Movement and physical activity's effects on student cognition and learning

¶ … Learning

\"Sit and Git\" continues to be the predominant model for formal learning. It is actually not only surprising but quite embarrassing. Why do we keep on using this model when it is obvious that lecture alone is not enough? The reason for this can be tracked down to a century. Scientific and educational communities have believed for decades that thinking is different from movement. Nonconformist scientists have seen the link between movement and thinking, but their theories gained little support from the public. Now we know better. This paper explains the link between improved cognition and breaks, energizing activities, movement, and physical education. It shows that movement can be an efficient strategy to (1) improve learning, (2) enhance memory and retrieval, and (3) boost learner motivation and morale (Jensen, 2005).

Correlation of Movement with Brain Activity

In the United States, 68% of high school students are not active in physical education. Is this a cause for alarm? Yes, because exercise strengthens the cerebellum, corpus callosum and basal ganglia (major brain areas) much the same way that it shapes up the heart, lungs, bones, and muscles (Jensen, 2005). It is a well-known fact that exercise supplies the brain with oxygen. In addition to this, it also feeds the brain with high nutrient chemical \"packages\" called neurotrophins, increasing the connections between neurons. And it is also amazing how exercise enhance the baseline of growth of new neurons. Rats that do exercise grow more brain cells than those who do not. Additionally, studies have found a link that increased neurogenesis results to reduced likelihood of depression, increased cognition, and better memory (Cox, 2016).

Imagine having a better brain because of exercise! It is thus a liability for a student who get little to no exercise at all and at the same time an opportunity for him to start engaging in one. According to Jensen (2005), only one-third of K-12 students are engaged in daily physical education class, and it is not an exaggeration when we say that it is an educational malpractice. A list of activities that can be incorporated into different subjects to help improvement movement during the learning process follows.

Learning Stations

Learning stations or learning \"centers,\" are very common in early elementary levels. They are however effective also in the higher elementary grades. The reasons are these:

First and foremost, these learning stations or \"centers\" can be customized according to student level. This is awesome because you know that the needs of all the students from different levels will be met. Secondly, these learning stations can be used in different contexts. An example would be creating several math stations so that the students would have to \"move\" from one station to another to do each task. This can also be done when working on persuasive essays wherein students can complete different forms of this topic in each station. Learning stations are an amazing way to get students moving on their feet, and teachers can also ask them to stand while completing the task.

Gallery Walks

Gallery walks have been gaining popularity recently. In a \"gallery walk,\" students explore several images or texts that are placed in different areas of the classroom. It is a good way to help students familiarize themselves with different texts and encourage them to showcase their work to other students. This strategy which involves moving around the classroom is very helpful for kinesthetic learners.

Chalk Talks

Similar to gallery walk is \"chalk talk\" wherein the students talk with their chalk. teachers can use a \'gallery walk\' and a \'chalk talk\' concurrently by asking students to walk around and read texts that are placed around the classroom, and asking them to write their answer underneath the text using their chalk. Teachers may also opt to write a question on the front board and choose several students to answer the questions using their chalk. Both strategies are equally great in integrating movement into lessons.

Musical Mingle

This strategy is similar to the game \"musical chairs \"in such a way that the students would need to stop when the music stops. In addition to this, the students are required to discuss the question or problem with the person next to him. This activity can be very helpful when the class has sedentary lessons, an example of which is reading lessons because they usually do not involve movement. By playing musical mingle, instructors can incorporate movements into the lesson because the students can then discuss the reading material or answer questions while they move about.

Interactive Boards

Another way to spice up lessons and get students moving is through the use of mini chalkboards or whiteboards. This interactive board may be used in any kind of lesson. Instructors can divide students into several groups, ask a question, have them discuss it, and ask them to write their answer or opinion on those mini chalkboards. Similarly, the students to go to a specific area in the classroom after writing down their answer on the mini chalkboard. There are many ways to make use of mini chalkboards to facilitate movement of students in the classroom.