Movement Matters for Learning

Children spend a lot of time using their bodies to understand the world.

They climb, carry, build, run, balance, gesture, dig, draw, act things out, and move from one place to another as they learn.

That physical activity does not need to disappear when school begins.

Research on children and physical activity has found benefits for areas such as attention, cognitive function, mood, and wellbeing. The connections with academic achievement are more modest and vary across studies, which is why PEAK Mastery’s approach to movement is about supporting the conditions for learning rather than treating movement as a shortcut to higher test scores.¹

At PEAK Mastery, movement is intentionally built into the proposed school day.

Why Movement Belongs in the School Day

Sitting still for long stretches can be difficult for many children.

Movement gives students opportunities to change pace, use different kinds of attention, interact with peers, and return to academic work after doing something physically active.

Research reviews have found that physical activity can support aspects of cognition, including attention and executive function, while also contributing to physical health and wellbeing.¹

PEAK Mastery’s current model includes Community Wellness and Leadership, outdoor time, hands-on learning, fieldwork, and Extended Learning Experiences that give students regular opportunities to move throughout the day.

The goal is simple: movement is part of the learning environment.

What Movement Can Look Like at PEAK Mastery

Movement does not have to mean one thing.

For some students, it may be outdoor play.

For others, it may be a collaborative game, a walk during fieldwork, building something in a Wonder Workshop, moving between stations during Foundations, or taking part in Community Wellness and Leadership.

The current proposal includes movement, wellness, collaborative play, leadership, and community-building as part of PEAK Mastery’s supporting structures.

Those experiences give students opportunities to move for different reasons throughout the day.

Sometimes movement is recreational.

Sometimes it is social.

Sometimes it is part of the academic work itself.

Movement and the PEAK Framework

The PEAK values also help explain why movement belongs in the model.

P: Personalized

Students differ in how they respond to long periods of sitting, transitions, physical activity, and different learning environments.

PEAK Mastery’s model gives educators several ways to structure the day, including small-group instruction, hands-on learning, movement opportunities, coaching, and time outdoors.

The goal is to give students a learning environment with more than one mode of participation.

E: Expeditionary

Expeditionary Learning is naturally active.

Students may participate in fieldwork, community learning, service, projects, investigations, or other experiences that require them to move through real places and interact with the world around them.

A science lesson might include observing a local ecosystem.

A project might require measuring a space, collecting data, interviewing someone, or building a prototype.

Movement becomes part of how students gather information and apply what they know.

A: Agency

As students grow, they can also become more aware of what helps them stay engaged and productive.

Research on self-regulated learning describes reflection, self-monitoring, and strategy use as skills students can develop over time.²

At PEAK Mastery, coaching conversations, goal setting, and reflection can give students opportunities to notice patterns in how they work and what helps them stay focused.

That self-awareness develops gradually.

K: Kinship

Movement also creates social opportunities.

Games, outdoor experiences, collaborative challenges, fieldwork, and group projects give students chances to communicate, cooperate, negotiate, solve problems together, and build relationships.

Research on belonging and school climate supports the importance of social connection in students’ school experiences.³ ⁴

PEAK Mastery’s mixed-age learning communities and coaching model are designed to give those relationships room to develop alongside academic learning.

Outdoor Learning Adds Another Layer

Time outside can serve several purposes at once.

Students can move, observe, investigate, talk, explore, and notice things that are difficult to reproduce indoors.

Outdoor learning may be part of a Wonder Workshop, an Extended Learning Experience, fieldwork, Community Wellness and Leadership, or unstructured play.

PEAK Mastery’s current research framework includes movement and outdoor learning because research has found benefits for focus, mood, wellbeing, and some aspects of cognitive function.¹

Again, the point is not that going outside automatically raises achievement.

It gives students another useful setting for learning and development.

Movement Works Best as Part of a Larger Learning Model

Movement is only one part of PEAK Mastery’s design.

Students also need clear academic expectations, strong instruction, feedback, relationships, opportunities to practice, and chances to apply what they are learning.

That is why movement sits alongside mastery-based learning, Expeditionary Learning, coaching relationships, Foundations instruction, Wonder Workshops, Reading Adventures, and Extended Learning Experiences.

PEAK Mastery’s model brings these pieces together so students can move between direct instruction, discussion, practice, projects, reflection, collaboration, and physical activity during the school day.

The variety matters.

A child’s school day can include concentration and conversation, quiet work and movement, individual practice and shared experiences.

Could PEAK Mastery Be a Good Fit for Your Family?

PEAK Mastery is currently moving through Utah’s charter approval process as we develop another tuition-free public school option for Cache Valley families.

If regular movement, outdoor learning, strong academics, real-world experiences, and meaningful relationships are things you value in a school, we would love to hear from you.

Your family interest survey response helps us understand what Cache Valley families are looking for and demonstrate community interest as PEAK Mastery moves through the charter process.

Take the PEAK Mastery Interest Survey

Research Cited

1. Donnelly, J. E., et al. (2016). Physical Activity, Fitness, Cognitive Function, and Academic Achievement in Children: A Systematic Review. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 48(6), 1197–1222.

2. Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a Self-Regulated Learner: An Overview. Theory Into Practice, 41(2), 64–70.

3. Osterman, K. F. (2000). Students’ Need for Belonging in the School Community. Review of Educational Research, 70(3), 323–367.

4. Thapa, A., Cohen, J., Guffey, S., & Higgins-D’Alessandro, A. (2013). A Review of School Climate Research. Review of Educational Research, 83(3), 357–385.