Children learn more when they move

Children perform better in math when they learn it on the go, involving their whole body in the learning process, according to a new Danish scientific study.

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen, led by Associate Professor Jacob Vineke, published in the journal Frontiers of Human Neuroscience, experimented for six weeks with three groups of 165 elementary school students.

In one group a technique was used that involved the whole body of the students. The desks were pulled aside and taught only on the floor or freely in the space, with students trying to solve problems by forming shapes (eg triangles) or numbers either with their own body or using their own body. another, when they had to make additions and subtractions.

The second group did a sitting lesson, but applied lego bricks to solve arithmetic or geometric problems, while the third group of students did the conventional lesson on desks, using pencil, paper, rulers, etc.

It was found that after six weeks the students of the first group, who had learned physically, had the best performance in the competitions. Their performance in mathematics improved by about 8% compared to the beginning of the research and was double that of the second group of bricks. The third and most conventional group showed the least improvement.

"Children learn more if they move and use their whole body to learn," Vineke said.

However, the improvement was not felt equally in all children. Those who already had above-average mathematical performance were those who benefited most from the physical method. In contrast, children who did not succeed in mathematics from the beginning did not show any significant improvement with either of the two alternative methods.

According to Vineke, this should be taken into account in an educational reform, because it shows that alternative teaching techniques can even widen inequalities within the classroom, disproportionately benefiting those who already have better grades. In practice, according to researchers, this means that education requires individualized learning strategies, which is not easy.

Since 2014, Denmark has promoted an educational reform that places more emphasis on physical activity in both primary and secondary education. Greater body activation is not just about gymnastics and sports at school, but more general experimentation, so that students' bodies are more involved in the lessons themselves.