Yesterday I came across an interesting article on a great initiative that an elementary school in Brantford, Ontario was spearheading. This school had swapped out the kids’ classroom chairs for exercise balls.  As a result, the teachers and administration saw several positive changes in the students, including less fidgeting and longer attention spans in the class. Additionally, swapping the chairs for the exercise balls should also have a positive impact on honing balance, posture and core strength in the students. Because the ball is unstable, sitting on one does not lock you into the position that a chair can. You are able to move and stretch your spine. For kids with lots of energy it’s a great way to release some of that excess in short spurts while still being in a classroom setting, while also not being a distraction to other students

On the whole, the initiative is a good example of how schools can incorporate health and fitness directly into the classroom throughout the day.

But a quote by the principal caught my attention. He described how the program could also help the school fulfill provincial guidelines for daily physical activity (DPA).

Does it? Should it?

Ontario is unique in Canada, as it is the only province that includes DPA in its curriculum. While other provinces such as British Columbia and Alberta have DPA guidelines, they do not carry the same weight of a curriculum expectation. Specifically, the curriculum states:

“…This learning expectation requires students to actively engage in sustained moderate to vigorous physical activity, including appropriate warm-up and cool-down activities, to the best of their ability for a minimum of twenty minutes every day…”

Used simply as a seat, an exercise ball does not achieve the requirement of moderate to vigorous physical activity. But, there are numerous ways this ball can be used to get there. This is why qualified physical education teachers are so important in our schools. It’s not enough to simply have the tools, we also need the people to make sure they are used to achieve the best for the students.

The statement also brings to light some of the challenges of DPA in general. David Chorney raised these issues in the Summer 2011 edition of PHE Journal (available in our Members Portal, to enhanced professional members of PHE Canada. You can join online to gain access). He asks, “Who ensures that DPA takes place? Who is ultimately accountable?” And, he looks at the relationship between the PE curriculum and DPA. It is the responsibility of the schools to ensure that students receive the minimum amount of DPA as outlined by their province. However, how DPA is understood and implemented is inconsistent across the country.

We’re working on a future post that will examine how DPA is interpreted in provinces across Canada and what the benefits/limitations of DPA for them are. If you have any feedback or insight to give on this topic, I’d love to hear from you.