How Physical Movement Affects Learning

737 Words3 Pages
Some people exercise to lose weight. Others exercise to prevent disease. Some exercise just to feel better or to be healthy. However, another reason we should exercise is for brain health and development. In other words, physical movements contain learning strategies that stimulate the brain. Beyond just counterbalancing the negative effects of too much passive, seated work, physical movement has also been shown to benefit learning in a variety of ways. For example, physical movement can help reduce student stress, increase positive feelings motivation, and enhance academic performance. First and foremost, physical movement serves to relieve stress, which is especially good for adolescents, who often experience additional stress from hormonal imbalances. When students are stressed, they often have more difficulty learning and remembering because “their brains go into a defensive mode”, which activates more primitive parts of the brain and hinders learning (Berchtold, Cotman, Castello, 2010). The most construed fact about exercise in correlation with mentality is it assists reducing or eliminating stress, an essential traditional means to implement physical brain-based learning activities into the school curriculum (Berchtold, Cotman, Castello. 2010). By decreasing tension and stress, activities including physical movement can promote learning and positive attitudes. Moreover, Using movement in class can increase student motivation, engagement, and attention. Requiring students to move can help engage even those typically reluctant, disinterested learners. Research has shown that exercise and purposeful movement focus attention and increase alertness (Berchtold, Cotman, Castello, 2010). Students who are active in the classroom are more involved in learning and better able to concentrate. Numerous teachers who have incorporated physical movement into their lessons
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