BACKGROUND
What correlations exist between the implementation of physical activity, cognitive performance and on-task behaviour?
Is there a specific branch of activity that has proven to be most effective?
Until recently, there has been much debate in the academic community regarding the effects of movement on academic achievement of school-aged children; publications offered mixed reviews and failed to determine any definitive positive correlation. However, a cohesive study by Alicia Fedewa and Soyeon Ahn (2011) explored the results of over eighty findings and successfully identified a positive, direct correlation between students’ physical activity levels and their subsequent performance in school. Furthermore, the type of whole-body movement continued to alter students’ cognitive success with aerobic training offering the greatest improvements over resistance/circuit training, perceptual motor training or standardized physical education programs (Fedewa & Ahn, 2011). While academic performance is heightened in all subject areas, today’s society values literacy and numeracy. It is therefore of particular note that physical activity has the greatest effect on mathematics followed by IQ and reading scores; the magnitude of these achievements was doubled for students medically diagnosed with a cognitive impairment (Fedewa & Ahn, 2011).
It is widely known that academic performance is improved when students engage in on-task behavior. As the twenty-first century continues to progress, a number of publications have emerged that demonstrate an additional positive relationship between these desired actions and physical activity. As shown by Mahar et. al (2006), students who were regularly labeled as ‘least on-task’ in traditional classroom settings experienced an increase in on-task behavior by 20% when provided with regular opportunities for whole-body movement while the remainder of students demonstrated an improvement of 8%. In the historic inactive lesson, students can regularly be seen as disengaged and fidgety with the potential to express elevated behaviors if left stationary. However, by incorporating physical activity into random lessons, fidgety behaviors have the ability to be minimized by an observed 9%, particularly for students who are classified as overweight or obese (Mahar, 2011).
It is widely known that academic performance is improved when students engage in on-task behavior. As the twenty-first century continues to progress, a number of publications have emerged that demonstrate an additional positive relationship between these desired actions and physical activity. As shown by Mahar et. al (2006), students who were regularly labeled as ‘least on-task’ in traditional classroom settings experienced an increase in on-task behavior by 20% when provided with regular opportunities for whole-body movement while the remainder of students demonstrated an improvement of 8%. In the historic inactive lesson, students can regularly be seen as disengaged and fidgety with the potential to express elevated behaviors if left stationary. However, by incorporating physical activity into random lessons, fidgety behaviors have the ability to be minimized by an observed 9%, particularly for students who are classified as overweight or obese (Mahar, 2011).
AEROBIC TRAININGWhole-body exercise can be split into two categories: aerobic and anaerobic (meaning 'with -' and 'without oxygen'.) Anaerobic exercise is the more intense of the two, triggering the formation of lactic acid and that familiar burning feeling in the muscles; this is exemplified in activities such as lifting weights, sprinting or climbing stairs. Aerobic exercise, however, is more suited to the classroom setting in that it elevates both breathing and heart rates, but it can be sustained for longer periods of time; it can be achieved through low intensity cardio activities such as jogging, stretching, dancing or yoga (Weil, 2017).
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RESISTANCE TRAININGResistance training is a specific category of physical activity in which the participant uses some sort of external force/object to contract their muscles; it is usually done with the intention of rapidly building the muscles. For example, exercises such as lifting weights or doing arm curls with resistance bands are classified as resistance training (Weil, 2017). Circuit training consists of multiple series of high-intensity exercises completed back-to-back or with short periods of rest. It is a method of improving endurance and can be seen through activities such as burpees, lunges, steps, push-ups and squats.
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PERCEPTUAL MOTOR TRAINING
Perceptual motor training (PMT) develops students' fine and gross motor skills as well as spatial awareness by exposing them to a variety of activities that combine perception and movement. PMT is also widely used to spark advances in cognitive function. Examples of implementation may include moving with weights to improve balance, playing 'Simon Says' to enhance auditory perception, or throwing/catching various objects to encourage visual perception (Millslagle, n.d.)
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STANDARDIZED PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMINGAlberta's K-12 physical education curriculum currently rests on four general outcomes focusing on the acquisition of skills through movement activities, understanding subsequent health benefits, interacting positively with others and assuming the responsibility of an active life. In every grade, students explore the curriculum through dance, games, gymnastics, individual activities and even activities which take place in an alternate environment such as a skating rink or swimming pool (Alberta Education, 2000).
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Why is the classroom environment ideal for encouraging physical activity?
Recent statistics show that approximately one in four Canadian youth are self-reported to be overweight or obese (Statistics Canada, 2015). Given that today’s students spend more waking hours in a day in a classroom than elsewhere, schools are becoming increasingly influential in addressing and reducing these numbers. With increasing pressure to trade physical activity for instructional minutes, most Canadian students fail to reach the 60 minutes of recommended daily physical activity at school. But because students are only achieving on average a mere 9.7 minutes of physical activity outside of school (from 3:00-5:00p.m.) it is imperative that we reach a balance between instructional time and physical activity. Wouldn't it be great if there were a way to achieve both?
More teachers are turning to using movement in the classroom to improve the statistics and kickstart their student's learning. Class-sized physical intervention has been shown to be more effective than individualized programming in improving cognition and performance, and a mixed-gender environment also returns greater benefits than does a uniform-gendered setting (Fedewa & Ahn, 2011). This unique combination allows the classroom to transform into the ideal environment to implement the daily physical activity that students desperately need. By selecting activities that are easily customizable and that have a high level of student engagement, teachers are able to easily incorporate additional daily activity breaks that help supplement gym classes and recess.
More teachers are turning to using movement in the classroom to improve the statistics and kickstart their student's learning. Class-sized physical intervention has been shown to be more effective than individualized programming in improving cognition and performance, and a mixed-gender environment also returns greater benefits than does a uniform-gendered setting (Fedewa & Ahn, 2011). This unique combination allows the classroom to transform into the ideal environment to implement the daily physical activity that students desperately need. By selecting activities that are easily customizable and that have a high level of student engagement, teachers are able to easily incorporate additional daily activity breaks that help supplement gym classes and recess.
What resources were researched to help select the list of activities that would be implemented?
Finding a comprehensive list of movement activities suited to their individual classroom can be a daunting task for teachers. However, there are numerous databases and resources available to educators to assist them in the search. It is important to note that there is no one specific list of activities that will fit any given group of students perfectly and that each classroom will have a unique combination. Below are some of the resources that were explored prior to creating the upcoming master list; they served as an introduction to the kinds of activities that were available for classroom use. Please note that any resources that were used are cited in the individual activity descriptions.
(Koontz, 2013)
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(Nance, 2016)
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(Boyer, 2014)
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(Persinger, 2015)
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