Chapter 11: Is a Revolution Coming ?
Movement, Exercise, and Learning.
This chapter explains how important exercise and movement in
learning. The chapter also describes some of the creative ways that we can use to get movement in our classes.
learning. The chapter also describes some of the creative ways that we can use to get movement in our classes.
During the early days, men used to walk for about 10 to 20 kilometers a day in search of food. Women walked about half of this distance each day. While moving, the brain developed in order to solve the problems of survival in those days (Medina, 2008, p.32).
No matter how old we are, exercise is very important in building
our mind (Carmichael, 2007).Exercise
helps the key elements in our brain in order to make learning easier. Yaakov Stern of Columbia University explains that there are three events that take
place in our brain which enhance our cognitive capacity. These events are: an increase in the number of neurons, higher level of cell growth and the increase in production of neurons (Bengley, 2001).
Exercise is very crucial in our learning process. One important factor to note is that it is not advisable to do aerobic activity while learning new information. This is because while exercising, the blood flows away from the cortex which will hamper the functioning of the brain. Once the exercise is done, blood flows back to the cortex and this is the best time for our learning.
At the end of this chapter, the author suggested the following practice in order to get more movements into our students’ learning:
Moving discussions
Walking critiques
Guided tour
Allowing students to stand and stretch when needed during class and
Taking more breaks during lectures (Doyle, 2011, p.158).
No matter how old we are, exercise is very important in building
our mind (Carmichael, 2007).Exercise
helps the key elements in our brain in order to make learning easier. Yaakov Stern of Columbia University explains that there are three events that take
place in our brain which enhance our cognitive capacity. These events are: an increase in the number of neurons, higher level of cell growth and the increase in production of neurons (Bengley, 2001).
Exercise is very crucial in our learning process. One important factor to note is that it is not advisable to do aerobic activity while learning new information. This is because while exercising, the blood flows away from the cortex which will hamper the functioning of the brain. Once the exercise is done, blood flows back to the cortex and this is the best time for our learning.
At the end of this chapter, the author suggested the following practice in order to get more movements into our students’ learning:
Moving discussions
Walking critiques
Guided tour
Allowing students to stand and stretch when needed during class and
Taking more breaks during lectures (Doyle, 2011, p.158).