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MovementandLearning
Thesesitesprovideinformationontherelationshipbetweenphysical activityandcognitivelearning: Note:Thisinformationwasputto togetherseveralyearsago.There areresourceslistedatthebottomof thescreen.Wedon'thaveany additionalinformationonthe

HealthandAcademicsCDC UseitBrainPlasticityAcrosstheLifespan Dr.WilliamGreenough UnlockingtheSecretsofMemoryDr.Larry R.SquireSecretLifeofanAgingNeuron: SuccessfulBrainAgingDr.Carl CotmanAdditionalLecturesTheMotorBrain MovementandLearning CDCStudentHealthandAcademic Achievement
sourceoftheinformation.

Intimesofdiminishingfinancialresources,educatorsmustmakehardchoices.Dodance,theater,and physicaleducationbelonginthebudget?Aretheyfrillsorfundamentals?Whatexactlydoesbrainresearch tellusabouttherelationshipbetweenthebodyandmind?

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Foryears,itseemedthattheeducationalandscientificcommunitiesbelievedthatthinkingwasthinkingand movementwasmovement,andneverthetwainwouldmeet.Maverickscientistsenvisionedlinksbetween thinkingandmovementfordecadesbutwithlittlepublicsupport.Today,weknowbetter.Thischapter revealsthestronglinksbetweenphysicaleducation,thearts,andlearning.

MovementandLearning
Ifwewanttoaddressdrugeducation,secondlanguages,diversityeducation,multipleintelligences, improvingreadingscores,reducingdropouts,encouraginggirlsinmathandscience,thematicinstruction,and AIDSeducation,that'sgreat.Butwhatwillweeliminatetomaketimeforthosethings?Anythingdeemedafrill islikelytogofirst.Forsomeshortsightedofficials,thatmeansphysicaleducation.Recentbrainresearchtells usthat'samistake. Partofthereasonfortheoutdatedseparationofmindandbodycomesfromsimpleobservation.Ifthebrainis intheheadandthebodyisbelowthehead,howcouldtherebyanylinks?Whatwouldhappenifthe cerebellum,anareamostcommonlylinkedtomovement,turnedouttobeavirtualswitchboardofcognitive activity?ThefirstevidenceofalinkagebetweenmindandbodyoriginateddecadesagowithHenriettaLeiner andAlanLeiner,twoStanfordUniversityneuroscientists.Theirresearchbeganwhatwouldeventuallyredraw "thecognitivemap"(S.Richardson1996). TheLeiners'workcenteredonthecerebellum,andtheymadesomecriticaldiscoveriesthatspurredyearsof fruitfulresearch.First,thecerebellumtakesupjustonetenthofthebrainbyvolume.Butitcontainsoverhalf ofallitsneurons.Ithassome40millionnervefibers,40timesmorethaneventhehighlycomplexoptical tract.Thosefibersnotonlyfeedinformationfromthecortextothecerebellum,buttheyfeedthembacktothe cortex.Ifthiswasonlyformotorfunction,whyaretheconnectionssopowerfullydistributedinbothdirections toallareasofthebrain?Inotherwords,thissubsectionofthebrainlongknowforitsroleinposture, coordination,balance,andmovementmaybeourbrain'ssleepinggiant. Inthepast,thecerebellumwasthoughttomerelyprocesssignalsfromthecerebrumandsendthemtothe motorcortex.Themistakewasinassumingthesignalswentonlytothemotorcortex.Theydon't(S. Richardson1996,p100).Thelastplaceinformationisprocessinthecerebellum,beforeitissenttothe cortex,isthedentatenucleus.Thoughthedentatenucleusismissinginmostmammals,itislargestin primateswiththehighestlearningcapabilities.Asmallerarea,theneodentatenucleusispresentonlyin humansandmayhaveasignificantroleinthinking.NeurologistRobertDowofPortland,Oregon,wasoneof thefirsttomakethelinks.Oneofhispatientshadcerebellardamageandsurprisinglyimpairedcognitive function(S.Richardson1996,p.102).Suddenly,linkingmovementandthinkingbecameinescapable. Justhowimportantismovementtolearning?AskneurophysiologistCarlaHannafordandshe'llspendallday tellingyou.Shesaysthevestibular(innerear)andcerebellarsystem(motoractivity)isthefirstsensory systemtomature.Inthissystem,theinnerear'ssemicircularcanalsandthevestibularnucleiarean informationgatheringandfeedbacksourceformovements.Thoseimpulsestravelthroughnervetractsback andforthfromthecerebellumtotherestofthebrain,includingthevisualsystemandthesensorycortex.The vestibularnucleiarecloselymodulatedbythecerebellumandalsoactivatethereticularactivatingsystem (RAS),nearthetopofthebrainstem.Thisareaiscriticaltoourattentionalsystem,sinceitregulatesincoming sensorydata.Thisinteractionhelpsuskeepourbalance,turnthinkingintoactions,andcoordinatemoves. That'swhythere'svalueinplaygroundgamesthatstimulateinnerearmotionlikeswinging,rolling,and
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jumping. PeterStrickattheVeteranAffairsMedicalCenterofSyracuse,NewYork,madeanotherlink.Hisstaffhas tracedapathwayfromthecerebellumbacktopartsofthebraininvolvedinmemory,attention,andspatial perception.Amazingly,thepartofthebrainthatprocessesmovementisthesamepartofthebrainthat's processinglearning. Here'sanotherexample.NeuroscientistEricCourchesneoftheUniversityofCaliforniaatSanDiegosays autismmayberelatedtocerebellardeficits(L.Richardson1996).Hisbrainimagingstudieshaveshownthat autisticchildrenhavesmallercerebellumsandfewercerebellarneurons.Healsohaslinkedcerebellar deficitswithimpairedabilitytoshiftattentionquicklyfromonetasktoanother.Hesaysthecerebellumfilters andintegratesfloodsofincomingdatainsophisticatedwaysthatallowforcomplexdecisionmaking.Once again,thepartofthebrainknowntocontrolmovementisinvolvedinlearning.Surprisingly,thereisnosingle "movementcenter"inourbrain(Greenfield1995).Movementandlearninghaveconstantinterplay. InPhiladelphia,GlenDomanhashadspectacularsuccesswithautisticandbraindamagedchildrenbyusing intensesensoryintegrationtherapy.Overtheyears,manyteacherswhointegratedproductive"play"intotheir curriculumfoundthatlearningcameeasiertostudents. Atthe1995AnnualSocietyofNeuroscienceConference,W.T.ThatchJr.chairedoneofthemostwell attendedsymposiums:"WhatistheSpecificRoleoftheCerebelluminCognition?"He'saresearcheratthe WashingtonUniversitySchoolofMedicinewho'sbeenpullingtogetherdataforyears.The800attendees listenedcarefullyasthepanelmadeacollectiveassaultonaneurosciencecommunityblindedbyyearsof prejudice.Nearly80studieswerementionedthatsuggeststronglinksbetweenthecerebellumandmemory, spatialperception,language,attention,emotion,nonverbalcues,andevendecisionmaking.Thesefindings stronglyimplicatethevalueofphysicaleducation,movement,andgamesinboostingcognition. MotorDevelopmentandLearning Thereis,infact,substantialbiological,clinical,andclassroomresearchthatsupportsthisconclusion.The areaknownastheanteriorcingulateisparticularlyactivewhennovelmovementsornewcombinationsare initiated.Thisparticularareaseemstotiesomemovementstolearning.Prescott'searlystudies(1977) indicatethatifourmovementsareimpaired,thecerebellumanditsconnectionstootherareasofthebrainare compromised.Hesaysthecerebellumalsoisinvolvedin"complexemotionalbehavior"(emotional intelligence).Hisratexperimentsbearouthisconclusions.Ratswithcerebellardeficitsdidworseonmaze testing. Ourbraincreatesmovementsbysendingadelugeofnerveimpulsestoeitherthemusclesorthelarynx. Becauseeachmusclehastogetthemessageataslightlydifferenttime,it'sabitlikeawelltimedexplosion createdbyaspecialeffectsteam.Thisamazingbrainbodysequenceisoftenreferredtoasaspatiotemporal (spacetime)pattern.ResearcherWilliamCalvincallsitacerebralcode.Whilesimplemovementslikegum chewingarecontrolledbybasicbraincircuitsnearestthespinalcord,complexmovementlikedancesteps, throwingaball,ordoingascienceexperimentisquitedifferent.Somesimplemovementslikethosewith sequences,arecontrolledatthesubcorticallevels,likethebasicgangliaandcerebellum.Butnovel movementsshiftfocusinthebrainbecauseithasnomemoriestorelyonforexecution.Suddenly,weengage theprefrontalcortexandthereartwothirdsofthefrontallobes,particularlythedorsolateralfrontallobes.This isanareaofthebrainoftenusedforproblemsolving,planning,andsequencingnewthingstolearnanddo
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(Calvin1996). Manyresearchers(Houston1982,Ayers1972,Hannaford1995)verifythatsensorymotorintegrationis fundamentaltoschoolreadiness.InastudydoneinSeattle,Washington,3rdgradestudentsstudied languageartsconceptsthroughdanceactivities.Althoughthedistrictwidereadingscoresshowedadecrease of2percent,thestudentsinvolvedinthedanceactivitiesboostedtheirreadingscoresby13percentin6 months(Gilbert1977).Acompleteroutineincludedspinning,crawling,rolling,rocking,tumbling,pointing, andmatching.LyellePalmerofWinonaStateUniversityhasdocumentedsignificantgainsinattentionand readingfromthesestimulatingactivities(Palmer1980).Whilemanyeducatorsknowofthisconnection,nearly asmanydismisstheconnectiononcechildrenpass1stor2ndgrade.Researchsuggeststherelationship betweenmovementandlearningcontinuesthroughoutlife.ThedramaclassatGarfieldHighSchoolinLos Angelesgivesstudentsnewhopeforlifeskillssuccess.Thesensorymotorskillslearnedaschildren,through bothplayandorchestratedschoolactivities,meantheproperneuralpathwayshavebeenlaid(Millerand Melamed1989). Howcriticalisearlymovement?Theremaybealinkbetweenviolenceandlackofmovement.Infants deprivedofstimulationfromtouchandphysicalactivitiesmaynotdevelopthemovementpleasurelinkinthe brain.Fewerconnectionsaremadebetweenthecerebellumandthebrain'spleasurecenters.Suchachild maygrowupunabletoexperiencepleasurethroughusualchannelsofpleasurableactivity.Asaresult,the needforintensestates,oneofwhichisviolence,maydevelop(Kotulak1996).Withsufficientsupplyofthe needed"drug"ofmovement,thechildisfine.Deprivehimorherofit,andyougetproblems. PhysicalEducationandLearning Asastonishinglyhigh64percentofK12Americanstudentsdonotparticipateinadailyphysicaleducation program(Brink1995).InWilliamGreenough'sexperimentsattheUniversityofIllinois,ratswhoexercisedin enrichedenvironmentshadagreaternumberofconnectionsamongneuronsthanthosewhodidn't.Theyalso hadmorecapillariesaroundthebrain'sneuronsthanthesedentaryrats(GreenoughandAnderson1991).In thesamewaythatexerciseshapesupthemuscles,heart,lungs,andbones,italsostrengthensthebasal ganglia,cerebellum,andcorpuscallosum,allkeyareasofthebrain.Weknowexercisefuelsthebrainwith oxygen,butitalsofeedsitneurotropins(highnutrientfood)toenhancegrowthandgreaterconnections betweenneurons.Aerobicconditioningalsohasbeenknowntoassistinmemory(Brink1995). ResearchersJamesPollatschekandFrankHagensays,"Childrenengagedindailyphysicaleducationshow superiormotorfitness,academicperformanceandattitudetowardschoolascomparedtotheircounterparts whodonotparticipateindailyphysicaleducation"(1996,p.2).Aerobicandotherformsof"toughening exercises"canhaveenduringmentalbenefits.hesecretisthatphysicalexercisealoneappearstotraina quickadrenalinenoradrenalineresponseandrapidrecovery.Inotherwords,byworkingoutyourbody,you'll betterprepareyourbraintorespondtochallengesrapidly.Moderateamountsofexercise,3timesaweek,20 minutesaday,canhaveverybeneficialeffects. NeuroscientistsattheUniversityofCaliforniaatIrvinediscoveredthatexercisetriggersthereleaseofBDNF, abrainderivedneurotrophicfactor(Kinoshita1997).Thisnaturalsubstanceenhancescognitionbyboosting theabilityofneuronstocommunicatewithoneanother.AtScrippsCollegeinClaremont,California,124 subjectsweredividedequallyintoexercisersandnonexercisers.Thosewhoexercised75minutesaweek demonstratedquickerreactions,thoughtbetter,andrememberedmore(MichaudandWild1991).Because studiessuggestthatexercisecanreducestress,there'safringebenefittoo.Chronicstressreleasesthe chemicalsthatskillneuronsinthecriticalareaofthebrainforlongtermmemoryformation,thehippocampus. Brink(1995)saysthatphysicalexerciseisstilloneofthebestwaystostimulatethebrainandlearning
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(Kempermann,Kuhn,andGage1997). There'sotherevidenceforthepotencyofphysicalmovement.Weknowthatmuchofthebrainisinvolvedin complexmovementsandphysicalexerciseit'snotjust"musclework."Infact,dependingonthetypeof workout,thepartofthebraininvolvedinalmostalllearning,thecerebellum,isinhighgear(Middletonand Strick1994).InaCanadianstudywithmorethan500schoolchildren,thosewhospentanextrahoureachday inagymclassfaroutperformedatexamtimethosewhodidn'texercise(Hannaford1995).Dustman's research(MichaudandWild1991)revealedthatamongthreetestgroups,theonethathadthevigorous aerobicexerciseimprovedshorttermmemory,reactiontime,andcreativity.AllK12studentsneed30 minutesadayofphysicalmovementtostimulatethebrain,saysthePresident'sCouncilonFitnessand Sports.TheVanvesandBlanshardprojectsinCanadarevealedsomethingevenmoredramatic.When physicaleducationtimewasincreasedtoonethirdoftheschoolday,academicscoreswentup(Martens 1982). TheMovementArts Threecountriesnearthetopinrankingsofmathandsciencescores(Japan,Hungary,andNetherlands)all haveintensivemusicandarttrainingbuiltintotheirelementarycurriculums.InJapan,everychildisrequired toplayamusicalinstrumentorbeinvolvedinchoir,sculpture,anddesign.Teachingstudentsartalsohas beenlinkedtobettervisualthinking,problemsolving,language,andcreativity(Simmons1995).Manystudies suggestthatstudentswillboostacademiclearningfromgamesandsocalled"play"activities(Silverman 1993).Thecasefordoingsomethingphysicaleverydayisgrowing.JennySehamoftheNationalDance Institute(NDI)inNewYorkCitysaysshehasobservedforyearsthemeasurableandheartwarmingacademic andsocialresultsofschoolchildrenwhostudydance.Sehambubbleswithenthusiasmoverpositivechanges inselfdiscipline,grades,andsenseofpurposeinlifethatherstudentsdemonstrate.She'snowinthe processofquantifyingtheresultsofover1,500kidswhodanceweeklyatNDI. Researchersknowcertainmovementsstimulatetheinnerear.Thathelpsphysicalbalance,motor coordination,andstabilizationofimagesontheretina.DavidClarkeatOhioStateUniversity'sCollegeof Medicinehasconfirmedthepositiveresultsofaparticulartypeofactivityspinning(1980).Withmerrygo roundsandswingsdisappearingfromparksandplaygroundsasfastasliabilitycostsgoup,there'sanew worry:morelearningdisabilities.Clarke'sstudiessuggestthatcertainspinningactivitiesledtoalertness, attention,andrelaxationintheclassroom.Studentswhotipbackontwolegsoftheirchairsinclassoftenare stimulatingtheirbrainwitharocking,vestibularactivatingmotion.Whileit'sanunsafeactivity,ithappensto begoodforthebrain.Weoughttogivestudentsactivitiesthatletthemmovesafelymoreoftenlikeroleplays, skits,stretching,orevengameslikemusicalchairs. Giveaschooldailydance,music,drama,andvisualartinstructioninwhichthereisconsiderablemovement, andyoumightgetamiracle.InAiken,SouthCarolina,RedcliffeElementarytestscoreswereamongthe lowest25percentinthedistrict.Afterastrongartscurriculumwasadded,theschoolsoaredtothetop5 percentin6years(enoughforthestudentstoprogressfrom1stthrough6thgrade).ThisTitleIruralschool witha42percentminoritystudentbaseshowedthatastrongartscurriculumisatthecreativecoreof academicexcellencenotmorediscipline,higherstandards,orthethreeRs(Kearney1996). ArthurStoneoftheStateUniversityofNewYorkatStonyBrooksayshavingfunmaybegoodforyourhealth. Itdecreasesstressandimprovesthefunctioningoftheimmunesystemforthreedaysafterthefun.Mostkids enjoydance,arts,andgames.It'snotjustgoodforthebrain,itfeelsgood,too.throughprimateexperiments, neurophysiologistsJamesPrescottandRobertHeathfoundthatthere'sadirectlinkfromthecerebellumto thepleasurecentersintheemotionalsystem(HooperandTeresi1986).Kidswhoenjoyplaygroundgames
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dosoforagoodreason:Sensorymotorexperiencesfeeddirectlyintotheirbrains'pleasurecenters.Thisis notoftrivialimportanceenjoyingschoolkeepsstudentscomingbackyearafteryear. PracticalSolutions Today'sbrain,mind,andbodyresearchestablishessignificantlinksbetweenmovementandlearning. Educatorsoughttobepurposefulaboutintegratingmovementactivitiesintoeverydaylearning.Thisincludes muchmorethanhandsonactivities.Itmeansdailystretching,walks,dance,theater,drama,seatchanging, energizers,andphysicaleducation.Thewholenotionofusingonlylogicalthinkinginamathematicsclass fliesinthefaceofcurrentbrainresearch.Braincompatiblelearningmeansthateducatorsshouldweave math,movement,geography,socialskills,roleplay,science,andphysicaleducationtogether.Infact,Larry AbrahamintheDepartmentofKinesiologyattheUniversityofTexasatAustinsays,"Classroomteachers shouldhavekidsmoveforthesamereasonthatP.E.teachershavehadkidscount"(1997).Physical education,movement,drama,andtheartscanallbeonecontinualtheme.Don'twaitforaspecialevent.Here areexamplesofeasytousestrategies. GoalSettingontheMove Startclasswithanactivitywhereeveryonepairsup.Studentscancharadeormimetheirgoalstoapartneror goforashortwalkwhilesettinggoals.Askthemtoanswerthreefocusingquestionssuchas: Whataremygoalsfortodayandthisyear? WhatdoIneedtodotodayandthisweekinthisclasstoreachmygoals? Whyisitimportantformetoreachmygoalstoday? Youcaninventanyquestionsyouwanttoaskstudentstocreatesome,too. Drama,Theater,andRolePlaying Getyourclassusedtodailyoratleastweeklyroleplays.Havestudentsdocharadestoreviewmainideas. Studentscanorganizeextemporaneouspantomimetodramatizeakeypoint.Dooneminutecommercials adaptedfromtelevisiontoadvertiseupcomingcontentorreviewpastcontent. Energizers Usethebodytomeasurethingsaroundtheroomandreporttheresults.Forexample,"Thiscabinetis99 knuckleslong."PlayaSimonSaysgamewithcontentbuiltintothegame:"SimonsayspointtotheSouth. Simonsayspointtofivedifferentsourcesofinformationinthisroom."Doteamjigsawprocesseswithhuge, postersizedmindmaps.Getupandtouch,aroundtheroom,sevencolorsinorderonsevendifferentobjects. Teachamovearoundsystemusingmemorycuewords.Forexample,"Standintheroomwherewefirst learnedabout..." Balltossgamescanbeusedforreview,vocabularybuilding,storytelling,orselfdisclosure.Studentscan rewritelyricstofamiliarsongsinpairsoronateam.Thenewwordstothesongarecontentreviewthenthey performthesongwithchoreography.
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Getphysicalinotherways,too.Playatugofwargamewhereeveryonechoosesapartnerandatopicfroma listthatallhavebeenlearning.Eachpersonformsanopinionaboutthetopic.Thegoalisforeachstudentto convinceapartnerin30secondswhyhisorhertopicismoreimportant.Aftertheverbaldebate,thepairs formtwoteamsforagianttugofwarforaphysicalchallenge.Allpartnersareonoppositesides. Crosslaterals Learnandusearmandlegcrossoveractivitiesthatcanforcebothbrainhemispheresto"talk"toeachother better."Patyourheadandrubyourbelly"isanexampleofacrossover.Otherexamplesincludemarchingin placewhilepattingoppositeknees,pattingyourselfontheoppositeshoulder,andtouchingoppositeelbows orheels.Severalbookshighlighttheseactivities,including"BrainGymbyPaulDennisonandSmartMoves andtheDominanceFactorbyCarlaHannaford. Stretching Toopenclass,oranytimethatyouneedsomemoreoxygen,geteveryoneuptodosomeslowstretching.Ask studentstoleadthegroupasawholeorletteamsdotheirownstretching.Allowlearnersmoremobilityinthe classroomduringspecifictimes.Offerthemerrands,makeajumpropeavailable,orsimplyletthemwalk aroundthebackoftheclassaslongastheydonotdisturbotherstudents. Ingeneral,youneedtodoallthatyoucantosupportphysicaleducation,thearts,andmovementactivitiesin yourclassroom.Makeitapointtostandupfortheseactivitiesinyourschoolanddistrict,too. Weareinatimewhenmanychildrendon'tparticipateinphysicaleducation.Budgetcutsoftentargetthearts andphysicaleducationas"frills."that'sashamebecausethere'sgoodevidencethattheseactivitiesmake schoolinterestingtomanystudentsandtheycanhelpboostacademicperformance."Physicalactivityis essentialinpromotingnormalgrowthofmentalfunction,"saysDonaldKirkendall(PollatschekandHagen 1996,p.2).CarlaHannafordsays,"Artsandathleticsarenotfrills.Theyconstitutepowerfulwaysofthinking, andskilledwaysofcommunicatingwiththeworld.Theydeserveagreater,notlessorportionofschooltime andbudgets"(1995,p.88). Whileit'scounterproductivetomakeitmoreimportantthanschoolitself,movementmustbecomeas honorableandimportantassocalled"bookwork."Weneedtobetterallocateourresourcesinwaysthat harnessthehiddenpowerofmovement,activitiesandsports.NormanWeinberger,ascientistinthe DepartmentoftheNeurobiologyofLearningandMemoryattheUniversityofCaliforniaatIrvine,says,"Arts educationfacilitateslanguagedevelopment,enhancescreativity,boostsreadingreadiness,helpssocial development,generalintellectualachievement,andfosterspositiveattitudestowardsschool"(1995,p.6). Thisattitudehasbecomemoreandmoreprevalentamongscientistswhostudythebrain.It'stimefor educatorstocatchon.

TheMotorBrain
Mosteducatorsknowthevalueof"crawltime"indevelopinglearningreadiness.Yetmanyoftoday'schildren
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don'tgettheearlymotorstimulationneededforbasic,muchlessoptimal,schoolsuccess.Today'sinfantis "babysat"bytelevision,seatedinawalker,orstrappedinacarseatforhundredsofpreciousmotor developmenthours.In1960,theaverage2yearoldspentanestimated200hoursinacar.Today's2year oldhasspentanestimated500hoursinacarseat! Whileinfantsafetyisvital,fewparentsevercompensatefortheconfined,strappedinhours.Consideringthe tomesofevidenceontheimpactofearlymotorstimulationonreading,writing,andattentionalskills(Ayers 1972,1991Hannaford1995),it'snowondermanychildrenhavereadingproblems.Althoughresearchonthe generalvalueofmotorskillsfirstsurfacedmanyyearsago,onlytodaydoweknowaboutthespecificvaluein reading,stressresponse,writing,attention,memory,andsensorydevelopment.Asanexample,theinner ear'svestibularareaplaysakeyroleinschoolreadiness.Restak(1979)says,"Infantswhoweregiven periodicvestibularstimulationbyrockinggainweightfaster,developvisionandhearingearlier."Manylink thelackofvestibularstimulationtodozensoflearningproblemsincludingdyslexia(Cleeland1984).How importantisthetimingofmotordevelopment?FeltonEarlsoftheHarvardMedicalSchoolsays,"Akindof irreversibilitysetsin....Byagefour,youhaveessentiallydesignedabrainthatisnotgoingtochangevery muchmore"(Kotulak1996,p.7).Andwhilemuchlearninghappensafteragefour,muchofthebrain's infrastructureisnotinplace. Thebenefitofearlymotorstimulationdon'tendinelementaryschoolthereistremendousvalueinnovel motorstimulationthroughoutsecondaryschoolandtherestofourlife(Brink1995).schoolsoughttomakea plannedprogramofspecificmotorstimulationmandatoryinK1grades,buttheyalsoshouldintegrate physicalactivityacrossthecurriculum.Insports,weexpectlearnerstousetheirbrainsforcounting,planning, figuring,andproblemsolving.Everyathleteishighlyengagedincognitivefunctions.Itmakessensethatwe'd expectstudentstousetheirbodiesforkinestheticlearningintheacademicclasses(seefig.4.3). Infact,newphysicalskillscantakeuptosixhourstosolidify.HenryHolcombofJohnsHopkinsUniversity assertsthatothernewlearningcontaminatesthememoryprocess."We'veshownthattimeitselfisavery powerfulcomponentoflearning,"headds(inManning1997).Outvisualcapacity,measuredbybitsper secondandcarriedbytheopticalnerve,isinthetensofmillions(Koch1997).That'sfartoomuchtoprocess consciously(Dudai1997).Inordertoeitherproceedorfigureitallout,astudentmust"gointernal"andgive upthat"external"attention.Wecan'tprocessitallconsciously,sothebraincontinuestoprocessinformation beforeandlongafterweareawarethatwearedoingit.Asaresult,manyofourbestideasseemtopopoutof theblue.Aseducators,wemustallowforthiscreativetimeifwewantnewlearningtooccur.Aftercompletely newlearningtakesplace,teachersshouldconsidershortdivergentactivitieslikeaballtossorawalkthat buildscommunicationskills. Resources Ahamed,Y.,MacDonald,H.,Reed,K.,Naylor,P.,LiuAmbrose,T.,&McKay,H.2007.Schoolbasedphysical activitydoesnotcompromistchildren'sacadeicperformance.Medicine&ScienceinSportsExercise,29, 371376. Caine,R.N.,andG.Caine.1990.Understandingabrainbasedapproachtolearningandteaching. EducationalLeadership48(2):6670. Caine,R.N.andG.Caine.1991.Makingconnections:teachingandthehumanbrain.Alexandria.VA:ASCD. Caine,R.N.andG.Caine.1997.Educationontheedgeofpossibilities.Alexandria,VA:ASCD. Caine,R.N.andG.Caine.1997.Unleashingthepowerofperceptualchange:Thepotentialofbrainbased teaching.
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Chomitz,V.R.,Slining,M.M.,McGowan,R.J.,Mitchell,S.E.,Dawson,G.F.,&Hacker,K.A.2009.Istherea relationshipbetweenphysicalfitnessandacademicachievement?Positiveresultsfrompublicschool childrenintheNortheasternUnitedStates.JournalofSchoolHealth,79,3037. Hillman,C.H.,Pontifex,M.B.,Raine,L.B.,Castelli,D.M.,Hall,E.E.,&Kramer,A.F.2009.Theeffectofacute treadmillwalkingoncognitivecontrolandacademicachievementinpreadolescentchildren.Neuroscience, 159,10441054. Jensen,E.1998.Teachingwiththebraininmind.Alexandria,VA:ASCD. Jensen,E.1995.Brainbasedlearningandteaching.DelMar,CA:TurningPointPublishing. Jensen,E.1994.Thelearningbrain.DelMar,CA:TurningPointPublishing. Mohnsen,B.S.2003.Teachingmiddleschoolphysicaleducation.Champaign,IL:HumanKinetics. Stevens,T.A.,To,Y.,Stevenson,S.J.,&Lochbaum,M.R.2008.Theimportanceofphysicalactivityand physicaleducationinthepredictionofacademicachievement.(Report).JournalofSportBehavior.

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