PE teacher Kelly Nordlund reviews a student's heart rate report after a class.
Heart Rate Allows Teachers to Assess Students More Accurately
“It’s good, immediate feedback for the kids and it’s heart-rate specific to them,” Glen Crest Middle School (Ill.) PE teacher Kelly Nordlund said. “Regardless of your fitness level, your target heart rate zone is tailored to you.”
The data allows teachers to accurately assess each student instead of assuming the student who runs the fastest is working the hardest.
“If you are an elite soccer player, you can be zipping around our field and barely get into the yellow (moderate) zone,” Nordlund said. “But that’s because your cardiovascular fitness is crazy good and you can sustain what you’re doing. Then we have the kids who are always working hard. Well yes, it is hard. Look at the monitor and see how hard you are working. They know that if they get into the red (vigorous) zone, we tell them they need to back off a bit so they can get their heart rate back down.”
Individualized Feedback Empowers Students to Improve Their Performance
Additionally, the IHT ZONE delivers individualized feedback that allows students to see how their heart rate changes throughout class without comparing them to classmates. The individualized feedback helped San Bernardino CUSD (Calif.) PE leader Scott Smith give his program new life and purpose.
“They finally felt that we were thinking about them as individuals,” he said. “We were not grading them against somebody else. It allowed them to push themselves and set their own goals.”
This helps students understand the effects of physical activity on their body, and how they can improve their overall fitness. The feedback can also be used by teachers to set goals and challenges for their students, making PE more engaging and interactive.
“They are investing in their bodies and what fitness and wellness is for,” Intrinsic Charter High School (Chicago) PE director Orlandus Thomas said after his students began wearing the IHT ZONE this year. “They understand what they do and how they own it and what they need to do to get better.”
Thomas reinforces his students’ understanding by requiring them to set the goals that will define their next successes.
“The monitors are the accountability piece for the students,” Thomas said. “I ask them what they want their goals to be and then say ‘that’s great because your next assignment is to put that goal on paper.’ They assess themselves and set their own goals.”
PE teachers use IHT ZONE heart rate monitors to keep their students safe. By monitoring heart rate, teachers can make sure students do not overexert themselves and put themselves at risk for injury. The students see they are working hard when the monitor turns yellow. Red means they’re working too hard and they need to back their effort down a bit. Having that cue on their wrists empowers them.
Overall, IHT ZONE heart rate monitors are an effective tool for PE teachers to use with their students. By tracking heart rate and providing feedback, these monitors help students understand their bodies and improve their physical fitness while also ensuring their safety.
Boost Student Wellness with the IHT ZONE:
