Edward asked: Should schools be concerned with the physical and emotional well-being of their students as well as the intellectual?
My answer to this question is in two parts:
First, you cite studies that demonstrate aerobic exercise helps to improve problem solving ability and I.Q. scores. (I shall not for the purpose of this post, but I.Q. scores, are, at best, I think, a drastically over emphasized assessment of intelligence and at worst, though most likely, dysfunctional both in application and generation.) If these studies are accurate, as I have little reason to doubt, than it would seem that physical and emotional well-being are not entirely distinct, and to be concerned with one is to be concerned with the other.
Secondly, it depends. There is a significant quantity and severity of difference between compulsory and non-compulsory education. In k-12, it is well within the right of the school system, although I disliked it at the time, to enforce a Physical Education requirement. But post-secondary education must entail a greater amount of responsibility. Part and parcel to this responsibility is the ability to make more decisions for oneself. The student's education is more their prerogative, and this should be reflected in the physical education requirement, i.e. it should not exist. Student in post-secondary schools should possess their own burden of staying in shape if they wish to, and to direct their own development that may be aided from aerobic exercise.
Question: Is there non-paternalistic merit to requiring physical activity of a student in non-compulsory education?
I'm moved by your suggestion that physical, intellectual, and emotional well being are to some degree inextricably linked. If so, we're talking about gradations of inclusion of these elements, not a simple matter of whether to include one or another.
ReplyDeleteSuppose we have good reason to believe that students in a philosophy course understand and retain the content and experience better when their lives include regular physical activity. As the professor, my duty to my students is to maximize understanding, retention, and the quality of their learning experience. What follows?
It seems impractical (though perhaps I am mistaken in this) to incorporate this regular physical activity in the classroom, as classrooms are not suitably designed and this could consume time vital to learning course material.
ReplyDeleteAs philosophy is often relegated to post-secondary or non-compulsory education, it may be sufficient to provide the students with this information and suggest that they partake of aerobic exercise of some kind. Much as you cannot force a student to complete the assigned reading (no matter the educational value) dissemination and suggestion may be the most the professor can do.
"I am moved by your suggestion..." If the 'move' pun was intentional I applaud you sir.
ReplyDeleteI always intend puns, whether I'm aware of them or not.
ReplyDeleteNice voluntarist move -- recount the evidence in favor of physical activity and let them choose -- but there's much middle ground between that and rigid compulsion. A course, or a college, can structure itself in such a way that such activity is normal and natural, so students will naturally be inclined to do it and reap the benefits. Such a strategy runs deeper than merely making the case rationally, since this won't touch most people's habits and entrenched attitudes very deeply.