The Edvocate

Top Menu

Main Menu

  • Start Here
    • Governance
      • Lynch Education Consulting
      • Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
      • Careers
    • Write For Us
    • Contact Us
  • PreK-12
    • Assessment
    • Assistive Technology
    • Child Development
    • Classroom Management
    • Early Childhood
    • EdTech & Innovation
    • Education Leadership
    • Equity
    • First Year Teachers
    • Gifted and Talented Education
    • Parental Involvement
    • Policy & Reform
    • Special Education
    • Teachers
  • Higher Ed
    • Best Colleges and Universities
    • Best College and University Programs
    • Diversity
    • HBCU’s
    • Higher Education
    • Higher Education EdTech
    • International Education
  • Advertise
    • Request a Product Review
  • The Tech Edvocate Awards
    • The Awards Process
    • Finalists and Winners of The 2017 Tech Edvocate Awards
    • Finalists and Winners of The 2018 Tech Edvocate Awards
    • Finalists and Winners of The 2019 Tech Edvocate Awards
    • Award Seals
  • Apps
    • Edupedia
    • GPA Calculator for College
    • GPA Calculator for High School
    • Cumulative GPA Calculator
    • Grade Calculator
    • Weighted Grade Calculator
    • Final Grade Calculator
  • The Tech Edvocate
  • The Edvocate Podcast
  • Books

logo

The Edvocate

  • Start Here
    • Governance
      • Lynch Education Consulting
      • Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
        • My Speaking Page
      • Careers
    • Write For Us
    • Contact Us
  • PreK-12
    • Assessment
    • Assistive Technology
    • Child Development
    • Classroom Management
    • Early Childhood
    • EdTech & Innovation
    • Education Leadership
    • Equity
    • First Year Teachers
    • Gifted and Talented Education
    • Parental Involvement
    • Policy & Reform
    • Special Education
    • Teachers
  • Higher Ed
    • Best Colleges and Universities
    • Best College and University Programs
    • Diversity
    • HBCU’s
    • Higher Education
    • Higher Education EdTech
    • International Education
  • Advertise
    • Request a Product Review
  • The Tech Edvocate Awards
    • The Awards Process
    • Finalists and Winners of The 2017 Tech Edvocate Awards
    • Finalists and Winners of The 2018 Tech Edvocate Awards
    • Finalists and Winners of The 2019 Tech Edvocate Awards
    • Award Seals
  • Apps
    • Edupedia
    • GPA Calculator for College
    • GPA Calculator for High School
    • Cumulative GPA Calculator
    • Grade Calculator
    • Weighted Grade Calculator
    • Final Grade Calculator
  • The Tech Edvocate
  • The Edvocate Podcast
  • Books
  • Improving Education Policy By Looking Beyond The Experts

  • What Should Parents and Educators Know About the Assessment of Young Children?

  • 3 Steps to Becoming a Teacher in Arkansas

  • 3 Steps to Becoming a Teacher in New Hampshire

  • A Guide to Classroom and At-Home Accommodations for Dyslexia

  • What Causes ADHD: A Brief Guide

  • Is Education Meaningless If It Doesn’t Lead To A Job?

  • 7 Frequently Asked Questions About Articulation Disorders

  • 3 Steps to Becoming a Teacher in New Jersey

  • A Guide to Classroom and At-Home Accommodations for Dysgraphia

Physical FitnessPolicy & Reform
Home›Physical Fitness›A Healthy Education Puts Literacy First

A Healthy Education Puts Literacy First

By E.T.Wilson
October 31, 2016
0
Spread the love

For all the quibbling done about teaching more relevant skills (STEM is the go-to for this rhetoric) and better preparing students for productive careers and to compete on a global scale, America’s schools have done a disservice to the kinds of knowledge and skills whose value is unconditional, insulated from technological disruption, and intrinsic to success in all areas.

We talk about education as being critical to our economy, from filling the jobs of the future, supporting innovation, and even helping workers to pivot in their careers to keep up with change and keep the country competitive. Well, education is also important to the health of our country, and healthcare happens to be one of the biggest single drains on our national economy, in terms of both productivity and absolute cost.

If we are going to look to education for jobs, skills, and economic strength, it stands to reason that we’d also look to education for tackling the health challenges in our country as well.

Health literacy

One of the best predictors of academic success, is whether a student is encouraged to read–or, better yet, read to as a child–by his or her parents outside of school. Basically, this amounts to whether parents support literacy.  In a sense, then, literacy can become cyclical: parents of active readers are, or become, active readers themselves; children of active readers are more likely to become active readers themselves, and to, in turn, encourage reading in their own children.

But basic literacy is no longer limited to reading and writing. Depending on who you talk to, everything from digital literacy to basic coding should be treated as equally essential–usually because of the economic impact such fundamental skills can make over time.

Health literacy needs a similar imperative, because as it turns out, health literacy correlates strongly with better health behaviors, more effective health treatment (when you understand your doctor’s orders, you are both more able and more likely to comply). Health, of course, underpins success elsewhere in life: careers, relationships, creativity, academics–all of the things, in short, we hope to gain from education.

Bad Medicine

Diet is but one component of this, but it is perhaps the easiest to blend practice with theory, considering the need for students to eat at least one meal over the course of their primary school day.

Hospitals and schools face a similar challenge: feeding students (or patients) well, and teaching them to feed themselves better at the same time. The cafeteria model that has gained such widespread adoption over the last century produces some serious externalities that, long-term, undermine any claims about the efficiency of such food service systems. Namely, prioritizing volume over value, and thereby reinforcing negative habits and attitudes about food: convenience first, fried and packaged rather than fresh, salt and sugar rather than balanced.

Putting health literacy on the menu, as well as in the classroom (or the examination room, where hospitals are concerned) can help undo these damaging trends. More than that, though, health literacy balances the role of authority–like doctors and nurses–with the role of individuals (take care of yourself proactively, rather than looking to get fixed reactively; don’t wait for government restrictions to improve your grocery list). Literacy itself teaches personal accountability: you learn to read and write for yourself, and to think and interpret critically.

Health literacy promises something similar, applied to the life skills of self-care and taking responsibility for each individual’s role in supporting population health.

Getting Physical

Balance is missing from our population, as well as from our schools. P.E. classes, like lunchrooms, could stand to reintegrate some balance to help repair our culture starting with the youth.

In other academic models, gamification is the latest buzzword to gain traction with its premise, essentially, of making learning engaging and fun. Physical education–training students to exercise, be active, and care for their bodies–seems a lot like the original model of gamification, but we’ve let the games overwhelm the lessons, and the competition dissolve the core value. We have a cultural problem when it comes to staying active.

Sports anchored to schools have more than their share of problems, and the association has grown beyond unhealthy. It is entirely possible that the professionalization of sports at all ages, and the pressure on children to specialize athletically at younger and younger ages, is partially responsible for the failure of physical education programs in the U.S. The intensity of the competition, and the emphasis on talent and relative skill over the intrinsic value of participation may well put kids off of sports, and by extension, exercise. It encourages kids of all ages to take unnecessary risks, “play through the pain” and even take drugs to gain a competitive edge.

Adopting the “everybody gets a trophy” approach is not helping. Physical fitness–and physical education–are the counterparts to the sort of health literacy training that can take place in the cafeteria. Again, the model of parents reading at home may be instructive. When participation in exercise of any form is reflected at home and at school, the focus can return to where it belongs: personal health and wellness.

Reading together promotes learning as well as fostering community. So, too, does eating together. There is no reason why athletics cannot provide a similar model for behavior as an individual as well as a group member.

 

Literacy underpins communication and helps us advance as individuals and collectively. Health literacy can do the same for our collective health and cultural approach to wellness by means of what we eat and how we care for ourselves.


Spread the love
TagsCodingdietgamificationHealthliteracynutritionSportsTechnology
Previous Article

The First Year Teaching: Resolving classroom conflict

Next Article

The 21st Century Solution for Working with ...

E.T.Wilson

Related articles More from author

  • EdTech & Innovation

    Ed Tech Companies That I Really Love: Part III

    November 7, 2016
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Uncategorized

    CELTA and technology – with or without it?

    February 18, 2016
    By Matthew Lynch
  • EdTech & InnovationMatthew Lynch

    Education Technologies and Concepts that Every Teacher Should Know: Part I

    November 26, 2015
    By Matthew Lynch
  • EdTech & Innovation

    Is Boston poised to be the ed-tech capital?

    February 4, 2016
    By Matthew Lynch
  • EdTech & InnovationTeachers

    Using EdTech to assess small group instruction

    January 1, 2016
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Uncategorized

    LearnLaunch Accelerator’s Breakthrough Program Gives Established Edtech Companies and Startups a Boost

    July 5, 2016
    By Matthew Lynch

Leave a reply Cancel reply

  • Artificial Intelligence

    26 Ways That Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Transforming Education for the Better

  • Artificial Intelligence

    How Artificial Intelligence is Boosting Personalization in Higher Education

  • Artificial Intelligence

    What will AI Mean for Higher Education?

Search

Registration and Login

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Newsletter

Signup for The Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in P-20 education news and opinion delivered to your email address!

Subscribe to The Edvocate Podcast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyTuneInAndroidStitcherRSS
  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • Improving Education Policy By Looking Beyond The Experts

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 12, 2019
  • What Should Parents and Educators Know About the Assessment of Young Children?

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 11, 2019
  • 3 Steps to Becoming a Teacher in Arkansas

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 11, 2019
  • 3 Steps to Becoming a Teacher in New Hampshire

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 11, 2019
  • A Guide to Classroom and At-Home Accommodations for Dyslexia

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 11, 2019
  • 18 Reasons the U.S. Education System is Failing

    By Matthew Lynch
    April 3, 2017
  • The Top 5 Unexpected Benefits of Early Childhood Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 29, 2016
  • Transformational vs. Contemporary Leadership Styles

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 28, 2016
  • Why Mobile Technology Enhances Instruction

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 8, 2016
  • The Dark Side of Educational Technology

    By Matthew Lynch
    October 15, 2016
  • Helping Your Kid With ADHD Excel In School | Sarasate Association
    on
    December 11, 2019

    Assistive Technology to Help Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Succeed Academically

    […] or Attention Deficit ...
  • The School Psychiatrist Can Help Your Kid Succeed In School  | Sarasate Association
    on
    December 11, 2019

    Assistive Technology to Help Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Succeed Academically

    […] A kid’s success ...
  • Using Technology For ADHD Management – Yes, It’s Possible! | Sarasate Association
    on
    December 10, 2019

    Assistive Technology to Help Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Succeed Academically

    […] Joan Green doesn’t ...
  • US Instruction Overview - Transcript | Simte
    on
    December 9, 2019

    18 Reasons the U.S. Education System is Failing

    […] 18 Reasons the ...
  • 7 Frequently Asked Questions About Gamification - The Tech Edvocate
    on
    December 9, 2019

    How Does Gamification Effect the Learning Process?

    […] motivation and engagement. ...

Ask an Expert

  • Ask An Expert

    How Dumbed Down Education Is Creating a National Security Crisis

    Spread the loveFor the past few decades, our country’s educational system has seen both struggle and tremendous change. With the various ailments plaguing our educational system, education reforms have attempted ...
  • Ask An Expert

    21 Inspirational Quotes That Nelson Mandela Made About Education

    Spread the loveWe all have our heroes. Those human beings that seem larger than life and almost achieve Godlike status. One of my heroes is the late-great Nelson Mandela, who ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssistive TechnologyCareer ReadinessChild Development TechClassroom ManagementDigital & Mobile TechnologyDigital LeadershipDisabilitiesDiversityEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEducation LeadershipElementary EducationElementary SchoolEquityFirst Year TeachersFreshHigh SchoolK-12Middle SchoolModern ParentingParent & Family TechParental InvolvementParentingPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformPreK-12Special EducationSTEMTeacher EducationTeachers

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 7: How Digital Age Teachers Can Win Over Parents

    Spread the loveEducation is a collaborative process, as it takes many stakeholders working in unison to help students succeed academically. One of the most integral parts of this collaborative team ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssessmentAssistive TechnologyBlack Boys in CrisisChild Development TechClassroom ManagementDigital & Mobile TechnologyDigital LeadershipDisabilitiesEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformEducation LeadershipElementary EducationElementary SchoolEquityFeaturedFirst Year TeachersFreshGamificationGifted and Talented EducationHBCU'sHigh SchoolHigher EducationK-12Online Learning & eLearningOpEducationPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformRetention & Social Promotion SeriesSpecial EducationSTEMTeacher EducationTeachersTesting

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 6: 8 Ways That Digital Age Teachers Avoid Burning Out

    Spread the loveBeing a teacher is a tough job. So much so, many new teachers end up leaving the field within their first three years. To ensure that the next ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssessmentAssistive TechnologyBest of Best ListsBlack Boys in CrisisBullyingChild DevelopmentChild Development TechClassroom ManagementCurrent Ed NewsDigital LeadershipEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformEdTech Startups & BusinessesEducation LeadershipEquityFeaturedFirst Year TeachersFreshGamificationGifted and Talented EducationHBCU'sHigh SchoolHigher EducationHigher Education EdTechK-12Matthew LynchModern ParentingOnline Learning & eLearningOpEducationPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformRetention & Social Promotion SeriesSpecial EducationSTEMTeacher EducationTeachersTestingYear-Round Schooling

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 5: The Archetype of a Great Teacher

    Spread the loveOne of the questions that I am frequently asked is, what does a good teacher look like? I respond by mentioning my 10th-grade Biology teacher, Mrs. Minor, and ...

International Education

  • International Education

    Seven Things to Know About Egypt’s New Education System

    Spread the loveOnce hailed as a center of intellectual excellence, Egypt has lost its glowing reputation. But, they are working to make changes.  In the fall of 2018, Egypt implemented ...
  • International Education

    Robot Teachers Invade Chinese Kindergartens

    Spread the loveRobots are a cool aspect that kids enjoy seeing in movies and as toys, but now robots are turning out to be more real than ever before. In ...
  • International Education

    Girls’ Education in Sierra Leone: A New Era in Female Empowerment

    Spread the loveEducational inequality exists all around the globe, and Sierra Leone is no exception. Unfortunately, females are behind their male counterparts in literacy rates, and as of 2016, UNICEF ...
  • Higher EducationInternational Education

    How International Student Mobility is Changing in Higher Education

    Spread the loveWe live in the Information Age, a time where learning and earning happen remotely, from anywhere on earth. Being a student no longer means being rooted in the ...
  • International Education

    How are K-12 Schools Around the World Tackling Social Injustice?

    Spread the loveSocial injustice from a worldwide perspective is the “denial or violation of economic, sociocultural, political, civil or human rights of specific populations or groups in a society based ...

Early Childhood Education

  • AssessmentEarly Childhood

    What Should Parents and Educators Know About the Assessment of Young Children?

    Spread the loveThe early childhood years help create a foundation for future learning and place students on the path of academic success. That’s why it is essential to use assessments ...
  • Child DevelopmentEarly ChildhoodNeuroscience

    Protecting Brains, Stimulating Minds: The Early Life Roots of Success in School

    Spread the loveEarly childhood education is sometimes dismissed as unimportant – or at the very least considered far less essential than later education in primary and secondary school. The truth, ...
  • Child DevelopmentEarly ChildhoodEquity

    Race, Education, and Social Mobility: Why Pre-K Matters for Children of Color

    Spread the loveWhat do you think of when you think about preschool? Naps and snacks and playing on the playground? Storytime, lunch, and coloring books? Do you think of it ...
  • Early ChildhoodSTEM

    30 Science Activities That You Can Try With Your Kindergartners This Month

    Spread the loveAre you looking for science activities to do with your kindergartners? No sweat. We have you covered. Check out our list of 31 science activities that you can ...
  • Child DevelopmentEarly ChildhoodK-12Policy & Reform

    Here’s How Much States Spend On Education And How Their Students Perform

    Spread the loveThe educational expenditures of each state vary significantly from one to the next, but if we were to rank the states on their spending, New York and Utah ...

Gifted and Talented Education

  • Behavior ManagementGifted and Talented Education

    Implementing Successful Behavioral Interventions With Gifted Students

    Spread the loveBehavioral interventions are tough to stage and stage successfully regardless of a student’s cognitive abilities and achievement status, but they can be especially rough when it comes to ...
  • Gifted and Talented Education

    How To Solve The Segregation That Plagues Gifted-and-Talented Programs

    Spread the loveThe sad truth about the majority of gifted-and-talented programs throughout the United States is that there are thousands upon thousands of high-ability students from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds ...
  • Gifted and Talented Education

    Public Attitudes Towards the Gifted: Myth and Reality

    Spread the loveGifted and talented students are defined as: “Students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, ...
  • Gifted and Talented EducationSpecial Education

    Not to Miss Gifted & Special Education Conferences in 2020

    Spread the loveLooking for a gifted education or special education conference to attend in 2020? Don’t worry, just check out our list below. Special education conferences 1. Higher Education Consortium for ...
  • Gifted and Talented Education

    Giftedness Knows No Boundaries: Practical Solutions to Identify all Gifted and Talented Students

    Spread the loveChildren who are gifted are known as children who have an “ability significantly above the norm for their age”. And children with different abilities as their peer groups ...

Black Boys in Crisis Series

  • Black Boys in Crisis

    The Importance of Mentoring Young African-American Males

    Spread the loveTeachers need to realize that at home, in their neighborhoods, and in school, many students face difficulties that can interfere with learning. Compared to their middle-class counterparts, it ...
  • Black Boys in CrisisDiversityEquity

    7 Ways That Black Students are Discriminated Against in U.S K-12 Schools

    Spread the loveAfrican Africans have a long history of being mistreated in the United States, starting with slavery. It should come as no surprise that their children face the same ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssessmentAssistive TechnologyBlack Boys in CrisisChild Development TechClassroom ManagementDigital & Mobile TechnologyDigital LeadershipDisabilitiesEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformEducation LeadershipElementary EducationElementary SchoolEquityFeaturedFirst Year TeachersFreshGamificationGifted and Talented EducationHBCU'sHigh SchoolHigher EducationK-12Online Learning & eLearningOpEducationPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformRetention & Social Promotion SeriesSpecial EducationSTEMTeacher EducationTeachersTesting

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 6: 8 Ways That Digital Age Teachers Avoid Burning Out

    Spread the loveBeing a teacher is a tough job. So much so, many new teachers end up leaving the field within their first three years. To ensure that the next ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssessmentAssistive TechnologyBest of Best ListsBlack Boys in CrisisBullyingChild DevelopmentChild Development TechClassroom ManagementCurrent Ed NewsDigital LeadershipEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformEdTech Startups & BusinessesEducation LeadershipEquityFeaturedFirst Year TeachersFreshGamificationGifted and Talented EducationHBCU'sHigh SchoolHigher EducationHigher Education EdTechK-12Matthew LynchModern ParentingOnline Learning & eLearningOpEducationPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformRetention & Social Promotion SeriesSpecial EducationSTEMTeacher EducationTeachersTestingYear-Round Schooling

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 5: The Archetype of a Great Teacher

    Spread the loveOne of the questions that I am frequently asked is, what does a good teacher look like? I respond by mentioning my 10th-grade Biology teacher, Mrs. Minor, and ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssistive TechnologyBlack Boys in CrisisBullyingChild DevelopmentChild Development TechClassroom ManagementDisabilitiesDiversityEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformEducation LeadershipElementary EducationElementary SchoolEquityFeaturedFirst Year TeachersFreshGifted and Talented EducationHigh SchoolHigher EducationHigher Education EdTechK-12Middle SchoolModern ParentingOnline Learning & eLearningParent & Family TechParentingPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformSecondary EducationSpeakingSTEMTeacher EducationTeachersTesting

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 4: How to Create a Culturally Responsive Classroom

    Spread the loveBuilding a culturally responsive classroom is hard. To help you along your journey, here is your guide to exploring and respecting the cultural backgrounds of your students while ...

RSS Matthew on Education Week

  • Au Revoir from Education Futures November 20, 2018 Matthew Lynch
  • 6 Steps to Data-Driven Literacy Instruction October 17, 2018 Matthew Lynch
  • Four Keys to a Modern IT Approach in K-12 Schools October 2, 2018 Matthew Lynch
  • What's the Difference Between Burnout and Demoralization, and What Can Teachers Do About It? September 27, 2018 Matthew Lynch
  • Revisiting Using Edtech for Bullying and Suicide Prevention September 10, 2018 Matthew Lynch

About Us

The Edvocate was created in 2014 to argue for shifts in education policy and organization in order to enhance the quality of education and the opportunities for learning afforded to P-20 students in America. What we envisage may not be the most straightforward or the most conventional ideas. We call for a relatively radical and certainly quite comprehensive reorganization of American’s P-20 system.

That reorganization, though, and the underlying effort, will have much to do with reviving the American education system, and reviving a national love of learning.  The Edvocate plans to be one of key architects of this revival, as it continues to advocate for education reform, equity, and innovation.

Newsletter

Signup for The Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in P-20 education news and opinion delivered to your email address!

Contact

The Edvocate
5322 Markel Road, Suite 104
Richmond, VA 23230
(601) 630-5238
advocatefored@gmail.com

Follow us

Copyright (c) 2019 Matthew Lynch. All rights reserved.