Body of work
Schools try bursts of activity to boost learning,
When the hip-hop starts pounding and the announcer’s voice crackles through the loudspeaker, 665 students at St. Wilfrid Catholic School know what to do.
They leap to their feet and suddenly every classroom is full of kids doing jumping jacks, running on the spot, shooting imaginary hoops, and kicking their legs like soccer players.
The 20-minute daily aerobics routine at the Toronto school is aimed at getting hearts pumping and making the rest of class time more productive.
“It makes me have more energy and (helps me) pay attention to my work,” says a breathless Kemarion Erskine-Taylor, 7, after a midday session in his Grade 2 class.
For the past 18 months, Sir Wilfrid has also been running 40-minute sessions of vigorous games and exercises twice a week before school or at lunchtime not just to boost fitness, but also increase brainpower.
North of the city, teachers at Barrie Central Collegiate incorporate bursts of cardio exercises into their 75-minute classes, while Elmvale District High School added a 20minute afternoon break so students can run, dance or play pickup sports.
Educators in Simcoe County District School Board are helping kids learn math through creative movement and physical activity in a new program called NumerArtsy. They might run circles to learn about clockwise and counterclockwise, choreograph dances to explore symmetry and patterns, or skip and hop their way through basic numeracy.
Inactivity is one of the biggest health risks facing kids these days. Too much sedentary time is leading to higher rates of obesity and chronic disorders from diabetes to heart disease. But health isn’t the only incentive for getting students out of their seats.
Mounting research shows exercise also plays a powerful role in learning, by improving focus, cognitive skills and, in turn, academics.
A recent study in the journal Pediatrics added new evidence. Researchers in the Netherlands tracked 500 Grade 2 and 3 students over two years and found that the group who jumped, squatted and ran on the spot during math and spelling lessons ended up about four months ahead of the others taught in regular sedentary classes. The active lessons were aimed at tasks involving repetition and memory.
Those findings don’t surprise Shawna Campbell, principal of St. Wilfrid, where daily fitness has been delivered simultaneously to all students for the past five years.
“We find kids have more energy after doing it, and they’re more focused,” she says.
Extra sessions held outside class hours began in September 2014 when St. Wilfrid became a pilot school for a U.S. program called BOKS (Build Our Kids’ Success). The Toronto Catholic District School Board was the first Canadian board to offer BOKS, which trains parent volunteers and teachers to deliver free aerobics exercises that are noncompetitive and fun, but also de- signed to prime young brains for learning.
Since the launch, more than 200 schools across the country have signed up.
BOKS is based on pioneering research by Harvard University neuroscientist Dr. John Ratey, who calls aerobic activity “Miracle-Gro for the brain.” His studies show when exercise gets the blood flowing, it enhances mood, alertness and attention, and flushes the brain with nutrients that help build new nerve cells and neural pathways.
During a typical lunch session at St. Wilfrid, 45 students in Grades 3 through 6 race around the gym for 40 minutes as two teachers trained in the program lead them through a vigorous superhero game, partner tag and relays while Justin Bieber booms from the speakers.
“Fun is a huge part of kids’ fitness,” says Campbell over the din.
The school also uses the “BOKS bursts” series of exercises designed for small spaces when the whole school, from kindergarten to Grade 8, stops for 20 minutes of daily physical activity (DPA).
DPA has been part of the Ontario curriculum since 2005. But surveys show compliance is inconsistent across the province. Many kids are missing out and many teachers say it’s too hard to find the time and space.
Squeezing exercise into the timetable can be especially tricky in secondary schools, where phys-ed is only mandatory until Grade 9. But potential academic benefits are providing incentive.
Twelve of Simcoe board’s 17 high schools are creating opportunities in different ways.
At Barrie Central, classrooms are equipped with skipping ropes, Frisbees and other low-tech equipment they can use when teachers feel attention dwindling. Or kids can walk the one-kilometre indoor loop through the building while they mull over a science problem or essay topic.
Elmvale High extended its school hours to add a 20-minute “Spark break” every afternoon. That way no one loses class time and teachers say the final period is calmer and more productive.
“Everyone loves it,” says principal Mark Keating. “It’s a chance to let their brains focus on something else.”