Physical Movement Learning Study

7/25/2019 Physical Movement Learning Study

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Movement and Cognition 1

1

The Ef f ect s of Movement Based Lear ni ng on St udent

Achi evement i n the El ement ary School Cl assr oom

Carol yn Spi el mann

West Cent r al El ement ary SchoolHar t f or d, SD

Under t he Di r ect i on of:

Dr . Kr i st i L. Pear ceKr i st i Pear ce@bhsu. edu

Bl ack Hi l l s St at e Uni ver si t yCol l ege of Educat i on

1200 Uni ver si t y; #9110Spear f i sh, SD 57799- 9110

605.642.6329

Abst r act

The pur pose of t hi s st udy was t o det er mi ne i f physi cal movementwoul d i ncr ease st udent l ear ni ng. St udent s wer e i nvol ved i ndai l y movement act i vi t i es i n or der t o st i mul at e t he br ai n f oropt i mal l ear ni ng. The movement act i vi t i es f r om Br ai n Gymwer ei nt egr at ed i nt o t he second gr ade cur r i cul um. Br ai n Gymi s aneducat i onal cur r i cul um t hat pr omot es whol e- br ai n l ear ni ngt hr ough movement r e- pat t erni ng t o i mpr ove st udent s per f ormanceand at t i t udes about t he l ear ni ng pr ocess. Dat a was col l ect ed on


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t he st udent s DRA Readi ng Scor es, STAR Test s, SuccessmakerTest s, and dai l y j our nal s. At t he concl usi on of t he st udy, t hemaj or i t y of t he st udent s t est scores and gr ades had i mpr oved.Fi ndi ngs i ndi cat ed t hat t he st udent s i n a physi cal movementst udy coul d i ncrease t hei r l ear ni ng, at t ent i on, and at t i t udes.

As a r esul t , movement can be used t o suppor t enhanced st udentl ear ni ng and achi evement i n t he cl assr oom.

Tabl e of Cont ent s

ABSTRACT 2

I NTRODUCTI ON4

LI TERATURE REVI EW7Summar y 28Vocabul ar y Wor ds 30


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METHODOLOGY31

Subj ect s/ Par t i ci pant s31Desi gn32Pr ocedur e34

RESULTS36Anal ysi s of Dat a36

DI SCUSSI ON38Concl usi ons54Recommendat i ons56

REFERENCES59

APPENDI CES64Appendi x A Let t er t o Par ent s64Appendi x B Par ent Sur vey65Appendi x C St udent Sur vey66Appendi x D Mi d- Ter m Repor t 67Appendi x E Cross- Crawl Br ai n Gym Act i vi t y69Appendi x F Lazy 8 s Br ai n Gym Act i vi t y70Appendi x G Doubl e Doodl e Brai n Gym Act i vi t y71Appendi x H El ephant Br ai n Gym Act i vi t y72Appendi x I Neck Rol l s Br ai n Gym Act i vi t y73Appendi x J The Rocker Br ai n Gym Act i vi t y74Appendi x K Bel l y Breat hi ng Br ai n Gym Act i vi t y75Appendi x L The Owl Br ai n Gym Act i vi t y76

Appendi x M Ar m Act i vat i on Brai n Gym Act i vi t y77Appendi x N The Foot f l ex Br ai n Gym Act i vi t y78Appendi x O The Cal f Pump Br ai n Gym Act i vi t y79Appendi x P The Gr avi t y Gl i der Br ai n Gym Act i vi t y80Appendi x Q The Gr ounder Br ai n Gym Act i vi t y81Appendi x R Cr oss Cr awl Si t - Ups Br ai n Gym Act i vi t y82

I nt r oduct i on

Educat ors have al ways been i nt erest ed i n how t hey can hel p

st udent s l ear n. Movement based l ear ni ng demonst r ates t he

i mport ance of movement i n t he l ear ni ng pr ocess by t eachi ng

academi cs ki nest het i cal l y ( Bl aydes, 2002. ) Bl aydes says t hat


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i t i s hel pf ul t o t hi nk of t he br ai n as a muscl e. One of t he

best ways t o maxi mi ze i t i s t hr ough exer ci se and movement

( Bl aydes, 2002, p. 1) .

Educat i onal Ki nesi ol ogy i s a si mpl e and hi ghl y ef f ect i ve

syst em of t ar get ed act i vi t i es t hat pr epar e t he br ai n and t he

ent i r e ner vous system f or opt i mal per f or mance i n al l ar eas. I t

i s based on t he pr i nci pl e t hat movi ng your body maxi mi zes your

br ai n power. Si mpl e physi cal movement s can br i ng about r api d

and aut omat i c i mpr ovement s i n such ski l l s as memory, r eadi ng,

concent r at i on, and communi cat i on. She al so st at es t hat t her e

ar e not i ceabl e gai ns i n creat i vi t y, ener gy l evel s, and

perf ormance.

Ther e ar e mul t i pl e good r easons t o i ncor por at e r egul ar

physi cal act i vi t y and movement i n your cl assr oom. Movement

i ncr eases hear t r at e and subsequent ci r cul at i on, t her ef or e,

per f ormance. St udi es show an i ncr eased perf ormance f ol l owi ng

movement act i vi t i es ( Tompor owski and El l i s, 1986) . I n addi t i on,

i ncr eased movement t ends t o narr ow at t ent i on t o t arget t asks

( East er br ook, 1999) . St r et chi ng, whi ch i ncreases f l ui d f l ow t o

cr i t i cal ar eas, i s an exampl e of a pr oduct i ve movement

act i vi t y. Whi l e i t i ncreases oxygen t o key br ai n ar eas,

st r et chi ng al so pr ovi des an oppor t uni t y f or t he eyes and

muscul o- skel et al syst em t o r el ax (Henni ng, et al . 1997) .


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Ever y physi cal , emot i onal , and cogni t i ve st at e i s

compr i sed of a di f f er ent r hythm i n t he br ai n. Have you ever

t hought of somethi ng you want ed f r omanother r oom i n your

house, but by t he t i me you get t here you can t r emember what i t

was? Fi r st we have t o have t he knowl edge, and then we have t o

be abl e t o r ecover i t i n or der f or i t t o be hel pf ul . Pr act i ci ng

l ear ni ng i n mul t i pl e st at es of mi nd may devel op gr eat er

cogni t i ve f l exi bi l i t y and r ecal l . Br eaki ng up cont ent l ear ni ng

wi t h physi cal movement i s mor e ef f ect i ve t han excessi ve cont ent

dumpi ng ( J ensen, 2000) .

Whi l e l ear ni ng can be accompl i shed i n sedent ar y f ashi on,

i t t ur ns out t hat t he t ypi cal not i on of keepi ng st udent s i n

desks f or extended per i ods of t i me may be mi sgui ded. The human

body was cr eat ed t o wal k, r un, and ski p, but not si t i n chai r s.

Si t t i ng f or l ong per i ods of t i me t akes i t s t ol l on st udent s. I s

t her e a sol ut i on? Yes, t her e ar e si mpl e r emedi es: engage

st udent s i n a var i et y of movement s i ncl udi ng wal ki ng, swi ngi ng,

spi nni ng, and ski ppi ng. Movement i s i mpor t ant because:

Movement devel ops neur al connect i ons. I t act ual l y bui l ds t he

br ai n ( Denni son, 1994) .

The pur pose of t hi s st udy i s t o det er mi ne how I can

i ncr ease my st udent s l ear ni ng abi l i t i es by addi ng movement i n

my cl assr oom.


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Li t er at ur e Revi ew

Movement i s t he door t o l ear ni ng ( Denni son and

Denni son, 1989) . How wi l l t he i nt egr at i on of movement

act i vi t i es i n t he cl assr oom enhance l ear ni ng?

Whi l e r esear chi ng t he ef f ect s of movement on cogni t i on,

t he pr ogr am Br ai n Gym cont i nual l y was i n t he f or ef r ont of much


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r esear ch. Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es wer e devel oped by Denni son,

Ph. D. and coaut hor ed by hi s wi f e. Br ai n Gym i s an educat i onal

cur r i cul um t hat pr omotes whol e br ai n l ear ni ng t hr ough movement

r e- pat t er ni ng t o i mpr ove st udent s per f or mance and at t i t udes

about t he l ear ni ng pr ocess ( J ensen, & Templ et on, 2004) . The

Br ai n Gym pr ogr am has been i nt egr at ed i n many di f f er ent avenues

of l i f e and l ear ni ng. Some of t hese avenues i ncl ude:

Reduci ng t he st r ess of st udent s

Ment al f ocusi ng

Many areas of t herapy

Waki ng up body/ mi nd syst ems

I ncr ease academi c achi evement ( Hannaf ord, 1995 & excel -

abi l i t y. com, 2004) .

We ar e al l nat ur al l ear ner s, bor n wi t h a remar kabl e

mi nd/ body syst em equi pped wi t h al l t he el ement s necessary f or

l ear ni ng. Var i ous st r essor s, however , can i nt r oduce bl ocks

t hat i nhi bi t t he l ear ni ng pr ocess ( Hannaf or d, 1995, p. 109) .

Accordi ng t o J ensen on-off stress i s heal t hy, whi l e l ong

t er m st r ess has negat i ve ef f ect s on our bodi es. St r ess l eads

t o t he deat h of br ai n cel l s i n t he hi ppocampus, ( t he par t of

t he br ai n t hat st or es and pr ocesses memor i es) whi ch i s cr i t i cal

t o expl i ci t memor y f or mat i on ( J ensen, 1998) . J ensen al so

st at es t hat chr oni c or l ong- t er m st r ess i mpai r s a st udent s


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abi l i t y t o sor t out what s i mpor t ant and what s not i mpor t ant .

Long- t er m st r ess i nt er f er es wi t h t he i mmune syst em and causes

i ncreased suscept i bi l i t y t o i l l nesses. St r ess due t o i l l ness

i ncr eases school absences and t he reduct i on of st udent - l ear ni ng

t i me. Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es r educe t he bl ockages caused by

st r ess and al l ow t he body t o f unct i on i n an opt i mal st at e of

l ear ni ng and sel f - cont r ol ( J ensen, & Templ et on, 1996, p. 8) .

Anot her aspect of Br ai n Gym i s t he abi l i t y t o f ocus

ment al l y. Get t i ng t he st udent s at t ent i on and keepi ng i t has

been t he br ass r i ng i n t he wor l d of t eachi ng ( J ensen, 1998, p.

41) . Much has been wr i t t en about t he causes of at t ent i on

di sor der s such as: At t ent i on Def i ci t Hyper act i ve Di sor der

( ADHD) , At t ent i on Def i ci t Di sorder ( ADD) , dysl exi a and ot her

l ear ni ng di sabi l i t i es. I n t he Uni t ed St at es, at t ent i on

def i ci t di sor der s account s f or al most hal f of al l chi l d

psychi at r i c r ef er r al s ( Wi l der as st at ed i n J ensen, 1998,

p. 49) . Hannaf or d suggest s t hat t he l ack of movement ear l y i n

l i f e can cause vest i bul ar syst em devel opment al del ays, whi ch

can cont r i but e t o at t ent i on di sorder s ( Hannaf or d, 1995) . She

goes on t o st at e t hat t he vest i bul ar syst em i s i mpor t ant f or

st udent s t o be al er t and r esponsi ve. The vest i bul ar system

coor di nates body movement s, mai nt ai ns bal ance and equi l i br i um,

and hel ps chi l dr en devel op normal muscl e tone. The vest i bul ar

system pl ays a si gni f i cant r ol e i n t he devel opment of l anguage,


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so that chi l dr en wi t h vest i bul ar dysf unct i on may al so have

audi t or y- l anguage pr ocessi ng pr obl ems.

When chi l dr en ar e physi cal l y act i ve, t hey ar e mor e

r eadi l y at t endi ng t o t he l ear ni ng t ask ( Pi ca, 1999, p. XI ) .

Pi ca cont i nues t o say t hat physi cal act i vi t y hel ps pr event

chi l dr en s at t ent i on f r om bei ng di st r act ed by ext r aneous

f act or s. Wi t h mer r y- go- r ounds and swi ngs di sappear i ng f r om

par ks and pl aygr ounds as f ast as l i abi l i t y cost s go up, t her e s

a new wor r y: mor e l ear ni ng di sabi l i t i es, ( p. XI ) . Al so,

Cl ar k s st udi es suggest t hat cer t ai n spi nni ng act i vi t i es l ed

t o al er t ness, at t ent i on and r el axat i on i n t he cl assr oom

( pesof t ware. com, 2004, p. 6) . Somet hi ng as si mpl e as st andi ng

up, i ncr eases oxygen t o t he br ai n whi ch t hen i ncr eases f ocus

and at t ent i veness ( homeschool hel per . com, 2004, p. 2) .

Anot her si mpl e act i vi t y t o i ncr ease at t ent i on woul d be to

do j umpi ng j acks wi t h t he hands cr ossi ng over each ot her . Thi s

si mpl e movement shoul d hel p t he st udent s concent r ate by

r econnect i ng both hemi spheres of t he br ai n ( Bl akemore, 2003,

p. 5) . Movement i ncr eases our br ai n act i vi t y, whi ch t hen al l ows

us t o nar r ow our at t ent i on t o the t ask at hand ( J ensen, 2000) .

St udi es al so suggest t hat usi ng Br ai n Gym i n t he cl assr oom

not onl y al l ows st udent s a chance t o move but al so enabl es t hem

t o f eel a sense of hope ( J ensen, & Templ et on, 1996) . Al ong

wi t h t he f eel i ngs of sel f - wor t h, Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es can


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enhance soci al ski l l s. Whi l e wor ki ng as a school counsel or ,

Hannaf ord woul d use movement act i vi t i es f r omBr ai n Gym t o work

wi t h emot i onal l y handi capped chi l dr en. By usi ng t hese

movement act i vi t i es, she was abl e to re- pat t er n t hei r br ai n

f unct i oni ng of t he f r ont al l obes. Thi s enabl ed t he st udent s t o

r el ease t hei r t ensi ons, expr ess t hei r f r ust r at i ons and

cul t i vat e honest y ( Hannaf or d, 1995) . Resear ch st at es t hat

movement r egul at es a per sons moods and how t hey r eact t o any

gi ven si t uat i on. J ensen quot es Thayer , i n hi s book Learning

with the Body in Mind, The dat a suggest s t hat exer ci se i s t he

best over al l mood r egul at or ( Thayer , 2000, p. 38) .

At bi r t h i nf ant s are equi pped wi t h devel oped ar eas of t he

br ai n t hat ar e pr ogr ammed f or survi val ( Cai ne & Cai ne, 1994) .

Ot her r esear ch col l abor at es wi t h t he i dea t hat t he neur al

connect i ons are pr edet er mi ned, such as br eat hi ng, and cont r ol

of hear t beat , ot her s are st i mul at ed f r om envi r onment and

exper i ences ( Gabbard, & Rodr i gues, 2004) .

From bi r t h, t he br ai n i s devel opi ng and changi ng t o adapt

t o t he envi r onment i n whi ch i t i s exposed t o ( J ensen, 1998) .

At l east as i mpor t ant as genet i cal l y pr ogr ammed br ai n

devel opment i s what has been cal l ed br ai n pl ast i ci t y. I t means

t hat t he physi cal st r uct ur e of t he br ai n changes as t he r esul t

of exper i ence ( Cai ne & Cai ne, 1994, ) . Movement pl ays an

i mpor t ant par t of devel opi ng t he physi cal br ai n.


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Movement devel ops neur al connect i ons and act ual l y bui l ds

t he br ai n ( Landal f , 2000) . Gabbar d and Rodr i gues bel i eve t hat

t he unpr ogr ammed connect i ons have wi ndows of oppor t uni t i es.

They cont i nue t o st at e t hat t he wi ndow of oppor t uni t y f or

f or mi ng f oundat i ons of gr oss- mot or ski l l s i s bi r t h t o f i ve

year s of age. These ci r cui t s ar e i mpor t ant f or hi gher l evel

l ear ni ng ski l l s. I f t hese connect i ons ar e not made, t he br ai n

prunes away t he unused neur ons.

Br ai n Gym st at es t hat speci f i c movement s can r ever se

unused connect i ons and st i mul ate br ai n devel opment . Research

st at es t hat Br ai n Gym exer ci ses can gr eat l y reduce or el i mi nat e

sympt oms at t r i but ed t o hyper act i vi t y, l ear ni ng di sabi l i t i es,

At t ent i on Def i ci t Di sor der , emot i onal handi caps and Fet al

Al cohol Syndr ome ( Hannaf ord, 1990) . The ol d adage of use it

or lose it does appl y t o br ai n connect i ons and movement ( Boon,

2004, p. 3) . Few r esear cher s woul d deny t hat ear l y movement

exper i ences ar e cr i t i cal t o opt i mal br ai n devel opment . To be

of maxi mumbenef i t , movement exper i ences shoul d be i nt r oduced

ear l y i n l i f e and dur i ng t he wi ndows of oppor t uni t y ( Gabbar d,

& Rodr i gues, 2004, p. 3) .

Movement st i mul at es i ncr easi ng di ver si t y of connect i ons,

whi ch al l ows t hought t o spread beyond i t s or i gi nal f ocus. Now

we can t hi nk out si de t he squar e ( Boon, 2004, p. 3) . Boon

cont i nues t o st ate t hat every movement i s a sensor y motor


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event , and movement act i vi t y i s r equi r ed ( 2004) . Movement

hel ps chi l dr en t o r et ai n what t hey ve l ear ned. Chi l dr en

r emember onl y 20% of what t hey hear and 30% of what t hey see.

But chi l dren r emember 90% of what t hey see, hear , say and DO

( Landal f , 2004, p. 1) !

A st udy conduct ed by Dr . Donczi k, i nvol vi ng ei ght y- one

st udent s i dent i f i ed as dysl exi c, used t he Br ai n GymDenni son

Lat er al i t y Re- pat t er ni ng ( DLR) . The st udy showed t hat DLR

i mpr oved 100% of t he st udent s i nvol vi ng t he ar ea of r eadi ng

( Donczi k, 2004) . Donczi k s s t udy r eveal ed t hat t her e was

r egr essi on i f t he Br ai n Gymexer ci ses wer e not used

consi st ent l y. For t unat el y, even j ust a f ew of t he Br ai n Gym

exer ci ses suf f i ced t o r ei nst at e t he pr evi ous l evel of

per f or mance ( Donczi k, 2004, p. 9) .

Movement can hel p r ei nf or ce academi c ski l l s f or al l

st udent s. Ei ght y- f i ve per cent of school age chi l dr en ar e

nat ur al ki nest het i c l ear ner s ( Hannaf or d as st at ed i n Bl aydes,

2004, p. 4) . Many who ar e doi ng poor l y i n school ar e t act i l e or

ki nest het i c l ear ner s. Expl or i ng t he concept t hr ough movement

gi ves t he chi l d an oppor t uni t y t o do and know. Movement i n al l

cont ent ar eas pr omot es l ear ni ng and r et ent i on ( Pi ca, 2004) .

Another pr ogr am t o i nt egr at e movement i nt o t he cl assr oom

i s cal l ed Boost - Up/ SMART. Thi s progr am was devel oped by a gr oup

of par ent s t hat want ed t o hel p t hei r chi l dr en. The chi l dr en


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had many speci al needs i ncl udi ng: l ear ni ng di sabi l i t i es, br ai n

damage, and ADD/ ADHD. Accor di ng t o t he Boost - Up/ SMART Pr ogr am,

l ear ni ng di f f i cul t i es f or br i ght chi l dr en show up when t hey ar e

l ear ni ng t o r ead. The pr ogr am st r esses t he i mpor t ance of

physi cal bal ance, bei ng abl e t o t r ack l ef t t o r i ght , up and

down wi t h eye movement . Chi l dr en need these ski l l s bef ore

st ar t i ng school ( Boost - Up, 2003) .

Some sci ent i st s bel i eve chi l dr en ar e l acki ng t he school

r eadi ness ski l l s due t o r est r i ct ed movement as young chi l dr en.

Today s i nf ant i s baby- sat by t el evi si on, seated i n a wal ker ,

or st r apped i n a car seat f or hundr eds of pr eci ous mot or

devel opment hour s. I n 1960, t he average 2- year- ol d spent an

est i mat ed 200 hour s i n a car . Today s 2- year - ol d spends an

est i mat ed 500 hour s i n a car seat ( J ensen, 1998, p. 21) !

Pal mer , one of t he key devel opers of Boost - Up/ SMART

( St i mul at i ng Mat ur i t y t hr ough Accel er at ed Readi ness Trai ni ng)

pr ogr am, agr ees t hat chi l dr en ar e not st i mul at ed f or school

r eadi ness ( J ensen, 1998) . I n J ensen s book Teaching with the

Brain in Mind, Pal mer st ates, The human br ai n i s t he most

r esponsi ve or gan you coul d i magi ne . . . we usual l y don t even get

ar ound t o doi ng t he basi cs ( J ensen, 1998 p. 21) . Boost -

Up/ SMART accept s as t r ue t hat wi t h cer t ai n physi cal movement s a

person s capaci t y to l ear n new and r emember ol d i nf ormat i on i s

i ncreased ( act g, 2002, p. 1) .


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Boost Up/ SMART and t he Br ai n Gym progr ams bot h agr ee t hat

chi l dr en ent er school not r eady t o l ear n. School r eadi ness, as

def i ned by t he Boost Up/ SMART pr ogr am i s havi ng t he br ai n

st i mul at ed and r eady f or l ear ni ng. Bei ng abl e t o si t , pay

at t ent i on and wr i t e t hei r names i s not school r eadi ness. I f

t he br ai n i s not st i mul at ed and r eady to l ear n, chi l dr en wi l l

show si gns of l ear ni ng di f f i cul t i es ( DeBoer , 2004) .

Boost Up/ SMART, l i ke t he Br ai n Gym pr ogr am, bel i eves

t hat st i mul at i ng t he br ai n t hr ough t he use of movement

i ncr eases t he chi l d s abi l i t y t o l ear n. The Boost Up/ SMART

cur r i cul um uses speci f i c movement s t o devel op t he vest i bul ar

and mobi l i t y ski l l s needed t o st i mul at e the br ai n ( SMART

Cur r i cul um Gui de, 2004, p. 3) .

St i mul at i ng t he vest i bul ar syst em by usi ng movement i s a

key f oundat i on f or l ear ni ng ( Pr omi sl ow, 2003) . The vest i bul ar

syst em, whi ch cont r ol s our sense of bal ance and movement , i s

al so cent er ed i n t he ear . The vest i bul ar syst em i s

i nt er connect ed t o t he cer ebr al cor t ex, as wel l as t he eyes and

cor e muscl es, and i s hi ghl y i mpor t ant t o t he l ear ni ng pr ocess

( Pr omi sl ow, 2003, p. 123) .

The Lear ni ng Tr i angl e i n Fi gur e 1, shows t he st eps of t he

devel opi ng br ai n. D. N. A. , we ar e bor n wi t h, r ef l exes ar e

aut omat i c ( survi val mode) , and t he br ai n st em devel opment

( t act i l e, vest i bul ar and pr opr i ocept i ve) i s l ear ned t hr ough


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movement . The Boost Up/ SMART progr am s mai n goal i s t o

st i mul at e the br ai ns st em ( DeBoer , 2004) .

Fi gur e 1

I nt egr at i ng act i vi t i es t o st i mul at e t he br ai n st em may

i ncl ude: spi nni ng, cross pat t er n wal ki ng, l at er al i t y/

di r ecti onal i t y, and f i ne mot or acti vi t i es ( S. M. A. R. T.

cur r i cul um gui de, 2004) . The Boost Up/ SMART pr ogr am st r esses

t he i mpor t ance of bei ng t r ai ned i n or der t o pr oper l y i mpl ement

t he cur r i cul um desi gned by t hei r exper t s. They al so st r ess

t hat t hi s i s not a physi cal educat i on pr ogr am, but r at her an

academi c progr am.


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Resear cher s know t hat by i ncr easi ng t he f r equency,

i nt ensi t y and dur at i on of a speci f i c st i mul at i on, a chi l d s

br ai n can become ef f i ci ent i n r ecei vi ng and pr ocessi ng

i nf ormat i on ( Mi nnesot a Lear ni ng Resour ce Cent er ( MLRC) , 2001,

p. 2) . A pr omi nent physi cal t her api st by t he name of Oden,

suggest s aut omat i c mot or ski l l s can be achi eved by i nt egr at i ng

speci f i c movement act i vi t i es t hat enhance the br ai n st em.

I deal l y t he br ai n shoul d be on autopilot f or ski l l s such as

si t t i ng i n a chai r , t yi ng shoes, hol di ng a penci l , and copyi ng

f r om t he boar d. When t he br ai n has t o t hi nk t oo much, l ear ni ng

becomes a chor e f or st r uggl i ng l ear ner s. St r uggl i ng l ear ner s

are copi ng wi t h an i mmatur e syst em ( Oden, 2004, p. 5) .

Educat or s ought t o be pur posef ul about i nt egr at i ng

movement i nt o everyday l ear ni ng ( pesof t ware. com, 2004, p. 7) .

More and more physi cal educat ors are i nt egr at i ng movement

acr oss t he cur r i cul um but cl assr oom t eacher s have not

i nt egr ated movement i nt o t hei r cont ent areas. We know t hat

much of t he br ai n i s i nvol ved i n compl ex movement s and physi cal

exer ci se- i t s not j ust muscl e wor k ( pesof t war e. com, 2004, p.

5) . Abr aham, i n t he Depar t ment of Ki nesi ol ogy, at t he

Uni ver si t y of Texas at Aust i n says, Mat h t eacher s shoul d have

ki ds move i n t he same way P. E. t eacher s have ki ds count

( pesof t war e. com, 2004, p. 7) .


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Cur r ent r esear ch shows t hat chi l dr en s nat ur al at t r act i on

t o physi cal movement and act i vi t y pl ays an i mpor t ant r ol e i n

t he f or mat i ve mat ur at i on of t he br ai n ( Tur ner & Tur ner , as

st at ed i n Bl aydes, 2000) . Tur ner and Tur ner mai nt ai n, t her e

i s a posi t i ve r el at i onshi p bet ween bei ng physi cal l y f i t and

academi cal l y f i t (2000. p. i i i ) .

The br ai n can onl y endur e as much as t he bot t om can

endur e st at es Bl ackwel l . The br ai n needs down t i me t o st ay

al er t and r ej uvenat e ( J ar r et t , 2004) . Most chi l dr en can onl y

hol d t hei r at t ent i on equal t o hi s or her age pl us t wo

( Bl akemor e, 2003, p. 24) . For peopl e of al l ages and i n al l

f i el ds, br eaks ar e consi der ed essent i al f or sat i sf act i on and

al er t ness ( Ol ga, 2004, p. 1) .

J ar r et t def i nes r ecess by quot i ng Pel l egr i ni and Smi t h; a

br eak per i od, t ypi cal l y out door s, f or chi l dr en ( J ar r et t , 2004,

p. 1) . Recess and pl ay ar e of t en over l ooked as i mpor t ant

act i vi t i es t o boost academi c l ear ni ng. Pr ovi di ng t wo r ecesses

t hi r t y mi nut es each i n dur at i on, i n addi t i on t o t he f r equent

cl assroom acti vi t i es, i s opt i mal ( J ensen, 2000, p. 27) .

When we l ook at t he summari es f r om J ensen s books,

Teaching with the Brain in Mind and Learning with the Body in

Mind, we f i nd t hat t he gr owi ng body of r esear ch extol l i ng t he

cogni t i ve benef i t s of physi cal exer ci se st udi es, concl ude t hat

ment al f ocus and concent r at i on l evel s i n chi l dr en i mpr ove


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si gni f i cant l y af t er engagi ng i n st r uctur ed physi cal act i vi t y

( Cat er i no & Pol ak, as ci t ed i n Bl aydes, 1999) . The f i ndi ngs

suggest t hat such physi cal exer ci se as r unni ng, j umpi ng, and

aer obi c game pl ayi ng have a def i ni t e i mpact on chi l dr en s

f r ont al pr i mar y br ai n ar ea f or ment al concent r at i on, pl anni ng,

and deci si on- maki ng. The Pr esi dent s Counci l on Fi t ness and

Spor t s suggest s 30 mi nut es of physi cal act i vi t y a day to

st i mul at e t he br ai n.

Resear cher s ( Pol l at schek & Hagen, as ci t ed by Bl aydes,

1996) say, Chi l dr en who engage i n dai l y physi cal act i vi t y show

super i or mot or f i t ness, academi c per f or mance and at t i t ude

t oward school as compared t o t hei r count erpar t s who do not have

physi cal educat i on. Thi s shows t hat t her e ar e t wo aspect s of

movement t hat benef i t l ear ner s: Physi cal f i t ness i s havi ng a

heal t hy body and heal t hy mi nd. Cogni t i ve r ei nf or cement i s usi ng

a ki nest het i c t act i l e appr oach t o anchor academi c concept s.

Movement pr epar es t he br ai n f or opt i mal l earni ng. Bl ood

t r avel i ng t o t he body f eeds t he br ai n t he needed nut r i ent s of

oxygen and gl ucose. Each t i me you t hi nk, you use up a l i t t l e

gl ucose. Gl ucose i s t o t he br ai n what gasol i ne i s t o a car -

br ai n f uel ( Bl aydes, 2004) . Br ai n act i vi t y i s measur ed by

gl ucose ut i l i zat i on. A human exchanges about 10% of hi s/ her

oxygen wi t h each normal br eat h, meani ng t hat about 90% of t he

oxygen i n our body i s s t al e unt i l we deep br eat he or exer ci se.


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A l ack of oxygen t o t he br ai n r esul t s i n di sor i ent at i on,

conf usi on, l ack of concent r at i on and memory pr obl ems. Vi gorous

act i vi t y gi ves t he br ai n i t s needed nut r i ent s ( Bl aydes, 2004) .

When humans exer ci se, t he body and brai n goes i nto a

homeost at i c st at e, ( physi ol ogi cal bal ance i n t he body)

bal anci ng br ai n chemi cal s, and syst em f unct i ons. When t he body

and br ai n ar e out of bal ance because of physi cal i nact i vi t y,

t he st udent i s not i n a good l ear ni ng st at e. Movement , physi cal

act i vi t y, and exer ci se put t he l ear ni ng st at e i nt o one

appr opr i at e f or r et ent i on and r et r i eval of memor y. Thi s

evi dence i s a sound ar gument f or dai l y qual i t y physi cal

act i vi t y and/ or r ecess ( Bl aydes, 2004) .

Many r esear cher s ( Houst on 1982, Ayer s 1972, Hannaf ord

1995) ver i f y that sensory mot or i nt egr at i on i s f undament al t o

school r eadi ness. I n a st udy done i n Seat t l e, Washi ngt on, t hi r d

gr ade st udent s st udi ed l anguage ar t s concept s t hr ough dance

act i vi t i es. The st udent s i nvol ved i n t he dance act i vi t i es,

boost ed t hei r r eadi ng scor es by 13 percent i n 6 mont hs. A

compl et e r out i ne i ncl uded spi nni ng, crawl i ng, r ol l i ng, r ocki ng,

t umbl i ng, poi nt i ng, and matchi ng. Pal mer has document ed

si gni f i cant gai ns i n at t ent i on and r eadi ng f r om t hese

st i mul at i ng act i vi t i es ( Pal mer , 1980) . Whi l e many educat or s

know of t hi s connect i on, near l y as many di smi ss t he connect i on

once chi l dr en pass t he f i r st or second gr ade. Resear ch suggest s


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t he r el at i onshi p between movement and l ear ni ng cont i nues

t hr oughout l i f e.

We ar e i n a t i me of educat i on when many chi l dr en don t

par t i ci pat e i n physi cal educat i on. Budget cut s of t en t ar get t he

ar t s and physi cal educat i on as f r i l l s. Thi s i s a shame

because t her e s good evi dence t hat t hese act i vi t i es make school

i nt erest i ng t o many st udent s and t hey can boost academi c

per f or mance. Physi cal act i vi t y i s essent i al i n pr omot i ng

nor mal gr owt h of ment al f unct i on, says Donal d Ki r kendal l ,

( Pol l at schek & Hagen 1996, pg. 9) .

Recess and f r ee pl ay pr ovi de chi l dr en wi t h val uabl e t i me

t o st r et ch, bend, and r el ease ener gy. Thr ough t hi s f r eedom,

chi l dr en l ear n t o enj oy movement f or i t s own sake. I t al l ows

t hem t o pr act i ce cooper at i on, r espect f or r ul es, t aki ng t ur ns,

shar i ng, usi ng l anguage t o communi cate and sol vi ng pr obl ems i n

r eal l i f e si t uat i ons. These ar e al l i mpor t ant ski l l s t hat can

hel p them i n the cl assr oom ( par ent spot . com) .

Many br ai n r esear ch exper t s are advocat i ng f or dai l y

physi cal educat i on i n educat i onal ci r cl es ci t i ng evi dence t hat

suppor t s t he l i nk of movement t o l ear ni ng. Thi s i s what some of

t he l eadi ng exper t s i n compat i bl e l ear ni ng say:

Dr . Gar dner , aut hor of Frames of Mind, decl ar ed one of hi s

ei ght mul t i pl e i nt el l i gence as t he ki nest het i c mul t i pl e

i nt el l i gence. I f physi cal educat i on i s cut f r om our school ,


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one ei ght h of human i nt el l i gences are el i mi nat ed. Dr . Mar i on

Di amond, aut hor of Magic Trees of the Mind, whose resear ch on

enr i ched envi r onment s showed t he i mport ance of pl ay i n ear l y

br ai n devel opment . Thi s cr i t i cal mot or devel opment sets t he

st age f or br ai n pr ocesses used l at er f or decodi ng and pr obl em

sol vi ng. Thi s i s a st r ong ar gument f or dai l y el ement ar y

physi cal educat i on st ar t i ng i n ki nder gar t en.

Dr . Per t , aut hor of Molecules of Emotion, t el l s of t he

i mpor t ance of pr oper di et and exer ci se. Lear ni ng happens

t hr oughout t he body, not j ust i n t he synapt i c connect i ons of

t he br ai n. Heal t hy act i ve st udent s make bet t er l ear ner s. Dr .

Syl west er , aut hor of A Celebration of Neurons and a Biological

Brain in a Cultural Classroom says t hat movement f aci l i t at es

cogni t i on. He al so says t hat t he r eason humans have t he br ai n

we do i s because we move. He al so poi nt s out t hat a cent r al

mi ssi on of t he br ai n t o i nt el l i gent l y navi gat e i t s envi r onment .

Ther ef or e, l earni ng must i ncl ude movement , concept s, and ski l l s

( Bl aydes, 2004) .

Koval i k, l eadi ng aut hor i t y on br ai n compat i bl e l ear ni ng

whose resear ch has served 250, 000 st udent s, says movement t o

enhance l ear ni ng i s one of t he br ai n compat i bl e component s

based on br ai n f i ndi ngs. She bel i eves t hat st udent s r et ai n

i nf ormat i on bet t er when movement wi t h i nt ent i on i s used t o

t each academi c concept s ki nest het i cal l y. J ensen, out l i nes t he


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causes of changes i n sever al l ear ni ng di f f er ences. He concl udes

t hat movement , r hythms, physi cal act i vi t y and exer ci se hel p

cont r ol many of t he condi t i ons such as ADD, Dysl exi a,

Hyper act i vi t y, Opposi t i onal Di sor der , Lear ni ng Del ays, and

React i ve At t achment Di sorder . Many st udent s wi t h l ear ni ng

di sabi l i t i es f i nd success i n t he gym because t he school s

cur r i cul um meet s t hei r needs i n a way t hat t he t r adi t i onal

cl assr oom may not .

I t used t o be t hat t he bi ggest deci si on st udent s had t o

make was whether t o spend t he af t ernoon r ecess pl ayi ng ki ckbal l

or mast er i ng t he monkey bars. Hi gher academi c expectat i ons are

f or ci ng t eacher s t o squeeze mor e i nst r uct i onal t i me out of each

school day ( par ent spot . com. 2004) . Many exper t s bel i eve t hat a

st eady di et of t el evi si on and comput er s i s a pr i me r eason f or

decl i ni ng heal t h i n chi l dr en ( par ent spot . com. 2004) . When

st udent s spend t i me movi ng and expl or i ng out door s, t hey al so

begi n t o devel op t he same t ypes of i nvest i gat i ve ski l l s t hat

wi l l hel p them when t ackl i ng subj ect s such as sci ence and mat h.

Physi cal l y act i ve chi l dr en have a gr eat er chance of bei ng

heal t hy f or l i f e. They ar e al so mor e l i kel y t o do bet t er i n

school . Accor di ng t o a st udy i n t he J our nal of School Heal t h,

physi cal l y act i ve chi l dr en showed i ncr eased concent r at i on,

i mpr oved mathemat i cs, r eadi ng and wr i t i ng t est scores and

r educed di sr upt i ve behavi or s. Regul ar physi cal act i vi t y al so


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hel ps ensure the st r engt h and physi cal devel opment chi l dr en

need t o hol d a penci l pr oper l y and f or m l et t er s and number s,

hol d t hei r heads and bodi es upr i ght f or l engt hs of t i me, and

make pr oper eye cont act wi t h teachers as t hey l ear n

( par ent spot . com. 2004) .

Recess i s t he r i ght of ever y chi l d. Ar t i cl e 313 of t he

Uni t ed Nat i ons Convent i on on Chi l dr en s Ri ght s st at es t hat

ever y chi l d has t he r i ght t o l ei sur e t i me. Taki ng away recess,

whet her as a di sci pl i nar y measur e or abol i shi ng i t i n t he name

of wor k, i nf r i nges on t hat r i ght . [ Skr upskel i s, as ci t ed i n

Cl ement s ( 2000) .

Physi cal act i vi t y f uel s t he br ai n wi t h a bet t er suppl y of

bl ood and pr ovi des br ai n cel l s wi t h a heal t hi er suppl y of

natur al subst ances; t hese subst ances enhance br ai n gr owt h and

hel p the br ai n make a gr eat er number of connect i ons between

neur ons ( Heal y, 1998) . The connect i ons make t he br ai n bet t er

abl e t o pr ocess a var i et y of i nf or mat i on, t hus l eadi ng t o

i mpr oved r et ent i on of f act s, a gr eat er under st andi ng of

concept s, and subsequent l y hi gher achi evement .

Exampl es of cont ent areas t hat can be expl ored i n cont ext

out door s and on a pl aygr ound i ncl ude:

t he nat ur al el ement s: exper i enci ng wi nd, di r t , wat er , and

seasons


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physi cs: usi ng a seesaw, mer r y- go- r ound, and swi ngs

ar chi t ect ur e and desi gn: bui l di ng wi t h nat ur al mat er i al s

mat h and numbers: count i ng, keepi ng scor e

l anguage devel opment : expl ai ni ng, descr i bi ng,

ar t i cul at i ng, seeki ng i nf or mat i on, and maki ng use of or al

l anguage/ vocabul ary/ word power ( Denni son, 1999) .

To enhance whol e- brai n l earni ng, Denni son suggest s usi ng

si mpl e and enj oyabl e movement s. These act i vi t i es make al l t ypes

of l ear ni ng easi er , and ar e especi al l y ef f ect i ve wi t h academi c

ski l l s. ( Denni son, 1999. ) Tr adi t i onal l y, educat or s have

addr essed f ai l ur e by devi si ng pr ogr ams t o bet t er mot i vat e,

ent i ce, r ei nf or ce, dr i l l and st amp i n l ear ni ng. These

progr ams succeed t o a degree. However , why do some l ear ner s do

so wel l whi l e ot her s do not ? I n Educat i onal Ki nesi ol ogy, whol e-

br ai n l ear ni ng i s used as wel l as movement r e- pat t er ni ng.

Thr ough Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es st udent s access t he par t s of

t he br ai n pr evi ousl y i naccessi bl e t o t hem. The changes i n

l ear ni ng and behavi or are of t en i mmedi ate and pr of ound, as

chi l dr en di scover how t o r ecei ve i nf or mat i on and expr ess

t hemsel ves si mul t aneousl y.

For mor e t han f i f t y year s, educat or s i n behavi or al

sensor i - mot or t r ai ni ng have pr ovi ded st at i st i cal r esear ch

showi ng t he ef f ect s of movement upon l ear ni ng. Dr .


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Denni son s f ami l i ar i t y wi t h t hi s r esear ch, l ed t hi s i nf or mat i on

t o be put i nt o qui ck, si mpl e, t ask- speci f i c movement s t hat

benef i t ever y l ear ner .

Many t eacher s use al l of t he Br ai n Gym movement s i n

t hei r cl assr ooms ever y day. Ot her t eacher s use onl y the

movement s r el at ed t o r eadi ng, dur i ng t hei r r eadi ng t i me.

Of t en doi ng t he Br ai n Gymmovement s f or a speci f i c ski l l

wi l l al l ow t he st udent t o make an i mmedi ate i mpr ovement i n

behavi or or per f or mance.

When st udent s are i nt r oduced t o Br ai n Gym, t hey seem

t o l ove i t , r equest i t , t each i t t o t hei r f r i ends, and

i nt egr at e i t i nt o t hei r l i ves, wi t hout any coachi ng or

super vi si on. ( Denni son, 1999, p. 2) .

When st udent s ar e gi ven t he oppor t uni t y t o move i n

t hei r own way, t hey ar e capabl e of compl et i ng t he l ear ni ng

cycl e. Wi t h suppor t , and permi ssi on t o move i n t he

cl assr oom i n a posi t i ve manner , st udent s wi l l unf ol d i nt o

uni que and compl et e i nt el l i gence i n a way that i s nat ur al

and easy ( Denni son, 1999) .

Today' s brai n, mi nd, and body r esear ch est abl i shes

si gni f i cant l i nks bet ween movement and l ear ni ng. Educat or s

ought t o be pur posef ul about i nt egr at i ng movement act i vi t i es

i nt o everyday l ear ni ng. Thi s i ncl udes much more t han hands- on


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act i vi t i es. I t means dai l y st r et chi ng, wal ks, dance, t heat er ,

dr ama, seat - changi ng, ener gi zers, and physi cal educat i on. The

whol e not i on of usi ng onl y l ogi cal t hi nki ng i n a mat hemat i cs

cl ass f l i es i n t he f ace of cur r ent br ai n r esear ch. Br ai n-

compat i bl e l ear ni ng means t hat educat ors shoul d weave math,

movement , geogr aphy, soci al ski l l s, r ol e pl ay, sci ence, and

physi cal educat i on t oget her . I n f act , Abr aham i n t he

Depar t ment of Ki nesi ol ogy at t he Uni ver si t y of Texas at

Aust i n says, "Cl assr oom t eacher s shoul d have ki ds move f or

t he same reason t hat P. E. t eacher s have ki ds count "

( 1997) . Physi cal educat i on, movement , dr ama, and t he art s can

al l be one cont i nual t heme. ( pesof t war e. com, 2004) .

Hannaf or d says, "Ar t s and at hl et i cs ar e not f r i l l s. They

const i t ut e power f ul ways of t hi nki ng, and ski l l ed ways of

communi cat i ng wi t h t he wor l d. They deser ve a gr eat er , not

l esser por t i on of school t i me and budget s" ( Hannaf or d, 1995, p.

88) .

Recent br ai n r esear ch hi ghl i ght s t he i mpor t ance of ear l y

l i t er acy exper i ences f or chi l dr en. Resear ch al so gi ves i nsi ght

on devel opi ng r eadi ng r eadi ness ski l l s mor e ef f ect i vel y i n our

cl assr ooms ( J ensen, 1996) . Not sur pr i si ngl y, br ai n- based

l ear ni ng r eaf f i r ms and val i dates what good t eachers of young

chi l dr en have been doi ng nat ur al l y f or year s!

Chi l dr en need r i ch exper i ences t hat are meani ngf ul


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and i nt er est i ng. Onl y wi t h f i r st hand exper i ences do chi l dr en

have somethi ng wi t h whi ch t o connect l ear ni ng. Chi l dr en' s

br ai ns al so enj oy novel t y and new t hi ngs t hat wi l l chal l enge

and st r et ch t hem t o t he next l evel .

One of t he most cur i ous observat i ons made by br ai n

r esear cher s i s t hat physi cal movement i s i mpor t ant t o l ear ni ng.

A chi l d s movement i s qui t e nat ur al unt i l t hey ent er school ,

wher e there i s l ess and l ess oppor t uni t y t o i nt egr at e movement

and physi cal sensi ng i nt o l ear ni ng exper i ences. A f ew subj ect s

t hat r et ai n t hi s i mpor t ant aspect of l ear ni ng ar e t he ar t s

and the physi cal sci ences. Though some ef f or t s have been made

by psychol ogy and soci ol ogy t eacher s t o i ncor por ate

exper i ment at i on and r eal l i f e i nvol vement , t he t eachi ng pr ocess

has r el i ed on st udent s si t t i ng at desks l i st eni ng t o a l ect ur e

or watchi ng a demonst r at i on i n order t o devel op knowl edge of

t he ar ea bei ng t aught .

I f we ar e to bet t er educat e our st udent s t hen we must

acknowl edge t he i mpor t ance of movement . The purposef ul change

of pl ace, posi t i on, or post ur e as par t of t he l ear ni ng pr ocess,

and physi cal encodi ng t he l ear ni ng pr ocess whi ch uses t he

physi cal body to t r ansf er i nf or mat i on f r om t he abst r act or

symbol i c l evel t o a mor e concr et e l evel are i nt egr al t o

t hi s movement , and can pr oduce more pr eci se l ear ni ng wi t h a


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hi gher r at e of r et ent i on. Encodi ng t echni ques mi ght consi st

of t he use of r hyt hms, r ol e pl ayi ng, physi cal l y mani pul at i ng

mat er i al s and t he creat i on of si t uat i ons or act ual event s.

As gym cl asses get scal ed back and sedent ar y pur sui t s l i ke

vi deo games become ever more popul ar , chi l dr en are get t i ng

l ess and l ess dai l y physi cal exer ci se. We need t o make sur e al l

ki ds are exer ci si ng dai l y. Some ways we can do t hi s i s by

exposi ng our chi l dr en t o a movement based cur r i cul um.

I n concl usi on, t hi s r esearch has caused me t o more

f ul l y appr eci at e t he compl exi t i es of st udent s and l ear ni ng.

Or gani zi ng an ef f i ci ent l ear ni ng envi r onment t hat pr omot es

r esponsi bi l i t y, r espect , cooper at i on, and movement s sets t he

st age f or a pr oduct i ve cl assr oom. My teachi ng j our ney

cont i nues as I r ef l ect upon my second gr ade cl assr oom i n

l i ght of my new gui del i nes of est abl i shi ng an ef f ect i ve

movi ng envi r onment . They are many st eps t hat I have t aken

t o cr eat e an act i on based l ear ni ng envi r onment , and many more

t hat can be used t o st r engt hen t he f oundat i on of posi t i ve

l ear ni ng out comes.

I n t he cour se of t hi s st udy, I have come t o r eal i ze t he

i mpor t ance movement pl ays i n cont r i but i ng t o an ef f ect i ve

l ear ni ng envi r onment f or my st udent s, and I am eager t o adapt

t hi s new knowl edge i n my cl assr oom. I l ear ned t he i mport ance

of movement i n t he l ear ni ng pr ocess and wi l l be t eachi ng


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academi cs ki nest het i cal l y. I have a new appr eci at i on f or t he

i mpor t ance of devel opment al l y appr opr i ate movement i n every

aspect of a chi l d s l i f e. I ve l ear ned t hat movement and

act i ve pl ay not onl y cont r i but e t o a chi l d s physi cal

devel opment but al so t o t hei r soci al / emot i onal and cogni t i ve

devel opment . Based on t hese r esul t s, I can see t he benef i t of

addi ng movement i n my cl assr oom. Because of t hi s bel i ef I have

exceeded my l of t i est expect at i ons! Tr ul y, my rol e as a

r esearcher has been a dynami c one i n my quest f or knowl edge on

t he subj ect of movement and l ear ni ng. Movement shoul d pl ay a

vi t al par t i n t he desi gn of cl assr ooms t oday and i n t he f ut ur e.

Vocabul ary Wor ds

BOOST UP/ SMART- S. M. A. R. T. ( St i mul at i ng Matur i t y t hr oughAccel er at ed Readi ness Tr ai ni ng) . Thi s i s a met hod of pr oduci ngr eadi ness ski l l s to i mpr ove ear l y academi c achi evement . Thepr ogr am was devel oped by Lyel l e Pal mer , Ph. D. , i n conj unct i onwi t h Bob DeBoer , Co- Di r ect or of New Vi si ons School i nMi nneapol i s, Mi nnesot a. Thei r st udy of br ai ndevel opment / neur ophysi ol ogy has been i nst r ument al i ni dent i f yi ng act i vi t i es t hat st i mul at e br ai n devel opment andgr owt h i n t he ear l y year s.


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Br ai n Gym Act i vi t i es - Br ai n Gymi s made up of si mpl e andenj oyabl e act i vi t i es t hat t eacher s can use i n t he cl assr oom t oenhance t hei r exper i ence of whol e br ai n l ear ni ng. Theseact i vi t i es make l ear ni ng mor e ef f ect i ve. Whol e- br ai n l ear ni ngt hr ough r e- pat t er ni ng and Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es enabl es st udent s

t o access par t s of t he br ai n pr evi ousl y unavai l abl e.

DRA Test s ( Devel opment al Readi ng Assessment ) DRA Test s are ani ndi vi dual l y admi ni st er ed, cr i t er i on- r ef er enced assessmentconduct ed dur i ng a one- on- one r eadi ng conf erence. The DRA i sadmi ni st er ed t hr ee t o f our t i mes each year t o al l st udent s i nsecond gr ade. Resul t s ar e used t o det er mi ne a st udent si nst r uct i onal r eadi ng l evel , gui de t he t eacher i n pl anni ng t hecl assr oom i nst r uct i onal pr ogr am, i dent i f y appr opr i at e suppor t sand i nt er vent i ons, and document pr ogr ess over t i me.

Educat i onal Ki nesi ol ogy A si mpl e and hi ghl y ef f ect i ve systemof t ar get ed act i vi t i es t hat pr epar e t he br ai n and t he ent i r ener vous syst em f or opt i mal per f or mance i n al l ar eas.

STAR Test s Measures st udent s r eadi ng comprehensi on and mat hcomput at i ons t hr ough comput er i zed t est i ng. STAR Readi ng hel pst he t eacher det er mi ne the readi ng l evel of each st udent ,measur e i ndi vi dual and cl ass gr owt h, and f or ecast r esul t s onst andar di zed t est s. St udent s can compl et e t he comput er - adapt i veassessment i n l ess t han 10 mi nut es, and t eacher s get accur at e,r el i abl e, nor m- r ef er enced scores i mmedi at el y! STAR Mat h t est shel p st udent s l ear n i ndependent l y and i mpr ove pr obl em- sol vi ng

ski l l s. I t al so accur at el y assesses t he ski l l l evel s of eachst udent .

Successmaker Scor es Thi s i s a comput er assi st ed l ear ni ngpr ogr am cover i ng cur r i cul um ar eas of mat h and r eadi ng t hat i si ndi vi dual i zed and var i es accor di ng t o abi l i t i es of eachst udent .

METHODOLOGY

Subj ect s/ Par t i ci pant s

Thi s st udy t ook pl ace at an el ement ar y school i n

Hart f ord, Sout h Dakota dur i ng t he 2004- 2005 school year . The

el ement ar y school i s l ocat ed i n a r ur al ar ea, and t he


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st udent s ar e f r om a mi ddl e soci o- economi c st at us.

Cur r ent l y, t her e ar e appr oxi mat el y 250 st udent s enr ol l ed

i n t hi s el ement ar y school . The school houses t hr ee cl assr ooms

of second gr ade. Ni net een st udent s f r om t wo separ at e second

gr ade cl assr ooms wer e i nvol ved i n t hi s st udy. Thi s cl assr oom

di d movement act i vi t i es t hat wer e appr opr i at e f or t hi s age

gr oup. The cont r ol l ed cl assr oom di d not use movement

act i vi t i es. The par t i ci pant s of t hi s st udy wer e i nvol ved i n a

movement cur r i cul um.

Desi gn

The assessment s of t he st udent s exper i enci ng Br ai n Gym

movement act i vi t i es were i nf ormal and f ormal . The

r esear cher eval uat ed t he st udent s pr ogr ess by observi ng what

movement s t he st udent s were per f ormi ng ( i nf ormal l y) and how

t hey expl ai ned t hem t o the teacher dur i ng conver sat i ons. Al so,

t he teacher observed what t he st udent s wr ot e i n t hei r dai l y

j our nal s. I nf or mal l y r evi ewi ng t he st udent s j our nal s by r eadi ng

t he j our nal ent r i es i ndi cat ed whet her or not t he st udent s

under st ood a par t i cul ar concept t hat was cur r ent l y bei ng

st udi ed. The t eacher f or mal l y eval uat ed t he st udent s j our nal s,

STAR Test s, Successmaker Test s, and DRA Scor es, and recor ded

t he r esul t s on a Mi d- Ter m Repor t and i ndi vi dual eval uat i on and

assessment f orms( Appendi x D) . These assessment f or ms were


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pl aced i n t he st udent s f ol der s t o be used wi t h t he r epor t

cards. The pur pose of t hese eval uat i ons was t o determi ne t he

st udent s pr ogr ess, eval uat e, pl an i nst r uct i on, and make

changes. These eval uat i ons and assessment s were al so used t o

communi cat e wi t h t he par ent s about t hei r chi l d s progr ess.

Sur veys wer e f i l l ed out by t he par ent s i n Sept ember t o

det er mi ne what t hei r opi ni ons wer e on t he Br ai n Gymact i vi t i es,

t he st udent s gr ades, and what t he parent s want ed t o see i n

t hei r chi l d s f ol der at conf er ences. I n November and Febr uar y

af t er par ent - t eacher conf er ences, t wo ot her sur veys wer e f i l l ed

out by t he par ent s t o det er mi ne what t hey t hought of t hei r

chi l d s progr ess, and r eadi ng and mat h t est s ( Appendi x B) . The

st udent s al so answer ed sur vey quest i ons about t hei r wr i t i ng

j our nal s and f ol der s f or conf er ences about t he same t i me t hat

t he par ent s compl et ed t hei r sur veys ( Appendi x C) . The resul t s

f r om t hese sur veys wer e used t o col l ect dat a f or t hi s st udy.

I nf or mat i on was gat her ed by di r ect observat i ons of st udent s

exper i enci ng t he Br ai n Gymmovement act i vi t i es. Addi t i onal

f act s wer e col l ect ed t hr ough f or mal i nt er vi ews and/ or

i nf or mal di scussi ons wi t h st udent s, t eacher s, pr i nci pal ,

par ent s, and physi cal educat i on t eacher s. STAR Readi ng,

STAR Mat h, Successmaker Readi ng, Successmaker Mat h, and

DRA assessment s were used to exami ne the f act s r el ated t o

t hi s st udy.


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Mat er i al gat her ed was anal yzed and used t o f or m gener al

asser t i ons. These br oad asser t i ons wer e ei t her suppor t ed or

not t hr ough f ur t her i nf or mat i on col l ect ed. Thi s study i s

i nt ended t o show t he ef f ect i veness of Br ai n Gymi n t he

cl assr oom t o i ncrease academi c ski l l s.

Thi s st udy i ncl udes consi der at i on of r esear ch conduct ed i n

areas ot her t han movement . The reason f or t hi s was t hat one

second gr ade cl assr oom i n our di st r i ct , but l ocat ed i n a

di f f erent communi t y, had not been usi ng movement i n t he

cl assr oom. The obj ect i ve was t o see i f i t made a di f f er ence

i n t he cl assr oom per f or mance i n connect i on wi t h a cont r ol l ed

cl assr oom.

Thi s st udy i s al so desi gned t o exami ne whet her t he

f r equency of movement has a cor r el at i on wi t h st udent out put

of t he second gr ade cur r i cul um.

Procedur e

The f i r st st ep i n i mpl ement i ng t hi s st udy i nvol ved

di scussi ng t he study wi t h t he pr i nci pal and gai ni ng her

appr oval . A l et t er was sent home wi t h t he st udent s who


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par t i ci pat ed i n t hi s r esear ch pr oj ect wi t h an expl anat i on

of what t he st udy i nvol ved. The l et t er i ndi cat ed t hat t he

st udent s gr ades woul d not be af f ect ed by t hei r

par t i ci pat i on i n t he st udy (Appendi x A) .

At t he begi nni ng of t he r esear ch pr oj ect , t he r esear cher

expl ai ned t o t he st udent s t hat t hey woul d be i nvol ved i n a

Br ai n Gym st udy. Br i ef l y, t he t eacher out l i ned how t he

movement st udy wor ked and what was expect ed of t he

st udent s. The st udent s were encour aged t o be i nvol ved i n

t he Br ai n Gym movement act i vi t i es ever y mor ni ng.

The t eacher f ol l owed gui del i nes of t he school di st r i ct

and used t he second gr ade cur r i cul um t o f ocus on t he concept s

t aught . The st udent s wer e gi ven f r eedom of choi ce t o st and

where t hey want ed bef ore we st ar t ed. The t eacher gave t he

st udent s di r ect i ons on how t o per f or m t he Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es,

and t he st udent s woul d emul ate t he exerci ses.

At t he end of t he sessi ons, t he st udent s wer e i nvol ved i n

j our nal wr i t i ng on what t hey t hought of t he Br ai n Gym

act i vi t i es. They al so coul d wr i t e about how t he act i vi t i es got

t hem st ar t ed f or t he day or i f t hey f el t i t di dn t make a

di f f er ence.

To i mpl ement t he Br ai n Gym exerci ses, t he t eacher model ed

t he st ep- by- st ep pr ocess unt i l t he st udent s became f ami l i ar


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wi t h t he exer ci ses. The teacher model ed t he act i vi t y pr ocess

i n a whol e gr oup act i vi t y by demonst r at i ng t o t he st udent s t he

pr oper way t o per f or m t he exer ci ses. The t eacher woul d t hen

i nvol ve t he st udent s i n t he Br ai n Gymexer ci ses. The st udent s

were pr ovi ded wi t h many exampl es of t he Br ai n Gym exerci ses. At

t he begi nni ng of t he Br ai n Gym pr ocess, t he st udent s used t hei r

copi es of t he Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es t o per f or m each exer ci se. As

t he st udent s pr ogr essed i n t hei r Br ai n Gym exer ci ses, t he

t eacher woul d have the student s per f or m t he act i vi t i es wi t hout

t he copi es. By t he end of t he st udy, t he st udent s wer e doi ng

t he Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es wi t h gr eat ski l l and conf i dence.

Appendi ces E- R show speci f i c Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es t he st udent s

ar e engaged i n. Thi s al so i ncl udes an expl anat i on of each

exer ci se.

Resul t s

Dat a was col l ect ed f r om i nf or mal and f or mal assessment s.

The r esear cher i nf or mal l y eval uat ed t he st udent s progr ess by

obser vi ng what t he st udent s wr ot e i n t hei r j our nal s af t er

perf ormi ng t he Br ai n Gym movement s. The t eacher f ormal l y


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eval uat ed the st udent s t est s r esul t s i n Sept ember and

Febr uar y, and r ecor ded t he r esul t s on i ndi vi dual assessment

f or ms. Dat a was al so col l ect ed f r om t he sur veys t hat wer e

f i l l ed out by t he par ent s and t he student s. The t eacher s

eval uat i ons of t he dat a col l ect ed f r om t he par ent / st udent

surveys and r eadi ng/ math t est s were used t o reach a concl usi on

on movement i n t he cl assr oom and l ear ni ng.

The r esul t s of t he st udy r eaf f i r med t he r esear cher s

bel i ef t hat st udent s do l ear n by usi ng t he Br ai n Gym

act i vi t i es.

Anal ysi s of t he Dat a

I n Sept ember , a sur vey was f i l l ed out by t he par ent s,

mai nl y t o f i nd out i f t he par ent s f el t i t was i mpor t ant t o have

t hei r chi l d r eady t o l ear n each day by i mpl ement i ng

movement i n t he cl assr oom and be wel l i nf or med of t hei r

chi l d s pr ogr ess. I n November , at conf er ences, t he par ent s

f i l l ed out anot her sur vey, and t he most i mpor t ant quest i on

on t hi s survey per t ai ned t o t hei r opi ni on on usi ng Br ai n

Gymi n t he cl assr oom. Af t er par ent - t eacher conf er ences i n

Febr uar y, t he st udent s and par ent s f i l l ed out a sur vey

t hat was i dent i cal t o t he November survey. The data

col l ect ed f r om t he l ast sur vey woul d be t he most si gni f i cant

i n anal yzi ng t he student s at t i t ude towar d Br ai n Gym


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act i vi t i es. Gr aphs wer e used t o anal yze and cal cul at e t he

dat a on t he par ent / st udent sur veys. The quest i ons f or t he

Febr uar y par ent surveys wer e anal yzed as f ol l ows:

1. Do you f eel t hat you were adequatel y i nf ormed of yourchi l d s pr ogr ess?

100% of t he par ent s agr eed.

2. Do you f eel t hat t he Br ai n Gymexer ci ses i ncr easedyour chi l d s academi c ski l l s?


3. Do you f eel t hat your chi l d s academi cs and Br ai n Gymact i vi t i es adequat el y suppor t s hi s/ her r epor t car d?


As a r esul t of t hi s st udy, t he r esear cher f eel s mor e

conf i dent about t he eval uat i on and assessment t echni ques, whi ch

i ncl ude obser vat i on over t i me and document at i on of per f ormance

wor k.

The ent husi ast i c par t i ci pat i on of t he st udents i n t hi s

st udy r ef l ected t hei r bel i ef i n t he Br ai n Gym acti vi t i es. Of

par t i cul ar val ue to the resear cher wer e the DRA scor es, STAR

mat h/ r eadi ng t est s, and Successmaker r eadi ng/ mat h t est s.

Di scussi on

Dur i ng t he f i r st f ew weeks of cl ass, a maj or i t y of t he

st udent s expr essed a negat i ve at t i t ude t owar d t he Br ai n Gym

act i vi t i es. However , once t he st udent s l ear ned how t hei r

body and mi nd r eact ed t o t he act i vi t i es, and t he benef i t s


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t hat come over t i me, t hey par t i ci pat ed ver y wi l l i ngl y. I n

addi t i on, t hei r at t i t ude and par t i ci pat i on l evel s i mpr oved

when t hey exper i enced a good f eel i ng as a r esul t of t he

br ai n exer ci ses. Some of t he mor e observabl e r esul t s of t he

st udy came when vi ewi ng t hese st udent s i n other areas

out si de t he cl assr oom. For i nst ance, on t he pl aygr ound, I

obser ved st udent s maki ng bet t er choi ces when pl ayi ng games,

and somet i mes t hey chose to t each ot her st udent s how t o do

Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es. I n addi t i on, t he st udent s made comment s

t o ot her peer s and t eacher s about t hei r new act i vi t i es bei ng

used i n t he cl assr oom. The mai n emphasi s when compl et i ng t he

Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es was t o i dent i f y any possi bl e concer ns by

r ecogni zi ng a sol ut i on, and maki ng a commi t ment t o sol ve any

pr obl ems t hat may ar i se.

The r esearch suppor t ed t he hypot hesi s t hat st udent s who

ar e i nvol ved i n Br ai n Gymmovement act i vi t i es, can i ncr ease

t hei r l ear ni ng. By doi ng act i on r esear ch on Br ai n Gym

movement act i vi t i es I f ound my st udent s were al er t and

r eady t o begi n t he day. I n concl usi on, I f ound t hat Br ai n

Gym act i vi t i es pl ayed an i mpor t ant r ol e i n t hei r l i st eni ng

and l ear ni ng. Because of t he change i n t he par t i ci pant s

exer ci se per f or mance, t he subj ect s devel oped a bet t er at t i t ude

t owar d physi cal act i vi t y and exper i enced i mpr oved cl assr oom


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per f or mance. I al so saw a si gni f i cant i ncr ease i n vocabul ar y,

r eadi ng compr ehensi on and mat h ski l l s.

Fur t her mor e, as t he par t i ci pant s st ar t ed t o under st and t he

how s and why s of br ai n based act i vi t i es, t hr ough t hei r

i ndi vi dual j our nal wr i t i ng, t hey repor t ed a bet t er sel f - i mage.

Thi s al so r esul t ed i n a mor e posi t i ve l earni ng envi r onment .

Thr oughout t he st udy, I f ound such i ndi vi dual i mprovement s

j ust i f i ed t he i mpor t ance of Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es t hat shoul d be

i mpl ement ed i n t he cl assr oom. I n addi t i on, I f ound t hat

negat i ve at t i t udes t owar d physi cal act i vi t y came f r om not

under st andi ng t he need or benef i t s of exer ci se. Pr i or t o t he

st udy, i t appear ed t hat t he st udent s per cei ved worki ng out and

doi ng physi cal act i vi t i es as a f or m of puni shment or pai n t hat

t hey had t o do i n physi cal educat i on cl ass.

Sur pr i ses t hat occur r ed t hr oughout t he st udy i ncl uded how

qui ckl y t he st udent s wer e wi l l i ng t o par t i ci pat e i n t he

cl assr oom act i vi t i es, as wel l as how i nvol ved t hey became i n

t hi s resear ch pr oj ect .

They wer e exci t ed about bei ng a par t of an exper i ment ! As

an educat or , t he par t i ci pant s wi l l i ngness and exci t ement made

i t f un and i nspi r i ng t o conduct a t eacher r esear ch st udy. Ther e

were even comment s f r omour school s physi cal and occupat i onal

t herapi st s want i ng t o know what t he cl ass was doi ng. The books


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on Br ai n Gymact i vi t i es and r esear ch wer e shar ed wi t h t hem as

wel l as t he r esear ch done.

Most i mpor t ant l y, t he posi t i ve changes i n t he st udent s

abi l i t i es, conf i r med t he i mpor t ance of physi cal act i vi t y

i n t he cl assr oom. Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es not onl y al l owed t he

st udent s t o move, but enabl ed them t o f eel a sense of hope

and t o make choi ces i n t he cl assr oom. Thi s st udy wi l l be

pr esent ed t o peer s i n our di st r i ct t o conf i r m t he i mpor t ance

of usi ng Br ai n Gym acti vi t i es i n or der t o hel p f aci l i t at e

l ear ni ng i n t he cl assr oom.

One of t he most cur i ous obser vat i ons t he r esear cher made

was t hat physi cal movement i s i mpor t ant t o l ear ni ng. A chi l d s

movement i s nat ur al unt i l ent er i ng school , wher e t her e i s

l ess and l ess an opport uni t y t o i nt egr ate movement and

physi cal sensi ng i nt o t he l ear ni ng exper i ence. The t eachi ng

pr ocess has r el i ed on st udent s si t t i ng at desks or wat chi ng

a demonst r at i on i n order t o devel op knowl edge or t he

subj ect ar ea bei ng t aught .

The dat a col l ect ed f r om t he par ent s survey i ndi cat ed

t hat t he par ent s suppor t ed t he use of Br ai n Gym i n t he

cl assr oom. One- hundr ed per cent of t he par ent s i ndi cat ed on

t he sur vey t hat Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es i ncreased t hei r

chi l d s abi l i t y t o compl et e t hei r wor k and st ay f ocused.


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Some of t he comment s f r omparent s i ncl uded:

Br ai n Gymact i vi t i es are a gr eat chance f or my son t ost ay acti ve.

I amhappy you ar e doi ng somethi ng i n school t o hel p mychi l d wi t h sel f - est eem.

I t hi nk t he Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es ar e gr eat f or st ar t i ngt he day and keepi ng t he st udent s f ocused.

I t hi nk thi s shoul d be done t hr oughout t he school .

The benef i t s t hr oughout t he year wi l l be amazi ng.

One ot her surpr i se t he research obser ved was: The

i mprovement s i n t he st udent s Successmaker r eadi ng and mat h

t est scor es, DRA scores and STAR mat h and r eadi ng t est s. Al l

of t he st udent s ut i l i ze Successmaker ( r eadi ng and math comput er

generated cur r i cul um) f our days a week. Successmaker i s a

gr eat pr ogr am because i t advances t o t he next l evel

accor di ng t o how t he st udent s ar e pr ogr essi ng. Successmaker

i s comput er - gener at ed wor ksheet s t hat t ar get t he speci f i c

l ear ni ng needs of i ndi vi dual s. The r esear cher s ent i r e

cl assr oom advanced t o t he next l evel ( Reader s Wor kshop) so

r api dl y i t was amazi ng. Take i nt o consi der at i on t hat t he

r esear cher has sever al Ti t l e I st udent s who have been

i dent i f i ed as needi ng ext r a ser vi ces i n r eadi ng and mat h. They

ar e t aken out of t he r egul ar cl assr oom set t i ng and wor k wi t h a

Ti t l e I t eacher .

Nor mal l y st udent s come i nt o second gr ade at t he I ni t i al


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Readi ng Level . Thi s l evel bui l ds si ght vocabul ar y,

decodi ng and r eadi ng comprehensi on t hrough word, sent ence

and passage r eadi ng pr act i ce and assessment . They al so use

phonemi c awar eness and phoni cs act i vi t i es. Thi s l evel i s

i nt ended f or K- 2 gr ades.

The next l evel i s Reader s Wor kshop. Thi s l evel i s gear ed

f or gr ades 2- 5. Readers workshop bui l ds vocabul ary and

compr ehensi on, accel erat i ng t he devel opment of r eadi ng

r equi r ed i n st andar di zed t est s. Thi s i s done t hr ough

syst emat i c r eadi ng i nst r uct i on and ski l l - bui l di ng usi ng

hi gh- i nt er est r eadi ng passages and by f ocusi ng on essent i al

ski l l s such as wor d anal ysi s, wor d meani ng, l i t er al

compr ehensi on, i nt er pr et i ve compr ehensi on r ef er ence ski l l s

and passage comprehensi on.

I s t hi s st udy showi ng gr owt h because of nat ur al mat ur at i on

or because of usi ng t he Br ai n Gymact i vi t i es? The r esear cher

f eel s t he st udent s ar e showi ng gr owt h because of t he Br ai n Gym

act i vi t i es as wel l as nat ur al mat ur at i on.

I n addi t i on, t he use of Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es seem t o

i ncr ease posi t i ve at t i t udes as wel l as achi evement at t he

second gr ade l evel . The col l abor at i on of Ti t l e I t eacher s

as wel l as par ent vol unt eer s was one of t he st r engt hs i n

conduct i ng thi s movement r esear ch pr oj ect .

Ther e may have been cer t ai n l i mi t at i ons of t hi s st udy.


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Al t hough val i d, I acknowl edge that measur ement s were taken

i n Sept ember and Febr uary, r ather t han t hr oughout t he school

year . St udent s may have r esponded di f f erent l y when l ear ni ng

cer t ai n r eadi ng and math concept s.

The r esear cher al so r eal i zed t hat di st i ngui shi ng and

eval uat i ng r esponses accor di ng t o mal e and f emal e di f f er ences

woul d have been i nt er est i ng and hel pf ul t o educat i onal r esear ch

on gender i ssues. Ot her f act ors t hat need t o be consi der ed

ar e t he abi l i t y of second gr ade st udent s t o f ol l ow al ong

wi t h t he movement act i vi t i es, t he readi ng and mat h t est s, and

t o st ay on t ask f or t he number of i t ems necessar y t o i nsure

val i di t y and r el i abi l i t y of t he i nst r ument s used. However ,

t eacher observat i ons r ef l ect t hat most st udent s appear ed t o

t ake t he sur veys ser i ousl y and answer ed honest l y.

The f ol l owi ng f i gur es i l l ust r at e t he changes made dur i ng

t he st udy:

STAR Math Tests

0

1

2

3

4

0

1

2

3

4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

GradeLevel

Students

September February


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Accordi ng to t he STAR math gr aph, 14 of t he 19 st udents scor es i ncreased when usi ngBr ai n Gym act i vi t i es, whi l e f i ve st udent s scor es decreased.

The f ol l owi ng f i gur e shows t he r esul t s of t he Cont r ol l edCl assr oom:

Controlled Class STAR Math Tests

0.0

0.51.0

1.5

2.0

2.53.0

3.5

0.0

0.51.0

1.5

2.0

2.53.0

3.5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

GradeLevel

Students

September February

Accordi ng t o t he scor es of t he STAR Math Cont r ol l ed cl assr oom, t he graph shows t hatt en st udent s scor es i ncr eased, whi l e ei ght st udent s scor es decr eased, showi ng t hatby i mpl ement i ng the Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es i n the cl assroom, st udent s academi c scoresi mpr oved.

Anot her f i ndi ng i ncl uded t he STAR Readi ng Test s: Agai n wi t h t he

cl assr oom usi ng t he Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es t hei r r esul t s wer e

si gni f i cant l y hi gher t han t he Cont r ol l ed cl assr oom wher e Br ai n

Gym act i vi t i es wer e not used.


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STAR Reading Tests

0

1

2

34

5

6

0

1

2

34

5

6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

GradeLe

vel

Students

September February

Accordi ng to the STAR Readi ng test s, 17 student s scores i ncr eased, one st ayed t hesame, and one decreased whi l e usi ng t he Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es.

The f ol l owi ng f i gur e shows t he r esul t s of t he Cont r ol l edcl assr oom:

Controlled Class STAR Reading Tests

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Grad

eLevel

Students

September February

Wi t h t he Cont r ol l ed Cl ass, 13 st udent s scor es i ncreased, 3 st udent s scoresDecr eased, and t wo remai ned t he same.


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DRA Scores

0

10

2030

40

50

0

10

2030

40

50

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Levels

Students

September February

Controlled Class DRA Scores

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

GradeLevel

Students

September February

Wi t h the Br ai n GymCl ass t he resul t s showed al l t he st udent s scor es i ncr eased. Wi t ht he Cont r ol l ed Cl ass DRA Scor es, t he r esul t s showed 14 of t he 18 st udent s showed ani ncrease i n t hei r scores, whi l e 2 st udent s scor es decr eased and t wo student sscores r emai ned the same.


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Successmaker Reading Scores

0

1

2

3

4

5

0

1

2

3

4

5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

GradeLevel

Students

September February

Controlled Class Successmaker Reading

0

1

2

3

4

0

1

2

3

4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

GradeLevel

Students

September February

The anal ysi s i n t hese Tabl es si mul at es how t he di f f er ence between t he cont r ol l edcl assr oom and t he cl assr oom usi ng t he Br ai n Gym exerci ses made a di f f erence by usi ngt he assi gned exer ci ses. I n t he Br ai n Gymcl assr oom al l of t he student s scor esi ncreased. I n t he cont r ol l ed cl assr oom 14 of t he 19 st udent s scor es i ncreased, 3st udents scores decr eased and 1 st udent s score r emai ned the same. Two st r ongassumpt i ons were made: The f i r st assumpt i on i s t hat t he student s gai ned i n al lacademi c ar eas wi t h t he use of Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es. The second assumpt i on i s t hatt he st udent s made academi c gai ns because of t hei r nat ural maturat i on. Some reasonst hat t hi s i s t r ue may be due to the f act t hat some student s t est bett er on cer t ai n

days t han on others .


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Accor di ng t o the f ol l owi ng gr aphs, t he Cont r ol l ed cl assroom scored l ower t han t heBr ai n Gym cl assr oom on t he Successmaker Math Test s.

Successmaker Math Scores

0

1

2

3

4

0

1

2

3

4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

GradeLevel

Brain Gym Students

September February

Successmaker Math Scores

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

GradeLevel

Controlled Class

September February


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The f ol l owi ng graphs i ndi cat e t he grade equi val ency gai ns i n t he STAR t est s,and t he Successmaker average gai ns f or t he Br ai n Gym cl assr oom.

Grade Equivalancy Gains for STAR Tests

0

2

4

6

0

2

4

6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

GradeLev

Students

September February

Successmaker Average Gains

012

3456

012

3456

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

GradeLevel

Students

September February


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Wi t h t he Per cent i l e Rank Di st r i but i on char t , over al l t he Br ai n Gymcl assr oomShowed more st udent s at t he 75 per cent i l e rank and hi gher .

Percentile Rank Distribution

0

20

40

0

20

40

Below 25th 25th to 49th

50th to 74th 75 & Above

Impact of Brain Gym Activities

0

2040

60

80

100

0

2040

60

80

100

Brain Gym Clas NonBrain Gym Mean Difference

Postte

stMean

I t i s ver y evi dent by the gr aphs t hat t he i ncr eases of

st udent academi cs are apparent by i mpl ement i ng t he Br ai n Gym

act i vi t i es.

The f or mal and i nf or mal assessment s of t he st udent s

t est s i ndi cat ed t hat t he t her e was an i ncr ease wi t h t hei r

DRA Scores, STAR Readi ng t est scor es, STAR Math t est scor es,

Successmaker Readi ng scor es and Successmaker Mat h scores. The


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dat a col l ect ed f r om t he par ent and st udent sur veys al so

suppor t ed t he r esear ch s f i ndi ngs. The dat a col l ect ed al so

i ndi cat ed t hat Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es can be used t o suppor t

t he i nf or mat i on on r epor t car ds i f t he pur pose of t he Br ai n Gym

act i vi t i es i s t o enhance t he cur r i cul um and meet s t he second

gr ade cur r i cul um goal s.

The r esear ch suppor t ed t he hypot hesi s t hat st udent s who

ar e i nvol ved i n Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es can i ncrease t hei r

academi c ski l l s i n an el ement ar y cl assr oom. Accor di ng t o t he

f i ndi ngs of t hi s st udy, Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es enhanced t he

cur r i cul um and showed t he academi c pr ogr ess of t he st udent s.

The dat a col l ect ed f r om t he parent s survey i ndi cat ed t hat t he

par ent s suppor t ed t he use of Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es i n t he

cl assr oom. Some of t he comment s t hat parent s wr ot e about t he

Br ai n Gym acti vi t i es i ncl ude:

Br ai n Gymi s a gr eat chance f or st udent s t o expr esst hemsel ves f r eel y.

I t hi nk i t wi l l hel p my chi l d be mor e cr eat i ve, andr eady t o st ar t t hei r day.

The Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es are gr eat ways t o get and keep ourchi l dr en movi ng.

I t i s f un t o see how my chi l d has progr essed thr oughoutt he school year .

The dat a col l ect ed f r om t he st udent s surveys al so suppor t

t he hypot hesi s t hat Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es can i ncr ease t he


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st udent s academi c ski l l s. Ei ght y- Fi ve per cent of t he student s

sai d t hey l i ke t o be a par t of t he Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es and 95%of t he st udent s sai d t hey l i ke t o see t hat by doi ng t he Br ai n

gymact i vi t i es t hei r gr ades have i mpr oved as wel l as t hei r DRA

scores, Successmaker scores, and STAR scores. St udent s at t hi s

age know when t hey have done t hei r best t o pr oduce great work.

As i ndi cat ed i n t he f ol l owi ng gr aph, t her e has been a l arger i ncrease i n scoreswi t h the Br ai n Gym cl ass t han wi t h the Cont r ol l ed cl ass.


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These t wo graphs i ndi cat e t he growt h by grade l evel of t he st udents usi ng Br ai n Gymact i vi t i es and t he Cont r ol l ed Cl assr oom, whi ch was not i nvol ved i n t he act i vi t i es.


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Concl usi ons

I n concl usi on, t he r esear cher has f ound t hat Br ai n Gym

movement s pl ay an i mport ant r ol e i n school success . Because of

changes i n t he par t i ci pant s exer ci se movement s, t he subj ect s

devel oped a bet t er at t i t ude t oward Br ai n Gym movement s and

r epor t ed a bet t er sel f - i mage r esul t i ng i n a mor e posi t i ve

l ear ni ng envi r onment . Thr oughout t he Br ai n Gym st udy, t he

r esear cher f ound i ndi vi dual i mpr ovement s of t he st udent s t hat

j ust i f i ed t he i mpor t ance of Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es i n t he

cl assr oom.

The r esul t s of t hi s st udy suppor t t he f i ndi ngs of ot her

r esearchers and t eachers who have conduct ed st udi es i n whi ch

st udent s used Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es i n t he cl assr oom. I n

addi t i on, t he r esul t s of t hese st udi es suggest ed t hat st udent s

can use t hese si mpl e, enj oyabl e movement s t o enhance t hei r

exper i ence of whol e- br ai n l ear ni ng i n t hei r homes as wel l as

dur i ng i nf or mal pl ay. The resear cher of t hi s st udy f ound t hat

when a var i ety of movement act i vi t i es were pr ovi ded i n whi ch

t he st udent s wer e i nt er est ed i n and coul d r el at e t hei r t hi nki ng

t o t hei r dai l y l i ves, t he st udent s wer e st i mul at ed t o t hi nk

beyond rot e answers and make connect i ons t o t hei r everyday

l i ves. Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es not onl y al l owed st udent s t o move,

but enabl ed t hemt o f eel a sense of hope and to make choi ces


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i n t hei r cl assr oom. The r evi ew of t he l i t er at ur e f or t hi s st udy

i ndi cat ed t hat Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es i ncreased t he st udent s

academi c ski l l s, as wel l as made l ear ni ng f un, r el evant , and

meani ngf ul .


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Recommendat i ons

Af t er r evi ewi ng t he i nf or mat i on i n t he l i t er at ur e

whi ch r ecommended t hat st udent s use Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es

i n t he cl assr oom and r evi ewi ng t he r esul t s of t hi s st udy,

t he resear cher r ecommends t hat i mpl ement i ng the Br ai n Gym

act i vi t i es by:

1. Pl anni ng devel opment al l y appr opr i at e act i vi t i es rel at edt o t he Br ai n Gym exer ci ses.

2. Conduct i ng st udent shar i ng sessi ons t o pr omot e soci ali nt er act i on among t he st udent s i n whi ch t hey can l ear ndi f f er ent st r at egi es f r om one anot her t o hel p wi t h t heBr ai n Gym act i vi t i es.

3. Usi ng f or mal and i nf or mal assessment s of t he st udent sDRA, Successmaker , and STAR t est s t o col l ect dat a.

4. Usi ng par ent / st udent sur veys t o col l ect dat a.5. Usi ng r epor t car ds as a gui del i ne t o assess t he

st udent s j our nal s on Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es.

Recommendat i ons f or Fur t her Resear ch and Eval uat i on

I t i s r ecommended by t he r esear cher t hat f ur t her st udi es

be conduct ed whi ch i nvol ve more gr oups of st udent s and t eacher s

i n r epl i cat i ng t he f i ndi ngs of t hi s st udy as t he par t i ci pant s

i n t hi s s t udy wer e chosen f r oma wel l def i ned gr ade and wer e

not r epr esent at i ve of t he over al l popul at i on. The r esear ch was

l i mi t ed t o t he par t i ci pant s of t he st udy because t he sampl e

si ze was smal l , and t he st udent s were not sel ected at r andom.

Onl y t wo of t he f our second gr ade cl asses wer e i nvol ved i n t hi s

st udy. Usi ng t he ent i r e second gr ade cl asses i n t hi s st udy

woul d have al l owed f or more compar i sons and di f f erences

i n det er mi ni ng i f t he r esul t s of t hi s st udy woul d be t he same.


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Thi s was onl y a f i ve mont h st udy. Conduct i ng t hi s st udy at t he

begi nni ng of t he year and cont i nui ng t he st udy t o t he end

of t he school year may have shown more gr owt h of t he

par t i ci pant s i n t hi s st udy. Al t hough t he r esul t s f r om t hi s

st udy i ndi cat ed t hat Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es di d i ncr ease t he

st udent s overal l academi c per f ormance, more resear ch needs

t o be conduct ed t o det er mi ne i f t he r esul t s of t hi s st udy

woul d be t he same i f more st udent s and t eachers were

i nvol ved i n a st udy such as t hi s one. One t hi ng I woul d do

di f f er ent wi t h t hi s r esear ch woul d be to add anot her cont r ol l ed

cl assr oom, and anot her Br ai n Gymcl assr oom t o gai n a cl ear er

under st andi ng of t he r esul t s.

Quest i ons f or f ur t her st udy:

1. How can t he Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es be made avai l abl e t oot her t eacher s i n t he di st r i ct ?

2. What ot her ki nds of movement s woul d benef i t st udentl ear ni ng wi t h r espect t o STAR t est s, Successmaker , and DRAtests?

3. Coul d t he Br ai n Gym act i vi t i es meet wi t h t he same successi f used by younger and ol der st udent s i n our di st r i ct ?

I f we ar e t o bet t er educate our st udent s t hen we must

acknowl edge t he i mpor t ance of movement . At t he begi nni ng of

t hi s proj ect , t he resear cher exper i enced sever e doubt s about

i t s val i di t y as r esear ch capabl e of gener at i ng dat a. I t seemed

t o t he r esear cher t hat t he dat a col l ect ed, i f any, woul d be

mi ni mal . The resear cher under st ands now, on comp

Documents

Physical Movement Learning Study