How schools can become more active

How can we tackle the growing lack of physical activity among children? For Leoni Schramm, a student teacher at the University of Magdeburg, the answer is clear: through practical, simple and easily implementable physical activity schemes for schools. She is studying for a Bachelor’s degree in Work and Education, specialising in Economics and Sport.

“The more I delved into this topic, the more I realised just how little children actually move these days,” says the student. For this reason, her Bachelor’s thesis is dedicated to finding a solution to children’s lack of physical activity. To this end, she has developed a teaching concept that helps teachers integrate the 60 minutes of daily physical activity recommended by the WHO into the school day, whilst specifically promoting pupils’ motor skills. Her aim is to demonstrate how easily physical activity can be incorporated into everyday life.

The idea arose whilst exploring the various concepts of the ‘active school’. Finnish schools, in particular, are pioneers in this field. However, these are very comprehensive concepts. “This requires a lot of organisation in the initial phase and could put many schools off at first,” concludes Leoni. For this reason, she places particular emphasis on a low entry barrier in the concept she has developed. For example, movements can be linked to verbs in a sort of obstacle course, or short movement breaks can be incorporated into lessons.

For Leoni, the close collaboration with two regional schools is particularly valuable. There, she can test her concept in real-life school settings whilst taking the schools’ wishes and goals into account. This means her work is particularly practical in nature. She will continue to support teachers in implementing the concept through further training and collections of materials.

The practical placements have also broadened her perspective on teacher training: “Teaching is not just about imparting knowledge, but about pedagogical and social skills.” Patience, empathy and flexibility are crucial in the teaching profession. These are qualities that are usually only acquired in everyday school life. Through practical placements, however, these skills can be learnt whilst still a student.

Alongside her dissertation, Leoni organised the event “School Development in Dialogue” together with representatives from the department and the state. A project organised as part of a seminar. In addition to the presentation of teaching and learning concepts, interested schools and nurseries were able to discuss the topic of school development with university staff. “A great many institutions accepted the invitations. As a result, there were over eleven different themed tables, fascinating presentations and excellent workshops,” Leoni reports on the event.

Leoni’s work demonstrates how important collaboration is between universities, schools and also nurseries. Students bring new ideas and concepts from the university, whilst at the same time gaining practical experience and supporting teachers. For, as the student concludes from her experience: “Each of these institutions has its own strengths and expertise. Through exchange, everyone can benefit from this.”