Sitting for hours on end and listening intently – everyday lecture life can be quite stressful and tiring. Since the start of the semester, university sports instructors have been bringing a breath of fresh air to the lecture theatre with their ‘Active Break’.
Thursday, 12.55 pm, Lecture Theatre 1, Professor Selck’s politics lecture: around 180 pairs of eyes are intently following the action at the blackboard, where Jerk Wehrhahn, a university sports instructor, stands with his right hand raised towards the sky. “And now lift your left knee,” he calls out to the students, who still look slightly bewildered. Then the first few begin to copy his movements. Gradually, all the students stand up, stretch their limbs and roll their shoulders. Professor Selck is also taking part with enthusiasm.
The ‘Active Break’ has been running for several years now. Until now, the programme was aimed at university staff in their day-to-day office work. “But we also wanted to specifically target students, who, after all, have to sit for long periods during lectures and seminars,” explains Mandy Klehr from the university sports department, who brought the ‘Active Break’ programme into the lecture theatres. After all, getting enough exercise in everyday life isn’t just important for health – a short, active break whilst studying also gets the brain cells working again.
Sport in the lecture theatre – is that even possible? “At first we were sceptical as to whether there would be enough space in the rows of seats, but then we simply gave it a go. It works absolutely brilliantly,” says Klehr. To regain some fresh energy for the rest of the university day, she explains, it’s enough simply to stand up and do a few light strengthening and stretching exercises. “To finish off, our instructors often suggest the classic move: tapping your head with one hand whilst rubbing your tummy with the other. That always causes a lot of laughter,” Klehr has observed.
A total of three experienced university sports instructors are on hand for the “Active Break”. This semester, they are supervising 15 groups, which – depending on the size of the lecture theatre – can number up to 400 participants. In consultation with the relevant lecturer – who must have booked the session via the university sports website before the start of the semester – they enter the lecture theatre around halfway through the lecture and get the students moving for five to seven minutes. The lecture then continues. The programme is already fully booked for the winter months. Lecturers who are interested can book the “Active Break” for their course again at the start of the summer semester.
