have done, to improve test scores is oxymoronic. It's also just moronic.
4
Another vindication for Homeschooling.
Did try a bit of 5th grade; poor fit.
Daughter annoyed others with her swinging legs and tapping pencil and frequent need to get water... and her whistling while she worked!
She can be still now at 15 for extended periods but her most creative bursts require her to skip across the room.
Solve so many educational dilemas: homeschool
Did try a bit of 5th grade; poor fit.
Daughter annoyed others with her swinging legs and tapping pencil and frequent need to get water... and her whistling while she worked!
She can be still now at 15 for extended periods but her most creative bursts require her to skip across the room.
Solve so many educational dilemas: homeschool
1
When I was in elementary school, there were still a lot of stay-at-home mothers, and it was assumed that we could go home for lunch.
So we did, unless there were special circumstances, in which case the students either had a sack lunch or bought a hamburger at the drugstore lunch counter. Either way, the lunch period was 90 minutes long, so we sometimes went back to school early in order to have more time playing on the monkey bars or jungle gym.
I lived five blocks from school, which meant that I walked five blocks in the morning, back home for lunch, back to school for the afternoon sessions, and back home after it was all over. That means that even without recess or PE, I walked twenty blocks every weekday.
The kids who lived a mile or more away had permission to ride their bikes back and forth.
We also had two recess periods and PE three times a week.
This Wisconsin town of 35,000 people had no school buses, and it was unheard of for parents to drive their children to school, unless they were picking us up for a doctor's appointment or some other unusual occasion.
There were a few kids who had trouble sitting still, and they tended to let off steam by running back and forth between their homes and the school.
I know we can't duplicate the social conditions of the past, but perhaps we need to relearn what people in the past knew: that children are naturally lively and need to "let off steam."
So we did, unless there were special circumstances, in which case the students either had a sack lunch or bought a hamburger at the drugstore lunch counter. Either way, the lunch period was 90 minutes long, so we sometimes went back to school early in order to have more time playing on the monkey bars or jungle gym.
I lived five blocks from school, which meant that I walked five blocks in the morning, back home for lunch, back to school for the afternoon sessions, and back home after it was all over. That means that even without recess or PE, I walked twenty blocks every weekday.
The kids who lived a mile or more away had permission to ride their bikes back and forth.
We also had two recess periods and PE three times a week.
This Wisconsin town of 35,000 people had no school buses, and it was unheard of for parents to drive their children to school, unless they were picking us up for a doctor's appointment or some other unusual occasion.
There were a few kids who had trouble sitting still, and they tended to let off steam by running back and forth between their homes and the school.
I know we can't duplicate the social conditions of the past, but perhaps we need to relearn what people in the past knew: that children are naturally lively and need to "let off steam."
10
And I'll bet not a single one was diagnosed with one of the ADD's/ADHD "diseases." None were on prescription meds, and in those days (I am of your generation, and perhaps older) parents knew how to say, "no."
6
Certainly, children should be allowed some physical activity time during the course of the school day. But it is also very important that they learn self-discipline as well which includes learning to sit still and concentrate on the intellectual activity at hand.
1
Writer misses the entire point of the article.
3
I don't think so.
I do think so. You make an assertion that seems plausible but is demonstrably wrong. Being able to move helps one to be able to stay still. Paradoxical? Yep! The shortest path to a goal isn't necessarily the straight and narrow one, and the best path isn't necessarily the shortest one.
1
The mastery of art, physics, and math require sitting still and staying focused. The first steps start in kindergarten. The YMCA offers swimming, dance, and gymnastics for satisfying moving and developing physical duscrpline.
My mother trained as a kindergarten teacher in the 1940s. In those days, there was no academic work, only games and activities designed to build the physical and mental skills needed for reading and writing (pattern recognition, sequencing, eye to hand coordination, vocabulary, etc.), and the activities changed every few minutes and involved a lot of movement, being geared toward the needs of five-year-olds rather than the social anxieties of yuppie parents.
By the way, schools in many other countries, including the once-dreaded Russia, don't start academic work till age 7, and they have had no trouble producing scientists and mathematicians.
By the way, schools in many other countries, including the once-dreaded Russia, don't start academic work till age 7, and they have had no trouble producing scientists and mathematicians.
10
The point is to encourage physical activity at intervals throughout the school day.
2
Good point: intense concentration should be alternated with intense physical activity, such as during recess. Moreover, movement during periods of concentration should be considered OK, provided little sound is made, and, more generally, the concentration of other students is not disturbed.
Whether a school - or state - subscribes to a specfic program or not, teachers have known either instinctively, or through a variety of learning theories, that students benefit from physical movement. What's new is that non-educators have come to think that everything needs to be codified and mandated for it to happen. Teachers want to do what works.
Teachers have been trained in "Multiple Intelligences" since the early 80's, which includes, among others, the kinesthetic learner. We've been applying brain theory - how the brain learns - for years. Rare is the classroom that keeps kids seated and still for any long periods of time. Do kids need to sometimes? Appropriate to their age, of course they do, as they will need that ability in life: at work, during the SAT, in college, at a religious service, or in a doctor's waiting room. We almost need to remember not to vilify the practice of sitting still.
Even without scheduled breaks, teachers incorporate movement into instruction. For example, students get up and survey their classmates around the room, physically act out a concept, or move to a different learning station.
The research is excellent and should always be used to update teacher training and professional development. Local schools regularly plan initiatives to encourage new ideas for best practice.
Please don't think teachers are shushing kids and telling them to sit still all day!
Teachers have been trained in "Multiple Intelligences" since the early 80's, which includes, among others, the kinesthetic learner. We've been applying brain theory - how the brain learns - for years. Rare is the classroom that keeps kids seated and still for any long periods of time. Do kids need to sometimes? Appropriate to their age, of course they do, as they will need that ability in life: at work, during the SAT, in college, at a religious service, or in a doctor's waiting room. We almost need to remember not to vilify the practice of sitting still.
Even without scheduled breaks, teachers incorporate movement into instruction. For example, students get up and survey their classmates around the room, physically act out a concept, or move to a different learning station.
The research is excellent and should always be used to update teacher training and professional development. Local schools regularly plan initiatives to encourage new ideas for best practice.
Please don't think teachers are shushing kids and telling them to sit still all day!
2
In my elementary school years, quite a long time ago, we had recess a couple of times a day and a long lunch period to eat and then play outdoors or in the gym. We had the usual playground equipment, but mostly we played tag, dodge ball, jumped rope (very popular) or just ran around. In high school the lunch period included free time to dance in the gym to our favorite records. I guess the point is that the school day included time for activity! We never heard of ADHD and I don't recall any kids who had difficulties. I think if a teacher recognized some child needed to move, they sent them on an errand to the office, to deliver a note for example, and come back quickly!
5
More than 70 years ago when I started school in Buffalo Wyoming we sat in desks, but we walked to school in the morning, had morning recess, walked home at noon for lunch, had afternoon recess and walked home after school. As I walked through town each time I talked to grown ups who knew my parents and grandparents, watched for mean dogs, and experienced the weather
We learned independence
We learned independence
9
From my experience: During an exam at a university, a student who looked as though he was freaking out was advised by his professor to leave the room, run down the hallway to the end and back as fast as he could, and then come back. He came back, sat down again, said "Whew!", and finished his exam. He got an A.
What is "natural behavior" varies from person to person. But sitting quietly at a desk for three hours isn't axiomatically the best way to learn.
What is "natural behavior" varies from person to person. But sitting quietly at a desk for three hours isn't axiomatically the best way to learn.
8
I strongly encourage parents of students with sensory processing issues and/or autism to not only push for these types of programs in their school district but also to get into your child's IEP the stipulation that recess never be taken away as a punishment. It's counterproductive.
My own son knew he needed a physical education class daily right up through high school to stay focused. This "race to the top" craziness has to end. We're all too sedentary--we've got to find ways to help kids move throughout the school day, and process what they've learned.
My own son knew he needed a physical education class daily right up through high school to stay focused. This "race to the top" craziness has to end. We're all too sedentary--we've got to find ways to help kids move throughout the school day, and process what they've learned.
20
My aitistic son had terrible problems in school when the class had multiple things going on and the class got loud. Not everyone has the same reaction.
3
Like your son, Phyllis, my son has difficulty with too much background noise. How kids with sensory processing disorder react differs from child to child, as you say. One child will become hyperactive, one will shut down and "zone out," one will start self-abusing, etc. They still need movement, and a sensory diet for self-regulation.
Kids probably starts academic instruction way too early, as many have noted a lot of countries don't teach formal reading until they are 7. In US it seems to start at 5.
9
Ahhhhhhh. So the suggestion is to have them sit still, except when it's "time to move," because movement is good for you.
Why are they not always free to move?
We are still stuck in bandaid solutions until we embrace Montessori or (as others suggested) Waldorf or another alternative form of education.
The "this is bad for students, so let's try not to do it ALL day" argument is getting tiring.
Why are they not always free to move?
We are still stuck in bandaid solutions until we embrace Montessori or (as others suggested) Waldorf or another alternative form of education.
The "this is bad for students, so let's try not to do it ALL day" argument is getting tiring.
14
There are times when a teacher needs students to be attentive and quiet, as a group. No one way of learning is effective all the time.
2
As pointed out by several contributors below, Waldorf education incorporates movement in to the didactic lesson plans allowing the students to learn while they are moving. In my experience as a parent of two children this translates to an increased ability of the kids to "sit still" when it is the socially appropriate thing to do, such as when one of their classmates or a class visitor is presenting. Certainly movement in school is not a panacea for all the challenges that Education faces in a digital age, but hopefully this new understanding will allow adults and policy "experts" to understand that just as immobility is bad for adults it is probably worse for our children.
12
Long before ADHD was fully understood -- or even understood at all -- I had a sainted 6th grade teacher who somehow understood this condition instinctively. Rather than imprison me at a desk, which would have also labelled me a problem learner, he simply knew that I had to move and that, while moving, I could even think critically and imaginatively.
And he also slowly showed me how sitting for longer and longer stretches of time was actually darn good pro-social behavior. I thrived, and continued to thrive, aware that I was dealing something that only decades later would be understood as ADHD. And I never lost touch with this extraordinary man, whose own career would eventually lead to his recognition as a national leader in bilingual education, and superintendent of a very difficult school district.
When he retired I wrote the tribute for his retirement gathering across the country. And when he died of Leukemia a decade ago, he and I were still in touch. My eyes moisten as I write this.
And me? The kid with shpilkes? PhD, Professor, University Vice President, and proud Dad of two girls with ADHD who have always been allowed stand up, to move.
"When they said sit down, I stood up!"
And he also slowly showed me how sitting for longer and longer stretches of time was actually darn good pro-social behavior. I thrived, and continued to thrive, aware that I was dealing something that only decades later would be understood as ADHD. And I never lost touch with this extraordinary man, whose own career would eventually lead to his recognition as a national leader in bilingual education, and superintendent of a very difficult school district.
When he retired I wrote the tribute for his retirement gathering across the country. And when he died of Leukemia a decade ago, he and I were still in touch. My eyes moisten as I write this.
And me? The kid with shpilkes? PhD, Professor, University Vice President, and proud Dad of two girls with ADHD who have always been allowed stand up, to move.
"When they said sit down, I stood up!"
38
As Montessori wrote, “…the task of the educator lies in seeing that the child does not confound good with immobility, and evil with activity, as often happens in old-time discipline…” The Montessori Method, 1912
14
I think if we babyboomers all remember back to our elementary school days, recess spanned from 30 - 45 minutes each recess. My children got a whopping 10-15 minutes and a recommendation for drugs to help them sit still........because it's really natural for kids to sit still for 7 hours a day? It is beyond me why this is "news" to the world. Of course they learn better after physical activity - they focus better....they learn better....maybe if we replaced big Pharma with big Fitness? I think it would solve so many problems, psychological, physical....endless possibilities.
22
Not in the District of Columbia public schools of the 1960s. One fifteen-minute recess in the morning. I went home for lunch, thank goodness, so I missed the next break at lunch. No afternoon recess, which I hadn't even heard of.
2
Vindicated! I could NOT sit still and that was noted on my report cards. But I was quick and did well in school and standardized tests.
4
Talk about misinterpreting studies' results. One thing is to incorporate physical activity into daily schedules, be it PE, movement pauses, and the sort, and a completely different one is kids not sitting still in class. Kids need to learn to sit still in class when they have to sit still, for instance, when a teacher is explaining how to go about a math problem, or when a peer is presenting their research on planets. I'm a volunteer mom at my 10 yo daughter's school, and I have witness first hand that most academic problems derive from children not being able to pay attention for spans longer than 2 to 3 minutes. Children who never sit down and are constantly moving are a disruption to the whole class. There is a time for everything in modern schools: there are PE classes, physical activity pauses, hands-on learning, filed trips, discussion group,s but kids NEED lo learn how to sit still and listen during reasonable periods of time. This article seems to be taking a reasonable idea to an extreme.
16
RoseMarieDC, you misunderstood the article. It never suggests constant movement. The truth is that movement enables stillness.
Waldorf schools provide physical exercises and movements as part of classroom learning (as well as 2 recesses for younger grades and outdoor Kindergarten)
I can attest to how beautifully math can be taught as early grades students stomp, clap, whirl and climb up and down steps as they learn basic operations physically, vocally and socially. My 8th grade Waldorf girl LOVES math. The movements of our bodies through the world can include learning, it doesn't all get drilled in at a desk.
I can attest to how beautifully math can be taught as early grades students stomp, clap, whirl and climb up and down steps as they learn basic operations physically, vocally and socially. My 8th grade Waldorf girl LOVES math. The movements of our bodies through the world can include learning, it doesn't all get drilled in at a desk.
16
We moved my 5th grader to a Waldorf school after observing the amount of physical activity they incorporate in their instruction. My daughter's class started the day with a 30 minute jump rope class. Two recesses which included tree climbing, fort building in the woods and games student led games like capture the flag. She was able to discontinue her ADHD medication and regain her love of learning. Wish more educators would wake up to the benefits of physical exercise.
21
Most research conducted on this subject agrees that—in addition to improving academic performance—moving more during class lowers the risk factors for obesity, diabetes, and other health problems.
I know it sounds like a plug, but the company I work for makes a product designed to help students stay active in class; it's called the LearnFit desk. It allows students to sit or stand as they wish in the classroom. It also allows teachers to dynamically rearrange a classroom to suit any given task. We've seen wonderful results in the classrooms that have adopted it. It's from Ergotron, if you want to learn more about it.
I know it sounds like a plug, but the company I work for makes a product designed to help students stay active in class; it's called the LearnFit desk. It allows students to sit or stand as they wish in the classroom. It also allows teachers to dynamically rearrange a classroom to suit any given task. We've seen wonderful results in the classrooms that have adopted it. It's from Ergotron, if you want to learn more about it.
4
We are so proud of our local play based school. It's been in our community for 81 years. This film captures the spirit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU0q3X_vs7s
4
I beg to differ as far as what is happening today in physical education classes at the elementary level. Today the kids are moving most of the time, NOT mostly standing around. My daughter teaches elementary PE and I know that is the case at her school and at many others with well qualified, experienced teachers. PE has changed since I was in elementary school, for the better. It would be a shame to see it disappear when it is needed more than ever.
4
Your daughter is very lucky to be in a school where PE is valued. Having taught in several states, I can assure you that most kids sit around while only a few participate in activity. My worst experiences came from teaching in a very low socio-economic school. Many times I would return to pick my class up from PE to find out that they had been punished for misbehaving and had to stay in a seated position for forty-five minutes. At that point, I would much rather have had the "old days" when I took my class out for 15 minutes in the morning with a thirty minute PE time (with me) every afternoon. Please tell your daughter to stay in that school.
4
So glad the research has caught up with the lessons my church school class taught this teacher more than 50 years ago.
Whatever happened to OBSERVATION?
Whatever happened to OBSERVATION?
5
I told my son to plot y = x-squared. We did it slowly. He is only ten.
I told him to look at the shape.
Then I told him to go outside, and throw rocks in the air. I asked him to look at the path.
Then I told him to pee off the balcony and into the garden and look at the stream of urine.
Then I asked him to think about the path in his mind.
Then when he was done we looked at the graph of the quadratic and turned it upside down.
He is only ten and sees it.
Boys are failingiin schools. But girls are not excelling -- they are getting by. This is because we removed play and feminized the classrooms.
In schools that teach in masculine ways (physically), the boys and the girls excel. Masculinity is beautiful. Feminism is toxic.
I told him to look at the shape.
Then I told him to go outside, and throw rocks in the air. I asked him to look at the path.
Then I told him to pee off the balcony and into the garden and look at the stream of urine.
Then I asked him to think about the path in his mind.
Then when he was done we looked at the graph of the quadratic and turned it upside down.
He is only ten and sees it.
Boys are failingiin schools. But girls are not excelling -- they are getting by. This is because we removed play and feminized the classrooms.
In schools that teach in masculine ways (physically), the boys and the girls excel. Masculinity is beautiful. Feminism is toxic.
4
Feminism is not toxic, and that conclusion does not follow from what you presented as your argument. Peeing off a balcony, however, is nearly as disgusting as your misogyny.
20
Anti-feminism is not misogyny.
In a private house, private garden, private yard and grass, I wonder why you care to comment on another person?
My son knows physics better than you. But you can now whine about misogyny, while my children -- son and daughter-- learn physics.
In a private house, private garden, private yard and grass, I wonder why you care to comment on another person?
My son knows physics better than you. But you can now whine about misogyny, while my children -- son and daughter-- learn physics.
4
Whoever said "feminized"=sitting, learning passively- please rethink your view of what a "feminzed" means. Mot of my girl friend and I loved moving, jumping, climbing a much a the next boy.
9
One way our neighborhood school has been experimenting with activity during the school day is by employing dynamic seating, kids sit on balls, one legged stools, floor chairs, etc. we also have a program called math and movement, which is just what it sounds like. It's totally possible to fit the activity and the instruction into the "short" day.
But We got lucky; in many public schools in our district (and I assume elsewhere) a common punishment for not sitting still in class is taking away recess, which creates a negative feedback loop. I'm lobbying the school board on this issue, I mean even inmates in max security and solitary confinement are entitled to physical activity; our children should be given the same minimum of human rights.
But We got lucky; in many public schools in our district (and I assume elsewhere) a common punishment for not sitting still in class is taking away recess, which creates a negative feedback loop. I'm lobbying the school board on this issue, I mean even inmates in max security and solitary confinement are entitled to physical activity; our children should be given the same minimum of human rights.
16
Patent medicine. Placebo. Important vocabulary even for NYT editors. Classroom environment is extremely complex - the main lesson of modern super-urban childhood, in and out of school: you are alone.
I read this thinking there must be some new info on the subject, some insight that everyone who has ever been or had a kid (or went to school) would already know. But no. Just a vehicle to push someone's book or digital time waster. Kids have been moving (or fidgeting, as my 1st grade teacher called it) without the help of YouTube for as long as we've walked the earth.
On the plus side, who knew there was something called the National Association of Physical Literacy? So I did learn something!
On the plus side, who knew there was something called the National Association of Physical Literacy? So I did learn something!
2
" ... 'with only six and a half hours during the day, our priority is academics' ... ”
But you are undermining that effort by declining to invest in approaches that will help your students improve academic achievement, Mr. Hernandez.
I can assure the skeptics that sitting still for hours every day beautifully nourished my ADD as a kid. Listening to a teacher ramble on and on, I learned by first grade to check out mentally and visit more interesting scenarios in my imagination.
Thirty years later, sitting for hours next to my daughter during a Bring-a-Parent Day at her elementary school, I watched her do exactly the same thing.
Both of us did our best school work when it involved activities like making panoramas, cooking and so on. There's no mystery to it: Those pursuits involved getting up and moving around.
Most kids are not geared to be still for the better part of the day. Get them up, get them moving, then sit them down for a while and teach. It probably doesn't hurt the teacher, either!
But you are undermining that effort by declining to invest in approaches that will help your students improve academic achievement, Mr. Hernandez.
I can assure the skeptics that sitting still for hours every day beautifully nourished my ADD as a kid. Listening to a teacher ramble on and on, I learned by first grade to check out mentally and visit more interesting scenarios in my imagination.
Thirty years later, sitting for hours next to my daughter during a Bring-a-Parent Day at her elementary school, I watched her do exactly the same thing.
Both of us did our best school work when it involved activities like making panoramas, cooking and so on. There's no mystery to it: Those pursuits involved getting up and moving around.
Most kids are not geared to be still for the better part of the day. Get them up, get them moving, then sit them down for a while and teach. It probably doesn't hurt the teacher, either!
8
As I have pointed out in a reply to another comment to this article, all signs point to ADHD (ADD is no longer considered a valid term) being caused by fundamental neurological processes, not being physically restrained as a child: you either have it or you don't. While physical activity can help address some of the symptoms and develop useful strategies, it cannot 'cure' the condition; like clinical depression and many other mental illnesses, a cure is not possible, only management.
ADHD is a medical condition, not a way to describe being distracted.
ADHD is a medical condition, not a way to describe being distracted.
2
The title of this article is misleading. The Brainergizers program cited, suggests aerobic exercise breaks up to 5 times daily, 3-5 minutes in length. This hardly constitutes, never sitting!
I am a public school teacher in Brooklyn and teachers at my school have received professional development in exercises such as the ones mentioned, to maximize cognitive engagement as well as the health benefits of movement throughout the day. Also, students do move when transitioning to classes, at lunch and recess, and many times during the day students are doing hands-on activities which require sharing findings with fellow classmates, and moving ! I am a reading teacher and have imbued in my students the necessity of what I cal, " sitting power" which they will require throughout their academic career as well as for enjoying the visceral joy that " sitting power" brings when my students are enjoying a play or a dance performance, a movie, or a religious service. Being still is an ignored and undervalued skill. Teach it often and teach it early, otherwise we won't have audiences for the arts or for the academy.
I am a public school teacher in Brooklyn and teachers at my school have received professional development in exercises such as the ones mentioned, to maximize cognitive engagement as well as the health benefits of movement throughout the day. Also, students do move when transitioning to classes, at lunch and recess, and many times during the day students are doing hands-on activities which require sharing findings with fellow classmates, and moving ! I am a reading teacher and have imbued in my students the necessity of what I cal, " sitting power" which they will require throughout their academic career as well as for enjoying the visceral joy that " sitting power" brings when my students are enjoying a play or a dance performance, a movie, or a religious service. Being still is an ignored and undervalued skill. Teach it often and teach it early, otherwise we won't have audiences for the arts or for the academy.
16
Thanks, Genevieve! As a classroom teacher, I was thinking your words exactly while reading this article.
2
After my minimal teaching experience as a post-retirement volunteer, I'm convinced that even academic subjects should sometimes be taught standing up and hands-on. One of these days I'll develop an set of ESL lessons (especially for boys but open to anyone) that involves standing around a cool motorcycle or an automobile with its hood up: pointing, talking, making sentences, introducing verbs, etc. etc. I've read that some childrens' brains engage when their hands are engaged, and I believe I've observed this. Back in the days when parents passed on necessary living skills to their children, this was not definitely not done in a seated, classroom environment.
5
Exercise, art, and music are all needed for developing healthy bodies and brains. The physical activity of them affects neuron development. Many school districts have made all these "extras" the first on the budget chopping block, and those who can't afford the extra fees are deprived of that development.
11
Yet, the flip side of all this, as anyone who has ever taught, and stood before thirty or so charges knows, is that when a supervisor walks by your classroom, they expect relative silence! Otherwise, you probably better start looking for a new profession! Reconcile that truth!
9
I would add that children also need blocks of free play where bodies are moving in concert with imaginative and social activities that are not dictated by adults. Lots of learning occurring between children. They are currently over supervised
4
You know who had this figured out more than 100 years ago? Maria Montessori. Nice to see others catching up.
8
I taught both in middle and high school for donkey years; and always told my students, if they needed a stretch just quietly stand and do so. And if they needed more, then move to the back of the room and take a step or two. Yes, kids understood the rules and knew, if abused then the privilege was gone--for all. No, you don't do this from day one. First the kids have to know you and your expectations; likewise, you need to know them. In high school my students carried a mini pillow in their backpacks. Classes rotated and if you had me first period that day, they knew they began with a 15 minute nap out of a 75 minute class. That way I had 60 minutes of productive work every morning. But be aware, not every teacher can pull this off successfully. A reputation for firmness and fairness helps. Beginning teachers have yet to establish credibility. Some tenured teachers have also failed to master same.
3
I teach in a lower income, urban school. Without belaboring what should be obvious, many students are sedentary and do not have good nutrition habits. This is not helped much y the food that is available at school. I try on a regular schedule to take them on silent short walks around the building. This is especially necessary for those late morning classes just before the lunch break. Thee kids have been sitting for hours. I know it sure makes this 57-year-old feel better and though they frequently roll their eyes, do the deep sighs, or smack their lips, I think they actually like it. The room feels so different when we get back to our work.
7
I was surprised by how this article framed academic standards and the need for students to be physically active as somewhat opposites in school. There are actually many activities creative teachers use to bring the two together. As a teacher of more than 18 years I know these developmental needs of children can be easily met in any classroom, and I find it a requirement to design lessons that incorporate academic work and movement. Most days of the week, through role-plays, cooperative jigsaw puzzles and debates, among others, I make sure my 9th graders are physically and academically active in my global history class. There is absolutely no reason why students of any age should have to sit for more than 40 minutes interacting with textual material that, unless presented creatively and through the incorporation of physical activity, could turn learning into a tedious obligation that often puts them to sleep. Children deserve better from teachers.
4
Many schools in Asian and other countries have been doing this for years. I think starting the school day should begin with the whole school doing some kind of yoga or stretching, and this should be repeated at lunch time. I taught mostly middle school for 42 years. As the years passed,lunchtimes got shorter and shorter until 20 min was the max. Kids could no longer go outside to run around and play. The principal thought it was easier to keep then "under control" in the cafeteria,sitting at assigned tables. I found it horrible when I had lunch duty so imagine how the kids felt!
6
Of course there is always room for improvement, but what is taught in schools now is pretty darn good. But for some reason we want to torture teachers and students with testing ad nauseam to see how they can improve......
But it is NOT rocket science!
Start high school at 10 am ( I work in a hs, and the few days we had later arrival due to snow, there was a HUGE difference-- students more alert, in a much better mood, more energetic etc. etc.). And most of all....
Let kids move around! In our high school adult-sized students are scrunched into those desk/chairs for 80 minutes classes!
But it is NOT rocket science!
Start high school at 10 am ( I work in a hs, and the few days we had later arrival due to snow, there was a HUGE difference-- students more alert, in a much better mood, more energetic etc. etc.). And most of all....
Let kids move around! In our high school adult-sized students are scrunched into those desk/chairs for 80 minutes classes!
4
It breaks my heart that recess is gone, replaced with a highly monitored period of sitting still that lasts about a half hour, less if the child has to wait in line to buy lunch. And in high school, gym becomes optional. All in the pursuit of more time to train kids to do better on standardized tests, so the school can keep their funding. A sedentary lifestyle is terrible for kids and adults. Wake up, America!
6
While I applaud the common sense recommendation that children should have the ability to move around in school, our school system is designed for passivity---the exact opposite of how children and adolescents are designed. Walk through the halls of any school, whether private, public, voucher, charter,,,whatever, you will see teachers in the front of the room talking and students seated in rows of desks listening--- that is not how children learn. This situation is made worse by decades of accountability reforms---race to the top--that have subtracted minutes from recess and added sitting minutes to whatever academic subject is being tested. If Sec. De Voss was serious about choice, incentivize schools that really offer a choice in the types of pedagogies offered---which was the original intent of charter schools. Unfortunately this original intent transformed into a subtle way of resegregating schools rather than providing parents with real choices in teaching methodologies.
6
As a Guest Teacher" in public high schools, with 90 min. classes, I call a "Mandatory Posture Break" at half-time: everyone must at least stand up, ideally walk around, get some water, restroom and yes, cell phone check if they want out of classroom, for 3 to 5 minutes. And yes, some do jumping jacks, push ups! Interesting, some few remain (try to trmain!) rooted to desks, obsessing over work!
4
Ms. DiStefano hit the nail on the head in the last paragraph. Common Core standards, as interpreted by our local school system, has led to development and implementation of a weekly timed math facts test. My elementary school age son had struggled with this test, advancing to the next level once every two months or so. His teacher, using technique prescribed here, started allowing him to stand and do 30 seconds of jumping jacks twice during the test. Since adding the jumping jacks he has now advanced a level in each of the last three weekly tests; all within the three minute time frame allotted.
24
As an elementary student, I wondered why my teachers would instruct us to stand at our desks and do jump-ups. I felt ridiculous. But now I understand her reasoning.
8
In Waldorf education, which has kooky but also brilliant elements, it's a core idea that kids learn while playing movement games or doing activities like knitting, cooking, gardening, etc.
24
Kooky? I see the other traditional, public school education as so.
2
Having children take exercise breaks in the classroom and in schools is just humane; however, there is no direct scientific evidence that it improves learning.
8
The article actually links to a study which supports the theory that physical activity does has a positive impact on cognition.
1
My kids do GoNoodle at school and love it! We will even watch it at home and participate. Common sense should tell us that activity is important for everyone, especially children! Thank you GoNoodle for being so fun! Kitty high five! (Reference to the a GoNoodle song).
9
I'm all for physical activity as a crucial complement to academics, but what about teaching patience? What about the times when you've just got to buckle down and sit and work? What about when simply nothing's happening, you're waiting in a queue or sitting in traffic, the deadline has to be met, and there's no time for a break? Children are already being taught implicitly that if it's not fun, if it's not engaging and exciting, then why should they be interested when their smartphones are right there in their pockets?
My mother has been a teacher for over thirty years, and she and every veteran educator she works with agrees wholeheartedly that attention spans are getting shorter across the board. Yes, taking recess or gym class away is completely wrong and foolish, but adding more distraction and breaks forgets about lessons in character not found in books. And don't get me started on it being 'easy to include' when most teachers today are already grossly overburdened and unsupported.
My mother has been a teacher for over thirty years, and she and every veteran educator she works with agrees wholeheartedly that attention spans are getting shorter across the board. Yes, taking recess or gym class away is completely wrong and foolish, but adding more distraction and breaks forgets about lessons in character not found in books. And don't get me started on it being 'easy to include' when most teachers today are already grossly overburdened and unsupported.
11
I don't think something like this would take away from having blocks of time for math, writing, & other subjects. I hear you about attention spans getting shorter & kids being expected to be entertained all the time, & I am skeptical of the claim in this article that it's a good idea to have kids work out while they watch videos, but I don't think that, at the heart of it, it's about entertaining kids but adding movement to the variety of other things they are learning to do.
7
Children's sensory systems are not fully developed. A good functioning sensory system is a prerequisite for higher level cognitive functioning. Children are wired to move and play because that is what their bodies need to develop the sensory skills to self regulate. You cannot teach a child patience if their body isn't ready for it. The schools, in my experience, rely almost exclusively on a behavior modification approach for children. This is detrimental to children who can't control their behavior because the sensory skills they need to self-regulate require further development. Movement activities, such as recess, that help such children focus are often the first thing to be taken away :( . Children are not small adults and should not be treated as such.
38
Why do we Americans insist on "either or" perspectives? It's "both and" for relationships, politics, and education above all. Teach patience AND encourage learning with classroom physical activity breaks. Educators can learn how to reward patience and learning. Lots of literature on this!
4
I'd go a step further and say we should use movement to teach. You can teach maths through dance, English through performance. Creative facilitators know how to engage through movement and it gets great results.
As a trainer of adults I wouldn't dream of letting them sit still for a whole session.
As a trainer of adults I wouldn't dream of letting them sit still for a whole session.
27
Maria Montessori observed over one hundred years ago that ,"in children, the need for movement is as strong as that of hunger". She designed her curriculum to involve children in using their hands, arms, legs, and whole bodies throughout all the activities of the day. The classroom is designed so that the child has to walk to all the parts of the room to get the pieces of work s/he does, and to return them carefully to the shelves. Lots of people say they admire Montessori schools, but very few seem to understand how fundamental this kind of intrinsic movement is to their success.
45
As obvious as this is, it wasn't carried as mandated in my son's IEP let alone in the regular classroom setting.
I also grew up in So Cal in the 60's and 70's and the gym/recess time all the way thru high school were fundamental to letting kids burn off excess energy. Today's schools are so caught up in anti-bullying that there is no free movement and even walking down hallways between classes is monitored the the middle grades. So why are teachers and administrators surprised when the students are at full boil with energy when they should be trying to focus in class?
Always reinventing the wheel....
I also grew up in So Cal in the 60's and 70's and the gym/recess time all the way thru high school were fundamental to letting kids burn off excess energy. Today's schools are so caught up in anti-bullying that there is no free movement and even walking down hallways between classes is monitored the the middle grades. So why are teachers and administrators surprised when the students are at full boil with energy when they should be trying to focus in class?
Always reinventing the wheel....
11
I'm sorry to hear that your child was not allowed to benefit from movement in class. In elementary school my son was afforded time to walk and get drinks of water, turn papers in to the office etc. all in an effort to help him focus. It really helped him as he needed that sensory experience to be able to do the task at hand. When he was smaller, I use to go out and run/jog with him (15 min) before school to activate his gross motor skills. I wish more educators understood the importance of activity to kids, especially young boys. The brain matures differently in everyone and if a little classroom movement is all it takes to succeed, what an easy fix.
Humans are not purely mental entities! As children especially, we have so much curiosity and energy. To be a healthy human being I think it's so great to include movement sessions into the workplace and classroom. We are not meant for sedentary lifestyles.
8
Movement, engagement and learning go hand and hand. Students should rarely be sitting at desks. They should be building, collaborating, innovating and creating. They should be making things, trying, failing, trying again all while actively engaged. Sitting at desks is what was needed when we were training our citizens to follow rules and work in factories. Those days are over. Our schools should be very active places.
11
Never been able to sit still as a kid!!
3
As a person who grew up and attended elementary school in Southern California in the late 50's and 60's, we had recess 3 times a day! In order to go to recess, one had to complete all classwork and all were motivated to do so. Recess provided a brain break and refreshment so that when students returned to class their minds were free and ready to absorb new information, i.e., learn more. Our class of 35 students had very few behavior problems because students didn't want to miss recess. Btw - each recess was about 20 min. We never had a specialized gym period.
13
It's incredible that we are still trying to get this message across, that we need scientific studies to show that kids moving around, instead of sitting for hours, is good for their brains.
13
Most teachers understand this today. You can't spend years in a classroom and not get this.
1
Did we really think that students sitting still all the time was the best thing for developing curious minds? This should have been put in place years ago. It applies to all grade levels,tertiary students and even adults in the workplace.
10
SHORT MOVEMENT BREAKS ARE CRUCIAL TO THE WELL BEING AND CONCENTRATION ABILITY OF STUDENTS
9
I've never understood why teachers punish children by denying them recess. Recess is what kids need as it makes learning tons easier.
34
Please don't blame the teachers. It is often administration or the district that takes away recess. Our administration and our district put an end to recess for k-8 students. The teachers in our building were told they would be written up if they took their students to recess for 15 minutes.
3
I hope adapting this helps drive down erroneous diagnoses of childhood attention deficit disorders.
21
A generation schooled only indoors will never stand up for protecting the outdoors.
61
A healthy mind in a healthy body is a very old principle, which we seem to need to rediscover from time to time. Movement and attention are complementary. There is no conflict. There never was. Movement can come into conflict with control, which is too often the unspoken goal of education.
13
It didn't take a *Study* to come to this conclusion; any great teacher can tell you the same.
22
Thank you. I am always surprised that something so obvious is assumed to be a novelty in today's schools. Maybe armchair critics should get out once and awhile.
As teacher of young students I know the importance of giving them a chance to move around. No one wants to sit still for hours on end. I have tried some of the websites mentioned but most, if not all, charge a fee for full access after a trial period. YouTube’s ads create a minefield for schools so that’s often out. As a result, we end up trying to keep it simple and do a few exercises standing next to our desks. It’s not nearly as fun as a dance video though. I keep wondering why there isn’t a FREE website with fun movement (and calming down) activities for kids. If each music or sports celebrity created and donated just one simple kids video, they’d not only help the children of a nation stay healthy, they might also extend their fan base at the same time. Calling PBS!
52
There's nothing free out there any more, because we're expected to monetize every darn thing we produce -- otherwise, we're not being good little capitalists. The wealthy elite insist on keeping every cent they have and refuse to pay taxes, so things that used to comprise public services paid for by taxes are vanishing, and the rest of us are being nickeled and dimed to death by privatization and the commodification of every service or item consumed in a modern society. We are no longer citizens, but consumers, and if we don't have the money to keep up, well, it's too bad for us. We'll get no sympathy or help from the right-wing legislatures now in power all across the country.
20
Pick some lively songs from various genres and give the kids a repertoire of motions that they are allowed to use that week or an area in which they can move. One song (or snippet) per week and let them dance.
At the end they can do a dance-around the desks.
Helps them learn musical genres too, and no video! They don't need a video to tell them how to move.
At the end they can do a dance-around the desks.
Helps them learn musical genres too, and no video! They don't need a video to tell them how to move.
GoNoodle is free! Check it out!
And yet... watching kids run around outside in a spontaneous game of tag or climb a tree or push a friend on a swing or run up a dirt hill or construct a fort from tree branches and sticks ...
Yes - these programs give movement but what about the setting, the social constructs, the relationship to nature like smelling the air on a fresh spring day? Staring at a screen as the lure to movement- it truly breaks my heart that this is what we have to offer the younger generation. Can't we do better for them and for ourselves?
Yes - these programs give movement but what about the setting, the social constructs, the relationship to nature like smelling the air on a fresh spring day? Staring at a screen as the lure to movement- it truly breaks my heart that this is what we have to offer the younger generation. Can't we do better for them and for ourselves?
42
I nominate this for Comment of the Week.
4
Nailed it. My VERY active now 16 year old struggled in elementary school in Pennsylvania where everything was controlled...even running on the playground was a no no. (And yes, recess was taken away for not sitting still!) 3/4 of the way through fourth grade moved to Lexington, MA. The kids were out on the playground before school and had frequent movement breaks (and two recesses) per day because the principal and staff got it. The staff was there to make sure kids were safe NOT to control their every movement. My son went from being in trouble all the time to rarely ever having an issue.
24
Kids still get recess. Fresh air is great. As for trees, branches, and dirt hills, we have have black top in NYC.
This programs adds additional physical activity, and does not replace going outdoors for recess.
This programs adds additional physical activity, and does not replace going outdoors for recess.
1
A great, simple and cheap concept to let kids be kids and promote healthy development. I can't wait for the ADHD drug industry to start lobbying and attacking physical activity and recess time as detrimental to childhood development!
8
They actually promote exercise and healthy eating. And because my parents were like you, I wasn't diagnosed until I was 30 after crashing through life up until that point. Thanks!
4
There are those who would, if they could, remove the brains of children from their bodies and want to fill just those brains with data. This they would call "education". What's forgotten, of course, is that we are a whole and complex organism, and our physical being and our central nervous system, including the brain, work together in intricate and still-mysterious ways.
9
It seems we have entered an era where movement is not "expected". Nice to see organizations being formed like the National Association of Physical Literacy that address what is clearly a global crisis. Besides these classroom movement breaks -would be great to know what other options there are for introducing physical literacy and activity into communities that are struggling.
4
Lol, when I was in grade school )parochial) in the Bronx in the 50's we did five to ten minutes of exercise every 30-40 minutes. And some of our "shout out"" drills were preformed marching briskly around the room. And at recess we had to engage in vigorous movement games. There were times when I just wanted to say, "Can I sit still now?" What happened? At that time it was considered natural and necessary for children to want to move. The need for movement was not considered misbehavior. And there was a national propaganda campaign to introduce regular stretching and calisthetics in all schools.
3
This has been going on for decades--many teachers know this and practice it.
4
I taught first, second, and third grade for a twenty-eight year career. I said all along that kids cannot be expected to sit still and pay attention every moment - especially boys. School is designed for good little girls- they eat it up! As a child I walked with kids in my neighborhood to school. By the time we arrived at school the seat was a welcome sight. Our butts were ready to sit! We were awake with our juices flowing. Kids now seem to crawl out of bed, eat something (processed food?), and climb on the big yellow for the ride to school. Next salute the flag, collapse into the seat and pay attention. For many kids- especially the active, this doesn't work. The breaks- bathroom, walking through the hall, etc. doesn't constitute movement. Towards the end of my career my kids knew to drop their bags off at the room and find me on the playground. I found that by letting them have five or ten minutes of unsupervised play was very beneficial. Kids need to run and play in order to learn. Schools that no longer have recess- OMG!
2
This has been common knowledge since the ancient Greeks several millennia ago and now we have scientific confirmation.. Why are our schools so often run by people who organize the curriculum and classroom for the convenience of teachers and administrators and do not follow best practices based on science? One other example is delaying teaching languages until after the biological imprinting age is past. Almost all school systems use outdated curricula that start language teaching too late, focused on middle and high school, neglecting teaching spoken language first in early years, pre-school and elementary school, with reading and writing of 2nd and 3rd languages added on as students progress into elementary grades. Trying to start teaching when students enter middle school is known to be the wrong way to teach languages, but schools continue to waste resources using fatally flawed disproven methods.
7
Do you really believe most teachers, who work with children everyday, don't know this? In planning lessons we look for times when kids need a moving break!
"Sit still. It's the mantra of every classroom." Not by a long shot. Teachers have recognized the need for students to move in class for decades. This is an awful, misleading lead. Shame on this reporter, who clearly hasn't been in the classroom for a very long time.
3
My kids experiences have been it is very much a sit still world. I'm in schools all the time for work and I see it all over the place. Some teachers get it...but the education establishment does not.
6
"Education establishment"? Teachers are with students all day. It is evident to most that this physical movement is necessary.
The article mentions that children are 'movement based’ -- developmentally speaking, they are ‘body-based’ in how they approach & interpret the world. Children need full-body play. Children learn by engaging their bodies and by taking in information through multi-sensory experiences. They then interpret and make meaning of those experiences.
In an ideal setting, educational practice can be experiential & hands-on, a pedagogy that itself offers “moving” experiences for children. When the learning environment is a passive one, children need brain/movement breaks. When learning is interactive, the movement is built into the process. Children are better at retaining the things they’ve interacted with.
These brain breaks are great as long as they are not intended to be used in lieu of real, full-body movement. I witnessed evidence of this in my local school district, when recess/free-play time was eliminated to make room for more seated, academic time. In place of recess, children were given brain breaks. A short program of orchestrated movement is not quite the same as full-body play.
In an ideal setting, educational practice can be experiential & hands-on, a pedagogy that itself offers “moving” experiences for children. When the learning environment is a passive one, children need brain/movement breaks. When learning is interactive, the movement is built into the process. Children are better at retaining the things they’ve interacted with.
These brain breaks are great as long as they are not intended to be used in lieu of real, full-body movement. I witnessed evidence of this in my local school district, when recess/free-play time was eliminated to make room for more seated, academic time. In place of recess, children were given brain breaks. A short program of orchestrated movement is not quite the same as full-body play.
One may recall the years from first grade to twelfth as a stultifying jail sentence, punctuated by a few moments of enlightenment, if one were lucky to have decent instruction. One is therefore pleased to know that a cowoker's kids who attend school in the Plainfield, IL district mentioned in this piece will benefit from a more modern approach to learning: one that doesn't rely on an outdated 19th-century paradigm with its dozens of glum faces looming over shared desks and holding primers together...
I observe in after-school childcare with 5-10yos - they alternate between movement and passivity - depending on their mood and company.
Some kids will run around most of the time - some kids will be relative passive most of the time - and this can vary from day to day.
But to require all children to be regimented to sit still for many hours a day - like nearly an hour at a time, then 5 minutes between classes or such - seems from my recollection a form of torture - when I recall my childhood schooling the first always to my mind is the mind-numbing torpor of hot summer afternoons - with a teacher droning on about I-wasn't-paying-attention as it was all I could do to keep my head off the desk and not doze off.
What did I learn ? How to sit still for hours at a time. Was that a useful skill ? For an office job maybe. Pity the kids who grew up to be outdoor tradespeople - physically chafing at the bit to be let loose and run around.
Some kids will run around most of the time - some kids will be relative passive most of the time - and this can vary from day to day.
But to require all children to be regimented to sit still for many hours a day - like nearly an hour at a time, then 5 minutes between classes or such - seems from my recollection a form of torture - when I recall my childhood schooling the first always to my mind is the mind-numbing torpor of hot summer afternoons - with a teacher droning on about I-wasn't-paying-attention as it was all I could do to keep my head off the desk and not doze off.
What did I learn ? How to sit still for hours at a time. Was that a useful skill ? For an office job maybe. Pity the kids who grew up to be outdoor tradespeople - physically chafing at the bit to be let loose and run around.
3
Having taught 10 year olds for many years, it was and is evident to most of us that this is necessary . These are young children. This is not something we just discovered!
1
I am so glad there is awareness being brought to kids and movement during the school day! I created GUMM, Get up & Mindfully Move, a movement and mindfulness program for kids and students to be used during the school day in the classroom. It is revolutionizing how kids handle the classroom experience. By using high intensity fitness moves coupled with breathing techniques and mindfulness tools, we are teaching kids how to handle stress, anxiety, focus, anhave better attention, and creating calm, compassionate individuals. The program is a total of ten minutes, done with no equipment and for all levels and ages. Find us at @gummgroup and on Facebook under GUMM. Cultivating a love of movement in kids and teaching them how to use this to enhance their lives is a powerful tool!!
More than making sense, ideally this notion will be the precursor to children learning all the time "on the move": not just brief breaks or recess, but working on real life problems and projects, moving to other classrooms and out of the school for engagement with their communities and community leaders, resolving issues within and between classes and kids inside their school (with adult mentoring), serving as genuine innovators and entrepreneurs, and generally learning "on the go" while absorbing skills and competencies, and expanding their potential. From K-12 -- Why not?!
3
Hmmm... premise: movement is natural and fundamental to the learning process for children. conclusion: let's show them more tv and run videos of useless calisthenics and demand that they imitate. Intense academic pressure bracketed by forced physical exertion- is this school or basic training? These folks should set aside the modern obsession with technology/tv in the classroom and read some meatier educational philosophy (Montessori's discussion of the role and dignity of physical "work", the use of the hands, and the fundamental nature and dignity of the child as "man" comes to mind). Work with your hands, Go OUTSIDE and play. Sure, let them move around or stand up while they work. Take time to let them WONDER and learn to LOVE learning for its own sake. Forget mandatory preschool and all-day kindergarten. Let them explore and be active like KIDS. The study may be useful but I am so tired of this silliness in the schools.
12
Excuse me! Do you believe that most teachers who spend their days with children, haven't figured this out? Armchair critics need to get out!
Check out any book on Accelerated Learning Principles. I do a lot of "train the trainer" classes and integrating activity into training classes for adults (not just moving for the sake of moving but moving as part of a class activity) is one of the first things I help the future trainers to understand and implement. I think adults hate to sit still as much as kids.
4
"Sit still" is not at all the manta of every classroom! Montessori schools around the world allow very free movement throughout the day for children to pursue their work. It is a central component of our lives as humans and is integral to life in a Montessori classroom. Only through using our bodies and hands in full expression do we engage our minds most fully. Why make movement a short break from being trapped at a desk when it should be an essential part of our lives?
5
In decades past elementary students had a 15 minute break outside, mid morning, and mid afternoon. They attended school 8am-4pm and also had a half hour recess after lunch.
And interestingly you didn't have kids on Ritalin because all that excess energy that makes a kid hyper active and less able to pay attention in class, has been released.
Much as this excellent article suggests. Its also a well know fact that businesses like those in Silicon Valley, who have in house activity areas have healthier, happier employees for much the same reason. Physical activity recharges the brain.
And interestingly you didn't have kids on Ritalin because all that excess energy that makes a kid hyper active and less able to pay attention in class, has been released.
Much as this excellent article suggests. Its also a well know fact that businesses like those in Silicon Valley, who have in house activity areas have healthier, happier employees for much the same reason. Physical activity recharges the brain.
3
One reason I decided to become a teacher is because I didn't enjoy sitting at a desk all day. So you can bet my students get regular movement breaks throughout the day, and are also allowed to move around during many lessons. Want to stand while playing that math game? Go right ahead. Have to sit quietly while writing a test? We're going to have a five minute dance party when we finish. I am glad these studies were published, though. While they provide no new information for a thoughtful teacher, they do provide useful evidence for administrators who see a classroom of moving bodies as evidence of poor class management.
4
Thank you ! As a retired teacher, these kinds of articles seem to infer that
these professionals, teachers, don't know this stuff!
these professionals, teachers, don't know this stuff!
I was excited to read this article as it reaffirms what I do in my classroom. As a new high school teacher, I have learned to create work that allows students to have discussions in pairs about a controversial topic while standing anywhere in the
room. After 90 seconds or so they have to find someone else to talk to and we repeat for about 10 minutes or so. It's history "speed dating" and they love it. When we get back together as a group everyone is more engaged, excited to share what they learned from their peers and awake!
room. After 90 seconds or so they have to find someone else to talk to and we repeat for about 10 minutes or so. It's history "speed dating" and they love it. When we get back together as a group everyone is more engaged, excited to share what they learned from their peers and awake!
4
Thank you for introducing me to "speed dating" for classroom subjects and issues. I had not thought of that and it would be excellent with new students.
1
Why is this news?
Learning is an active process being active increases your learning. I've been teaching teenagers for over thirty years and let me tell you, having students sit still and take notes isn't learning. It's busy work at best.
How do you learn best? Most people learn best by doing and teachers, good teachers, have known this and been doing this for years. My classroom has been described as organized chaos and there have been administrators who didn't get it. But the kids do and that's what is important!
Learning is an active process being active increases your learning. I've been teaching teenagers for over thirty years and let me tell you, having students sit still and take notes isn't learning. It's busy work at best.
How do you learn best? Most people learn best by doing and teachers, good teachers, have known this and been doing this for years. My classroom has been described as organized chaos and there have been administrators who didn't get it. But the kids do and that's what is important!
5
"Sit still" is not at all at odds with activity breaks. Most of us who work at desks are able to sit still and focus for long periods of time, but can and do and should get up and take breaks from sitting, as well.
10
guess you're not a child - anymore ...
1
At NAPL we completely agree. It is natural and healthy for all individuals to take breaks to move throughout the day. Kids need to move more and will be better at focusing if they move throughout the day. Our BrainErgizers were created to make it easy for teachers to allow this movement to happen. They also have the added benefit of teaching children fundamental movement skills so they will be more likely to participate in physical activity throughout life.
1
Nice to see schools are starting to integrate movement into their class day.
Outside the obvious health advantages, research is showing more and more that these types of short bursts in physical activity are positively linked to increased levels of attention and performance. Short bursts of activity seems to be the most effective.
Glad the New York Times is highlighting this—we need to spread the word to help our students learn and our teachers teach!
A journal article on the topic can be found here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Claudia_Voelcker-Rehage/publication...
Outside the obvious health advantages, research is showing more and more that these types of short bursts in physical activity are positively linked to increased levels of attention and performance. Short bursts of activity seems to be the most effective.
Glad the New York Times is highlighting this—we need to spread the word to help our students learn and our teachers teach!
A journal article on the topic can be found here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Claudia_Voelcker-Rehage/publication...
11
It was called Physical Education! We also had music and art education in Parochial Schools in NYC. I can't sit still!
3
Thank you for sharing this article. At NAPL we couldn't agree with you more.
This makes so much sense.
Throughout my schooling years, I struggled to stay awake in class, even though I was a good student. Eleven years after graduating from college, I went back to school, and felt that old familiar sluggish feeling anytime I was required to sit still in class and simply absorb. During in-class activities and discussions, I was alert, but as soon as things went into lecture mode, my body went into sleep mode.
BUT, in the intervening years between college and grad school, I had spent some years as a reporter for a local weekly paper, covering schools, which meant I had to attend a school board meeting every other week. The meetings were long, sometimes boring, and held in the evening after a full day's work, but I NEVER felt that sluggishness come over me during any of those meetings. The reason why? I was feverishly trying to write down everything everyone said, in my reporter's notebook. It was a much more active process than "taking notes" in class, because I wasn't just trying to jot down salient points, I was trying to transcribe verbatim as much of the meeting as possible. And that's what kept me awake.
So as a grad student, once this realization dawned on me, I decided to do the same thing in class, not because I really needed my notes to be that comprehensive, but because the physical activity of doing it would keep me alert and help me pay attention. It totally helped.
Throughout my schooling years, I struggled to stay awake in class, even though I was a good student. Eleven years after graduating from college, I went back to school, and felt that old familiar sluggish feeling anytime I was required to sit still in class and simply absorb. During in-class activities and discussions, I was alert, but as soon as things went into lecture mode, my body went into sleep mode.
BUT, in the intervening years between college and grad school, I had spent some years as a reporter for a local weekly paper, covering schools, which meant I had to attend a school board meeting every other week. The meetings were long, sometimes boring, and held in the evening after a full day's work, but I NEVER felt that sluggishness come over me during any of those meetings. The reason why? I was feverishly trying to write down everything everyone said, in my reporter's notebook. It was a much more active process than "taking notes" in class, because I wasn't just trying to jot down salient points, I was trying to transcribe verbatim as much of the meeting as possible. And that's what kept me awake.
So as a grad student, once this realization dawned on me, I decided to do the same thing in class, not because I really needed my notes to be that comprehensive, but because the physical activity of doing it would keep me alert and help me pay attention. It totally helped.
10
Where was this information 60-some years ago? I kept bringing homes notes - "Ann is not paying attention in class." Of course, more recently I probably would have been drugged so that I would not look out the window as a relief to tedium. Save the pills - let them jog around the room.
46
Amen to this. Too quick to medicate when we could replace a pill with a mandate to move.
2
By good fortune, I attended the Ladue (suburban St. Louis) public schools. They had physical education classes every day in every grade, citing research that showed the benefits of this, even before the Mercury astronauts when up. This is just being re-discovered.
1
I am sorry, this is not just being "rediscovered." As a retired teacher of ten year olds this is not some moment of awakening. Teachers are with kids all day, and are aware of kids' needs for movement, especially after sitting for a lesson. We plan our lessons varying activities with desk work. Trust the professionals!
1
I always thought the objective of students sitting still was to inculcate the habit in our future workplace drones. Even now, with all the evidence pointing to the harm of prolonged immobility, managers would rather have you surreptitiously shopping online in your fattening pen than venturing from your desk and stretching your legs. In the pea-brained world of middle-management, to stand is to slack.
11
I like your clever handle.
I have to laugh...you say sitting chained in a chair all day listening to someone talk is not good for the brain, you need to move also. Thanks goodness for research and studies. Must have been a fluke when the Greeks were doing this 3000 years ago.
24
I can't bear to keep still for long, and I used to be a teacher! Would often allow some shifting around so that pupils could have some relief. Common sense.
10
Good heavens! Anybody who's been teaching longer than about two weeks knows this! Recess, called by any name, gets blood into sleepy brains, revs up slowing metabolisms, and gives a break to working intellects.
One of the best teachers with whom I ever shared a school building showed our entire faculty the efficacy of this approach. We had been sitting for 90 minutes, with another hour to go. When it was her turn to speak, she stepped to the microphone and commanded us, "Okay, stand up. Go walk around. Say Hi to somebody at another table. Be back at your seat in 10 minutes." People were grateful, energized and productive the rest of the day. Many of us took that lesson into our classrooms and saw the same payoff Every. Single. Time.
This is a lifesaver for fidgeters, ADHDers, Tourette's kids, very fit people, and anybody else who cannot sit still. We expend as much effort trying to be stationary as we do in learning. What a waste!
One of the best teachers with whom I ever shared a school building showed our entire faculty the efficacy of this approach. We had been sitting for 90 minutes, with another hour to go. When it was her turn to speak, she stepped to the microphone and commanded us, "Okay, stand up. Go walk around. Say Hi to somebody at another table. Be back at your seat in 10 minutes." People were grateful, energized and productive the rest of the day. Many of us took that lesson into our classrooms and saw the same payoff Every. Single. Time.
This is a lifesaver for fidgeters, ADHDers, Tourette's kids, very fit people, and anybody else who cannot sit still. We expend as much effort trying to be stationary as we do in learning. What a waste!
88
Yesss. And stand up and dance in place while singing or rapping the 50 states, rivers, and mountain chains, countries of a continent, or the periodic table or . . . Parts of all this can be done in the first five minutes or so of taking roll or mid class or class break.
It works even better if the class or talented classmates make up the raps or songs, chants and dances. Sign lanugo get phrases or expressions can be put in with poems or famous speeches or drama.
This I learned from having rappers among the students given to me because no teacher wanted them. And give colored chalk to students to illustrate or cartoon the raps.
It works even better if the class or talented classmates make up the raps or songs, chants and dances. Sign lanugo get phrases or expressions can be put in with poems or famous speeches or drama.
This I learned from having rappers among the students given to me because no teacher wanted them. And give colored chalk to students to illustrate or cartoon the raps.
1
As I think back to childhood, that few minutes of freedom sounds ever so much better than the regimented, boot camp activities that in my day were called phys. ed. I always dreaded and hated them. It felt like by being sent to a concentration camp to be bullied and shouted at by frustrated jocks who never had grown up
1
This can't be "news" to any teacher out there. As an 8th grade teacher myself, it is remarkable the difference it makes when students are allowed to move for short periods of time. How many of us, as adults, are able to sit through long meetings/workshops/etc, without needing to get up or take a break? Certainly we should not expect kids to sit still for an entire school day.
37
I don't know why it takes so many studies to figure out what any decent mother knows. Kids need to move around. They are designed that way.
69
The studies aren't meant for the mothers. Obviously we already know this. The studies are meant for policymakers, usually men, who know nothing and care nothing about kids, and who constantly ask for proof of anything that mothers and teachers demand. When we demand more movement officially implemented in schools, whey want to see evidence that it's necessary, or else they won't bother and will keep pushing for "academics" until the kids drop dead. And even when we do present them with clear evidence of the obvious, they still try to get away with the old system. So yeah, it is obvious, but the studies are more than necessary, as weapons to arm us in the constant war with the politics.
5
It doesn't take a study. It takes practicality. Teachers are with kids all day and are aware that kids need movement from time to time.
Articles such as these, that treat these "discoveries" as some novelty need to get out!!
Articles such as these, that treat these "discoveries" as some novelty need to get out!!
Waldorf educators have understood the importance of frequent physical activity since Rudolf Steiner first developed the Waldorf system 98 years ago. It is, in a sense, absurd to describe this as "news". But I'm glad other people are finally catching up.
The truth is that adults working at desk jobs need frequent physical breaks as well, if they want to work productively. I encouraged my staff to get up and move around a bit every 30-45 minutes and I made sure to do the same.
Working on a mental problem? I'd get up from my desk, walk over to the window, peer out over the trees at the traffic below and let my mind do the work while taking a quick stretch.
The truth is that adults working at desk jobs need frequent physical breaks as well, if they want to work productively. I encouraged my staff to get up and move around a bit every 30-45 minutes and I made sure to do the same.
Working on a mental problem? I'd get up from my desk, walk over to the window, peer out over the trees at the traffic below and let my mind do the work while taking a quick stretch.
21
I have 30 high energy third graders who are on rainy day schedule. Instead of having them eat in the cafeteria. We eat together and talk and move in our class.
In my 20 years I have had administrators who confuse motion and movement with lack of classroom management. Trust me I can snap a group into order by telling them what we need to accomplish.
Funny the achievement level is one of the highest in our school.
Chief
In my 20 years I have had administrators who confuse motion and movement with lack of classroom management. Trust me I can snap a group into order by telling them what we need to accomplish.
Funny the achievement level is one of the highest in our school.
Chief
20
Oh geez. More from the 'recess' crowd. And of course the ADHD anti-medders will have orgasms.
2
Thanks for your orgasm, Ian of West Palm Beach.
We might also take a look at how we teach young children and teens. Standing in front of the classroom and lecturing at them or doing all the talking with them taking all the notes does not mean that they are learning anything other than how to sit still.
3
Depends on the age. I'd argue that good note-taking is where learning starts. Students need to hear the presentation, think about and process what they see and hear, and create useful notes from that material. I think it also depends on the subject.
7
I am going to try something like this on the "kids" I teach (college kids).
6
College and high school kids tend to get movement as they need to scamper between classes in most instances when they change subjects. Many college students need to change buildings and may have to sprint across campus. Few stay with one teacher all day as is common with primary school students,
But in longer clasess -- 90 minutes -- probably makes sense.
But in longer clasess -- 90 minutes -- probably makes sense.
4
I enjoyed this article but the bigger picture about physical activity in the classroom remains that it is sound pedagogy beyond activity breaks. It is natural to move as we learn. Physical activity can be used to prepare the the brain to learn, provide content breaks, support physical fitness, create class unity, review content and teach content. Please see The Kinesthetic Classroom: Teaching and Learning through Movement (Corwin, 2010).
9
Well said, Mike. It is not just about "getting the wiggles out." Everyone out there, if you haven't read The Kinesthetic Classroom yet, you need to get a copy. Or check out one of Mike's Ted Talks.
2
In my children's school district, the practice was to take recess time away from the children when they misbehaved thereby denying needed movement breaks mostly for the kids that needed it the most. The school has a policy in place that now is supposed to make sure children do not lose recess. But I found there to be a surprisingly hostile reaction by not just teachers but by many parents that felt that having the children lose recess was effective punishment for bad behavior, or infractions such as missing homework. Many kids suffer through the school day and many of those kids will end up on medication for ADHD. School does not need to be torturous for the children, if they are given opportunities to move and be children. We have forgotten all of this in our race to believe we are improving our schools.
24
As my son said about one of his classmates in elementary school:"It's a good day when she only falls off her chair once."
Restraining kids in chairs for a full day goes against everything in their nature, as any parent on a long cross-country drive with children knows.
Restraining kids in chairs for a full day goes against everything in their nature, as any parent on a long cross-country drive with children knows.
9
As a Catholic school student and later as a teacher in a Catholic school, I had regular exercise breaks in addition to gym class. All it takes is a game of Simon Says, or some jumping jacks and a walk around the room to burn off some energy. If school doesn't provide regular breaks the teachers should schedule them in.
11
There's been cuts in PE and playground time. And we wonder why kids, especially boys, are so ADHD?
If we were truly trying to fight obesity we'd also be allowing them to exercise or move often through out the day. Positive healthy habits should be instituted early in life, including daily exercise. More public access to health/exercise/swim facilities would be beneficial as well. Where I live it is cost prohibitive and only for those with lots of money. Today it costs students to participate in school sports. Not fair to income challenged families.
Public school gyms and their facilities need to be open more for public use.
If we were truly trying to fight obesity we'd also be allowing them to exercise or move often through out the day. Positive healthy habits should be instituted early in life, including daily exercise. More public access to health/exercise/swim facilities would be beneficial as well. Where I live it is cost prohibitive and only for those with lots of money. Today it costs students to participate in school sports. Not fair to income challenged families.
Public school gyms and their facilities need to be open more for public use.
33
While I wholeheartedly agree with you on the need for physical activity from a mental and physical health perspective, I would like to address your mischaracterisation of ADHD. As someone who lives with this condition and has read about it extensively, I will tell you that its cause has nothing to do with not being allowed recess and everything to do with fundamental neurological processes. While there is a substantial argument over over-diagnosis, it is unhelpful to use ADHD as a support for arguments over physical activity. This, like the popularisation of referring to any moment of distractedness as being 'ADD', only hurts the push to educate people, especially educators, medical professionals and employers, about the issues that people with the condition face and how best to to accommodate and treat them. This is also pertinent to jokes or offhand comments about Ritalin or other ADHD medications, drugs that can and do transform lives but are instead stigmatised and so often unjustifiably rejected by parents and professionals. Medical labels should not be used as part of metaphors; they should be used in the context of medicine.
1
My daughter's 2nd grade class takes frequent movement breaks during the day, in addition to gym and recess daily. They have something that sounds like BrainErgizer -- they have video-led dance moves or in-place exercises they do for a few minutes a few times a day. I think it's great. I get up from my desk and take a short walk every hour and a half or so now that I'm convinced my desk job will kill me otherwise-- why would sitting still be better for my young children than it is for me?
9
Nice article outlining the benefits of physically active learning in the classroom. We have recently published a similar piece based on our research here in the UK. Please see:
http://theconversation.com/active-lessons-can-boost-childrens-learning-a...
http://theconversation.com/active-lessons-can-boost-childrens-learning-a...
6
Despite occasional lashings and detention punishment in 1950's era Boston Elementary school I persisted as a chronic fidgeter/mover in the classroom. I always believed it to be some mental issue or defect. Wow! Now I learn it was a 'good' thing. And, it might have contributed to my academic success. Who knew? Who suffered?
5
Kind of a dumb premise. Of course you should be able to sit still. And of course, every once in a while, you ought to move around a bit. Telling people that its good to move around a bit every so often, is not the same as acknowledging that if you cannot sit still, if you cannot prevent yourself from fidgeting, you have a problem. Are we so tolerant now of everything , that barring a disability such as some kind of palsy, its not OK to tell kids not to fidget and squirm in their chairs? Next we'll give up on telling them to sit up straight.
1
Agreed. I was beaten in Lutheran school (1970's) for not sitting still. So were all the other boys. Girls didn't seem to have that problem. In college I learned to get up and move around to stay focused.
1
@jg look, we've even had one obvious fidgeter in chief - George HW Bush - who couldn't be totally still. Not being able to go completely rigid at an order is not some sort of moral failing, and doesn't indicate lack of focus. For some kids and adults, what you call fidgeting seems to free up their brains to get actively involved with the subject at hand. It's not unlike what many of us do when actively considering some new idea or course of action: we pace.
1