PE Mandates - A Classroom Solution
Physical activity does not have to be restricted to the gym. We love PE and welcome all strategies and physical activity time a school can deliver. That said, budgets and philosophies differ across the country and there is no denying that we are not meeting PE mandates even in the 44 states where they have been set. Until budgets, schedules, time and resources are allocated we offer one strategy for adding physical activity minutes and various fitness factors via technology your school already uses in the classroom and in the computer lab. The strategy is: ExerLearning via FootGaming. You need cost and time-effective choices so that everything required of today's busy teacher can be accomplished.
Recently, some Districts have been forced to plan for sharp budget cuts. Increasing class size, reducing the numbers of teachers in a building and cutting art and PE are knee-jerk reactions. In schools with a 4-day school week students have fewer opportunities for recess, outdoor play and physical activity than ever. This is a plan that is counter-intuitive to everything we know about how learning, the brain and the emotional/social well-being of the K-12 student operates.
Teachers are being asked to integrate art and PE into their current classes. Some fortunate schools have determined the value of "brain breaks" and provide resources, training and activities aligned to grade levels. With FootGaming we can support the physical activity your students (and teachers) need during a school day.
Once the FootPOWR peripheral is connected to a computer physical activity in the range of 3-10 METS (What's a MET?) can be delivered right in the classroom.
- Students might FootGame spatial games with patterning and prediction built in before tackling a challenging lesson (math, for sure!)
- Students who are working hard to reduce negative behavior brought on by sitting and focusing for longer than 20-30 minutes might be assigned regular FootGaming breaks of 10 minutes
- For students working to produce high quality work on time might earn 10 minutes of FootGaming after completing a task
- Before a lengthy session of reading for comprehension, students can FootGame at 40-80% of max heart rate to drive oxygen to the brain and begin chemical processes that increase academic success
- Students who might be stressed by school or home pressures can engage in 10 minutes of FootGaming with select games geared to alleviate stress, improve mood and decrease anger (See our Behavior Modification and the Conflict Resolution sections)
