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RTM School Planning & Facilities Congress

Lisa Witt, President & Founder of WittFitt presented LEARNING IN MOTION

to administrative leaders at the RTM School Planning & Facilities Congress in Austin, TX April 28-30th, 2019.

Session Synopsis:

We know bodies are meant to move, but how do we create this environment?  Innovative school leaders and educators have been integrating movement into the classroom to enhance learning for students K-12.  Join us in discussing the benefits, and listening to the philosophy around creating new spaces, or transforming existing areas, that encourage active sitting and dynamic standing. “The more closely we consider the elaborate interplay of brain and body, the more clearly one compelling theme emerges; movement is essential to learning…Movement integrates and anchors new information and experience into our neural networks [Hanaford].”

Attendees will learn about WittFitt’s consultative approach, the benefits of active spaces, and will get time to share their own stories.

 

 

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IMPACT/GREEN SCHOOLS CONFERENCE

For the 2nd year, WittFitt provided active products for the IMPACT/GREEN SCHOOLS convention in St. Paul April 2019.

Attendees had the opportunity to try out WittFitt’s dynamic, movement-oriented seating and standing options while learning about GREEN initiatives for both schools and offices.

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CONVENTION BRINGS PRINCIPALS TO LA CROSSE.

LA CROSSE TRIBUNE, WI.  OCT. 2011

WittFitt exhibits tools for movement in the classroom for principals to try out.LaCrosse Tribune, WI

Lisa Witt, the owner of Witt Fitt, shows Arrowhead High School principal Gregg Wieczorek how stability balls can be used for seating in classrooms at the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators annual conference in the La Crosse Center. The balls can also used to help with the students fitness. Erik Daily Principals’ offices across the state are empty this week. Their regular occupants are in La Crosse for the annual Association of Wisconsin School Administrators convention. “It’s nice for principals in our area, because it’s right here this year,” said Mark White, a principal at Hintgen Elementary School. Booths and workshops filled the La Crosse Center on Thursday as experts presented ideas and learning tools for curious administrators, from online classes custom made for individual students to big rubber balls designed to replace the classroom chair. “Part of it is to bring people together to talk about current events,” association Director Jim Lynch said. Technology is a common theme, especially as schools adapt to students raised in the digital age, Lynch said. Virtual classrooms are one such tool, tunable to the specific needs of each student, said Greg Bishop, a former high school principal from Warren, Mich., who also works for an Internet learning company. Tucked away in a far corner of the convention center, a long line of elementary school principals sat knee-to-knee, comparing notes. White, Hintgen’s principal, facilitated the networking session. “It’s always good to learn from each other,” White said. “Everybody’s got different things that are important to them.” The convention ends today.

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STUDENTS HAVE A BALL

STUDIO CLASSROOM MAGAZINE, TAIWAN.   SEPT. 2009.

Former teacher Lisa Witt felt so strongly about the use of balls as chairs, she started WittFitt. This company encourages the use of the balls. In addition, the company educates not only teachers but also students on how to use them.

Sitting on a chair all day in school can make anyone want to move around. So, more and more teachers are letting students have a ball. By replacing chairs with exercise balls, teachers find students’ posture and attention improves. Dottie Pownall, a fifth grade teacher in West Virginia, has been using balls as chairs since December 2008. “The students love them,” she says. Pownall took a survey of her students. She found that 80 percent thought sitting on the balls helped them focus better. Former teacher Lisa Witt felt so strongly about the use of balls as chairs, she started WittFitt. This company encourages the use of the balls. In addition, the company educates not only teachers but also students on how to use them. “We have clients in 24 states, three provinces in Canada, Puerto Rico and Japan,” says Witt. “Research shows that sitting on the balls promotes sitting up straighter. You can slouch on a ball,” says Witt, “but it feels awful.” Because the students are moving, their blood flow increases. That carries more oxygen to the brain, so the kids have more energy and can focus longer. “Furthermore, they’re fun,” says Pownall.

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HAVING A BALL IN SCHOOL.

THISWEEK ONLINE, MN.  DEC. 2006.

Having a ball in school Local school first to trade chairs for stability ball program
Posted: 12/8/06 by Laura Adelmann

This week newspapers Christian Heritage Academy in Lakeville is encouraging students to get on the ball during class. Literally. This week, students in grades 6, 7 and 8 will begin earning a chance to trade in their chairs for balls, or “ball chairs” as Lisa Witt, president of WittFitt likes to call them. Witt, a former teacher, has developed a unique program that replaces traditional chairs with stability balls to help improve posture, increase attention and decrease squirming at home, work and in schools. Christian Heritage Academy (CHA), a private school at Cedar Avenue and Dodd Boulevard, is the first school in Minnesota to use Witt’s program. CHA Principal Gail Wolfe said the balls will be used in math and history classes, where teacher Carmen Scherman noticed some students’ attention and focus was lacking. “Some of the kids were sluggish, especially during classes at the end of the day,” said Wolfe. Instead of students wriggling in uncomfortable chairs, on the balls they can gently bounce in place or roll back and forth to keep alert. The balls require students to use their back and stomach muscles, strengthening these core muscle groups in the process, said Witt. But if the introduction of balls into a classroom for purposes of reigning-in attention seems contradictory, Witt dismisses teacher’s nightmarish pictures of wild kids playing ball bumper cars during class. Her program is designed so the students don’t get the ball chairs until they’ve completed a series of prepared short lessons that include teaching their proper use. “Part of the lesson is also that the kids are creating rules they have to abide by. They sign a contract which sets those parameters” she said. Some of the more common rules limit how much kids bounce and how far their feet are off the floor. The lessons, in addition to meeting some state standards, introduce students to the benefits of using the balls and demonstrates correct posture and proper use of the equipment. Witt said the balls encourage proper posture, which increases blood flow and breathing, all things that brain research has shown improves the brain’s ability to absorb information. Students are measured to ensure proper fit of the balls, which come in various sizes and have feet on the bottom to prevent rolling. The balls may also be inflated or deflated to ensure each student is positioned in an ergonomically correct fashion, and modifications can be made to accommodate students with special needs. Having a ball in school http://www.thisweek-online.com/2006/December/8lkvlschoolballs129.html 2 of 4 3/17/2008 10:42 AM Because the balls require extensive use of back and stomach muscles, it can take some time to get used to the change. To accommodate the transition at CHA, traditional chairs will be replaced with the balls incrementally. Any students who abuse the privilege. Witt said, should have them taken away and be relegated to the regular chair. Last week, Witt visited the school to give Scherman and physical education teacher Linda Paschka a hands-on training session. Paschka, who first suggested the school look into the program after reading an article about WittFitt, will also use the balls in her gym classes. Witt said other schools around the nation are beginning to use the balls, and they have been used successfully in Europe for years. Costs for materials, training and equipment vary depending on the situation, but range from about $800 to $5,000. Witt says she does not sell the balls without the training but can do the training over the phone for schools wishing to save money. For more information, visit www.wittfitt.com.

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