Members of the Center for ActiveWV and the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences at West Virginia University have launched a new online professional development resource for teachers, administrators, program coordinators, parents and others with an interest in promoting physical activity among youth.
“This free Active Academics® Training was created to help reach members of our West Virginia and broader communities with a resource to learn about physical activity recommendations and benefits, as well as tips for integrating physical activity in the classroom and throughout the day,” Eloise Elliott, Ware Distinguished Professor at CPASS, said.
The training was developed in response to a changing climate, as more and more learning opportunities are now being offered through virtual platforms. The development team envisioned this resource as an innovative way to reach individuals nationwide who can use the knowledge and tools to become physical activity advocates in their schools, programs and communities.
“The Active Academics® Training will act as a great means for educators throughout the country as they strive to improve physical activity opportunities for all students. The self-paced, informative training provides a simple environment where busy educators can learn about the importance of physical activity in the classroom, while viewing different tools that they can use to adapt these practices,” Michele Korgeski, CPASS instructional designer, said.
Pre-service teachers and students within teacher education programs can use the new resource to discover creative ways to embed physical activity during instructional lessons early in their professional development. Additionally, community-based program coordinators can apply the training tools to boost physical activity and wellness in their curricula.
Participants will move through a series of five learning modules, covering topics from the benefits of physical activity, to components of a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program and ways to use Active Academics® educational resources to integrate movement in the classroom and throughout the day.
“We hoped to provide an engaging and accessible web-based training that can be shared widely and help encourage educators and leaders to prioritize physical activity with children and adolescents throughout the day in fun ways,” Erika Van Dyke, an intervention and research specialist at CPASS, said.
“We also saw the Active Academics® Training as a great way to spread the word of our online educational resources at ActiveAcademics.org. The training walks participants through many tips and tools for bringing physical activity into a variety of subjects and provides useful tutorials for how to use and contribute to the resource,” Olivia Mackey, CPASS graduate research assistant, said.
In addition, the training gathers information from various national organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, SHAPE America and others to provide participants with materials to successfully bring more physical activity into different learning spaces.
Request access to the training here: Active Academics® Training Request Form
Project contributors include: Michele Korgeski, Olivia Mackey, Erika Van Dyke, Beth Bailey, Eloise Elliott and Sean Bulger.