As the days of online learning stretch on, it can be a challenge to keep on top of fitness and avoid slipping into a sedentary lifestyle. However, exercise and taking time to work on physical fitness is an essential part of maintaining a healthy body. Beyond health benefits, regular exercise has also proven beneficial to improving mood and mindset. This philosophy, which reflects the school’s value of balance, is integrated into each day at Pao School, with students having ample opportunities to get active.
Although online learning has limited the students’ ability to get up and about, it is still an important part of a balanced lifestyle. In order to support this, Pao School’s teachers have prepared age-appropriate fitness programmes for students on each campus to follow at home. In creating these programmes, the teachers have done their best to nurture and maintain students' enthusiasm for an active and healthy lifestyle during the online learning period.
Primary School Campus
Work out your body, work out your brain
At the Primary School, Head of Learning Support Eva Tuecking provided guidance to parents on how to support younger children during the online learning period. The school shared information on how increased screen time and lack of physical movement can impact our memory, concentration, general wellbeing and relationships. This was supported by information from scientific studies, many of which tout the benefits of physical movement for mental balance. However, Traditional Chinese Medicine has also been long been a proponent of this philosophy, with balance at the core of many Chinese cultural beliefs and traditions.
Alongside stressing the importance of taking movement breaks, Ms. Tuecking provided guidance on how to take these breaks. For example, she suggested different activities for parents to do with their children in between online classes. These simple age-appropriate exercises, called Brain Gym movements, were developed by educator and reading specialist Dr Paul Dennison. In particular, the movements were designed to connect both hemispheres of the brain to improve brain functions and concentration. Importantly, the exercises are accessible to everyone, as they are simple and safe, and no equipment is needed. In addition, they can be done anywhere and adapted to every family’s individual needs.
Example Exercise: Cross Crawl
High School Campus
Remember to take a deep breath
At the High School, Head of PE Dr. Simone Sancinelli, alongside the rest of the department, provided students with suggestions for maintaining their fitness during their time at home. In addition, students were given different techniques to improve their focus and memory, alongside promoting physical health. For example, students were recommended to perform short stretches in between classes, allowing them to maintain focus and avoid sedentary behaviour.
During the online learning period, students were also asked to keep a fitness journal to document their daily workout routines to help them keep track of their workouts and remain accountable. In their journals, students were encouraged to take a multidisciplinary approach to PE, as they are expected to use knowledge from other subjects (such as physics and anatomy) to describe their workouts.
Excerpts from Y9 Frank‘s fitness diary
Students were also introduced to a strategy called conscious breathing, which can be used to improve memory and mood. The technique has even shown health benefits such as managing blood pressure. Conscious breathing can be particularly useful during the online learning period as extended time using technology can cause changes to breathing patterns, with higher stress levels causing shallow breathing and a subsequent reduction of oxygen in the bloodstream. Dr. Sancinelli explains that scientific studies have found that focused and deep breathing positively affects the levels of brain chemical messengers. As a result, conscious breathing can “enhance attention to detail and improves overall brain functions increasing neural connections for an optimal cognitive function,” he says.
In order to introduce students to conscious breathing, Dr. Sancinelli shared the 4-3-8 Breathing Method, which should be practiced at least twice a day:
1. Sit back or lay down in a comfortable space
2. Close your eyes and place your hand on your chest area or stomach
3. Take a deep breath through the nose for 4 seconds and expand the belly (abdomen area)
4. Hold your breath and count to 3
5. Exhale for 8 seconds while relaxing the belly (abdomen)
6. Repeat 3 to 7 times
Middle School Campus
A flexible approach
Students have been given the flexibility to choose and create their own workouts in Middle School. In order to meet their online PE requirements, students have three choices for activities: Join in an optional live fitness session, led by a PE teacher, with their camera on; record a timelapse video of an activity they have chosen and upload it to PowerSchool with a reflection about their activity, goals, and how they felt; or to upload a screenshot from a fitness tracker to PowerSchool with a reflection on the workout.
Casey Westergaard, Middle School Head of PE, explains that the flexible and choice-led online programme provides a more holistic approach to physical activity. Students are encouraged to take part with their family members (including pets!), which allows them to increase their socialisation during the school day. As students have a wide variety of options for workouts, including some recommended by the school, they can choose activities that match their interests and complete activities with the resources they have at home. For example, some students have taken part in issuing fitness challenges with each other, some parents have used the time to teach their children new skills (such as barre), and some families have even played games like ping pong together to meet the requirements.
Importantly, as the live camera workouts aren’t mandatory and the students have alternate choices to meet PE requirements, those uncomfortable with being on camera will not be dissuaded from taking part. As body image can be a challenge for students, the flexible options encourage everyone to enjoy working out without stress. This approach also promotes important time off-screen – giving the students time to simply focus on the activity at hand and a break from looking at their computer all day.
As a former volleyball and basketball coach, I would teach my teams the importance of sportsmanship.
We should be good sports even when the conditions confronting us appear overwhelming.
In the year of the Tiger, we are all called to be ferocious in our determination.
——Peter Kalis Middle School Deputy Principal
