Why Is Health and Physical Education So Important?
Did You Know ... ?
-Students who are physically active and fit are more likely to have a stronger academic performance.
-Students who participate in physical activities that make them sweat for at lest 20 minutes a day have higher grades than those who do not.
-Exercise promotes better sleep and health.
-Physical activity is not only important for the health of your child, but it is also critical to his/her academic achievement.
Studies have shown that daily physical education have remarkable benefits for students. A few of the benefits are a healthier child, both mentally and physically. This includes increased ability in planning, memory, decisions, focus and better brain function resulting in stronger academics; a reduction or improvement in symptoms of ADD, depression, fatigue and stress; increases in self esteem, energy and positive social interactions; and of course the long term positive health effects such as reductions in some cancers, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and dementia, to name just a few.
Justifying Physical Education Based on Neuroscience Evidence by Kris Berg
Kris Berg is a professor in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at University of Nebraska-Omaha, in Omaha, NE. and he writes a compelling article on why physical education (PE) needs to become a corner stone in the school curriculum. We have long known the positive health benefits of a physically active (PA) life style, (ie. it reduces the incidence of the leading causes of mortality, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, several types of cancer, and obesity) but recent technologies have allowed us to also see and measure the increases in brain function and the positive cognitive effects we see as a result of increased activity. Studies indicate that exercise promotes brain growth, including the production of new neurons and increased intersynaptic connections.
Berg recognizes that school administrators are a victim of societal views and the ever increasing pressure to produce high academic standards. Even with the strong evidence for the health benefits of PA, their is not enough social impetus to have a stronger presence of PE in the schools, if anything PE has been on the decline. Most schools today base their curricular and budgetary decisions on tests such as the grade 3, 6, and 9 standardized tests, that do not include any PE content. Without the empirical data to support the importance of PA it is a hard sale justifying an increase in the time spent on PE in the school. Societal views need to radically shift to see PE given the time and resources it deserves. With more and more scientific evidence not only showing how PA increases academic performance, and that academic learning can be maintained even with less time dedicated to it, with increases in time allowed for PA, Berg hopes that we are on the verge of a new age that recognizes the importance of PA and allocates the time and resources it deserves.
Berg, K. (2010). Justifying physical education based on neuroscience evidence. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 81(3), 24 – 29, 46.
Berg recognizes that school administrators are a victim of societal views and the ever increasing pressure to produce high academic standards. Even with the strong evidence for the health benefits of PA, their is not enough social impetus to have a stronger presence of PE in the schools, if anything PE has been on the decline. Most schools today base their curricular and budgetary decisions on tests such as the grade 3, 6, and 9 standardized tests, that do not include any PE content. Without the empirical data to support the importance of PA it is a hard sale justifying an increase in the time spent on PE in the school. Societal views need to radically shift to see PE given the time and resources it deserves. With more and more scientific evidence not only showing how PA increases academic performance, and that academic learning can be maintained even with less time dedicated to it, with increases in time allowed for PA, Berg hopes that we are on the verge of a new age that recognizes the importance of PA and allocates the time and resources it deserves.
Berg, K. (2010). Justifying physical education based on neuroscience evidence. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 81(3), 24 – 29, 46.
My Thoughts On The Berg Article
As someone coming from a science background, I found the Berg article fascinating and I totally agree with the importance of physical education and the need for it to be an integral part of the education system. Obesity is rampant and children spend less and less time with unstructured play that incorporates physical activity. The incidence of ADD is on the rise and many diseases once thought to be considered diseases of adulthood are now showing up in younger and younger children.
However, for years proponents of physical education have been toting the health benefits of physical exercise but it's amazing how adults have the ability to be perfectly aware of the positive or detrimental effects of an activity but still manage to "ignore" the evidence. It is only once the damage materializes in obvious health issues such as diabetes, stroke or cancer to name just a few, that people get a reality check and often suddenly embrace what they've known all along. After a negative health problem with themselves or people they are close to, people will suddenly start to eat healthier and exercise more.
Berg feels that the relatively recent scientific evidence that indicates positive anatomical and physiological changes to the brain produced by exercise, can be used to persuade administrators of the positive implications for exercise. Armed with this new evidence, he hopes that the implementers of school policy will place a higher priority on gym and the positive effects exercise has on health, self esteem, energy, positive social interaction, depression, focus and now improved brain function resulting in stronger academics. I am not sure that even armed with the new evidence it will really change societal views to any great extent. People often know what is good for them but it doesn't stop them from not doing what they know they should do.
I had the good fortune of being very fit and active as a student but it was because I loved the activities that I did. One of my daughters danced for 4 years and was on the Cambridge Aquajet swim team for 2 years but in both cases there was a constant pressure to improve and compete. She was pressured to increasingly do more practice and dedicate more and more of her time to these activities. A few students might respond to this, embrace the activity and excel, but for most students unless you are 100% committed to an activity nowadays you have no hope of becoming a "star" in that field. My daughter enjoyed the social interaction and the activity but the pressure to always push to be the best turned her "off" and she quit both activities.
However, for years proponents of physical education have been toting the health benefits of physical exercise but it's amazing how adults have the ability to be perfectly aware of the positive or detrimental effects of an activity but still manage to "ignore" the evidence. It is only once the damage materializes in obvious health issues such as diabetes, stroke or cancer to name just a few, that people get a reality check and often suddenly embrace what they've known all along. After a negative health problem with themselves or people they are close to, people will suddenly start to eat healthier and exercise more.
Berg feels that the relatively recent scientific evidence that indicates positive anatomical and physiological changes to the brain produced by exercise, can be used to persuade administrators of the positive implications for exercise. Armed with this new evidence, he hopes that the implementers of school policy will place a higher priority on gym and the positive effects exercise has on health, self esteem, energy, positive social interaction, depression, focus and now improved brain function resulting in stronger academics. I am not sure that even armed with the new evidence it will really change societal views to any great extent. People often know what is good for them but it doesn't stop them from not doing what they know they should do.
I had the good fortune of being very fit and active as a student but it was because I loved the activities that I did. One of my daughters danced for 4 years and was on the Cambridge Aquajet swim team for 2 years but in both cases there was a constant pressure to improve and compete. She was pressured to increasingly do more practice and dedicate more and more of her time to these activities. A few students might respond to this, embrace the activity and excel, but for most students unless you are 100% committed to an activity nowadays you have no hope of becoming a "star" in that field. My daughter enjoyed the social interaction and the activity but the pressure to always push to be the best turned her "off" and she quit both activities.
Submitted to PE Central
Sometimes as educators and parents it is easy to get caught up in the competitive spirit of the activity but I think that we will create healthy active adults by teaching children a life long love of physical activity, not because they "know" they should be active but because they "love" it. We need to make it fun and include all children in these team sports that so often emphasize winning. How many schools have tryouts for inter-murals and only the "best" students get to join? How do students who aren't as good ever get better? The message is that if you aren't great at something you might as well not bother because we don't value doing something for fun with our friends. This is increasingly evident in the higher grades.
Submitted to PE Central by a student at Lowes Point ES in Sterling, VA.
I think that PE and exercise are incredibly important but I am not physically active enough! I'm not sure that armed with more new evidence of even greater positive benefits that this will make a lot of difference in the amount of physical fitness being done. We live a physically active life style because we love the activities and embrace the life style. This is done through fostering a love for various PA at a young age, to make it a life long love affair and habit. The Ontario Government has made changes to the physical education and health curriculum which are starting to address these issues (See Teaching Section). However, unless we nurture a love for the different activities, administrators can dedicate more of the school day to PE but the PA will only last as long as the students are forced to take it. My one daughter can't wait until grade 10 when she no longer has to take gym and I find this very sad. However, I hope that because we have exposed her to many different forms of activity outside of school, that she will continue to maintain an active life style throughout her life.
What Happens In Elementary Schools?
Click the link below for a spreadsheet of what is happening in Health and Physical Education in our Professional Development Sites (PDS)
Link to Spreadsheet
Click the link below for a spreadsheet of what is happening in Health and Physical Education in our Professional Development Sites (PDS)
Link to Spreadsheet