The Physical Educator as a Resource for the Classroom Teacher

By Jarrod Robinson · August 3, 2026 · 4 min read

Mike Kuczala argues that PE teachers hold the key to improving learning across the entire school — with neuroscience research, practical movement strategies, and a roadmap for positioning yourself as a school-wide resource.

Ask any PE teacher what happens when students go back to the classroom after PE. Most will tell you: the kids are calmer, more focused, and ready to learn. We see it every day. But what if that observation isn't just anecdotal — what if it's backed by neuroscience? And what if the PE teacher's expertise could be systematically shared with every classroom teacher in the school?

That's the vision Mike Kuczala brings to this ConnectedPE session. As the author of The Kinesthetic Classroom: Teaching and Learning Through Movement and a leading advocate for brain-based learning, Kuczala argues that PE teachers are sitting on a goldmine of knowledge that classroom teachers desperately need.

This session isn't about PE teachers learning new content for their own lessons. It's about repositioning the PE teacher as a school-wide resource — the person who can help every teacher in the building harness the power of movement to improve learning, behaviour, and student wellbeing across all subjects.

If you've ever felt that your expertise is undervalued or that PE is treated as 'just a break from real learning,' this session reframes your role in a way that elevates the entire profession.

Watch the Full Session

The Neuroscience Case for Movement in Learning

Kuczala doesn't just assert that movement helps learning — he builds the scientific case. Drawing on research from neuroscience and cognitive psychology, he outlines why the brain needs movement to function optimally:

• Movement increases blood flow to the brain — More blood flow means more oxygen and glucose, which are the brain's primary fuel sources. After just a few minutes of physical activity, the brain is measurably more ready to learn.
• Exercise promotes neuroplasticity — Physical activity stimulates the production of BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), sometimes called 'miracle-gro for the brain.' BDNF supports the growth of new neural connections, which is literally what learning is.
• Movement combats the attention deficit of sitting — The human brain isn't designed for prolonged sedentary focus. After about 10-20 minutes of sitting, attention declines significantly. Brief movement breaks reset the attention clock.
• Physical activity improves executive function — The prefrontal cortex — responsible for planning, decision-making, focus, and impulse control — shows improved performance after physical activity.
• Movement enhances memory encoding — Information paired with physical movement is encoded more deeply in memory. Kinesthetic learning isn't just a 'learning style' — it's how the brain works.

The research is overwhelming. Movement doesn't just prepare the brain for learning — it's part of how learning happens. Every classroom teacher needs to understand this, and PE teachers are the ones who can teach them.

Mike Kuczala

Why PE Teachers Are Uniquely Positioned

Kuczala identifies several reasons why the PE teacher is the ideal person to help classroom teachers integrate movement:

• Expert knowledge of movement — PE teachers understand movement progressions, safety, space management, and how to design physical activities for groups. Classroom teachers typically don't.
• Understanding of child development — PE teachers understand how children's physical and cognitive development interact — knowledge that's directly relevant to classroom learning.
• Existing relationships with all students — PE teachers typically see every student in the school. They understand the physical capabilities and needs of the student body.
• Practical experience with engagement — PE teachers are experts at getting reluctant students moving. That skill transfers directly to helping classroom teachers get reluctant students engaged.
• Already valued by students — Students often look forward to PE. When a PE teacher leads professional development, classroom teachers see someone whose practice engages students naturally.

The challenge, Kuczala notes, is that PE teachers rarely see themselves in this consultancy role. They're used to being in the gym, not in the staffroom leading professional development. But the opportunity is enormous.

Practical Movement Strategies for the Classroom

Kuczala shares specific categories of classroom movement that PE teachers can teach their colleagues to use:

Brain Breaks

Short (1-3 minute) physical activity bursts designed to reset attention and energy. These aren't just 'have a wiggle' moments — they're structured activities with specific cognitive benefits. Examples include cross-lateral movements (touching opposite hand to opposite knee), balance challenges, and simple coordination sequences.

Content-Linked Movement

Physical activities that directly reinforce academic content. For example: having students walk to different corners of the room to represent their answer to a question, using physical gestures to encode vocabulary, or acting out historical events or scientific processes. When movement is paired with content, retention improves dramatically.

Energisers and Calmers

Strategic use of movement to manage classroom energy. High-energy activities to wake up a sluggish class after lunch. Calming, focused movements (like simple yoga poses or breathing exercises) to settle a class that's overexcited. PE teachers intuitively understand energy management — classroom teachers often don't.

Transition Activities

Using movement to manage transitions between activities, subjects, or locations. A structured movement activity during transition time reduces behavioural issues, provides a physical activity break, and gets students ready for the next task.

How to Position Yourself as a School-Wide Resource

Kuczala offers practical advice for PE teachers who want to expand their role:

1. Start with your allies — Find the classroom teacher who already believes in movement. Offer to co-teach or demonstrate a few movement strategies in their classroom. Success breeds success.
2. Present the research at a staff meeting — Even 10 minutes of neuroscience data showing the impact of movement on learning can shift how colleagues view your expertise. Share the BDNF research, the attention studies, the memory findings.
3. Create a movement resource bank — Develop a simple collection of 10-20 classroom movement activities that any teacher can use. Print it, share it digitally, or create a short video library. Make it easy for classroom teachers to get started.
4. Offer to observe and consult — Volunteer to observe a colleague's lesson and suggest specific moments where movement could enhance learning. Position yourself as a supportive resource, not a critic.
5. Connect movement to school goals — Whatever your school's current priorities — literacy, numeracy, behaviour, wellbeing — there's research connecting movement to that outcome. Frame your contribution in terms of what the school already values.
6. Lead student-facing activities — Run whole-school brain break sessions, lead movement assemblies, or create a 'daily movement challenge' that every class can participate in. Visibility builds credibility.

The Bigger Picture: Elevating the PE Profession

Kuczala closes with a powerful message about what happens when PE teachers step into this broader role:

• PE moves from being seen as a 'break from learning' to being recognised as central to how learning happens
• PE teachers gain influence, respect, and connection with colleagues across the school
• Students benefit from movement-enriched learning in every subject, not just PE
• Schools become healthier, more active places where the whole child is supported
• The profession elevates — when PE teachers are seen as learning consultants, not just sport coaches, the argument for quality PE programmes becomes much harder to cut

You know more about how the brain and body work together than any other teacher in your building. The question isn't whether you have something to offer classroom teachers. The question is when you're going to start sharing it.

Mike Kuczala

Key Takeaways

• Neuroscience research overwhelmingly supports the role of movement in learning — PE teachers are uniquely positioned to share this knowledge
• PE teachers have expertise in movement design, child development, and engagement that classroom teachers need
• Practical classroom strategies include brain breaks, content-linked movement, energisers/calmers, and transition activities
• Start small: find an ally, present the research, create a resource bank, and build visibility
• When PE teachers become school-wide resources, the entire profession is elevated

Watch the Full Session on ConnectedPE

This blog post captures the core message, but Mike Kuczala's full 54-minute session includes specific activity demonstrations, research citations, stories from schools implementing this approach, and a roadmap for getting started in your own school.

The course is completely free in the ConnectedPE members area. Sign up or log in to watch the full session and earn a professional development certificate upon completion.

👉 Watch the full course and earn your PD certificate →

About Mike Kuczala

Mike Kuczala is the author of The Kinesthetic Classroom: Teaching and Learning Through Movement and a leading advocate for brain-compatible, movement-rich learning environments. He has trained thousands of educators worldwide on integrating movement into classroom instruction and is a co-founder of the Regional Training Center. His work bridges neuroscience, education, and physical activity, making the case that movement isn't a distraction from learning — it's fundamental to it.

Tags: Brain-Based Learning, Physical Education, Movement in the Classroom, Professional Development, School Leadership