The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) has an interesting website, with a number of helpful blogs.
One of these, its Whole Child Blog, covers a topic which Elwood's Board of Education has focused upon over the past few years, namely, the interrelationship of programmed physical activity and better learning by students.
Anyone who has come to most of the Elwood BOE meetings in recent months has even seen a demonstration (well, actually two) of the web video, used to enhance physical activity in the lower grades, which was created by Elwood's Department of Health and Physical Education and our Department of Technology.
That video has made Coach TJ Brocking a local "media star," who may one day be able to compete for attention with Hannah Montana, well, maybe in our small part of the world.
In a topic headlined "Exercise Linked to Attention and Academic Achievement," the April 7th posting begins:
"Researchers at the University of Illinois have found a positive link between physical activity and attention and physical activity and academic achievement in children. Children in this study were better able to pay attention and performed better on academic tests after bouts of physical exercise."
This is a short, but helpful, article and you will find links to related material on the ASCD website.
Jerry Hannon
http://www.wholechildeducation.org/blog/?storyId=261
About Me
- Jerry Hannon
- After a thirty year career at Chase, serving as a Managing Director and Global Relationship Manager, I took early retirement in the summer of 2000, and that enabled me to become active in community, school district, and town activities. Since 2004, I have been a member of the Elwood School District's Citizens Finance/Budget Advisory Committee, and since 2005 I have been a member of its Audit Committee, and serve on three other committees of the district. During the 2006/07 school year I was President of the Elwood PTA Council, and I remain active in PTA activities. In the community I serve as EVP for Community Affairs of the Old Chester Hills Civic Association, and served the Town of Huntington as a member of its Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee. For thirty five years, I have been a Director of the NY Council of the Navy League, and currently am Chair of its Audit Committee. A Vietnam Veteran, I retired as a Commander in the US Navy Reserve, and previously commanded two Naval Security Group reserve units.