Idle Hands, Idle Heads

I find there is nothing more tiring than sitting down all day. My heart rate never rises (unless I drink coffee), my legs get stiff, and I feel like I have no energy. Perhaps you have noticed your students in this same state. They sit in class, maybe take notes, and begin to slump. Their postures appear less than what their mothers would demand, and their countenance appears cast down.

Your students are experiencing the same phenomenon I do when I sit all day behind my desk: inertia, idleness, dormancy – just plain inactivity! Our bodies and our brains are designed to be active. When our body is at rest, our brain follows. When our brain is at rest, our body follows. They work together because they are not separate. While we can think of our mind as a conscious, spiritual thing, our minds are housed in our brains, which are a part of our bodies. Inactivity in one leads to inactivity in the other.

So what is an instructor to do? Our classrooms, for better or for worse, are designed for students to “sit and get.” (Or, “sit and git” if you are in the South)

Don’t let students get too comfortable in those plastic chairs. Make them move. Have them turn to a partner, walk across the room, or move desks for discussion. Plan activities that require movement to engage students’ bodies, and therefore, their brains.