The Movement and Technology Balance

Classroom Strategies for Student Success

Traci Lengel, Jenna Evans

• Publisher: Corwin
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781544350431
• eBook ISBN: 9781544350448
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Theory & Practice

Educate students in mind and body—and optimize their success.

There is no issue today that gets more attention and incites more debate than children's use of technology. Technology offers exciting new opportunities and challenges to you and your students. Meanwhile, movement is essential to learning—it increases mental energy and helps brain cells develop. But screen time often comes at the expense of physical activity. How do you choose?

You don't! This blended instructional approach combines kinesthetic teaching methodologies with technological resources to meet content standards, increase achievement and test scores, and enrich the learning process. Here you'll find

• A neuroscientific overview of the powerful brain-body connection
• Step-by-step instructions for balancing movement and the use of technology in the classroom
• Practical tools, templates, and vignettes to ensure successful implementation
• Classroom management tactics and useful remedies for common problems

Educating the whole child means promoting social, physical, mental, emotional, and cognitive growth. By joining two powerful teaching tools, you'll prepare students for a bright future—in school and in life—while growing your instructional expertise as well.

1 An Undeniable Shift

• Movement and Technology: The Adversarial Relationship
• A Society on the Move
• The Decline of Movement >
• The Digital Age
• The Rise of Technology <
• A Change of Course

Movement and Technology: The Adversarial Relationship

Moving in Opposition

It’s quite paradoxical that in our past, our societal needs included maximum movement with minimal technology, yet today’s public demands are almost in complete opposition as technology is expanding and movement is diminishing. This technological transition is laced with immeasurable benefits! However, the educational direction that ultimately results from this adversarial movement/technology relationship is limiting the academic achievement of today’s learners while deteriorating their health and well-being. The concept of a blended teaching and learning approach that defines the balance between utilizing kinesthetic teaching methodologies and technological resources to optimize student learning and success is long overdue. Merging these two concepts promotes a classroom environment that meets content standards effectively, increases standardized test scores, and enriches the learning process while preparing students for future challenges. In addition, this teaching philosophy educates the learner as a whole: encouraging social, physical, mental/emotional, and cognitive growth. Preparing students for life’s future tasks and trials goes beyond grades and test scores. This blended teaching style provides a comprehensive means for improving academic success while enhancing the overall life skills of the learner.

As a society, we have idly observed the health, fitness, and physical activity levels of our children rapidly decrease as technology has taken the spotlight in our educational practices and designs. We have observed a shift toward the need for technology engulfing nearly every aspect of our learning and being. As we deepen our knowledge about the capabilities of this era, it is easy to get swept away by its vast advantages, uses, and rewards. In many aspects, technology has simply made things easier for us as human beings and as learners. Having access to unlimited resources at the tap of a finger makes it easy to see how our society continues to develop and increase the demands for technology uses with aggressive efforts for future growth and expansion. However, as educators in a technologically run society, it seems as though we are not pausing enough to see the entire picture of how this is affecting our students. We are failing to see all the consequences, especially the negative ones. We need to take the time to evaluate the delivery of our lessons and question whether we are moving in the direction that supports best practices for optimal learning in all situations and conditions. Perhaps most importantly, we need to consider whether or not we are educating our youth to be healthy, intelligent, well-rounded humanitarians who will lead our country with grace and success and for the good of all.

A Time for Concern

There is an abundance of quotes that define the importance of having balance in one’s life. Many people are familiar with the common saying, “everything in moderation.” What about balance and moderation in the classroom? These concepts should also exist in teaching and learning. As educational leaders, we tend to overuse technology and underuse kinesthetic teaching strategies to optimize learner success. We fail to consistently deliver curriculums with multiple teaching techniques to meet the needs of a variety of learning preferences. In your own classroom, would you say that you engage students physically to improve their learning state for greater cognitive output? Often, students sit for too long as educators deliver content through traditional means and digital resources. What are your concerns when you look at your current students and the ways in which you’ve seen children changing through your years of service?

The reality is that children and adolescents devote much of their time, at both school and home, to technology and digital resources. In later chapters, statistics and detailed information will be shared that illustrate the significance of this, along with the damaging effects it is having on our youth. The younger generation is spending too much time watching television, playing video games, texting, and interacting on social media. At a quick glance, these outlets may seem harmless. However, as digital addictions grow, children and adolescents are becoming sedentary people with an increasing collection of physical, social, and mental/emotional health problems. The time for concern is now! As educators, we’ve made a commitment to care for the well-being of the whole child, and the overall wellness of our students cannot be ignored. Educational facilities are encouraged to look for active means to reverse these damaging trends. Implementing more movement and kinesthetic teaching methodologies into schools and classrooms is a step in the right direction to combat these technological dependencies. Action must be immediate, persistent, effective, and ongoing.

A Society on the Move

A Past Perspective

Later in this chapter, as we dive deeper into the history of movement, we will clearly see that we were consistently a society of movers. The reasons for physical activity and the levels of intensity evolved over time to fit our societal, cultural, and personal needs. When you recall your own childhood, would you describe yourself as active? In the past, children played outside with their peers for extensive hours. This sense of free play was enjoyed and valued. Physical activity was viewed as an important part of making childhood memories. These experiences played a role in helping youngsters become the people they are today. Life skills were developed during peer encounters and free play, while movement and physical activity were highly esteemed throughout history. We were a society that moved for our livelihood, work, play, fitness, health, and enjoyment. It was essential, desired, and expected. Most viewed physical activity as a standard, and minimal thought was put into its process. We just did it and it was a part of who we were.

When most teachers reflect on their own childhood education, they typically recall minimal movement throughout the school day with the exception of recess and physical education classes. However, these same people will also say they were physically active outside of school hours. It was common for children and adolescents to play outside until it was dark and a family member ordered them back to the home for the evening. In this example, the sedentary nature of the school day had a minimal effect on the health and well-being of this generation because of the active lifestyles in the home environment. Children often played with neighbors as they organized and managed their own games and activities without parental assistance. The historical viewpoint in regard to movement is strong and constant. Although needs and interests changed throughout the years, we were steadily viewed as a society of movers.

A Present and Future Perception

Is our younger generation still considered to be a society of movers? At one point in history, we moved all day long for survival. Eventually, we developed into a culture that sat during the school day but was physically active in the evenings. What about today? Many would agree that we have now produced a generation that is not only sedentary during the school day but throughout the evening as well. If you can recognize this transition, you will find it difficult to consider us a youthful society that leads physically active lives. This perspective is not meant to discount the percentage of our children and adolescents who engage in sports and clubs that include exercise and movement. However, when we look at the statistics forthcoming, there is evidence of a recognizable decrease in the amount of physical movement of the current generation in comparison to their predecessors.

This decrease in movement and active lifestyles is affecting the future health and well-being of our youth. Students’ values are changing. Many believe that education is influencing this downward spiral. If we step back and look at the big picture of where technology is taking us, it’s frightening. The more technology increases, the more the movement and physical activity of human beings decreases. We must learn to profit from technology without allowing it to consume our existence. If we don’t take action to reverse this direction, the potential results are disturbing. Why aren’t more people in education and in the world combining efforts to unite movement and technology instead of having them move in opposition of one another? The potential outlook for a society that doesn’t value movement is grim. We are not physically designed to live sedentary lives; we were created as “movers.” We must find our way back to the basics.

The Decline of Movement >

A Timeline of Change

The evolution of movement can be visually represented by the greater than symbol (>). This character illustrates the power of movement in the past (the infinite, wide end), along with its decline and future possibilities (the pointed end) as we look ahead. Reviewing this timeline may give you a different perspective on how our society has deteriorated concerning physical activity over time. As we look at Figure 1.1, we see a progressive timeline that shows a shift in our needs, values, and viewpoints regarding the necessity of movement in our culture. Throughout primal times, people used movement for survival as they escaped physically life-threatening situations. Physical activity was needed to feed the family and to keep everyone safe and out of harm’s way. Basic movements were also vital during the Neolithic times, as farming and labor provided a standard way of life. This lifestyle resulted in strong bodies that could withstand many extensive hours of physical demands. As we moved to ancient times, men had to prepare for war through the use of physical training that improved their strength, speed, and power. These developments demonstrate that from 10,000 BC to 4,000 BC, physical activity was a requirement to sustain our very existence.

Movement was valued and frequent for basic survival and daily activities for many generations. The Renaissance marks a significant change in the importance of the body. Health and physical education were introduced to our schools, as anatomy and biology interests increased. Our society recognized the importance of intentional, purposeful exercise. People began to notice their body as they made time to strengthen it in an effort to improve their appearance, health, well-being, and fitness levels. The 18th and 19th centuries indicate an increase in exercise in the home environment. During the Industrial Revolution, people began to have more inactive occupations that restricted the amount of physical activity they received during work hours. This led to an increase in exercise regimens that took place around an individual’s employment schedule.

Figure 1.1 ■ The Evolution of Movement >

Source: Adapted from https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/the-historyof-physical-fitness/ by Erwan Le Corre. Retrieved December 13, 2018.

The 20th century is considered the birth of the modern fitness industry. Organized sports and a focus on fitness expanded as physical activity maintained its worth. Today, in the 21st century, fitness and technology unite forces. Although this unification brings many advantages, this period also illustrates a critical alteration in the way our society views movement and physical activity. Once given high value and importance, exercise is now seen as a chore. People lead busy lives, yet they are sedentary. Work and family responsibilities are time consuming and overwhelming. Where physical activity and exercise were once perceived as our go-to outlet, we now use technological resources and options for relaxation and pleasure. This is true for adults, adolescents, and children alike. This transferal of priorities comes with heavy consequences that question the role that movement plays in our future—if it even has a role.

The Impact on Learning

How has the evolution of movement impacted our schools and teachers? What role does movement and physical activity play in your own life? Maintaining a physically active lifestyle is important for everyone. We should be committed to including intentional movement in our daily regimen to maintain our individual health and well-being. Most Americans are so overwhelmed with abundant responsibilities and demands that exercise simply takes a back seat in their daily routines. The reality is that our health should always be our number-one priority, as it affects everything about us, including our parenting, relationships, and teaching. We cannot be elite in our careers if we are not taking the time to be the best version of ourselves. This development would include a consistent exercise plan that improves our body, mind, and spirit. This topic will be addressed in Chapter 6. Additionally, this dedication will have a positive effect on our thinking, energy, and stamina so that we can meet life’s challenges head-on with success and triumph, both in our home and classroom.

Students are affected by inactive lifestyles; this often shows in their learning. Our younger generation’s expectations for their education and their teachers have changed. Unfortunately, many schools are taking minimal measures to ensure that movement continues to evolve as a high priority in the lives of their students. The sedentary lifestyle of students is damaging their health, energy, work ethic, and endurance. Many students are becoming unmotivated to move; they resist it as if it were a punishment. For the first time in history, there is now talk of designing organized recess protocols because students simply do not have the skills to play by themselves or with one another. The social abilities of today’s children and adolescents are diminishing, and they are often unable to use their imaginations, creative thinking, and problem-solving strategies. This is a concern! Technology overuse is playing a part in these alarms, but the ultimate culprit is the direction and choices we are making as a society and as educational leaders. Supporting the balance between active teaching methodologies a...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Acknowledgements
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• About the Authors
• Introduction
• 1 An Undeniable Shift
• 2 The Power of Movement
• 3 The Technology Machine
• 4 Making the MOST of It
• 5 Structuring and Managing
• 6 Transforming with A.A.A.
• 7 Refining Movement and Technology
• 8 Interconnecting Communities
• 9 Defining the Balance
• 10 Employing SMART Activities
• 11 Supporting a United Approach
• References
• Index
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