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What teacher doesn’t have students who like to slouch back in their chairs?

Many of us don’t like it and don’t think it’s a good practice. However, I don’t know about you but, for me, apart from just asking them to sit up (sometimes), I never had a good explanation about why they should.

Until now.

Quartz just ran an article titled Neuroscience says these five rituals will help your brain stay in peak condition.

Here’s a writing prompt I developed from it – you can download the student hand-out here:

Why Should We “Sit Up” In Our Chairs?

An article in Quartz magazine says:

“Mothers everywhere were really onto something when they instructed their children to sit up straight. Not only is an upright position found to increase energy levels and enhance our overall mood, it’s also been shown to increase our confidence…”

One study cited in the article found that people felt tended to feel more powerful and positive when looking up, instead of looking down.  In addition, another study found that people tended to feel more self-confident when they sat-up straight. In other words, when they were “slouching,” they felt less capable of doing a task.

Writing Prompt:

What do the studies say about sitting up straight in a chair? Do you agree with their conclusions? To support your opinion, be sure to include specific examples drawn from your own experience, your observations of others, or any of your readings.

What do you think?

I’m adding this post to The Best Posts On Writing Instruction.