By Dan Lawler, PhD and Bev Bachman, M.Ed. “Schools can be an excruciating experience for kids with ADHD,” notes John Ratey, MD, of Harvard Medical School and author of SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. It’s not that students with ADHD can’t focus, but that they can’t focus on command. They are wired differently and working…
On average, children spend three to seven hours a day parked in front of a television. Whether it’s watching after school cartoons,the Disney Channel, or playing video games, the rate of child obesity has had adrastic increase throughout the course of the past 20 years. Let’sMove! a campaign launched by FirstLady Michelle Obama, has an ambitious but important goal: to…
By Dan Lawler, Ph.D. This school year a Title I teacher in Colorado will beintegrating into her teaching both effective practices in literacy instructionand current research on how exercise prepares the brain for learning. She is a strong literacy teacher, longgrounded in strategies that have been supported by research in readinginstruction. This year she is excitedto add this new dimension…
One of the long standing professional strengths of educators is their willingness to share ideas and programs that are working with other teachers and principals. This professional courtesy has helped thousands of other schools and children to benefit from the original school’s hard work and success. For example, if a school is getting great results in reading the school and teachers…
By Dan Lawler Ph.D. Every teacher in every classroom eventually faces the dilemma of how to motivate the uninspired student. Often teachers look to utilizing positive rewards as a means to increase desired behaviors. Some traditional strategies, especially at the elementary level, include longer recess, special seats, positive phone call home, lunch with the teacher, and positive verbal feedback. Extrinsic…
Thursday March 1, 2012, 8:30am to3:30pm PreconferenceEvent to the DuPage County PE Institute Day (Naperville, IL) on March 2,2012 This Professional Development / Exergame Education Workshopshows you the exciting possibilities of how using technology, combined withgames, and physical activity can enhance and enrich the lives of generations. Exergame Education Workshop Date: March 1, 2012 Time: 8:30am to 3:30pm Location: Bulls Sox Training Academy 6200 River Bend…
It’s my annual Year in Review of Sierra Vista Jr. High’s Physical Education program. It has been a year to remember. So many exciting new partnerships and programs that we have added to continue in making our Physical Education program “PE Heaven”! August-December We fully implemented the Cardio GX System by Polar in our Fitness Center and in our Gym…
If we’re listening to the experts, all the evidence points to the importance of increasing physical education/physical activity (PE/PA) in our schools. A compelling body of research shows that, as fitness increases, achievement increases, behavior issues decrease, and wellness increases. Utilizing this research is one of the most compelling reasons for school administrators to use budget funds to increase PE…
When I observed the positive effects our Exergaming lab had on our elementary school, I was convinced that every student should have access to this type of lab. Nothing I had observed before motivated students to exercise with the enthusiasm and spirit that this lab created. The lab had a remarkable impact on our student body’s commitment to exercise and…
Madison Junior High School commemorated its 30th anniversary Monday with a celebration that often focused on the lifetime achievements of Phil Lawler. Lawler is a member of the original Madison faculty, a retired District 203 physical education coordinator and the director of education and training for PE4life, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development of quality, daily physical education programs…
