Florent Desplanques

Florent Desplanques serves as an Associate Professor of Physical Education and Lecturer at the Higher Normal School of Rennes (École normale supérieure de Rennes), a prestigious institution within the University of Rennes system. His academic position combines teaching responsibilities with research focused on the critical intersection of physical activity and educational outcomes.

Desplanques' research fundamentally challenges the historical separation between body and mind in educational settings. His work demonstrates how physical activity directly enhances cognitive functions, brain structure, and academic performance, particularly in mathematics. He argues that sedentary behavior in schools—where students spend the equivalent of an entire year seated from primary through secondary education—has detrimental long-term effects on both physical health and cognitive development.

His recent publication analyzes how to transform school culture to make movement an integral pillar of education rather than merely a break from learning. He advocates for practical classroom interventions like active breaks and movement-integrated lessons where physical activity directly connects to academic content. His work also examines how school environments, spatial design, and scheduling can be reimagined to promote natural movement throughout the school day.

Desplanques collaborates with researchers like Boris Cheval at ENS Rennes and Silvio Maltagliati at Université Bretagne Sud to develop evidence-based approaches that address socio-economic and gender disparities in physical activity, particularly focusing on how girls from disadvantaged backgrounds are disproportionately affected by sedentary school environments.