Videos Supporting ExerLearning (R)
What could be accomplished if students came to class prepared to learn, were more focused and were abesent less often?
Science Daily: Exercise and Learning
Good Morning America: Exercise Enhances Cognition
Facelift For America's Classrooms
Activating The Brain (Based on NPR Story)
Ten minutes of moving around the classroom at moderate intensity seems to agree with a lot of the kids. And there's some evidence that the physical exercise improves mental sharpness.
"What's happening in the body is their heart rate's increasing and blood flow is changing, and they're actually activating the brain differently than when they're sitting down," says John Ratey, a psychiatrist at Harvard University who has taken an interest in the movement to overhaul physical education in schools.
Ratey doesn't claim that exercise makes kids smarter. But, he says, it can make them more ready to learn.
He says that after moderate exercise, the brain seems to work a little more efficiently.
"[With exercise] you're seeing an increase in neurotransmitters … dopamine and serotonin, norepinephrine. These are hormones related to mood regulation, to attention. And, in general, help the brain be in a better state of equilibrium," Ratey says.
Distracted Kids Seem To Benefit Most
Researchers at East Carolina University evaluated the effectiveness of short, 10-minute exercise breaks at one North Carolina school. They found that the kids who'd had the most trouble staying focused before the exercise program started were the ones who seemed to benefit the most.
"Think of these kids," says researcher Matt Mahar. "They were on task less than 50 percent of the time before the program started. And after the one, 10-minute activity, they were now on task more than 70 percent of the time."
