How to Move & Learn

A couple of years ago we organised a workshop for teachers about physically active learning (PAL). On that occasion Bryn Llewellyn was the main speaker and with Ian Holmes and Richard Allman, he is co-author of the book that I’m going to present through this post.

The book begins with experts in the field recommending its content. One of the experts is Andy Daly-Smith, who, together with Bryn Llewellyn, stars in the TED talk recorded during our workshop. You can watch the video with Basque subtitles (starting at 4 minutes 10 seconds) here:

How to Move & Learn is based on the experience accumulated in over 400 schools and on the advances in research on the subject. It offers a solid theoretical base complemented by numerous practical proposals. The final section of each chapter is of particular interest and allows us to reflect on what we have learned and translate it into real teaching situations.

The book answers a question as simple as it is profound: Why do we sit children down to learn? We will see that the answer necessarily leads us to consider Move & Learn, which is defined as a learning sequence that either directly or indirectly incorporates an appropriate type of physical activity to enhance the learner’s development. Ultimately, Move & Learn is about finding opportunities to reduce sedentary time and increase physical activity while enhancing learning and the learning experience for children.

This book aims to provide teachers with the capability, opportunity and motivation to integrate movement into the learning process. The chapters highlight the benefits of Move & Learn and why you should incorporate it into your teaching and children’s learning. How to Move & Learn also shares knowledge, ideas, and resources on how to integrate Move & Learn into lessons. It identifies barriers to implementing Move & Learn and provides practical solutions. It also connects practitioners to the latest research so they can evolve their teaching practice in line with the most successful evidence-based approaches.

This is the book’s index:

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter 1: An Introduction to Move & Learn
• Chapter 2: Culture and Ethos
• Chapter 3: Move & Learn Approaches
• Chapter 4: Move & Learn Approaches Across the Pedagogical Spectrum
• Chapter 5: Move & Learn Environments and Resources
• Chapter 6: A Whole-School Approach to Move & Learn
• Appendix 1: Move & Learn Audit and Planning Tool
• Appendix 2: Case Studies
• References
• About the Authors
• Copyright

COVID-19 showed the place that physical activity occupies on the political agenda, and it was in school where we could see it most clearly. We need a social revolution that returns physical activity to its place in human evolution, and that revolution should start at school. How to Move and Learn is part of the revolutionary doctrine.

Congratulations Bryn, Ian and Richard, true pioneers of Move and Learn.