Movement is an essential part of a child's day - and the ability to use physical activity as an educational tool can only add a positive demention to learning - kids in the classroom can only sit still so long ( depending on their age) and releasing that energy either at recess or a class centered on movement is key.

I believe obesity is directly linked to the eating habits of our kids - and the food choices made during the day. Physical activity is needed for so many additional reasons beyond mere threat of obesity.

I totally think physical education is crucial to students well-being now and as adults. However, although there are myriad benefits to PE, I don't believe students in academic class AFTER PE focus well.
I've been teaching 30 years. Students in classes directly after PE find it MUCH harder to implement self-discipline. I have found this to be so with 8th graders (8 years), 7th graders (6 years), 10th graders (5 years), and in the 11 years I have taught library classes to K-6. And research bears that out. It's why schools traditionally schedule PE in the afternoon. Teachers KNOW it's hard for a kid to focus after PE. I realize elementary teachers get their prep periods when their kids go to PE, music, library, etc.

Allowing student physical activity has little to do with obesity and everything to do with learning.

An expectation of docile and compliant children in a classroom is insane. Get rid of the desks, use tables and chairs or just cushions on the floor.

If the learning is relevant and the students engaged their focus will provide the necessary movement or stillness. They will be learning!

I whole-heartedly agree that movement is essential in an elementary classroom. This doesn't mean that students benefit from constant, intense movement. On the contrary, varying the degree of movement seems to keep children attentive and involved.

During a typical day, my third grade students work at tables, at desks, on the carpet; they walk around the room, sit with partners, and study in the hall. Some children do need a break, and some enjoy sitting down to work. I see no problem with chairs, as long as they are used in moderation, and as long as children are given some freedom regarding where they can study.

Working at a desk/table and sitting still is a cultural norm that will help children later. Working collaboratively and being an active participant in activities is also important. I'm glad the Mayo Clinic has realized the latter is essential, but let's not forget moderation, moderation, moderation.

Another loaded question. I've noticed several "loaded questions" in your "polls". I can't recall the others and don't have time to research them, however, this may be the epitome of that 'loading': "...due to ever-rising rates of obesity and ever-shrinking time for physical education in schools..."

The only thing that is 'shrinking the time for physical education in schools' is our new-world PRIORITIES. Somehow in our public systems, we have moved away from the basic focus of creating a functioning citizen of the United States, not of the world. (It is taxpayer money after all) Due to 'new-world' priorities, we are now producing high school graduates who cannot do math, cannot read or write English, and are fat and out of shape. Physical Education should be the first priority. My martial arts sensei says, "If you cannot protect yourself; you cannot protect your family." If you are not healthy, you cannot study or learn.

Let's get back to the classic basics where we had DAILY 'gym classes' (required) and where students had to actually meet the 'standards' before they passed to the next grade level. Get rid of Block, Alternating Block, etc. When was the last time you heard a piano teacher say, "Go home and practice every other day."

Lastly, quit spending time on studies that subvert what the teachers are trying to do in the class room. Movement may be good in elementary classrooms, but it has no place in all the academic classrooms of a high school. And lastly, lastly; I sure you've guessed that it is probably time to retire old guys like me. Oh yeah, I forgot the most important thing: Let's throw all the computers out of public schools, even the secretary's!

I am just amazied and mortified that anyone would even consider the fact that physical activity is not a good thing. We are becoming a nation of unhealthly, overweight, uncaring, blobs!!!

As educators we need to be fighting for our children to learn everthing they need to help them become productive citizens. Just teaching them how to pass a standarized assessment in a select few content areas, so the school meets the ridiculous requirements of NCLB is only hurting our nations children and in turn is going to have devistating affects on everthing. I think we are looking at a very scary future!!

These blinders we have put on in education are complarable with the blinders we have put on with the whole Global Warming thing. Go see the movie An Inconvenient Truth. You will see what I referring to. We are destroying ourselves, when even we know what the solution is in education and allow politions to diticate the rules.

I contend we need to take every politician and put them in a classroom in some normal place and let them teach for a month and do everything we as teachers and adminstrators have to do. And then maybe we could have an intelligent and informed conservation about schools, recess, PE, curriculum, Music, Art, social skills, and everything else that is getting left out because of NCLB.

Research is showing that 'physical activity' has a significant positive effect on the mental abilities of the aged. This carries forth to all ages from the studies in psychometrics.

Mayo Clinic's attempt to address the obesity issue is, as so many important issues, to narrowly focussed. The development of a young person (K-12) is like a rough diamond that needs many cut facets to bring out it brilliancy. Obsessing over just a few facets will debase the child. Their suggestion of a free-standing class is great for 10 or less students in a class but with 20+ students who will have control? What of the children you can not control in a free-standing system? Are they ADD? Do you send them to the Dr. for medicine?

A little history - Over 50 years ago I went to a Military School (8th and 9th grades). Classes started at 8:00 AM and ended at noon wherein we had 4 classes, Lunch, at 1:00 PM study hall until 2:30PM, 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM (sports, teams, or PE), clean-up put on coat and tie for Dinner 6:00 Pm, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM study in room, then lights out at 9:15 PM. After only 4 classes over 4 hours for a 2 year span was I behind when I came back to public school - no. In fact, I was 1 year ahead, by subject matter, of 10th grade group in public school. There was something in Military School you can just dream about - 500+ boys in the 4th through 12th (plus Post) that had good manners and were respectful.

A physically active child is part of the over-all development as is a diet of whole-some food. We need to put PE back in K-12 and serve only whole-some food. The sad part is that to many children do not get good food at home and that is not a socio-economic issue.

I am in total agreement that by having a student moving around the learning process is enhanced. The one thing to keep in mind is that activities need to be structured so that the student's movements are meaningful to the learning process. I am a high school teacher and I am always having my students working on mini projects and helping each other with ideas and view points. I did away with the desk in my room a long time ago and replaced them with tables. There have been times when we have even stacked the chairs out of the way becuase they were not being used

We have systematically dismantled all out door activities for our students. So, it is of little use to speculate why we would consider activities important. Some of us speak about disruption and self-discipline problems after a PE class. Heck, most people 30 years ago argued against required PE in school. Parents and teachers litigated recess, lunch breaks that let kids walk home for a hot lunch and extended recess when they returned as too possible for bad things to happen. Note: What bad things? Look at the activity level of young kids today. Maybe physical activity would provide focus if it wasn't an instant of joy in a kenetic learner's dau.

I think the type, kind, and intensity of physical movement is critical to whether or not a certain physical activity will improve focus and relieve stress. Some types of activities are too competitive; others may require individual a skill proficiency that individual students might lack eliciting reactions from peers that are counterproductive (ie "He throws like a girl" . . . "She just can seem to get the right dance step-sequence, she's just plain clumsy, shouldn't she be in the back row?", etc), and still others that allow strong individual skill domination of one group over the individual group members of the opposing team vis-a-vis cooperative team participation that emphasizes joint effort and participation where winning is not the focus.

Thus, I think a regularly scheduled physical education program that is both robust and varied is essential in creating positive results that are likely to carry over to the classroom learning program.