‘Physically active learning’ improves test scores, sharpens concentration

‘Physically active learning’ improves test scores, sharpens concentration
Advocates point to a growing body of research linking physical activity to cognitive ability
Some experts believe that physical learning could pay serious dividends in the classroom.
Tabatha Gayle crab-walked across the classroom last week, racing two other students to a pile of papers listing different diseases, set in the middle of the floor in Ms. Forcucci’s health class.
While her teammates cheered, Tabatha picked up a piece of paper and scuttled it over to the whiteboard, dropping it into one of five pathogen categories lined up there. Then she ran back to the team, laughing.
Amanda Forcucci’s class at Hamden High School in Hamden, Conn., is doing something called “physically active learning” in the classroom. The idea is to get kids up and moving around during regular academic classes to improve their ability to concentrate.
“It’s fun, and moving around actually will help me remember the types of pathogens,” said Tabatha, 15. “Plus it helped me to get out of a bad mood.”
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