Incorporating Movement into Learning: Teachers’ Experiences and Challenges

The Students on the Move project asked teachers about sedentary breaks and movement in teaching situations. Adding movement into teaching is considered important, and there is a strong desire to develop in this area. It is gratifying that almost all of the teachers who responded to the survey take breaks from sitting at least sometimes. More than 40 % of the survey respondents also take breaks from sitting quite a lot or very much. However, more information and training on this topic is still needed!

More movement in the classroom, especially through group work

Movement as part of teaching is used occasionally or more often by 35 % of the teachers who responded to the survey. The written responses showed that activity-based teaching methods are an excellent way of teaching smaller groups in higher education. These methods have produced good learning results in Tampere Universities. 

By far the most popular way to add movement into teaching is through various group work. Learning cafés and other point-based methods have proven to be effective ways of teaching university students. Classroom space was perceived to be cramped and many teachers also directed students to the corridor or even to outdoor spaces to provide enough space for small groups. 

The written responses showed that movement as part of teaching may also be misunderstood. Here we need to make a distinction between movement and exercise. Exercise should be a part of students’ free time and free lessons, but movement and sedentary breaks should also be increased in teaching situations.

Taking breaks from sitting does not have to interrupt teaching

Several respondents highlighted the benefits of micro-breaks and changing working positions. Teachers have found that sitting for long periods takes away from concentration and learning. Even small micro-breaks help restore the students’ state of alertness to support learning. Encouraging students to get up every half hour or as needed has been found to work. Some teachers also ask students to stand up, for example for a single slide or a group presentation. 

Micro-breaks and longer coffee breaks were seen as the most important ways to increase movement in teaching in large groups. In the auditoriums, it is not possible to move around or realistically even stand for longer periods of time, at least not in the middle of the hall, because the field of vision of the students behind is then obscured. In these mass lectures, it is therefore important that permission to stand and stretch is given under the guidance of the teacher.   

If we start systematically teaching students and ourselves to always take a break every 30 minutes from sitting, in a year these micro-breaks will no longer take up extra time from teaching.

Many challenges can be overcome

Tampere Universities have already taken steps to integrate movement and sedentary breaks into teaching, but challenges and training needs remain. One of the main challenges is space constraints, such as fixed furniture in auditoriums and a limited number of standing/adjustable desks, which make it difficult to increase movement, especially in large groups. Lack of resources and time pressures are also a challenge for teaching staff.

According to the survey, many teachers are unsure how to make movement a natural part of teaching. And even when a teacher encourages movement, not all students follow the instructions. The challenges of hybrid teaching are also highlighted, as teachers need to find ways to engage students in both face-to-face and distance learning. The challenges are real and cannot all be solved, at least not in the short term. But there are certainly many creative solutions, even if the conditions are not perfect. 

How to start adding movement?

An easy way to do this is, for example, to add a sentence at the bottom of the slideshow: “Remember to take breaks from sitting – you can move and stretch at this event” and also say it out loud to the students. There is a wide range of break stickers that can be downloaded to your own computer. They guide students in a slideshow to activate shoulders, get up, move around, and so on. 

For more tips on increasing movement, visit TLC’s Movement as part of teaching page. The page is constantly updated with new information and good practices, so follow it actively. 

The Finnish Student Sports Federation (OLL) has Higher Education on the Move activities. The site’s databank contains proven ideas for increasing everyday activity throughout the higher education environment. 

Authors

Sini Karsa, Project Coordinator, Sports Services, TAMK
Anneli Uusitalo, Specialist, Education and Learning, Tampere University