Since I was young, I have always had trouble sitting still while in class. I always felt the need to tap my feet on the floor, tap my fingers on my desk, or just stand up to walk around and stretch out. It wasn 't that the material being learned was boring, I just always felt the need to move while in the classroom and I was always unaware of why that was. A trending topic in the scope of education is whether or not it is better for students to be active while they learn as well as being active in their daily lives to help enhance their learning and memory. There are multiple studies being conducted to compare and contrast active students versus non-active students and the results are surprising. Studies are being done through all age groups
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Some would argue that being active while learning will lead to tiredness which would make students unmotivated to complete their work, yet studies and results are showing the opposite effects. Despite the fact that we are all unique, it seems that the vast majority benefits from exercise in terms of learning and attaining knowledge (excluding those who are incapable of physical activity). Students who are active and moving while they learn and are active outside of the classroom are more successful in their studies and are more motivated than other students who are not active. Michael Prince, author of Does Active Learning Work? A Review of the Research took it upon himself to find out if active learning really does work. He explains active learning as “any instructional method that engages students in the learning process. In short, [it] requires students to do meaningful learning activities and think about what they are doing […] active learning refers to activities that are introduced into the classroom” (Prince 223). Depending on grade level, active learning varies. Additionally, active learning varies in physical movement. For example, …show more content…
It is responsible for various factors such as learning and memory, and it is extremely important to keep the brain healthy throughout one’s life. Due to the intricacy and connectedness of the brain, one issue can easily cause more problems, like a domino effect or chain reaction. One of the best ways to keep the brain healthy as a whole is by exercising regularly. Author of Exercise and the brain: something to chew on, Henriette van Praag, is a credible source as he has conducted studies and research in the area of affects of exercise on the brain. He states that there is much evidence to support that “exercise has profound benefits for brain function. Physical activity improves learning and memory in humans […] an active lifestyle might prevent or delay loss of cognitive function with aging or neurodegenerative disease” (van Praag 283). The fact that exercise has various benefits should not be a shock to anyone, as it is learned through school, advertisement, others around us, and general experience. Although, it may be recent news to individuals that exercising can specifically affect how we learn and recall information. Not only does exercising enhance long-term memory, it strongly aids short-term memory as well. In Henriette van Praag’s study, his results showed that “college students reaction time and vocabulary learning were faster immediately after
Some would argue that being active while learning will lead to tiredness which would make students unmotivated to complete their work, yet studies and results are showing the opposite effects. Despite the fact that we are all unique, it seems that the vast majority benefits from exercise in terms of learning and attaining knowledge (excluding those who are incapable of physical activity). Students who are active and moving while they learn and are active outside of the classroom are more successful in their studies and are more motivated than other students who are not active. Michael Prince, author of Does Active Learning Work? A Review of the Research took it upon himself to find out if active learning really does work. He explains active learning as “any instructional method that engages students in the learning process. In short, [it] requires students to do meaningful learning activities and think about what they are doing […] active learning refers to activities that are introduced into the classroom” (Prince 223). Depending on grade level, active learning varies. Additionally, active learning varies in physical movement. For example, …show more content…
It is responsible for various factors such as learning and memory, and it is extremely important to keep the brain healthy throughout one’s life. Due to the intricacy and connectedness of the brain, one issue can easily cause more problems, like a domino effect or chain reaction. One of the best ways to keep the brain healthy as a whole is by exercising regularly. Author of Exercise and the brain: something to chew on, Henriette van Praag, is a credible source as he has conducted studies and research in the area of affects of exercise on the brain. He states that there is much evidence to support that “exercise has profound benefits for brain function. Physical activity improves learning and memory in humans […] an active lifestyle might prevent or delay loss of cognitive function with aging or neurodegenerative disease” (van Praag 283). The fact that exercise has various benefits should not be a shock to anyone, as it is learned through school, advertisement, others around us, and general experience. Although, it may be recent news to individuals that exercising can specifically affect how we learn and recall information. Not only does exercising enhance long-term memory, it strongly aids short-term memory as well. In Henriette van Praag’s study, his results showed that “college students reaction time and vocabulary learning were faster immediately after