Can Kinesthetic Classrooms Possibly Be the Key to Healthier, Smarter Students?
Research shows moving more can boost health, focus, and test scores.
American children are seeing the figures on their scales climb at alarming rates, and their academic performance is being weighed down as well.
The United States now ranks among the highest globally for childhood obesity, with a third of kids carrying excess pounds. Disturbingly, this obesity crisis has paralleled a decades-long plunge in reading and math scores across the nation.
Are the two related? The answer appears to be yes.
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Research indicates a correlation between obesity and declining academic performance. As weight increases, academic achievement decreases considerably due to obesity's negative impact on verbal and working memory. While obesity may not be the sole cause, it appears to impair the learning process.
But what if there was a way to kill two birds with one stone? A solution that could tackle the escalating childhood obesity rates and declining academic performance simultaneously? Remarkably, the answer may lie in a seemingly simple strategy: more physical activity.
Active Bodies, Active Brains
To combat the dual crises of rising obesity and declining academics, increasing physical activity during classroom hours—distinct from dedicated gym classes—is imperative.Children spend eight to 10 hours sedentary daily, exacerbating risks like obesity, depression, and sleep issues that compromise overall well-being, according to research from the University of Tokyo. A 2018 University of California–Los Angeles study even linked excessive sitting to changes in memory-related brain regions.
While movement is crucial for development, the current U.S. education system often demands students remain seated and silent.
Kinesthetic Learning
It is widely believed that children learn best when actively engaged in hands-on activities that allow movement during lessons. However, it's crucial to note that this doesn't mean permitting disruptive behavior. Instead, movement should be purposeful and directly related to the learning task at hand.Story continues below advertisement
Research shows that the stimulation from kinesthetic learning—which involves touching material to learn—not only aids motor development and skill acquisition but also positively impacts academic performance. Notably, studies suggest that physical activity can significantly enhance math skills in particular.
Furthermore, incorporating movement into learning activities can improve phonemic awareness and the recognition of letter–sound relationships.
Standing Desks in Schools
Another potential solution to address childhood obesity and declining academic performance involves standing desks in classrooms.Research shows students using standing desks expend significantly more calories than those sitting at traditional desks.
Moreover, a study by Texas A&M University Health Science Center demonstrates that standing desks can improve learning and overall behavior.
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The study involved 374 elementary students from College Station, Texas, divided into a control group using traditional desks and a standing-desk group. Both groups wore biometric monitors tracking measurements like heart rate, movement intensity, and caloric burn.
Unsurprisingly, the standing desk students burned more calories. More importantly, they exhibited higher engagement levels during activity-based learning than their seated counterparts. Overweight and obese children demonstrated even greater improvements in attention than their normal-weight peers.
Students needn't stand all day; the school day can alternate standing and sitting periods. More importantly, as the literature shows, classroom time should include more opportunities for movement overall.
Active vs. Passive Learning
Physical movement boosts children's cognitive abilities, preparing them to absorb new knowledge.Engaging in physical activities promotes an "active learning" environment, which is far more engaging than passive, traditional learning styles. Additionally, exercise can stimulate brain regions involved in mathematical thinking.
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Students can better understand math and physics problems by physically acting them out, as connecting actions to language helps one grasp basic concepts. For instance, when 8-year-olds used gestures to learn a foreign word for "airplane," they had 73 percent better recall after two months, according to research published in Educational Psychology Review.
In one study, elementary students in Copenhagen, Denmark, were split into two groups over six weeks. One group combined basketball with math tasks like counting baskets, while the other played basketball separately.
The math–basketball group, whose tasks involved counting successful baskets from various distances and calculating the total, showed an over 6 percent improvement in math skills, a 16 percent increase in intrinsic motivation, and an over 14 percent enhancement in perceived autonomy compared to their peers, who only learned math in the classroom.
This reflects the "embodied cognition" concept: The brain influences the body, but the body also affects the brain. A more holistic, physically active approach could help children become happier, healthier, and more successful learners.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.
