By Lisa Witt, M.A.,
President, WittFitt, LLC
These days, when teachers tell you to get on the ball, they may be meaning that literally!
The basic premise behind this phenomenon is simple: "Active sitting" in the classroom improves students' ability to focus and pay attention in class. Kids need to move and change positions often. If students are able to release energy in a positive, non-disruptive way, their attention will be on the teacher and the activity at hand. Considering the increase in sedentary behavior and the resulting rise in childhood obesity, incorporating an "active" component to the classroom is a logical step. Sitting on the ball also assists in improving posture, blood flow, balance, and flexibility. It strengthens core muscles and is custom sized to the student.
Our company conducted a study to determine if the use of the stability ball for sitting, in the elementary classroom, was effective in improving one or more of the following: (a) flexibility, (b) strength/stability, (c) balance, (d) posture, (e) squirminess, and (f) ability to stay on task, in male and female sixth graders, ages 11-12 years. Twelve students sat on the stability ball, while the other half of the class sat on the standard classroom chair, for a period of 15 weeks. Stability balls for this project were provided by Ball Dynamics, Inc.
The results indicated a positive improvement by students on 59% of the tests. Every student who participated in the study by sitting on the stability ball improved, as hypothesized, in one or more of the above-mentioned areas.
Students were pre- and post-tested on seven motor tests and three classroom behavior tests. The seven motor tests included: Toe-Touch, Trunk Rotation, Bent-Knee Push-Ups, Tandem Heel-Toe Walking, Single-Foot Standing Balance, Pivot Prone, and Observable Posture. The three classroom behaviors included: Squirminess, Time-on-Task, and Classroom Posture.
The analysis of the data revealed the following significant findings:
Every student improved in at least three of the seven tests. Two students improved in six tests. Three students improved in five tests. Four students improved in four tests. The average improvement shown on tests that students demonstrated was 4.33 tests of the seven measured.
The total possible sum resulting from all the students exhibiting a positive change in all seven tests was 84 (12 students times seven tests). Fifty-two tests resulting in a positive change shown by students is representative of 62 percent of the total sum. Twenty tests resulting in no change shown by the students is representative of 24 percent of the total sum. Twelve tests resulting in a negative change shown by the students is representative of 14 percent of the possible.
Every student showed improvement or no change. Not a single student showed a decline in skills from the pre to the post-test. Three students improved on all three tests. Additionally, three students improved on two of the tests.
The average improvement demonstrated by students was 1.58 tests of the three observations. With respect to posture and squirminess, seven of the 12 students improved. Five of the 12 students improved their ability to stay on task.
WittFitt specializes in training teachers to safely and effectively integrate the stability ball into the classroom as a chair. After three years, we have schools in seven states and 3 Canadian provinces. Please visit our website for more information.
Welcome to the Sept issue of the HealthBounce. It's hard to believe school is in session! Where did the summer go? We're bringing you a special article this month by Lisa Witt, a leading expert in the field of active sitting in the classroom. Although this article deals specifically with exercise balls, our FitBALL seating cushions are also becoming more popular in the classroom as they fit easily into existing chairs while providing the same benefits as the ball. Two of our most popular Active Sitting cushions are spotlighted below the article.
