The article is devoted to one of the pedagogical problems: progress of learning. The main causes or factors related to worsening students’ health and progress of learning are presented. The effective impact of Tai chi chuan on students’health and progress of learning is revealed
Key words: progress of learning, health, Tai chi chuan, state, students
One of the reasons or factors that progress of learning in the University depends on is students’ health. In the world many scientific researches on the causes affecting students’ physical and mental state, and thereby their progress of learning, were carried out.
Tihomirova suggests four factors influencing man’s health: genetic, environmental state, medical provision and conditions & people’s life style [1].
According to Zhuravlyeva’s analysis in 2012 the following factors are revealed: natural environment, human’s efforts, heredity, medical care quality, living conditions and harmful habits [2, p. 57]. Here the factor “human’s efforts” occurs.
For conducting the survey Zhuravlyeva divided the respondents-students into with good health self-assessment, satisfied health self-assessment and bad health self-assessment. In the end she gained the following results [2, p. 57].
The respondents-young men with good health self-assessment gave the first place to “human’s efforts” (46 %), the young men with satisfied health self-assessment thought the same (46 %) and the male students with bad health self-assessment believed that “living conditions” was a basic factor (40 %) [2, p. 57].
The girls-students with good health self-assessment considered that “human’s efforts” were the most important (41 %), the respondents-girls with satisfied health self-assessment — “living conditions” (46 %) and the female students with bad health self-assessment named the same (47 %) [2, p. 57].
As it is noticeable the youth men and girls did not have the same replies according their health self-assessment. In addition, the male and female students gave different variants of factors, that is while responding the males suggested only “human’s efforts”, “natural environment” and “living conditions”. But the females chose “human’s efforts”, “living conditions”, “harmful habits” and “heredity” [2, p. 57].
The contemporary data of 2017 from Tyumen industrial university showed that the first place took “harmful habits”, the second one — “meal regime failure” and the third one — “work-rest regime failure” [3].
Referring to the modern scientific facts 20 % of health level depends on heredity, 20 % — environment, 10 % — health care work and 50 % — human’s life style [4, p. 19].
Over the recent time one of the key negative impacts on students’ health was combination of learning and work. The analysis of health state of the youth, studying in a University and working, showed that such students had a lack of sleep and rest, and different chronic diseases [4, p. 19–20].
In addition, there are other factors affecting students’ health state: laziness, long sleep, children, Internet, games [5], educational process (classroom conditions, learning load, etc) [6, p. 197], emotional stress, etc.
The topicality of the problem is stipulated by solving it through new methods.
One of the modern and new ways is Tai chi chuan.
The objective of the research is to reveal advantages of Tai chi chuan classes for improving students’ health relating to progress of learning in a University.
The tasks to achieve the objective are:
1) to present the factors influencing students’ progress of learning;
2) to show the Tai chi chuan peculiarities enabling health and learning progress improvement of students.
The object of the research is factors worsening students health and thereby progress of learning and the way of solving the problem, Tai chi chuan.
The subject of the research is improvement of students’ progress of learning through Tai chi chuan.
The methods of the research are study and generalization of scientific and other literature, analysis of data, deductive tactic.
Tai chi chuan is a type of gymnastics based on the martial holds. It is a system of training a body and mind that was created and cultivated for centuries [7, p. 12].
The numerous researches, in both the West and China or Japan, confirmed that Tai chi chuan classes gave a huge benefit to maintain health, restore power after illness and strengthen the immune system [8, p. 13].
Different physical exercises effect the heart and lungs work, and thus blood circulation improvement. But Tai chi chuan goes further because it can strengthen health and functions of all the organs and body systems. Besides, Tai chi acquaints us with the demands of our body, strengthens mind, calms down emotions and reveals powerful creative energy. This system helps us to solve a problem easier and cope with stress [8, p. 13].
It is necessary to control the motions of the physical exercises in Tai chi chuan classes and do them very clear and slow. It puts mind into still and harmonized state. Under the regular practice and training patience and self-discipline, important personality traits, develop. Further these traits form a basis for many other ones, for instance, ability for self-managing, focus, independent opinions, high concentration, facility for achieving results, etc. The slow motions of Tai chi, balance and physical stability concentrate vital energy of an organism putting all the organs into the energy “qi”. In addition, the slow motions help many muscles to work correctly and, therefore improve healthy blood circulation [8, p. 18–19].
The first thing that we do when we are born is to breathe in and out. When we die we stop breathing. We can survive for weeks without food, days without water, but the majority does not do for several minutes without air. Perhaps, therefore all the peoples believe that breath is a life spirit. Every definite type of the Tai chi motions correlates with inhalation and exhalation. This phenomenon is very important in Tai chi chuan [8, p. 20–21].
Touching the aspect “Tai chi and health” there are many peculiarities, but and in the article only some of them are studied.
Regular Tai chi chuan classes strengthen, restore and maintain health state and life power of an organism effectively. But how exact it works that is not always known. [8, p. 129].
The Tai chi chuan exercises in the open air with calm regular breath lead to the best blood circulation. The active use of the leg muscles stimulates a back current of the venous blood to the heart and the lungs. And the absence of muscular tension in the upper part of a body furthers effective blood supply to all the main organs including the brain and joints. Moreover, after the eight-minute exercises with not too high intensity the pulse gradually becomes more rapid approaching the level that is corresponding to the claims of the moderate training of staying power. And this helps to regulate the arterial pressure [8, p. 129–130].
Tai chi chuan gives the lungs the huge benefit. The permanent motions of the extremities by doing the Tai chi exercises massage and stimulate the lungs helping them to absorb oxygen and take a waste of gases out of blood. With good blood supply all the organs and systems of a body are able to function in the correct way. Oxygen also helps us to maintain the necessary weight of a body because it is needful for burning up calories [8, p. 130–131].
Tai chi strengthens the parasympathetic nervous system helping us to relax, cope with stress, anxiety and insomnia. But, in addition, Tai chi influences the whole central nervous system due to the motions stimulating and improving the spine flexibility [8, p. 132–133].
Tai chi chuan calms down mind. When we achieve the definite self-possession and detachment, mind starts working greatly harder [8, p. 133].
The Tai chi chuan art gives the opportunity to heal and prevent diseases. Good physical form is not a single advantage which the Tai chi system has. The meditative aspect of the art helps to get peace of mind, mental serenity, preciseness and control for harmonizing energy current being necessary for the bright mind and unity with the space [9, p. 22–23].
Tai chi chuan is based on cigun, its inalienable part. It is impossible to achieve mental clarity and life stability that this art has a reputation for. For obtaining a good physical form and health on the whole it is necessary to develop the inner power which is achieved through chigun. The inner power is a result, and chigun is a way [9, p. 93].
According to Science Daily the new research showed that the students in a good physical form had the better progress of learning [10].
In the course of the research the following conclusions were reached:
- the huge number of factors affects students’ health and thereby influences their progress of learning: natural environment, human’s efforts, heredity, medical care quality, living conditions, harmful habits, meal regime failure, work-rest regime failure, laziness, long sleep, children, Internet, games, work, educational process, emotional stress, etc.;
- regular Tai chi chuan classes improve a state of all organism and favorably impact on progress of learning in a University.
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