|
By Lisa Witt
Master's Degree, Education
President/Founder of WittFitt LLC
At first it sounds like an oxymoron: Active
Sitting. Label the idea whatever you want,
Active Sitting is a concept schools are
embracing more and more to promote learning
and fitness.
Simply put, Active Sitting benefits students
by having them sit on stability balls instead
of chairs during classes. This type of
sitting energizes students, promotes blood
flow and enhances core strength.
With summer break winding to a close, now is
a great time for parents, teachers and
administrators to look at the benefits of
Active Sitting. Started in Europe in the
1990s, the concept is definitely "taking off"
in the United States. Private and public
schools serving students from pre-school to
high school have seen the benefits of having
a couple balls in the classroom for students
to share or having one for every student.
These schools recognize that allowing
positive movement for students has always
been important but has become more urgent as
children become more and more sedentary. As
someone who spent 13 years teaching
elementary and middle school students, I can
attest to the need this idea meets. Our
bodies are not designed to sit still.
I believe all children benefit from Active
Sitting, with some gaining more than
others. One beneficial factor is that
children really needing the ball don't "stand
out" from all the other students using the ball.
The ever-increasing rates of ADD/ADHD
diagnosis means children need this type of
subtle movement throughout their day to help
them maintain their attention and
concentration in a way that does not disturb
themselves or others. Though balls used for
Active Sitting are the same for all students,
children use them in ways that serve their
individual needs best. In other words, some
children need to bounce a little, while
others need to rock back and forth. Some may
need more of the activity in the morning to
get going while others need it toward the end
of the day. Some students want the ball chair
as an option and they may go back to the
standard chair or even want to stand while
working. All of these are good modes to
promote optimal learning.
It seems to be a simple way to help learning.
Moving while learning can help anchor new
concepts. It allows kids the positive
movement outlet they need and helps prevent
children from leaning back on their chairs or
wandering the room. If the child is able to
move, bounce and shift on the ball, which is
something a chair does not allow, they are
more likely to be able to focus and be
engaged. Also, the ball promotes proper
posture, which improves blood flow, leading
to more oxygen being carried to the brain-a
key for learning and attention. Further,
children are sized to balls fitting their
bodies, making them more comfortable.
The benefits don't stop there. The simple act
of sitting on the ball, an unstable surface,
activates the core muscles (the abdomen and
the back) to work and strengthen. The core is
very important, as it drives the every day
activities we perform. Moving and stretching
on the ball helps to improve balance,
flexibility and coordination when specific
activities are used. Also, the practice acts
as a springboard for the conversations we
need to have with children about the
importance of proper posture, taking care of
our bodies, and lifetime fitness.
How significant a role Active Sitting plays
in the school day is based upon the school's
wellness/fitness mission, the grade level of
the students, the amount of Physical
Education classes students receive and the
comfort level of the teacher. The kind of
movement can be as simple and basic as kids
just sitting on the ball as a replacement of
the standard classroom chair. A teacher could
take it a step further and incorporate breaks
in which kids move and stretch for 30-60
seconds on and off throughout the day.
Some teachers incorporate the activities they
may have learned through Brain Gym(R), a
program of 26 simple movements that activate
the brain to make learning easier and more
efficient. Lisa Anderson, a Brain Gym
consultant in Rochester, Minn., reported that
teachers who implemented one stability ball
in the classroom were eager to obtain a
classroom set. The teachers no longer viewed
movement as misbehavior, but rather a signal
that the student is trying to keep the brain
turned on. Stability balls offer a quiet
means to incorporate movement into the
classroom and most importantly, stimulate the
brain for optimal learning. (More information
about this can be found at www.braingym.org.)
Some classroom teachers and Physical
Education teachers work together to have
students sit on the ball in class and bring
that same ball to the gym setting and use it
for more advance movements, stretching, games
and other skill building that would fall into
the realm of a physical educator.
Don't mistake Active Sitting's role in the
school day. It does not replace physical
education classes; it can strengthen the
connection between the classroom teacher and
the Physical Education teacher, which
benefits the children by sending a consistent
message about health and fitness.
The benefit to the students doesn't stop when
the last school bell rings. Often parents
comment that their child is better at home
and in sports as a result of sitting on the
ball during the school day.
Parents, school administrators and teachers
striving to get the most out of children's
education can take a giant leap forward by
creating an Active Sitting program.
Lisa Witt's background in education,
fitness, health & wellness includes 8 years
experience showing people the benefits of
stability balls and 13 years of teaching at
the elementary and middle school
levels.
Brain Gym(R) is a registered trademark of
the Educational Kinesiology Foundation,
Ventura, CA.
|
