Is your class a class of movement? “No!”, replies an irritated teacher.
“I have far too much to get through to allow my students to move!”
Movement is a natural Glucose producer. Every time we allow the students in our class to move, their livers produce more glucose. Glucose is the primary energy source used by the brain. Our brains are glutinous when it comes to energy. They don’t load-shed.
When we allow our students to stand up and move around their chairs, touch the wall, clap their hands or participate in a dance move, we not only ensure more glucose from the liver, but we improve the quality of oxygenated blood being pumped to the brain. The brain simply loves glucose and oxygen. It is ice-cream to the brain.
Just by getting your class to stand increases the Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) by 5%. Getting out of their chairs and walking or dancing increases the CBF by between 5 and 15%.
A teacher worth their presence in a class must surely want a 15% increase in Glucose and Oxygen to generate more neurons sparking and making connections and placing the new data in long term memory.
The FNDC5 stimulates the production of BDNF, another protein in the brain, which in turn promotes the growth of new nerve cells and synapses increasing the ability of the brain cells to communicate more efficiently with one another.
Case closed. Movement is a non-negotiable in every classroom where learning is important.
