Brain Expo 2000: Research on Movement

by Jean Blaydes , Action Based Learning

Recently, over 1,000 educators, administrators, and neuroscientists attended the annual Eric Jensen Brain Expo in San Diego. Physical Education was well represented by several PE professional from Texas, California, Idaho, Colorado, Virginia, Tennessee, etc., three NASPE Teachers of the Year who made presentations on the importance of movement to learning (Fran Zavacky, Cathi Summerford, and Jean Blaydes). Another leader in our profession, Barry Traub from Sportime, also attended, gleaning ideas and concepts that will move PE forward into better curricular applications.

Research information supported the need for, and justification of, daily quality Physical Education in our schools. Here's an overview of some of the newest concepts presented at the Brain Expo:

* Children who are not involved in play in their early years of development can be predisposed to violence in later life. (Dr. Robert Sylwester)

* A strong case for more recess and daily physical education come from research on how circadian rhythms and light effect the Brain. The human brain was designed for extensive exposure to sunlight. When light levels are too low or infrequent, the human clock is out of sync and children suffer delayed sleep and slowed attention levels. The light from TV and computers trigger the survival response in the brain because the flickering of such light puts the child under subtle undue stress that slows learning. Bright light treatment seems to be an effective antidepressant. Physical educators provide the opportunity for our students for increased exposure to natural sunlight. (Dr. Daniel F. Kripke, MD)

* The body is constantly seeking homeostasis to overcome stress and emotional overload. Movement is the body's natural reward. Physical activity causes the body/brain to naturally balance its innate homeostasis. However, too little or too much exercise can cause the body to be out of sync, as well. The secret to optimum learning is finding individual biobalance. (Dr. Robert Zapolsky)

* Eric Jensen said, "If learning is not in your body, you haven't learned it!" The concept being that learning anchored in movement is very effective for memory retrieval and learning. (Eric Jensen)

* Jill Hay stated in her presentation that if teachers need expert advice on how to teach every child how to learn best, ask the PE Teacher! WOW! A plug for PE! (Jill Hay, Texas Staff Developer)

The entire conference had an underlying message of the importance of movement in the learning process. I encourage you to read and stay current with the new information coming out. I'm starting a novice website (jeanblaydes.com) to attempt to help keep current brain research information available. It's exciting to realize the possibilities for advocacy that brain research implications bring. Physical educators RULE!

For questions or comments about this article, contact Jean Blaydes

(Information provided courtesy of http://www.pelinks4u.org)

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