Bouncing Chairs

Does exercise help the brain? Does it help students stay focused?

John Kilbourne, a professor of movement science at Grand Valley State University in Michigan read about a local teacher who had her students sit on exercise balls in class "to keep the squirrly ones more focused." He was intrigued. Does it really work? After getting a $1,500 grant from GVSU's Pew Teaching & Learning Center, Kilbourne bought 24 balls and storage racks and told students they could pick where to sit. His limited experiment found 51 of his 52 students saying "the exercise balls helped them pay attention, concentrate, take notes, engage their lower body and take exams."

Kibourne noted "there's a growing body of research that shows the relationship between exercise and brain and how beneficial exercise is to teaching." One of his current research projects is "Sharpening the Mind Through Movement: Using Exercise Balls as Chairs in a University Class." Dr. Kilbourne's research on using the exercise balls may revolutionize how we set-up classrooms.

The big rubber balls are the same as those used in pilates, yoga and exercise classes. And their use is spreading.

Those who have read of Chinese culture and history are not surprised. The ancient Chinese art of balance and harmony, Feng shui, recognizes the relationship between the physical and the mental: Indeed, one enhances the other.

But can you really take the chairs out from behind the desks and replace them with big rubber balls? And expect students to stay on task?

Anecdotal evidence is adding up and it appears to say "yes."

Bauder Elementary School (Colorado) teacher Tiffany Miller tried it with her fourth graders. She noted "the whole theory with the brain is that when your body's engaged, your brain's engaged."

Donna Yehl tried it in her classroom at Creekside Elementary School (Illinois) and became a quick convert to the idea. "They're more focused," Yehl said, ticking off other benefits she's seen in her two classes that used the balls. "They're sitting upright." Her story was reported in the Chicago Tribune and elicited a number of inquiries. How much do the balls cost? Do they work with older students? How about first graders?

Why does it seem to work? Many experts agree that the key is one's subconscious mental activity. Those sitting on the balls have to make constant physical movements in order to stay balanced. These movements stimulate the brain and helps them to stay focused.

Dr. John Ratey is a professor at Harvard University and the author of Spark the Revolution. SPARK is a groundbreaking exploration of the connection between exercise and the brain's performance that shows how even moderate exercise will supercharge mental circuits to beat stress, sharpen thinking, enhance memory, and much more.

As quoted in the Tribune article, Ratey said children with attention disorders have "a sleepy cortex," and exercise combats that mental disengagement. "Just by using their core muscles more, they're flipping (their cortex) on," he said. Using more muscles "causes the prefrontal cortex to get turned on, which does a lot of things, including inhibiting impulses."

Ratey links even the modest amount of exercise a child gets balancing on an exercise ball to increased mental activity.

Pam George, principal of Lincoln Junior High School (Illinois) has acquired about 50 of the ball "chairs." Initial concerns about the kids playing on them or distracting others proved unfounded, she said. It also helps to bring exercise into the classroom.

There are some caveats.

Fabio Camana, an exercise physiologist at the American Council on Exercise, notes that because the balls don't have backs, students can't lean back to take pressure off their seats and tailbones. If sitting for a long period of time, the ball may cause posture problems.

He notes that "there are certainly some benefits to it, but it's got to be used appropriately." It behooves the teacher to be vigilant in monitoring their use by students. He cautioned that use of the balls might contribute to bad posture habits.