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Portrait of a Learner 9-12

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Portrait of a Learner 9-12 > Factors > Physical Well-being

Physical Well-being

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Factor Connections

Hover to see how factors connect to Physical Well-being. Then click connected factors to explore strategies related to multiple factors.

How Physical Well-being connects to...

The benefits of physical health go beyond our bodies—our cognitive skills also improve with physical fitness and well-being. Physical Well-being involves proper nutrition, regular exercise, and quality Sleep. Students with good overall Physical Well-being benefit from improved cognitive skills and emotional wellbeing which in turn can boost academic performance. Despite the importance of physical activity in adolescence, there is some evidence to suggest that it tends to decrease during this time. In addition, Physical Well-being, including exercise, may be particularly important for those learners with ADHD as it can support cognition, mood, and focus.

Main Ideas

Physical Well-being is dependent on several important components:

  • Nutrition: Proper nutrition is an important part of Physical Well-being. Most students in the United States do not eat the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables, even though they are an essential component of a healthy diet and help to maintain a healthy weight. Sometimes this is due to limited access to these foods, particularly in lower SES homes.
  • Regular exercise: Increased participation in physical activities directly impacts cognitive skills, leading to enhanced academic performance. The Centers for Disease Control recommend that individuals ages six and up engage in physical activity for at least 60 minutes each day, most of which should be aerobic.
  • Sleep: Getting a sufficient amount of quality Sleep helps students' Physical Well-being, including their brain health. This in turn helps them have energy and learn as much as possible in the classroom and their daily lives.

Adolescents experience many physical, cognitive, and social-emotional changes triggered by the beginning of puberty. Their Physical Well-being can also impact the timing of puberty which may be delayed by nutritional deficiencies, or start earlier in girls who are obese. Physical Well-being is also tightly intertwined with psychological well-being (see Emotion). Each can have a significant impact on the other, and this interplay ultimately defines a student's overall health. For example, stress can lead to increased levels of stress hormones, high blood pressure, obesity, and other negative effects. However, physical activity can promote wellness and academic achievement, because learners who are given the opportunity to be physically active are often more alert following exercise. This can lead to increased Attention and memory, and may boost cognitive functioning more generally. Schools and educators can support students' Physical Well-being by providing healthy food options, opportunities and education around the benefits of physical activity, and supporting students' social and emotional well-being.

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Research-Based Strategies For This Factor

Creating Visual Representations

Creating visual representations such as drawings, diagrams, graphs, and concept maps, whether student or teacher-generated, can help students process abstract concepts, enhancing understanding and retention of information.

Explaining Their Thinking

Students explaining their thinking during learning is a metacognitive process that involves actively self-questioning or being questioned while exploring new concepts, and explaining thoughts and reasoning in response.

Field Trips

Visiting places connected to classroom learning provides opportunities to add relevance to classroom topics and deepen understanding through firsthand experiences.

Games

Games support learning, as learners engage with new information in fun and informal ways.

Gallery Walk

Gallery walks are ways of showcasing content and materials as multiple “exhibitions” for students to view and interact with as part of larger learning goals.

Cooperative Problem Solving

As learners work together to solve problems, they learn new strategies and practice Communication skills as they express their academic thinking.

Think-Alouds

Incorporating think-alouds, or verbalizing thinking while reading or working through a new concept, can be a powerful way to help learners explore disciplinary texts, learn new skills, and retain content.

Multimodal Teaching & Learning

Multimodal teaching and learning provide opportunities for students to engage with the same content through different sensory modalities, such as visual, auditory and tactile.

Strengths-based Approach

A strengths-based approach is one where educators intentionally identify, communicate, and harness students' assets, across many aspects of the whole learner, in order to empower them to flourish.

Goal Setting & Monitoring

Goal-setting and monitoring involves teachers working with students to set individualized academic or behavioral goals, plan actions to achieve those goals, and track progress.

Positive Self-talk

When students are able to encourage themselves through kind and motivating self-statements, they are practicing positive self-talk.

Gestures

Using motions to explain new concepts or ideas supports the ability to process new information and to convey thinking and conceptual understanding.

Music & Dance

Music and dance supports learners in a myriad of ways, including supporting their engagement and motivation, connecting with cultural background, and offering structure during play.

Brief Instruction Steps

Providing instructional steps clearly and concisely can help learners understand classroom expectations, reduce cognitive load, and complete tasks more efficiently.

Encourage Student Self-advocacy

Self-advocacy is the ability of an individual to understand and effectively express and assert their own rights, needs, desires, and interests.

Family Engagement

Family engagement happens when educators and schools collaborate with families to collectively support their child's learning in meaningful ways, both at school and at home.

Respectful Redirection

Respectful redirection, or error correction, outlines a clear and concise way that educators can provide feedback on behaviors that need immediate correction, in a positive manner.

Mnemonic Device

A mnemonic device is a creative way to support memory for new information using connections to current knowledge, for example by creating visuals, acronyms, or rhymes.

Retrieval Practice

Retrieval practice requires students to access information, or get information “out” from Long-term memory in order to support better retention and understanding.

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