Presentation

Presentation Critique

This video is part of a presentation I was assigned in class where I am discussing the importance of physical activity for LGBT colleges students. I am an instructor for living, so I am normally quite comfortable presenting in a room full of people. However, as this was the first time I have presented face-to-face to my classmates, I must admit I was a lot more nervous than usual. Even though I was passionate and knowledgeable about the topic and practiced before the presentation, I felt extremely unprepared for some reason. It was definitely different than what I was used to.

            The main critique I have of myself is the length of time the polls took. I wanted to show how valuable anonymous polls were in the classroom that students could easily answer using their mobile devices. However, looking at how much time it took of the allotted 20 minutes, I believe I should have asked fewer questions. Additionally, for the purpose of this presentation, I probably spent a little too much time introducing the topic and not enough time going over the “meat” of the presentation. 

Presentation - Allen 

PSA: Physical Activity Linked to Academic Achievement

Physical Activity Linked to Academic Achievement

            It is well known that physical activity can help us live longer, happier lives.  For example, physical activity decreases the chances of obtaining heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and having a stroke (United States Department of Agriculture [USDA], 2014).  However, a new study in Finland has shown that physical activity is also associated with early achievement in school (Medical News Today [MNT], 2014). The study included children in Finland during their first three years of school.  Children who played more at recess had higher reading skills, and those who played sports had higher arithmetic scores (MNT, 2014).  Even though some girls had positive results, the boys were the ones who had higher reading and arithmetic skills with higher levels of physical activity (MNT, 2014).  In fact, some girls had lower academic skills with higher levels of physical activity (MNT, 2014). Researchers point out that these gender differences show the importance in the type of physical activity and how it can potentially impact academic achievement (MNT, 2014).

References

Medical News Today. (2014). High levels of physical activity linked to early academic achievement. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/282408.php

United States Department of Agriculture. (2014). Why is physical activity important? Retrieved from http://www.choosemyplate.gov/physical-activity/why.html

Welcome to Get Up, Get Active! Let me begin by telling you a little bit about myself. My name is Jaimi, but I go by Mimi. I currently live in Greenbrier, Arkansas, and I am married to a wonderful man and we are blessed to be raising two bright teenage boys. I am in my second year of the Health Studies doctoral program at Texas Woman’s University, and my focal area is public health. Throughout my experiences, I have realized I am extremely passionate about several health topics, one of which is physical activity. Physical activity can be conducted in various ways, so finding something that is interesting and fun is important! We all need to participate in it, so why not have fun with it? The most recent activity I have found myself fond of (and slightly addicted to) is obstacle and mud racing. But before you knock it, you must try it!! =)