Zone’in Workshops

This article is the second of a six part series on successful school-based strategies to optimize attention and enhance learning ability, and follows the Zone’in Child Development Series December 2009 newsletter advocating for school implementation of the School Operating Safely (SOS) – Child Behavior Management Policy and Procedures. This policy has recently been forwarded to all provincial Education Ministers, as well as members of the Council of Ministers of Education.

Schools of the New Millennium – Sitting Still or Moving to Learn?

Exercise and the Learning Zone

During in-classroom prototype testing of the Zone’in and Move’in Programs, we found that specific types of sensation and movement optimized children’s attention and learning, whereas other types either made no difference or were detrimental to children’s overall academic performance. We also discovered through trials of numerous sensory and motor tools and techniques, that each child’s arousal system is unique, precluding use of whole-classroom type activities. Some children whose energy was In the Zone prior to trialing a Zone’in tool or technique, actually were quite upset when they found their energy either too charged or too hyper, disabling their learning! Each child should therefore have adequate information and opportunity to develop their own specific activities to regulate their sensory system (body energy). Achieving optimal arousal state for attention and learning is best achieved through use of the widely popular Zone’in Program which comes with Zone-O-Meters to measure energy, as well as Zone’in DVD, Know Your Zone and Tone Your Zone posters and a variety of Zone’in sensory and motor tools and techniques to get your whole classroom Zone’in to Learn!

So what types of sensation and movement proved most effective in attaining an optimal arousal state for paying attention and learning? Two types of movement – vestibular and proprioceptive, deep pressure touch, and connection with other human beings (not computers!). Examples of activities that stimulate the vestibular system are anything that moves the child off their centre of gravity, thus requiring anti-gravity muscles to bring them back to stabilize their core e.g. suspended swings, slides, merry-go-rounds. Core stability is essential for eventual coordination of both sides of the body, as well as coordination of eyes to hands. Proprioceptive stimulation is necessary for fine and gross motor development, and is achieved with heavy work type activities involving push/pull/lift/carry such as tug of war, climbing on jungle gyms and using an exercise bike. Tactile stimulation plays an integral role in the development of “praxis” or planned muscle movements required for sports or printing. “Dyspraxia” is when a child has a poor sense of where their body is in space, and often bumps into things or overshoots when picking up objects. Use of deep pressure touch to the tactile system can reduce anxiety, as well as help a child feel more comfortable in their own skin, thus leading to improved ability to plan movements. Supporting a child’s attachment to significant others can result in lowered anxiety and increased confidence, greatly enhancing learning, and can be achieved through “I see you….” and “I hear you…” statements followed by active listening e.g. “I see you are looking upset; can I help you with your math” or “I hear you don’t like to print; what are the hardest letters for you so we can practice together”.

Dr. John Ratey, child psychiatrist and author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain discovered that 45 min. of sustained aerobic activity at heart rate 65-75% of maximum sufficient to gain one grade level in only 4 months! Dr. Ratey goes on to report the following correlations between exercise and learning, impulsivity and mental health.

Exercise and Learning

• Improved cognition: exercise enhances memory and learning through improved neurogenesis in hippocampus and frontal cortex.
• Decreases ADHD: increases dopamine transmitter, which improves focus and attention.
• Increases attention: releases nerve growth factor to inhibit impulsivity, promoting focus.

Exercise and Impulsivity

• Impulsivity control is located in the frontal lobes.
• Overuse of technology “short circuits” access to frontal lobes.
• Exercise increases blood flow to frontal lobes, thereby decreasing damage caused by technology overuse.
• Exercise decreases impulsivity and increases attention.

Exercise and Mental Health

• Reduces anxiety: rewires response pathways.
• Decreases stress: improves blood flow to brain to enhance neural connections.
• Decreases depression: elevates endorphins and dopamine, regulates serotonin.
• Decreases addiction tendency: increases dopamine, enhances the brain’s own ability to satiate.

The following is a CBC film on the work of Dr. John Ratey.

http://www.cbc.ca/thenational/indepthanalysis/story/2009/10/06/national-braingains.html

While everyone agrees that recess is an essential part of a child’s day for physical activity, many children are allowed technology use during recess, gravely limiting opportunity for movement. Another limitation to movement on t he playground is one in three children are obese, and don’t readily join in playground socializing and movement. Dr. RM Barros found out the following information in his study.

Exercise and Recess

• Study looked at 11,000 third-graders ages 8-9 years.
• Those who had greater than 15 minutes per day of recess had teacher reports of better classroom behavior.
• 30% had little or no recess (< 15 minutes per day).
• 40% of schools surveyed had cut back at least one daily recess period.
• Since the 1970′s, children have lost 12 hours per week in free time.

If you would like to hear more about these great tools and techniques to promote attention and learning – attend our up and coming Foundation Series Workshop Webinar Sitting Still – The Science of Attention and Learning. this coming Wednesday February 3, 2010 at 8 AM Pacific Standard Time.

See you there!

Cris Rowan