Does Daily Physical Activity really help students learn or is it a waste of time that disrupts learning? Many people believe that DPA apart from its health benefits can actually make students more focused and help lower behavioral issues. If you are on the fence about incorporating DPA into your classroom take a look at the studies and their finding below and see what you think!
DPA AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT/FOCUS
The Influence Of Daily Physical Activity on Academic Progress of Elementary Students is a study that took two groups of students, a primary group from K-2 and a intermediate group fro 3-5 and had their teachers incorporate physical activity into their daily math and reading lessons, they would stop and do ten minuets of dancing or a exercise video before completing their lesson. The teachers would incorporate the physical activity for a series of days and then stop for a series of days and take notes on the behavior and achievement of their students. The study hoped to enforce that " Not only does research suggest that the brain, and with that cognitive functioning, is strengthened by kinesthetic programs but school physical education has also been linked to improving academic performance in students with intellectual disabilities"(Everhart, 303)
RESULTS
While the primary teacher found no correlation between achievement and physical activity, the intermediate teacher found a steady academic increase in those students that put effort into the physical activity this could be "due to the development of brain cells by exercise engagement". Both teachers also found their students were more focused after completing physical activity then when no activity break was giving, this finding stresses that "even when physical education and physical activity time takes away from other classroom work time, academic progress of students is not impaired." (309)
Everhart, B., Dion, C., Stone, D., Desond, D., & Casilio, M. (2012). THE INFLUENCE OF DAILY STRUCTURED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON ACADEMIC PROGRESS OF ELEMENTARY STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES. Education, 133(2), 298-312.
DPA AND ADHD
The Assosiation Between Physical Education and Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder was a study done to examine the connection of ADHD symptoms and physical activity. The study claims that one in twenty children suffer from some type of this disorder. They used a sample of 17, 565 students who had some form of confirmed ADHD and 4391 randomly selected students which they followed from kindergarden to grade 5. Parents and teachers rated the students self control, problem behaviors and overactivity as well as marked down the amount of physical activity they did that week/day.
RESULTS
The results of the Study found that "structured forms of physical activity such as physical education may provide an outlet for children with the symptomsof ADHD and subsequently be associated with lower levels of symptoms." (Brak,968) The study warns that the physical activity should be structured and teacher run as unstructured activities can lead to an increase in behavioral problems. According to the authors of the study, physical activity aids the brain’s ability to generate brain tissue and can
work to reduce the “mental fatigue” associated with ADHD. Although it is hard to come up with concrete proof that physical activity makes learning environments better the study also states that "we do not consider there to be any negative effects associated with moderately applied, structured forms of physical activity such as curriculum-based physical education for children with or without ADHD."(Brak, 968)
Brak, L.,& Davies, T.,& Sulak, T., & Brak, V. (2011)The Association Between Physical Education and Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Physical Activity and Health. (vol.8, pp. 964-970) Retrieved From:
http://bloomberg-manulifeprize.blogspot.ca/2011/12/adhd-and-active-kids.html
DPA DECREASING
DR Phillip Nadar used data collected for The Study of Early Childhood and Youth Development to determine weather children's levels of activity increase or decrease from the ages of 9-15. Researchers had 800 9 year olds wear accelerometers to measure their levels of physical activity, the participants were looked at again at age 11, 12 and 15.
RESULTS
The study found that on average boys were more active then girls at age 9 90% of the participants were meeting the recommended 60 minuets of physical activity per day, but by age 15 only 31% were meeting it. Nader suggested that although families need to be more active together "local school systems can play a major role by ensuring that children receive recess breaks and daily active physical education."
Harrison, W. (July 21, 2008). Children's Physical Activity Drops. In National
Institute of Health. Retrieved Oct 28, 2013, from http://nih.gov/researchmatters/july2008/07212008activity.htm.
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DPA AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT/FOCUS
The Influence Of Daily Physical Activity on Academic Progress of Elementary Students is a study that took two groups of students, a primary group from K-2 and a intermediate group fro 3-5 and had their teachers incorporate physical activity into their daily math and reading lessons, they would stop and do ten minuets of dancing or a exercise video before completing their lesson. The teachers would incorporate the physical activity for a series of days and then stop for a series of days and take notes on the behavior and achievement of their students. The study hoped to enforce that " Not only does research suggest that the brain, and with that cognitive functioning, is strengthened by kinesthetic programs but school physical education has also been linked to improving academic performance in students with intellectual disabilities"(Everhart, 303)
RESULTS
While the primary teacher found no correlation between achievement and physical activity, the intermediate teacher found a steady academic increase in those students that put effort into the physical activity this could be "due to the development of brain cells by exercise engagement". Both teachers also found their students were more focused after completing physical activity then when no activity break was giving, this finding stresses that "even when physical education and physical activity time takes away from other classroom work time, academic progress of students is not impaired." (309)
Everhart, B., Dion, C., Stone, D., Desond, D., & Casilio, M. (2012). THE INFLUENCE OF DAILY STRUCTURED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON ACADEMIC PROGRESS OF ELEMENTARY STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES. Education, 133(2), 298-312.
DPA AND ADHD
The Assosiation Between Physical Education and Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder was a study done to examine the connection of ADHD symptoms and physical activity. The study claims that one in twenty children suffer from some type of this disorder. They used a sample of 17, 565 students who had some form of confirmed ADHD and 4391 randomly selected students which they followed from kindergarden to grade 5. Parents and teachers rated the students self control, problem behaviors and overactivity as well as marked down the amount of physical activity they did that week/day.
RESULTS
The results of the Study found that "structured forms of physical activity such as physical education may provide an outlet for children with the symptomsof ADHD and subsequently be associated with lower levels of symptoms." (Brak,968) The study warns that the physical activity should be structured and teacher run as unstructured activities can lead to an increase in behavioral problems. According to the authors of the study, physical activity aids the brain’s ability to generate brain tissue and can
work to reduce the “mental fatigue” associated with ADHD. Although it is hard to come up with concrete proof that physical activity makes learning environments better the study also states that "we do not consider there to be any negative effects associated with moderately applied, structured forms of physical activity such as curriculum-based physical education for children with or without ADHD."(Brak, 968)
Brak, L.,& Davies, T.,& Sulak, T., & Brak, V. (2011)The Association Between Physical Education and Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Physical Activity and Health. (vol.8, pp. 964-970) Retrieved From:
http://bloomberg-manulifeprize.blogspot.ca/2011/12/adhd-and-active-kids.html
DPA DECREASING
DR Phillip Nadar used data collected for The Study of Early Childhood and Youth Development to determine weather children's levels of activity increase or decrease from the ages of 9-15. Researchers had 800 9 year olds wear accelerometers to measure their levels of physical activity, the participants were looked at again at age 11, 12 and 15.
RESULTS
The study found that on average boys were more active then girls at age 9 90% of the participants were meeting the recommended 60 minuets of physical activity per day, but by age 15 only 31% were meeting it. Nader suggested that although families need to be more active together "local school systems can play a major role by ensuring that children receive recess breaks and daily active physical education."
Harrison, W. (July 21, 2008). Children's Physical Activity Drops. In National
Institute of Health. Retrieved Oct 28, 2013, from http://nih.gov/researchmatters/july2008/07212008activity.htm.
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