Blog

Active body, active mind!

11.03.2015

Kelven BarryHey guys, my name is Kelven Barry, I am the activities officer here at Langports Sydney. I am relatively new to the Langports team, but I have been welcomed with open arms.

Sydney is a great place to live and work, and has arguably the best harbour in the world. Sydney is full of great attractions and has some of the most iconic tourist destinations in the world such as Bondi Beach.

Sydney is a multi-cultural hub, boasting a diverse range of communities and cultures, making Sydney an exciting place to live, study, practice and utilise your English learning skills and make new friends.

As a student it is important to knuckle down and apply yourself academically. It is also important that you put some time aside to be ACTIVE.

I will briefly talk about how being physically and socially active can benefit your health and well-being, but ultimately how it can benefit your English learning and communication skills in the classroom! 

Being Active

It is no secret that being physically active is good for our health, giving us increased energy levels, better weight management, enhanced self-esteem and improved health outcomes. Hippocrates (4th-5th Century AD) was a Greek physician and famously said “Walking is man’s best friend”. Hippocrates clearly practiced his profession actively, leading a long healthy life (It is unclear the age of his death. It is estimated towards the latter part of the 5th century at around 90 years of age).

Let’s not get lost in an Ancient Greek History lecture here, the simple message is that being physically active is extremely good for you. Many of the activities programmed at Langports Sydney aim to get you moving and can include fitness sessions in the park, rock climbing, participating in local sporting events and day treks out of town. Much of your daily physical activity can also come from simply walking or riding to Langports and making your way around town.

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Participating in activities is also a great way to be socially active. At Langports you will meet new people from all corners of the world. At Langports we program activities that are going to encourage and reinforce new found friendships. Participating in various pub nights, camps and sporting activities is a great way to develop a new network of friends, providing you with new found support, confidence and an overall better experience at Langports.

The activities programs encourages social interaction, team work and improved confidence. Our overall goal while you study at Langports is to make sure you are HAPPY!

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Improved learning

You might ask, how will participating in activities improve my English in the classroom?

While participating in activities outside of the Langports campus you will be further encouraged to speak English with other classmates, you will be required to interact with members of the public. For example, you may have place an order at a local pub or bar or ask for directions? The activities at Langports create an environment where you will be required to use and utilise your English Learning skills in public! Increasing your interaction with local Sydney siders is a great way to practise your English skills. The activities at Langports can also benefit your English learning ability by improving brain function.  John Ratey a clinical Professor from Harvard University says by participating in physical exercise and group activities you can improve learning function in three ways:

  • Being active improves the minds alertness, attention, mood and motivation.
  • It prepares and encourages nerve cells to bind to another, helping to store new information (the English language).
  • It branches the new development of new nerve cells from stem cells in the Hippocampus (Part of your brain that is involved with memory, organisation and storing information).

Put simply a physically active and socially involved routine can not only be beneficial for your overall health and well-being, but also improve your study in the classroom.

Participating in activities has the physiological ability to improve your potential to learn in the classroom.

At Langports we encourage being active, letting your hair down and meeting new people, while enjoying your learning experience.

Participating in the activities program at Langports is a great way to prepare and apply yourself to your study.

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 Stay Active!

Question: What helps and motivates you study and learn? Please post any thoughts to comments.

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