Trauma Informed Tip of the Week, March 4, 2019

The Benefits of Movement in the Classroom

Scientists have provided a significant amount of evidence that the average learner, regardless of age, needs to briefly move their bodies every 20–30 minutes, and many other students learn the most effectively with movement breaks in 15-minute increments. This enables learners to maintain focus, integrate learning across both of the brain’s hemispheres, enter information into memory, and avoid feeling overwhelmed or information overload.

Here are some specific benefits that movement breaks can provide:

Efficiency in Learning

* The hippocampus needs time to process information because it is partially responsible for short-term memory and navigation
* As students return to the content, the brain is able to refocus
* Movement helps to develop social skills, which are important for connecting to comprehension and critical thinking skills
* Realigning the body/brain connection helps re-energize learning

Stress Relief, Mood Elevation and Social Perks

* If students are uncomfortable or stressed the brain will not retain new information easily, especially when critical thinking skills are being relied upon or the student is needing to connect new information to their personal experiences, prior knowledge or abstract thought
* Student-to-student and student-to-teacher relationships are a key component in successful learning — Research has shown that fun, safe environments where students are kind and supportive of one another equate to more academic success
* There is much less physical movement in modern day life
* Our best ideas often come when we are having a break
* You may reduce feelings of being overwhelmed by the content

Class Cohesion

* Heightens the student’s attendance and participation in class
* Builds relationships and overall concern for the well-being of others
* Develops self-esteem and a sense of belonging
* Boosts listening skills and communication
* Promotes laughter and fun while learning
* Improves self-discipline and motivation

The movements themselves can be very brief and simple. Thirty-seconds to two-minutes is enough time to make all of this magic happen. Some examples of simple breaks are bending over at the waist and touching the toes, marching in place, walking the class around the room, squatting five times, jumping jacks, moving a piece of paper in a figure 8 motion around and between the legs, or clapping loudly and quietly at given intervals. Teachers can pass papers out by playfully throwing the paper in the air so students have to get up and move. Before peer editing work, students can crumple up their work into a ball and the class can have a one minute ‘snowball fight’ and when the teacher says “freeze,” all the students pick up a paper near them, flatten it out and then correct it. The ideas can be functional as well as fun.

In learning environments where movement is integrated, students love being there, they academically perform better, and the information needs less review because students retain the content more efficiently.

Source: Literacy and Language Center