HEALTH

P R O M O T I N G

SCHOOLS

D oes Physical A c tiv ity

Im p ro v e A c ad e m ic P erfo rm an ce?
By Russell Atkinson

t has been well established that sedentary behavior is dangerous. It

was reported as recendy as November in Scientific American (Levine,
2014) that Overall, when you combine all causes of death and compare
any group of sitters with those who are more active, sitters have a 50%
greater likelihood of dying. Clearly, greater activity can lead to greater
physical health. W hat is becoming increasingly apparent, as well, is the
positive impact physical activity can have on the brain.

In fact, there is a growing body of evidence

in scientific literature that confirms the
important role physical activity plays when
it comes to enhancing memory, boosting
concentration, and improving our mood
and behavior.
The average child in this country is not
engaging in enough activity to realize these
benefits, however. There has been a good
deal o f discussion in the media about the
sedentary habits o f Canadian children.
Only 7 % of five- to 11-year-olds in
Canada and 4 % o f 12- to 17-year-olds,
meet the Canadian Physical Activity
Guidelines for Children and Youth, which
recommend at least 60 minutes o f daily
moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical
activity per day (Tremblay et al. 2010).
At Barrie Central Collegiate, staff became
aware of these statistics, and also the studies
linking physical activity with improved
cognitive abilities. We began to embrace
the idea that an increase in physical activity
could have a significant impact on student
learning and academic performance.
T he genesis o f our belief came in 2010
with the book Spark: The Revolutionary
New Science o f Exercise and the Brain,
written by Dr. John Ratey M .D . (Ratey,
2008). We were so interested in the
22 PHYSICAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION

information presented that we invited

Dr. Ratey and his colleagues to come to the
school and speak to our staff, students and
community in 2011.
Three aspects of his presentation really
caught our attention. T he first was his
summary of studies that demonstrated that
a wide range o f brain functions were
improved by increased physical activity (see
Figure 1). The second was the amazing ac
ademic results at a secondary school where
educators had increased the physical activ
ity levels o f their students (see Figure 2).
The third was his summary of a Centres for
Disease Control and Prevention Report of
251 studies that found more than half
(50.5%) demonstrated positive associations
between physical activity and academic
performance (2010).
O ur first attempt to introduce daily vigor
ous physical activity into the curriculum
began semester 2, February, 2011. We
created a Grade 11 physical fitness course
for students who had experienced very little
academic success in semester 1 (see Figure
3). The results greatly exceeded our expec
tations. Students recorded very positive
improvements in daily attendance, overall
credit accumulation and perhaps most
impressively, a massive decline in the
number of days o f suspension. We became

RussellAtkinson was the Principal o f Barrie

Central Collegiate in Barrie, Ont. from
2006 to 2013. He currently works with
health care providers and educators on
projects to increase physical activity in
schools.

convinced that the academic performance

of the entire school would improve with
increased physical activity.
During the 2011-12 school year teachers
created the Spark physical activity program
and introduced it to the entire school. The
aim was that every student would receive
at least 40 minutes o f physical activity
during the school day. A wide variety of
activities were put into place to achieve
this goal.
The first initiative involved teaching prac
tice. Classroom teachers began to closely
m onitor their students learning readiness
on an ongoing basis. Student alertness,
concentration, attention, mood, motivation
and cognitive function were observed.
W hen teachers saw evidence of any of these
indicators in decline they were encouraged
to stop the lesson and do a Spark activity
break for five to 15 minutes.

Figure 1

Figure 2

A Scientific Rationale

Naperville H.S. Test Results

Biological e ffect o f physical

Associated physiological

activity on th e brain:

changes:

Increased cerebral capillary

growth

Im proved attention

Science) test administered every four yeasr to

Im proved inform ation

processing, storage, and
retrieval

2 3 0 .0 0 0 students in 38 countries including

Increased blood flow

TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and

5 9 .0 0 0 from the US

Increased oxygenation
Enhanced production of

Enhanced coping and positive

affect

US students as a whole ranked 18th in science

and 19 * in math

neurotrophins
Neurogenesis

Reduced je n w tto m of
craving & pain

Enhanced neurotransm ltter

levels

Im proved M ood M otivation

and Resilience

Figure 3

N a p e rville students ranked 1st in science and

6 th in math

Figure 4

Barrie Central Collegiate

Barrie Central Collegiate

Gr 9 EQAO Mathematics Results

At risk Physical Fitness Course (PAI30)

- 2 4 S tu d e n ts
Semester One:
-

A b s e n t a v e r a g e 2 5 c la s s e s

C r e d it a c c u m u la t io n 2 o f 4 c r e d its

9 5 d a y s o f s u s p e n s io n

Semester Two:
-

A b s e n t a v e r a g e 1 5 c la s s e s

C r e d it a c c u m u la t io n 3 o f 4 c r e d its

3 d a y s o f s u s p e n s io n

The Spark activity break consists of a variety

o f fun activities designed to elevate each
students heart rate to 60 to 85% o f their
age maximum. Students became so engaged
in Spark that they began to design some of
the activities. They also started to request
Spark breaks when they recognized that
their learning readiness was slipping.
School-wide opportunities for physical
activity during and after school hours were
also put in place. Pedometer, dance and
skipping rope challenges proved quite
popular. Many school teams instituted no
cut policies. This meant all students who
came to practice were automatically on the
team. If they were unable to attend some
practices they still remained on the team
and were always welcome. The coach se
lected team members to attend inter-school
competitions on the basis of attendance at
practices, not on students size or skill level.
This resulted in a huge increase in student
involvement, especially with cross-country

* Applied Courses (% of students at L3 & L4) improved by

12% (28% to 40%) in 2012-13 and by a further 12% in
2013-14 (40% to 52%) Provincial Average was 47%

Academic Courses (% of students at L3 & L4) improved by

12% (79% to 91%) in 2012-13 and by a further 3% in
2013-14 (91% to 94%) Provincial Average was 85%

"Clearly chunking the class w ith some exercise in the middle

of the class plays a m ajor role in th eir motivation and ability to
focus in class" 0 . Burleigh ( math teacher)

running, swimming, badminton and ultimate

Frisbee. Several teams now regularly attract
a membership of more than 10% of the en
tire school population. Student leaders
came forward to help with the coaching.
All of these programs continue to this day.
Student health results have been impres
sive. Since we began the Spark physical
activity program, we have seen an increased
use o f the fitness facilities by high school
students who wouldnt traditionally have
used them. They know they have an equal
opportunity to be selected to represent
their school on a team and they want to
be competitive.
Increased student involvement and interest
in physical activity has permeated the
culture of the school. Teachers report that
students seem happier and more attentive
in their classes and their academic results
have greatly exceeded expectations, (see
Figure 4 and Figure 5). In the 2013-14

school year increases in pass rates were

noted in 11 o f the 14 courses that the
Ontario Ministry o f Education monitors.
It may seem counterintuitive and risky to
some educators to substitute curriculum
time with physical activity. We would
challenge you to review the research and
look at our results. We believe the increased
physical activity o f our students has
improved their academic performance and
also made them healthier and happier.

REFERENCES
Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention, (2010). The
association between school based physical activity,
including physical education, and academic perform
ance. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Departm ent o f Health and
Human Services
Levine, J. (2014). Killer Chairs. Scientific American,
311:5; 34-35.
Ratey, J. (2008) Spark: The Revolutionary New Science
o f Exercise and the Brain / with Eric Hagerman. New
York, N.Y. Little, Brown and Company.

VO L U ME 8 0 , No. 4, 2 0 1 5

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