Читать книгу The Movement and Technology Balance - Traci Lengel - Страница 38

Most educators would admit that they have seen a significant decrease in children’s attention spans over the years. Developmental studies have found a positive link between physical activity and performance on concentration tests. Using movement in a learning environment helps improve focus and awareness for many learners. Active student engagement provides an alert state that holds students’ attention. As a result, educators can continue to teach with traditional methodologies for a slightly extended period of time while getting desirable results. Physical activity can also be used as a break from academics, and research has shown this to have a positive effect on attention spans as well (Bartholomew & Jowers, 2011; Grieco, Jowers, & Bartholomew, 2009). When students remain seated during instruction or when utilizing technology for extended periods of time, it is beneficial to allow them the opportunity to move their body as it feels comfortable and/or is necessary for them. Studies have shown that immediately after engaging in physical activity, children are better able to concentrate on classroom tasks, which can improve learning (Castelli et al., 2015). Kinesthetic teaching methodologies are realistic solutions that can help redirect wandering minds while improving students’ time on task.