Purposeful Movement: The Integration of Physical Activity into a Mathematics Unit

Authors

  • Kailey Snyder University of Nebraska-Omaha
  • Danae M Dinkel University of Nebraska-Omaha
  • Connie Schaffer University of Nebraska-Omaha
  • Seth Hiveley Papillion LaVista Community Schools
  • Amanda Colpitts Papillion LaVista Community Schools

Keywords:

Classroom Physical Activity, Mathematics, Pilot Study

Abstract

Classroom physical activity (PA) has been linked to a multitude of health and academic benefits. However, due to barriers such as lack of time and resources many teachers are not implementing classroom PA to the degree they would like to. One innovative solution is to integrate classroom PA into academic concepts. Based on self-determination theory, this pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of a teacher-developed purposeful movement teaching strategy on PA, on-task behavior and academic achievement. Two third grade classrooms participated in this pilot study, one acting as the comparison and the other working with the school Physical Education teacher to develop the active lessons. The evaluation consisted of accelerometers, direct observation, academic assessments and a write and draw activity to assess student perceptions. Significant improvements were found in steps achieved during math and on-task behavior. Findings reveal utilizing PA driven lessons is an effective teaching strategy.

Author Biographies

Kailey Snyder, University of Nebraska-Omaha

Ms. Snyder is a doctoral student in Exercise Science in the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Danae M Dinkel, University of Nebraska-Omaha

Dr. Dinkel is an Assistant Professor in the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Connie Schaffer, University of Nebraska-Omaha

Dr. Schaffer is the assessment coordinator in the College of Education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Seth Hiveley, Papillion LaVista Community Schools

Mr. Hiveley is a PE teacher for Papillion LaVista Community Schools.

Amanda Colpitts, Papillion LaVista Community Schools

Ms. Colpitts is a 3rd grade teacher for Papillion LaVista Community Schools.

Downloads

Additional Files

Published

2017-01-03

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2017)

Section

Articles

License

Articles may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Authors alone are responsible for the contents of their articles. The journal owns the copyright of the articles. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of the research material.

The author(s) of a manuscript agree that if the manuscript is accepted for publication in the International Journal of Research in Education and Science (IJRES), the published article will be copyrighted using a Creative Commons “Attribution 4.0 International” license. This license allows others to freely copy, distribute, and display the copyrighted work, and derivative works based upon it, under certain specified conditions.

Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to include any images or artwork for which they do not hold copyright in their articles, or to adapt any such images or artwork for inclusion in their articles. The copyright holder must be made explicitly aware that the image(s) or artwork will be made freely available online as part of the article under a Creative Commons “Attribution 4.0 International” license.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.