STUDENTS’ PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE ARE CONNECTED

Contributed by  Flordeliza R. Dionisio – Luakan National High School, Dinalupihan, Bataan

Physical Education teachers together with other subject teachers must sit down to discuss some problems about students who struggle in class. They have to consider that this situation is somehow related to lack of physical activity.

Many students in every grade level at schools across the country are struggling in class. It’s not because they are underachievers, or they are not smart, or they don’t care. It’s because we’re working against them. The longer children and teens are forced to sit and grow roots in their chairs, the harder it will be for them to bloom.

There are myriad researches that prove that students need adequate amounts of physical activity throughout the school day. Not only do they prevent obesity and obesity-related issues, but they also help pupils to perform better, academically.

The Columbia University, the New York City Health Department and Department of Education, the Universities of Illinois, West Virginia, and California have all published researches that stand behind the need for physical education in the school system.

Many physical educators believe that physical activity can have an impact on the cognitive skills, attitudes and academic behavior of children, all of which are important components of improved academic performance. These include enhanced concentration and attention as well as improved classroom behavior.

On the other hand, Active Living Research says, “In some cases, more time in physical education leads to improved grades and standardized test scores.” In schools that are under government mandates to bridge the achievement gap, and when those mandates encourage “teaching to the test”, physical education can actually help improve the students’ scores.

Unfortunately, many schools cut physical education and PE funding with the belief that more rigid classroom time would somehow stimulate students to learn more. It’s an incorrect belief, and there’s scientific evidence to prove it.

Exercise directly impacts the behavior and development of the brain. “It is likely that the effects of physical activity on cognition would be particularly important in the highly plastic developing brains of youth,” according to a 2010 essay penned by Charles Basch of Columbia University. He summarized how exercise may affect executive functioning: increased oxygen flow to the brain; increased brain neurotransmitters; increased brain-derived neurotrophins that support neuronal differentiation and survival in the developing brain. Neurotrophins assure the survival of neurons in areas responsible for learning, memory, and higher thinking.

Physical activity has benefits beyond improved grades, too. Basch extrapolates current research and connects physical activity to absenteeism, drop-out rates, and social connectedness.

“Drop-out rates were lower for youth who consistently participated in interscholastic sports,” he writes, though he cautions that forcing kids to join sports won’t solve the drop-out problem that plagues many inner city schools, it simply may foster an environment of connectedness that could keep at-risk students attending school.

That is why teachers must convene and discuss topics about this situation. We want our students to get quality education, even though their life situation or choices often make it difficult. But every child, regardless of financial background, should have equal access to excellent education.

It’s not good enough to push them through the school system and let them fend for themselves in the real world. We must use their formative years to give them the tools they can use to survive and provide for their own families. When they have children, they’ll be able to pass on the knowledge we gave them. We’re creating a positive future for generations to come.

So what can school do to inject more activity and movement into the school day? We must not entertain the idea that PE must take a backseat.

“In fact, a growing body of evidence shows that increased time for physical education and other school-based physical activity programs is associated with either a neutral or positive impact on academic outcomes.” We must accept that not only PE teachers are responsible for lack of physical activity of students. Parents, other teachers, school administrators must all be involved

Reference: www.sparkle.org/blog