Move!

If you notice me, I don't like to sit. I don't sit in a chair and lecture to students.

Similarly, I don't like to see students in chairs, either. I'd rather see students standing, moving talking to each other, crowding together in small groups on a chair, move to the hallway in small groups, writing on the whiteboard ... anything to move.

(Tambako The Jaguar)

First, moving keeps you awake, obviously. Moving increases oxygen to the brain and that keeps you more alert. That alertness will not only increase your learning and engagement, but will keep you more motivated to react to other students and the professor. In short, that oxygen, prepares you to increase your power.

Secondly, sitting emotionally dis-empowers you. I don't want to use poor metaphors (that I'm about to do), but consider if you were prey and a lion were about to pounce you. Sitting in a plastic desk is emotionally unprepared for the pounce. Sitting in these inorganic desks is like a little box preserving you emotionally when you need to assertively challenge in your skill set.

Thirdly, sitting is just unhealthy. Though recent studies correlating with sitting with early death are controversial, overall, extensive hours of sitting do correlate with muscular, let, and back problems. You can feel that after sitting for an hour in class. You want to move. Listen to your body.

Unfortunately, many students in college community encourage inactivity -- we don't have enough Phys Ed classes, don't take the time just to run or play in gym, in small campuses don't require extended walk from building, we don't have enough intercollegiate sport competitions. Further, since most community college students come from disadvantaged families, we don't have time to recreate with family and friends. All this comes into the four or six hours on campus ending up most on our butts.

Suggestions:

1. Move in the classroom. Encourage the professor to add activity in learning activity, moving across the classroom and into the hallways and even across the campus
2. Stretch. Stretch between class starts. Don't worry about others looking. Just do it:
1. Stretching lower back rotating left and right with a count of 20
2. Rotate your shoulders 
3. Rotate your neck
4. Touch your toes for 30 seconds
5. No one is going to stop you from doing 20 push-ups in the classroom before we get started. Just move.
3. If you've got enough time between classrooms, walk around the whole building before you get to your next classroom. Get some real oxygen from outside.

Student Learning Involvement

1. Examine your body's position and placement in the classroom, the hallways, the buildings, the campus, the parking lots (and bus stops). Reflect on how you are active in your body and when you are passive in your body. Compare and contrast how your body is active/passive in your family, recreation, job, and other environments.
2. Consider revising the course revision, including specific lesson plans, so that you and other students would require bodily movement for learning. Share this will student colleagues, and collaborate with your professor.

Professor Learning Involvement

1. Let's consider how we presume the student body as a passive object instead of real people and their bodies -- how do we even unconsciously prefer to see students as passive, instead active persons with lives. How does our curriculum claim for engaged and active students, yet our classroom reflects passivity?
2. Encourage students with suggestions to move the body before, during, and after the classroom time. Moving bodies takes times, but we need to ask if this extra time might produce increased learning. 

Resources

Griss, Susan. "The Power of Movement in Teaching and Learning." Education Week Teacher. 2013. Web. 20 Feb 2016.

Smith, Stew. "The Stretching Plan." Military.com. n.d. Web. 20 Feb 2016.

Tambako The Jaguar. "Lying and Ready." Flickr.com. 2 October 2010. Web. 20 Feb 2016.