Educating the Student Body


Book Description

Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.




Physical Activity and Health Promotion in the Early Years


Book Description

This book focuses on improving well-being among young children. It provides a theoretical base explaining why physical activity is important, and offers practical strategies for increasing health and well-being in early childhood settings. It takes ancient wisdom on the mind and body connection, applies it to the youngest children, and supports it with current empirical and international evidence—all with an eye toward improving wellness across the lifespan. The many topics discussed in the book include children’s motor skills, movement, interaction, physical literacy, the use of video games, dog ownership, developmental delays, as well as strategies to improve physical activities in the classroom and broader contexts. In recent years, children’s health has become a priority worldwide. Topics such as “screen time” “sedentary behavior” and “childhood obesity” have become important issues everywhere- in the news, in schools, in community and commercials settings, and among health care providers. Limiting sedentary behavior, increasing physical activity, and maintaining a nutritious diet are three fundamental needs during early childhood. Preschool years are a time when children begin to explore the world around them, and develop more vivid understandings of their surroundings. As this book shows, the early years may be the best time to teach wellness concepts and assist young children in establishing healthy lifestyle habits.




Enhancing Children's Cognition With Physical Activity Games


Book Description

Enhancing Children’s Cognition with Physical Activity Games helps you create movement-based learning experiences that build the bodies and minds of children ages 3 to 12. You’ll learn how to develop physical activities that foster cognitive development and enhance academic achievement.




Physical Activity and Learning After School


Book Description

"Subject Areas/Keywords: academic enrichment programs, academic skills, after school activities, after school programs, children, elementary schools, exercise, games, health promotion, high poverty schools, interventions, kinesiology, literacy, mathematics, obesity prevention, physical education, physical fitness, public health, reading, social studies, struggling learners, students DESCRIPTION Every school day, more than 10 million children attend after




Moving With Words & Actions


Book Description

The earlier that children develop a love for physical activity, the better able they are to acquire the healthy habits that will serve them well throughout their lives. Moving With Words & Actions is designed to help them develop that critical physical literacy. Moving With Words & Actions offers early childhood and physical education teachers more than 70 lesson plans that can be used immediately or can be used as models for creating additional lessons. The plans reinforce both physical literacy and language literacy; they use words related to children’s academic learning and understanding of their immediate environment to entice them to move. The lesson plans • Use an interdisciplinary approach, integrating academic concepts from language arts, math, science, health and nutrition, community awareness, and environmental awareness • Are highly adaptable for various settings, including those working with individualized education programs and 504 accommodation plans as well as those teaching in limited spaces • Offer great noncompetitive activities that are perfect for use by recess, lunchtime, and before- and after-school specialists • Have been field tested according to best practices to ensure age appropriateness Each lesson plan includes three learning tasks that help children apply a variety of action words and movement concepts to the moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activities prescribed in the tasks. Most tasks are easy to implement, requiring no equipment or specialized setting. What’s more, all lesson plans address SHAPE America’s National Standards and Grade-Level Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education, so preschool children will have a head start on their kindergarten learning. This SHAPE America book, based on the authors’ classic Movement-Based Learning, has been completely revamped with new lessons and new material to reflect current research, address the new standards and outcomes, and emphasize physical literacy. Part I offers expert guidance in selecting age-appropriate content, creating and implementing lesson plans, making the most of every lesson, and assessing your students’ learning and progress. In part I, you’ll explore the importance of words in young children’s lives and learn what constitutes an appropriate learning task and how that understanding should inform your teaching. These chapters also highlight two primary instructional strategies for this age group, identify five teaching practices to help student teachers create preservice lessons, and outline three assessment techniques for teachers in early-childhood settings. Part II supplies the lesson plans themselves, categorized by these units: • Healthy Bodies (examining body parts and the ways they move, and increasing awareness of healthy nutrition) • Our Community (enhancing children’s understanding of community helpers in familiar roles) • Living Creatures (helping children appreciate animals by imitating their movements, behaviors, and characteristics) • Science and Math (using action rhymes, riddles, and games to learn math and science concepts) • Language Arts (expanding on children’s language arts and movement vocabularies with alphabet challenges, action poems, movement riddles, and more) Moving With Words & Actions will help you plan lessons with confidence, use sound instructional strategies, and assess your students effectively as they learn how their bodies function, move, and grow in healthy ways. Children will enjoy the movement activities, which are fun in and of themselves; but, more importantly, they will be taking a solid first step toward becoming physically literate learners who will gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to move with competence in multiple environments and lead active lives.




Physical Education Initiatives for Early Childhood Learners


Book Description

In early childhood education, children find in their own body and movement the main way to get in touch with the reality that surrounds them and, therefore, acquire knowledge about the environment in which they grow and develop. Undoubtedly, the progressive discovery of the body itself as a source of feelings and sensations, as well as exploring the different possibilities of action and bodily functions, constitutes necessary experiences on which children's thinking is built. Furthermore, the affective relationships established in psychomotor education situations, and particularly through play, are essential for the emotional development of children. Physical Education Initiatives for Early Childhood Learners offers globalized educational practices, didactic approaches, and proposals for intervention around motor development in the children ages 0-6 years. The book specifically explores laterality, coordination, relaxation, rhythm, etc. and how these are achieved through games, music, and motor stories. This book is ideal for early childhood educators, physical education teachers, administrators, daycares, preschools, early childhood learning centers, researchers, academicians, and students interested in physical education’s role in early child development.




Active Education


Book Description

The belief that physical activity plays a pivotal role in the public health of our nation's children is no longer a minority opinion, but rather, a steadfast belief. The health benefits associated with leading an active healthy lifestyle are well documented, yet America's youth remain inactive and overweight, if not obese. Data suggests that about 25 million adolescents are pushing the scales towards obesity. Close to half of American youth do not participate regularly in physical activity and many kids report no participation in activity during an average week. There is an abundance of empirical research findings illustrating how regular physical activity provides an array of physiological health benefits, but what is frequently overlooked is the link between movement and the enhanced cognition of children. Brain research suggests that increasing movement time has the potential to foster academic performance simultaneously, positively influencing the health of our nation's children. Empirical evidence from leading scientists' reveal strong associations between the cerebellum and memory, spatial perception, language attention, emotion, non-verbal cues and the decision making ability among children who are active while learning content in the classroom. Regular physical activity combined with teaching traditional elementary school curricula has also been found to improve concentration, along with reading and mathematic performance and academic achievement measured by standardised tests. Furthermore, positive benefits linked to using movement as a reinforcer to enhance learning by decreasing behavioural episodes of children suffering from ADD and ADHD has also been found. The current emphasis on performance pedagogy and standardised testing related to No Child Left Behind has caused many States and school districts to reduce physical education offerings, and in some instances reduce the amount of daily recess time to increase classroom contact hours to boost test scores. What most teachers and principals often ignore is that teaching current elementary school curricula (i.e., Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies) with movement can improve academic performance and achievement while improving the wellness of future generations of children. Active Education: Lessons for Integrating Physical Activity with Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies provides teachers with standard-based activities to teach required elementary school curricula with movement to make teaching and learning more enjoyable!




Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8


Book Description

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.




Learning on Your Feet


Book Description

In this much-needed book, you’ll learn how incorporating physical activity into the classroom can improve students’ engagement, achievement, and overall wellness. Students typically spend most of the day sitting at their desks, and many don’t have recess or PE, yet research shows that regular exercise helps stimulate brain function and improve skills such as reading, critical thinking, organization, and focus. Authors Brad Johnson and Melody Jones, who have consulted with schools across the globe on fitness issues, offer a variety of games and activities you can use to integrate exercise into any class or subject area. You’ll learn how to: Create an "active classroom" with active workstations and fitness areas to keep students alert and engaged throughout the day; Gradually introduce physical activities into your everyday classroom routine; Use interactive technology to teach your students about health and fitness; Try out a variety of activities and exercises to reduce stress, help students focus, promote teamwork, build core strength and balance, and more; Make STEM classes more exciting with hands-on activities, projects, and real-world problems, all while getting your students up and moving. These activities are easy to implement and are designed to improve one’s physical and mental capabilities, as well as increase enjoyment of learning for happier, healthier, higher-achieving students.