In a new study released Tuesday, Mathematica Policy Research and the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University rigorously evaluated the Playworks program and found that it improved outcomes in the areas of school climate, conflict resolution and aggression, physical activity, and learning and academic performance.
In an effort to increase physical activity levels of all American youth, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today released the report, Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Midcourse Report: Strategies to Increase Physical Activity Among Youth (PDF), as a five-year follow-up to the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.
In the past year, experts and practitioners in the field, whole child partners, and ASCD staff have shared their stories, ideas, and resources to help you ensure that each child, in each community, is healthy, engaged, supported, and challenged and is college-, career-, and citizenship-ready. These are the top 10 posts you read in 2011.
Last month we ran the theme of integrating movement throughout the school day (and outside of physical education classes). Obviously one place where this should be a no-brainer is recess. But it's been scary seeing how many schools and districts have been cutting back on recess time to either provide enrichment classes or add additional academic study time into the school day.
In fact, the reason given why many of these schools are adding "enrichment classes" into recess time is because they have been pushed out of the daily schedule by academic cuts. And this is even though there have been countless studies showing and editorials discussing the benefits of play, whether it be for physical health, social and emotional health, all of the above, and even academic development.
Post submitted by Monica A.F. Lounsbery, PhD, and Thomas L. McKenzie, PhD. Lounsbery is a professor and director of the Physical Activity Policy Research Program, Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences, at the University of Nevada–Las Vegas. McKenzie is a former school physical education and health teacher, coach, and administrator. He is emeritus professor of exercise and nutritional sciences at San Diego State University and has authored or co-authored over 200 papers and developed numerous assessment and curricular materials.
Physical education (PE) is one of the few settings where children, particularly those from socioeconomically disadvantaged families, can accrue substantial amounts of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and learn important generalizable movement and behavioral skills to help them lead a physically active lifestyle.
Since the No Child Left Behind Act has been in place, most school policymakers recognize that there have been dramatic decreases in the amount of PE time students are provided per week. However, many school principals probably don't disclose that the remaining PE time is often compromised.
Ensuring a high-quality physical education program is important. Equally important is ensuring that students are active across the school day and not just in gym class. Research shows that kids who are physically active are not only healthier, but also likely to perform better academically; and short activity breaks during the school day can improve concentration and behavior and enhance learning.
In short, school-based physical activity is valuable exercise. It aids cognitive development; increases engagement and motivation; and is essential to keeping kids healthy and engaged, as well as safe, supported, and challenged. In November we looked at new ways to encourage movement and how schools are bringing physical activity out of the gym and into the classroom.
Post submitted by Monica A.F. Lounsbery, PhD, professor and director of the Physical Activity Policy Research Program, Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences, at the University of Nevada–Las Vegas.
Schools, through recess, physical education, and other programs, provide opportunities for children to accrue their recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity. Of these settings, physical education is perhaps the most important because it is a required part of the education curriculum and provides the only opportunity some children have to engage in vigorous activity and learn movement skills that will last a lifetime. Participating in physical activity during recess is voluntary, but nonetheless many children are active during it, especially when it is held outdoors.
Life can be very stressful. Many of us are so happy to have jobs that we feel the need to be on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When we are not working more and more hours, we are on the Internet searching for the most current education practices to help us in our classrooms and school buildings.
Even a topic as conceptual as ethics can become a kinesthetic experience to help students get out of their seats and get the brain-blood flowing. Your students will thank you for thinking of ways to make learning fun and active, such as frequently using patterns of small- and large-group activity and asking students to scribe on flip charts, whiteboards, or smartboards (try to never be the only one standing!).
Signal to your students that you want to meet their needs and encourage their authentic input by asking them to come up with a more physical or active way to carry out an activity they've done before. This provides review and deepening understanding of concepts while innovating and building knowledge ... and having fun.
Nine years ago, I was talking with an elementary school principal about scheduling my university tutoring class in his school. Among my concerns was making sure that the children to be tutored did not have to miss recess. His question, "What recess?" was startling and sparked my journey to better understand the importance of how paying attention to the whole child is a sure way to help them to maximize their full potential as readers. Just what, I wondered, could I—a reading professor by profession with a personal fitness-training avocation—do to join the chorus of the many different agencies to address children's optimal wellness in an effort to ward off childhood obesity? The answer to this question culminated in a book I wrote entitled Literacy Lessons to Help Kids Get Fit and Healthy (Scholastic, 2010). In it, I offer several fitness literacy lessons, of which FitLit is a part.
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