Many teachers have introduced some or all of
the 4 Minute Fitness principles into the class room.
A teacher who practices 4 Minute Fitness will
likely feel more focused and calm, enough to possibly make a significant difference in the
behaviour of a class.
But what about the demeanor and energy of the
students? In this day and age, students often have a 64 ounce super big drink and a
chocolate bar for lunch, they have all sorts of personal, social and academic stresses and
consequently have a hard time sitting still or concentrating. Interestingly, student
stress is often not addressed in class settings, yet even a couple of deep breaths can
help considerably.
Here is a copy of a report I received reviewing
some benefits noticed by a teacher who introduced his students to 4 Minute Fitness. I
added the highlights, but otherwise the document was simply copied and pasted into this
web page (with permission).
University of San Diego
DoDEA-Guam District
Title: Methods for
Teaching P.E. Standards in the Classroom
Dates: February
5-March 30, 2002
Course Number: 500CB
Location of Class: DoDEA Guam
Participant: David T. Zimms 4th
Grade, GEMS
Class Assignments:
-
I attended DoDEA-Guam’s Wellness Day
Feb.4,2002
-
Completed 8 days of “4 Minute
Fitness” with class
Feb.11 – March 1, and continuing.
Reaction
1 – After introducing the exercises (one per day) concentrating on form and
breathing of each, we then did the entire workout.
During the week of 3/11 - 3/15, I used the workout as a
transition between Language Arts and Math. After sitting for about 2 hours it was a
welcome change of pace.
I
found that all students seemed refreshed and better focused for the next lesson. Many of
the students had more energy and attention and seemed better than pre workout.
Reaction 2 – During the week of 3/25 - 4/1 (Terra Nova). I used the “4 Minute
Fitness” to refresh and focus the class for the next part of the test. We did the
workout during the 10-minute break between testing sessions. It was apparent to me that the
class welcomed the chance to exercise in a controlled environment. They all seemed
refreshed and ready to take on the next part of the exam.
More Comments from other Teachers:
Another teacher introduced parts of 4 Minute Fitness
into her class. Her comments....
"On the lighter side, I did the clap, stomp,
yes with my Grade 1 & 2 class Friday, they loved it, but one little guy says "why
are we saying yes???," I replied, "yes, because - you're the best!" -seemed
to do the trick and they bought into it. To be continued (I'll let you know)."
G. Herkel |
