Teachers’ Voices Season 3 Episode 11

Join educational researcher Nina Alonso for this podcast series as she shares powerful stories from teachers around the world, talking in their own words about their own experiences.

What types of physical activity benefit students? Can bringing movement and play into different academic classes help children learn? How can spaces and classes for movement be inclusive?

Nina first meets Fotini Vasilopoulos, a Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sydney in Australia. “Physical activity is important for physical health, for mental health, and it also can drive behaviours for learning.” Fotini suggests giving children different types of experiences – not just sports, but also play and dance, which can foster inclusivity.

Next, Nina speaks to Saumil Majmudar in the Himalayas, India. Saumil is the founder of Sportz Village, India’s largest youth sports platform. “We do something very simple,” Saumil says, “we just get kids to play”. The Sportz Village approach is to give children the time and space to play safely with others their own age. 

Nina also hears from Tanya Sheckley, founder of the Up Academy and host of the Rebel educator podcast. Tanya is based in California in the US. Tanya’s school incorporates movement and play into classroom time, and students can have breaks from work on a large monkey bar structure.

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Listen out for

  • Creating guidelines to encourage respect among children.
  • Balancing fun and structure in play.
  • Connecting as a class community to share and appreciate differences between children.

Find out more on BOLD

How does physical activity benefit classroom learning? Fotini Vasilopoulos explains how games and sports can help children regulate their behaviour and emotions.

How physical activity can boost academic performance in primary school – Anne de Bruijn asks how and why physical activity is linked to cognition.

The role of physical fitness in school readiness and academic achievement – Nicole Oberer explores where executive functions fit in.

Guests and resources

Fotini Vasilopoulos

Saumil Majmudar – LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Facebook
Sportz VillageLinkedIn, Twitter/X, Facebook

Tanya SheckleyLinkedIn, Facebook, Rebel Educator podcast
UP AcademyTwitter/X

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