Sports, Science & Health Lab

A learning environment for well-being

This innovation introduces a space designed for well-being and learning. The space facilitates physical activity and provides different devices to acquire physiological measurements, as well. These measurements can be used in different subjects.

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Finland 100

Overview

HundrED has selected this innovation to

Finland 100

2016

Established

-

Children

1

Countries

Updated

March 2017

Personalizing education by measuring the individual's physiology increases motivation and allows students to see the big picture.

About the innovation

What is it all about?

Nowadays high school students are under a lot of stress. They must navigate new academic challenges, a hectic curriculum and pressures to meet deadlines. Maintaining student well-being, both mental and physical, is more important than ever.

Schools must develop self-sufficient students who make good lifestyle choices. This allows students to transfer these skills into their everyday lives and nurture their health.

Sports, Science and Health LAB founded in Schildt Upper Secondary School is a functional and motivating space that encourages physical activity. The school has filled the space with equipment that support learning. The space includes a gym built in the hallway in the main floor and a multipurpose room. The multipurpose room also connects to a relaxation room.

The space encourages awareness and knowledge on health, performance and well-being.

Various equipment support learning: blood pressure monitors, a spirometer, heart rate monitors, stethoscopes and photoelectric cell equipment. The learning environment and measuring equipment enable action-based learning. The measuring equipment connects the learning contents to the students lives.

The body analytics are used during lessons, for example math and physics classes. Students gain a personalized education but also agency over their health and well-being.

Impact & scalability

Impact & Scalability

Innovativeness

Combining participation, learning healthy lifestyle habits and teaching through personal interests.

Impact

Students gain agency over their well-being and education which translates into commitment.

Scalability

Health is a universal theme.

Media

Implementation steps

Designing and creating the learning environment

Choose a space in your school that could be transformed into a motivating and malleable learning environment. Plan what type of equipment you would like to acquire.

Discuss your plan with your principal or another decision-maker. Find out what resources are available for acquiring equipment and the building .

The plan can be implemented just by a single teacher who designs and modifies one classroom. Alternatively, the whole school or teachers from a specific subject may direct the innovation. You can also utilize a part of a hallway or other common spaces instead of a classroom. You can kickstart the program with some equipment you can use in action-based and personalized education.

Case Schildt

The school's principal contacted local business owners, including suppliers of gym and exercise equipment and an architectural office. The school renovated and transformed an outdated home economics classroom into a multipurpose room. A hallway next to the classroom already hosted gym equipment and a mural was painted to spruce up the space. Together, the gym area and multipurpose room formed the Sports, Science & Health LAB.

The multipurpose room was equipped with folding tables on wheels, Bodypump bars and weights on wall-mounted racks as well as exercise mats. The room also hosted a computer and a projector.

Acquiring the equipment

Find out the resources available for the project. Before anything else, plan the essential equipment acquirements with other teachers.

You can make a list of the equipment according to the relevant subject, so the acquirements can be assigned to the available resources, for example:

Physical exercise: exercise bars, hand weights
Physics: resistance bands
Chemistry: spirometer
Math: heart rate monitor, light mat equipment

Another option is to divide equipment according to their purpose and features, for example:

Low-threshold equipment: balance pads
Multipurpose equipment: resistance bands
Measuring equipment used for education purposes: blood pressure monitors, spirometer

To acquire the equipment, you should contact local businesses and existing partners who work in the exercise and well-being field.

Case Schildt

The project manager discussed the potential equipment acquisitions with the school's teachers, coaches as well as an expert from KIHU Research Institute for Olympic Sports. The school acquired the following:

Furnishes for the gym and multipurpose room:

gym equipment (gym)
exercise mats (gym)
hand weights (gym)
Bodypump bars and weights (multipurpose room)
kettlebells (multipurpose room)
folding tables on wheels (multipurpose room)
pull-up bars (multipurpose room)
a computer and projector (multipurpose room)

Multipurpose equipment for a stimulating space:

exercise bars
resistance bands
balance pads
dance pads and a computer
fleece blankets for relaxation

Measuring equipment:

blood pressure monitors
a spirometer
stethoscopes
photoelectric cells and light mats
heart rate monitors and the Polar GoFit online platform

Schildt Upper Secondary School partnered with:

Fysioline Oy, The Jyväskylä Educational Consortium (JEC) property services, Jyväskylä General Upper Secondary Schools, LIKES Research Centre for Physical Activity and Health, Schildt Upper Secondary School's student government, Arknou architectural office, The JEC ICT services as well as the Jyväskylä Steiner School operating in the same building.

Using the space during lessons

Incorporate the modified space and new equipment into day-to-day teaching in imaginative ways. Lead other teachers by example.

The multipurpose room may host various subjects. Teachers can use the room for a part of their lesson if they want to use the measuring equipment, for example.

The central idea is to make learning more concrete and personal using your own body as the material.

Case Schildt

The multipurpose room hosts subjects such as physics, chemistry, math and biology. Physical education classes are also held in the room. The folding tables are perfect for PE classes because they can be rolled into the hallway easily.

Biology classes use blood pressure monitors, stethoscopes and the spirometer to illustrate how the heart, lungs and blood pressure respond to various stimuli. They can also be used in health education classes.

Heart rate monitors are used in physical education and coaching courses as well as in sports coaching. The goal is to introduce them into physics and math classes, as well. The students can project their results in real time using the Polar GoFit online platform. This allows them to follow their intensity and modify it, if necessary.

The light mat equipment is used in PE, coaching, sports coaching, physics and math lessons.

PE classes utilize exercise bars, resistance bands, balance pads and dance pads, however, students use them also by themselves. The dance pads are especially popular during recess.

Motivating students to use the space and equipment

You can foster self-directing students by encouraging them to use the space and equipment independently.

Case Schildt

The gym space is open for students during school hours. Students are also free to use the multipurpose room during the school day, when it's not in use. The staff uses the space during and after school and on weekends.

The students are encouraged to use the space in the following ways:

Students are instructed in the use of the space and equipment.
The student body and physical activity tutors are constantly encouraged to organize activities in the multipurpose room during free periods or after school.
The multipurpose room hosts all the necessary exercise equipment (a computer and a projector) for exercise videos. PE teachers can choose appropriate videos for these video-guided exercise classes.

The multipurpose room schedule includes a daily slot for student-use. The room is used for different physical activities as well as relaxation and rest.