article+summary+sheet

.  Article Summary Sheet

Name of Article: [|Can Adding Movement to Learning Improve the Classroom Environment?] Author: Templeton, Rosalyn Anstine; Jensen, Rita A. Date: 2008

Source: The Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)

Research Question? Can Adding Movement to Learning Improve the Classroom Environment? There are also four sub questions: 1. How does incorporating physical activity into the classroom promote a cooperative learning environment? 2. How can integrating physical movement into the classroom environment help students learn about personal lifelong physical wellness? 3. How can incorporating physical movement into the classroom help students improve their attention spans? 4. How can using physical movement in the classroom help reduce anxiety and lack of interest in the curriculum content? - 17 students - 9 boys/8 girls - all but one in the normal range for height and weight - ( limited to qualitative data, forcing us to generalize about student height and weight) - Most of these students participated in extra-curricular athletics and enjoyed recess provided daily by the teacher. || - 4th grade - 18 students - 10 boys/ 8 girls - 2 students labeled learning disabled and pulled out of most subjects - The students in this classroom appeared to enjoy the physicality of recess by playing tag and kickball. || - 5th grade - 21 students - 8 boys/ 13 girls - one student appeared to be overweight - The students in this classroom all enjoyed being active during recess. ||
 * Sample? ** Three rural elementary school classes in Virginia.
 * Classes || A  ||  B  ||  C  ||
 * Attributes || - 4th grade

What did the researcher do? - Students were given an informal questionnaire as an initial data collection tool - Worked in each classroom for two full school days a week for a total of 12 weeks

- Implemented physical routines throughout the day based on a timeline that guided their inquiry (mornings: various cardiovascular activities, stretching, breathing and relaxation strategies, and fun opportunities to move)

- Students were video taped - Collection method: naturalistic observations and field notes - Students also kept teacher prompted logs for reflections - Triangulated their data in a chart Results? - Due to curriculum demands placed on the teachers by the high-stakes standardized testing, it was difficult to find a time during the day for us to complete physical movement activities - It was difficult to implement physical movement into the classroom when you are not in full control of the daily routine - T hat the students who expressed the most disinterest were those in the fifth grade classroom - That many of the older students did not express the same interest in the physical movement activities as the younger student - students reported an increased level of energy and a better ability to focus on school related tasks from various physical movement activities. Implications according to author: - Incorporating physical activity is multi-faceted and instrumental in increasing learning capacity - Incorporating physical movement activities into the classroom can be beneficial for students

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