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1 infographic that shows the many ways activity positively impacts students (academic, social, behavior) (Laura)

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1 infographic that shows the many ways activity positively impacts students (academic, social, behavior) (Laura)

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Told in 5-8 charts?

Could be data story.

Could be low key animation.

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Level 1 effort, implement almost immediately

Level 2

potentially Level 3.

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combining pe with core classes

Ann Arbor Open Public School in Ann Arbor Michigan.

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Inspiration: Find Schools/Teachers who incorporate movement

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Inspiration: Find Schools/Teachers who incorporate movement

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Narrative: Elementary, Middle, High likely looks vastly different for solutions (Might do 3 case studies to capture all three?)

Inspiring gym teachers: incorporate fun into P.E. Gym looks a lot different than when I was younger? Why? What are the driving forces behind a "militarized" pe class vs. one that is more fun

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Coach Gelardi (@coachgelardi) on TikTok | 3.3M Likes. 77.8K Followers. The Physical Education Channel 🔮Educating and Inspiring PE Teachers 👊 ⬇️SUBS⬇️.Watch the latest video from Coach Gelardi (@coachgelardi).

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equity: Play therapy (What can this look like for Elem, MS, HS?)

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equity: Play therapy (What can this look like for Elem, MS, HS?)

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Play and movement for (Trauma) could help general students

Lauren

*Potential Oak

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Solutions-oriented 1 factoid style downloadable

narrative stream, packs into factoid downloadable

Includes CDC guidance, research, pediatric recommendations, science, known benefits to give educators impetus to incorporate movement.

Sarah Sparks involvment, but visually-driven delivery

Maya has some data too to vet for this

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What would the ideal amount of activity be during a day, and what are the benefits?

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Feeds multiple stories as factoids, or intro context. See green marks, ones that Jackie and Laura thought had strongest ties/data for the projects.

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Any movement for bike to school, or before and after school programs (SM)

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Any movement for bike to school, or before and after school programs (SM)

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Maybe a slider showing longitudinal stats of how much kids school lives have changed.

Lunch

recess (Policies for "safety" restrict some games)

gym (better today)

Cat found this image for inspiration.

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walking school podcasts from the walking classroom

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walking school podcasts from the walking classroom

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The Walking Classroom is an nonprofit program that strengthens students' physical, mental, and academic health. Kids listen to standards-aligned educational podcasts while walking- they walk, listen, and learn.

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The Walking Classroom | Educational podcasts kids listen to while walking

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The evidence-based walking classroom provides educational podcasts for kids. Students walk, listen, and learn.

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Teaching literacy using "character" development through wrestling. Wrestlers are natural character-driven storytellers

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Teaching literacy using "character" development through wrestling. Wrestlers are natural character-driven storytellers

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The kids have lost it! They are bouncing off of the walls, literally. If they try to body slam each other one more time off of the sofa, I am going to lose it. Send help...
Wrestlers as Storytellers

Need a solution to your kids growing weary of being inside? Maybe professional wrestling is the answer.

This year we embarked on a project using professional wrestling as a model for storytelling and the writing process in our fourth-grade classrooms. Professional wrestlers are masters at telling stories to an audience. Everything they say, do, and wear is all carefully thought out to help advance their characters and stories.

We found that by analyzing characters from that world, as well as in-ring storytelling, we were able to help our students think in a different way about writing and the elements of a story. The results were incredible. Every student was able to develop their own character and story, with the help of professionals in the field. To top it all off they wrote, hosted, and ran their own wrestling show!

If you are looking for a new and exciting way to provide enrichment in language arts either in the classroom or during distance learning, here are a few lessons that were a part of Heroes Wear Masks, the Partners in the Arts Engaging Creative Thinkers Award grant project implemented in the fall of 2019. These can easily be replicated at home, and everything you need is right here.

Lesson 1: Characters

The world of professional wrestling has a diverse cast of characters. Many of them might remind us of ourselves. Some are more complex, showing more and more of themselves over time. One place to start studying these characters is simply through pictures. When you open up our Wrestling Characters prompts, think about adjectives you might use to describe the wrestlers. See how descriptive you can get. Focus on words that show who they might be as a character versus just telling. In our classroom, we used a sketchbook to create a word bank of all of these descriptive words. If you have a sketchbook that's great! If you don't, anything will work. As you and your children look at the pictures, be sure to take note of everything you see.

What are they wearing?

Notice anything about the colors?

What does their body language say?

Are they making any facial expressions that might tell you more about who they are?

Lesson 2: Elements of a Story

People all over the globe are drawn to wrestling because of the stories these performers tell in the ring. There are tales of good versus evil, inner conflict, and overcoming adversity. Wrestlers tell stories through the words they choose when speaking and how they move during in-ring action. It is all a perfectly choreographed dance that brings their stories to life.

Check out the wrestling videos linked to the photos in the Wrestling Story Elements prompts and challenge your children to find all the elements of a story. What are the wrestlers saying? What are they doing in the ring? Are there clues to help you figure out where they are and when the match is taking place? How do the wrestlers feel about one another? What do you think the conflict between them might be? After you have watched each video, have them write a quick summary of the story that was being told as they perceived it.

Putting it all together

After taking a closer look at characters and the elements of a story, it's time to create your own character. This is the fun part. Have your children sketch out their character and run wild with it! There is a whole world of characters in wrestling, and everyone has a seat at the table. Let them take the time to draw their ring gear and all of those small details you noticed when making your word bank. This was my favorite part of the classroom activities. I learned so much about each student by seeing where they saw themselves in the wrestling world.

Every character needs a good name and bio, and now you have all of the tools. You have learned about characters, the story elements, and have created a visual of what the character looks like.

Time to Write

One easy way we begin the writing process in our classroom is with a 4-Square Organizer. In the middle, you will put the character's name. In the four boxes surrounding the name, have your children put an adjective that describes their character. Refer back to those word banks you created. There might be some great words you can use.

From here you have the perfect outline for a paragraph or story. You can simply create a topic sentence, and supporting sentences using the adjectives you have written. If you want to tell a bigger story, take some time to add details to each adjective box about why that word describes their character. Now you have a 4 paragraph story! Just create a paragraph for each box using the details written in it.

I hope this lesson brings an engaging way to learn about language arts into your homes during this new and uncharted territory. I know we had a blast in the classroom. Happy writing!
Guest post by Robin Hagy, a 4th-grade teacher at Flat Rock Elementary School in Powhatan, Virginia. Robin Hagy has been teaching for 13 years. "I have been lucky enough to work with Partners in the Arts on two different projects. I love giving students the opportunity to think about things in a new and different way." Outside of school, she spends way too much time making playlists and buying craft supplies. (PIA) awarded Engaging Creative Thinkers (ECT) grants to teachers from 1994 to 2021. These grants made possible over 200 innovative, interdisciplinary projects in Richmond area schools. Since then, the PIA consortium has supported both educator professional development and in-school project implementation through the Joan Oates Institute for Integrated Learning. The ECT Awards provided opportunities for teachers to reach all students across content areas, while developing critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, and citizenship. ECT projects engaged a class, grade-level or whole school and connected teachers, students, families, and the community.

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The kids have lost it! They are bouncing off of the walls, literally. If they try to body slam each other one more time off of the sofa, I am going to lose it. Send help... Need a solution to your kids growing weary of being inside? Maybe professional wrestling is the answer.

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basketball math study (KD) NBA program (Cat)

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basketball math study (KD) NBA program (Cat)

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Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

This study investigated whether 6 weeks of basketball combined with mathematics once a week in physical education lessons could improve children's motivation for mathematics. Seven hundred fifty-seven children (mean age = 10.4 years, age range: 7-12 years) were randomly selected to have either basketball combined with mathematics once a week (BM) or to have basketball sessions without mathematics (CON). Children in BM and CON motivation for classroom-based mathematics were measured using the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-A) before (T0) and after the intervention (T1). Among the BM, levels of intrinsic motivation, feelings of competence, and autonomy were measured using the Post-Experimental Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) questionnaire acutely after a basketball session combined with mathematics and immediately after a session of classroom-based mathematics. BM had significantly higher acute levels of perceived autonomy (+14.24%, p < 0.0001), competencies (+6.33%, p < 0.0001), and intrinsic motivation (+16.09%, p < 0.0001) during basketball sessions combined with mathematics compared to when having classroom-based mathematics. A significant decrease in the mean for intrinsic motivation was observed from T0 to T1 for CON (−9.38%, p < 0.001), but not for BM (−0.39%, p = 0.98). BM had a more positive development in intrinsic motivation compared to CON from T0 to T1 ( p = 0.006), meaning that BM had a positive influence on children's intrinsic motivation for classroom-based mathematics. This study indicates that basketball combined with mathematics is an intrinsically motivating way to practice mathematics, which also has a positive influence on children's general intrinsic motivation for mathematics in the classroom.

Introduction

Children's capacity to formulate, employ, and interpret mathematics, mathematical literacy, plays a central role in making well-founded judgments and decisions in life ( Grinstein and Lipsey, 2001). Over the past decades, it has become more common to explore different learning approaches to stimulate children's mathematical learning to optimize the educational programs within mathematical subjects. Especially, intervention studies with focus on using physical activity to improve cognitive and academic performance have received a lot of attention ( Sibley and Etnier, 2003; Best and Miller, 2010; Donnelly et al., 2016; Mavilidi et al., 2020).

Less focus has been aimed at the potentials of integrating physically active learning activities into the learning activities ( Diamond, 2015; Pesce et al., 2016). The main purpose of the present study was to develop a model, which combines physical activity and mathematics in a play-based setting, and investigate how this play-based model affects children's motivation for mathematics.

An important contributor to academic achievement is motivation, which plays a central role in learning mathematics ( Singh et al., 2002). Wienecke and Damsgaard (2020) describe how math combined with elements of basketball can be used as a practical model of play-based physical activity which can create a dynamic and enjoyable learning environment ( Wienecke and Damsgaard, 2020). Valentini and Rudisill (2004) emphasize the possibilities of using basketball as an inclusive learning setting ( Valentini and Rudisill, 2004). Mavilidi et al. (2018) used elements of basketball to support and reinforce the learning of English language concepts. The study indicates that children's joy and positive feelings rate high when having this learning setting ( Mavilidi et al., 2018). Despite the promising data, no other previous study has focused on motivation and basketball combined with mathematics. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate how combining basketball with mathematics in a school setting affects children's motivation for mathematics.

Motivation that facilitates academic achievement can be facilitated by a positive learning environment and positive experiences with the academic task ( Fortier et al., 1995; Singh et al., 2002). However, with age, students' reporting of enjoyable and stimulating school days decreases, especially between ages 11-15 ( Gutman et al., 2010; Rasmussen et al., 2014).

According to the Self Determination Theory (SDT), there are different types of motivation with different levels of autonomy and different effects on academic achievement and development ( Ryan and Deci, 2000). SDT distinguishes between four types of extrinsic motivation with various levels of external control and autonomy. These are: external regulation, where behavior is motivated by avoiding punishment; introjected regulation, where involvement is regulated by ego inflation through attaining success relative to others' expectations; identified regulation, where the individual recognizes and identifies with the value of the behavior; and integrated regulation, where the underlying value of an activity is not only recognized, but is also in coherence with other parts of the individual's deeper value system and identity ( Deci and Ryan, 1985; Reis et al., 2000). Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is the behavior driven by reasons that are ingrained in the activity itself. Intrinsic motivation is the most autonomous type of motivation, and is a drive to do something because it is enjoyable and interesting more than doing something for extrinsic reasons and benefits. To experience competence, autonomy and relatedness are considered basic psychological needs, which must be fulfilled when doing an activity for sustaining the intrinsic motivation for that activity ( Deci et al., 1999).

The more autonomous types of motivation (Intrinsic Motivation, Integrated and Identified Regulation) have shown to be positively related to long-term involvement in learning activities, and higher school achievement, better understanding of taught concepts, improved school satisfaction, and a lower school dropout rate ( Gottfried, 1985; Ryan and Deci, 2002; Ryan, 2009; Gutman et al., 2010). Whereas, more controlled forms of motivation have been associated with students' experience of distraction, negative feelings, and lower grades ( Guay et al., 2010).

Middleton showed that the more interest a student has in mathematics, the more effort the student is willing to put in, the more the student experienced the activity as enjoyable, and the more they are willing to persist in the face of difficulties ( Middleton, 1995). It is likely that integrating concrete, meaningful, and purposeful physical activities such as basketball in the teaching and practicing of mathematics supports children's need for feeling autonomous and competent more than the traditional classroom teaching, and is therefore, more intrinsically motivating. The feeling of autonomy may be fostered through higher perceived purposefulness of the activities and mathematics. As such, the feeling of competence may be promoted by the involvement of less abstract and more hands-on skills and learning approaches. It is also likely that using mathematics to solve concrete tasks, as in the basketball exercises in this study, may help students to recognize and identify with the value of practicing and learning mathematics, i.e., promote the extrinsic motivation for mathematics in terms of identified regulation.

It is shown that participating in physical activity has significant benefits for children's cognition and academic education both with single bouts of physical activity ( Ferris et al., 2007; Skriver et al., 2014; Hillman et al., 2019), regular physical activity ( Broussard, 2004; Geertsen et al., 2016; Damsgaard et al., 2020), and high physical activity levels ( Hillman et al., 2014; Donnelly et al., 2016; Marques et al., 2018).

Also, motor-enriched learning, where learning of a subject is combined with meaningful motor activities, has shown a positive effect on academic content ( Beck et al., 2016). Damsgaard et al. (2020) found that motor-enriched learning improved children's academic learning (letter recognition), and the children who performed motor-enriched learning had a higher intrinsic motivation for the academic content. Teaching situations where physical activity are integrated meaningfully, may therefore influence both children's motivation and there academic performance in a positive way ( Broussard, 2004; Geertsen et al., 2016; Damsgaard et al., 2020).

Our aim, with integrating mathematical tasks with concrete and physically active basketball tasks, was to make the learning activities more interesting, meaningful, play-based, and fun for the children. More specifically, we hypothesize that basketball combined with mathematics is a concrete physically active way of employing, practicing, and learning mathematics that will result in students feeling a higher degree of autonomy and competence, and is more intrinsically motivating than classroom-based mathematics.

Based on the hierarchical nature of motivation ( Fortier et al., 1995; Vallerand, 2000), we further hypothesize that these positive situational experiences with mathematics will have a positive impact on the children's motivation for mathematics in general, and also in the classroom. As the basketball sessions combined with mathematical activities do not involve more cooperation and group work, we do not expect that it will have any effects on experiencing relatedness.

Materials and Methods

Participants

In total, 757 students took part in this school-based study after obtaining written consent from parents, corresponding to 78.60% of the invited children. All students were recruited from five Danish elementary schools from within and outside the Copenhagen area. The included children came from 40 different classes at different grade levels; elementary school (1st to 3rd grade) and middle school (4th to 5th grade) (see Table 1). 125 participants were absent at tests days and were excluded. 207 participants were excluded from the analysis of the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-A) and 92 participants from the analysis of the Post-Experimental Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) due to incomplete data (see flow diagram, Figure 1). In total, the statistical analysis was made upon 459 participants for the SRQ-A questionnaire and 248 for the IMI questionnaire. At every school, the classes were randomly selected to have either BM or CON with just regular basketball training during their weekly PE lesson. The study was approved by the local Ethical Committee at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark (protocol: 504-0016/17-5000) and was carried out in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration II.

Intervention

The 374 students in the intervention group received teaching in basketball combined with mathematics built into the exercises (BM) once a week over a coherent 6 week period. Each lesson had a duration of 90 min including time to change into sportswear. That allowed ~70 min of isolated time to focus on the exercises with basketball combined with mathematics. The control group (CON), which consisted of 383 students, received the same amount of teaching in basketball without any kind of mathematics built into the exercises. In both groups (CON and BM), the lessons were planned and ran by external trained researchers, specially recruited and educated for this project, but supported by and in cooperation with the class' normal teacher. The content of mathematics in the intervention group (BM) was adjusted to fit the actual level of each participating class by consulting their mathematics teacher and in compliance with the national curriculum. Each teaching lesson had the following structure: introduction, a warm-up-activity, exercise 1, exercise 2, exercise 3, and in the end, a finishing exercise where the teachers summarized the lesson's theme and activities with the children. During the lesson (in between the exercises), the teachers had a dialog about the elements in the practice both in relation to the task, basketball skills, and mathematics (only in the BM group). The mathematical theme was meaningfully built into the exercises. The children, for example, were tasked with collecting and calculating mathematical information through different basketball exercises. Other exercises were more play-based, where the children had to perform mathematics (multiplication, addition, etc.) and basketball skills to win games. For a more detailed overview of mathematical content and basketball skills, see Figure 2 and the website: www.basketballmathematics.org. The design setup was a mix between different exercises, where some exercises were more motor-enriched and some were more focussing on high loaded cardiovascular.

In structuring the transitions between the lessons, transfer and recognition were key elements. Recognition refers to how the children should easily recognize the game and the structure to reduce misunderstandings and confusion, and therefore, specific exercises were reused. Transfer refers to the aspect of reusing exercises and lesson structure, but introducing a shift in the content, for example, from lay-up to shooting from a distance. Similarly, the mathematics could change from addition to subtraction. From a pedagogical perspective, the reuse of games made it easy to change the content of the exercises slightly and still keep the children's attention, and thereby, support them in understanding the structure of the exercise.

Test Procedures

Data about age and sex were collected prior to the baseline measures for all children. For the BM group, measures of acute intrinsic motivation (IMI) and the satisfaction of the basic psychological need for autonomy and competence during the two ways of teaching mathematics were collected immediately after one lesson with basketball combined with mathematics, and immediately after one lecture of classroom-based mathematics (CM). For the two groups (CON, BM), measures of the children's motivation for CM were collected at baseline T0 and were post-evaluated after the 6 weeks of intervention period (T2).

Measures

Post-Experimental Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI)

The Post-Experimental Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) ( McAuley et al., 1989) was used to measure acute intrinsic motivation and experiences of competence and autonomy for the BM group. All participating school classes in BM completed the questionnaire in lessons 2-5 at the end of a normal CM lesson during the intervention (see Figure 2), and also, after one session of basketball combined with mathematics.

IMI measures participants' subjective experience while performing an activity in an experiment, and has been found to be a valid self-reported measure of intrinsic motivation ( McAuley et al., 1989; Markland and Hardy, 1997). The scale has previously been used in other studies on the motivational effect of integrating physical and learning activities in primary schools ( Vazou et al., 2012).

As a measure of intrinsic motivation, four items from the Interest/Enjoyment scale were used. The used items were: "I really enjoyed the activities"; "The activities were fun"; "I thought it was boring" [Reverse question (R)]; "I thought the activities were interesting."

To measure the children's experience of autonomy, three items from the Perceived Choice subscale were used: "I believe I had some choice about doing this activity"; "I did this activity because I wanted to"; "I did this activity because I had to" (R).

To measure the children's experience of competence, the following items from the Perceived Competence subscale were used; "I think I am pretty good at this activity"; "I am satisfied with my performance at this task"; "This was an activity that I couldn't do very well" (R).

Items were translated into Danish using a translation-backtranslation process ( Streiner et al., 2015). Because the scales were used on children, the original 7-point response-scale was converted to a 4-point scale (1; not true at all, 2; Only slightly true, 3; almost true, 4: True). The investigator read the questions aloud for the children one by one. As an introduction to the specific questions, children were asked how they experienced the lesson they had just taken.

Motivation for Classroom-Mathematics/CM (SRQ-A)

For all participating school classes in both CON and BM, children's motivation for mathematics was measured using the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-A). The questionnaire was filled in during a CM lesson 1 week before the 6 weeks intervention (T0) and 1 week after the last lesson of the intervention period (T1). The questionnaire was completed together with the children's own mathematics teacher.

The SRQ-A is a widely used SDT-based domain-specific 32-item self-report instrument, developed for measuring the degree of different types of motivation for doing schoolwork among children in the late primary and lower secondary school. The SRQ-A uses scales to measure both extrinsic types of motivation (external regulation, introjected regulation, and identified regulation) and intrinsic motivation. Items are organized in four main topics: (1) "Why do I do my homework?," (2) "Why do I work on my classwork?," (3) "Why do I try to answer hard questions in class?," and (4) "Why do I try to do well in mathematics?." In the present study, the homework domain was not included, as regular homework is not common at the Danish grade levels presently studied, resulting in a questionnaire of 24 items.

The questions are answered on a four-point Likert scale (1 = Not at all true, 2 = Not very true, 3 = Sort of true, and 4 = Very true) and summed up to calculate scores for the five types of motivation across the four areas. The SRQ-A was originally validated by Ryan and Connell (1989) for students in Grades 3-6 (approximate age: 8-12). The SRQ-A is widely used and has shown across studies, samples, and contexts to be a moderately reliable measure, which is stable across subscales ( Burton et al., 2006; Dettweiler et al., 2015). Following a translation/back-translation process ( Streiner et al., 2014), the instrument was translated from English into Danish.

Statistical Analysis

Psychometric Qualities of the Included Measures

The validity of the SRQ-A and IMI scales were estimated by conducting two exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) analysis adjusting for clustering on grade level and school, in Mplus ( Muthén and Muthén, 2012). For IMI, measures collected from the intervention group at BM and CM were evaluated. For SRQ-A baseline, measures for the total sample were evaluated. Loadings and cross loadings and model fit were inspected. Loadings >0.3 on intended factor and < 0.3 on unintended factors were considered acceptable. Criteria used to indicate a good model fit were: Chi2/df < 5.00, CFI > 0.95, TLI > 0.95, RMSEA < 0.06 ( Hu and Bentler, 1999). To estimate the internal reliability of the psychometric scales, Cronbach's alpha values were calculated with values above 0.6 indicating an acceptable internal consistency of the items ( Ponterotto and Ruckdeschel, 2007).

Analysis of Intervention Efficacy

The statistical analyses of intervention efficacy were performed in R Studio (R Core Team, Vienna, Austria).

Data from the acute motivation questionnaire (IMI) were analyzed for the intervention group using paired t-test to identify possible differences in means.

Data from the SRQ-A questionnaire were analyzed using a linear mixed model with group-time interaction as fixed effects, using the R-packages lme4 ( Bates et al., 2017). The data was analyzed for group x time interactions with CON and BM as groups and time were T0 and T1. To account for the cluster structure and the repeated measures in the data, "subjects," "school," and "grade-level" were added as fixed effects. Ratio Tests were used to reveal group x time interactions effects for differences before and after the 6 weeks of intervention. Subsequently, if the test for interaction was significant, pairwise comparisons between delta values were used to characterize the interaction effect. To reduce the problem of multiple testing, only relevant model-based specified comparisons were performed including the comparisons of interest (time and group differences) using the emmeans R-package ( https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=emmeans).

The linear mixed model was chosen as a statistical tool, due to the possibilities in the model when working with repeated observations. The model can be used when dealing with missing data, treating continuous and categorical responses as well as unprincipled methods of modeling heteroskedasticity and non-spherical error variance (for either participant or item) ( Baayen et al., 2008). The linear mixed effect models have addressed each of these concerns, and offer, thereby, a better approach than univariate ANOVA.

For all tests, a significance level of 0.05 was applied. Data are reported as means ± SD unless otherwise stated.

Results

Psychometric Properties of the Motivation Measures

For measures taken within the intervention group for Acute Intrinsic Motivation (IMI) at both Basketball combined with mathematics (BM) and Classroom-based mathematics (CM), ESEM analysis of the IMI with distinct factors for perceived autonomy, competence, and intrinsic motivation showed acceptable high loadings on the intended factors and no issues with cross loading. The model fit met the criteria for a good model fit. For BM, RMSEA = 0.070 (90% CI 0.041-0.100); CFI = 0.985; TLI = 0.963. For CM, RMSEA = 0.028 (90% CI 0.001-0.066); CFI = 0.999 and TLI = 0.996. Results depicting the factor loadings of items of the IMI can be seen in Appendix 1.

ESEM analysis of the SRQ-A showed some minor issues with one low item loading in identified regulation and one low item loading on external regulation as well as some cross loading from external regulation to introjected regulation. However, the model fit indices met criteria for a good model fit [RMSEA = 0.048 (90% CI 0.041-0.055); CFI = 0.933; TLI = 0.900]. It was decided to use the original factor structure in the further analysis in this present study since the original factor structure has been validated and used in many studies, the model fit was good and finally, that the Cronbach's alpha values were acceptable. Results depicting the factor loadings of items of the SRQ-A can be seen in Appendix 2.

Both the SRQ-a scales and the IMI scales all had Cronbach's alpha values above 0.6.

Acute Intrinsic Motivation (IMI) Within BM

The children in the intervention group participating in basketball sessions combined with mathematics (BM) had significantly higher acute levels of perceived autonomy (+14.24%, p < 0.0001), competencies (+6.33%, p < 0.0001), and intrinsic motivation (+16.09%, p < 0.0001) during basketball sessions combined with mathematics compared to when having classroom mathematics (CM), see Figure 3, Table 2.

Subgroup analyses based on grade level showed significantly higher levels for both elementary school (ES) and middle school (MS) for basketball sessions combined with mathematics compared to CM in perceived autonomy (ES: +11.67%, p = 0.002; MS: +14.51%, p < 0.0001) and intrinsic motivation (ES: +13.23%, p < 0.0001; MS: +17.12%, p < 0.0001). However, only children in middle school experienced significantly higher levels of competencies (+17.12%, p < 0.0001). No other significant differences were found between age groups, sex, or other subgroups.

Motivation for Classroom-Based Mathematics (SRQ-A)

Likelihood Ratio Test showed a global significant interaction between time and group ( p = 0.002) for intrinsic motivation for mathematics. Further analyses showed a significant decrease in means of intrinsic motivation from T0 to T1 for CON [-9.38%, p < 0.001 but not for BM (+0.39%, p = 0.98)], see Figure 4, Table 3. A significant interaction was found for BM compared to CON from T0-T1 ( p = 0.006) for intrinsic motivation, meaning that BM had a more positive influence on children's intrinsic motivation for classroom-based mathematics compared to CON. No differences were seen between the intervention and control groups in changes in any of the extrinsic types of motivation for mathematics, where both groups showed insignificant declines.

Figure 4. Motivation (SRQ-A) for Classroom-based Mathematics for the two Intervention Groups (CON, BM) at T0 and T1. Motivation for classroom-based mathematics before (T0) the 6 weeks intervention period and after (T1) for the four motivation types; External Regulation, Introjected Regulation, Identified Regulation, and Intrinsic Motivation. A significant decrease in intrinsic motivation ( p < 0.001, ***) was seen from T0 to T1 for CON, and a significant interaction was found for BM compared to CON from T0-T1 ( p = 0.006, **) for intrinsic motivation.

Discussion

Experiences of Competence, Autonomy, and Intrinsic Motivation During Sessions of Basketball Combined With Mathematics Compared to Usual Classroom-Based Mathematics

In the present study, it is shown that combining and integrating mathematics into basketball in a school setting were associated with higher acute levels of experienced autonomy, competence, and intrinsic motivation than classroom-based mathematics within the BM group. Intrinsic motivation for a learning activity reflects that children enjoy the activities and experience more engagement due to this enjoyment ( Ryan and Deci, 2000). As described in SDT, maintaining intrinsic motivation for an activity is dependent on the participants experiencing autonomy, competence, and relatedness during the activity ( Deci and Ryan, 1985; Reis et al., 2000). Using mathematics in more concrete tasks, such as the basketball exercises in this present study, might have made mathematics seem more relevant to the pupils, which, in other studies, has shown to increase student's perceived autonomy ( Su and Reeve, 2011), intrinsic motivation for, and involvement in the learning activities ( Weaver and Cottrell, 1988; Sass, 1989; Frymier and Shulman, 1995; Simons et al., 2003; Kember et al., 2008). This is supported theoretically by the self-determination theory ( Deci and Ryan, 1985) where relevance is described as important to the internalization process, promoting a more autonomous motivation for the activity. It might also be that a more concrete practical use of mathematics gives children more experiences of competence.

These findings are in line with other studies where physical activity is integrated in the learning situations ( Vazou et al., 2012; Vazou and Smiley-Oyen, 2014; Damsgaard et al., 2020). Damsgaard et al. showed that integrating movement in the teaching situation increased children's learning (letter recognition) but also increased the children's intrinsic motivation ( Damsgaard et al., 2020). In the present study, we have not assessed academic performance as an outcome, however, it could be relevant to investigate whether increased motivation in the BM group positively affects academic performance.

Effect of the Intervention on Children's Motivation Compared to the Control Situation

The results from the SRQ-A questionnaire implied that having basketball combined with mathematics (BM) sessions can help maintain children's intrinsic motivation for classroom-based mathematics compared to a control situation without BM (CON).

Intrinsic motivation for a subject has shown to be of importance to academic achievement ( Gottfried, 1985; Ryan and Deci, 2002; Singh et al., 2002; Ryan, 2009; Gutman et al., 2010). Furthermore, it can be argued that children's enjoyment of mathematics and of classroom activities is an important goal in itself. The potential supplementary function of why basketball combined with mathematics is motivating for mathematics, in general, is in accordance with the hierarchical nature of motivation, which proposes that motivation from one teaching situation can lead to an increase in general school motivation ( Vallerand, 2000).

However, no differences were seen between the intervention group and the control group's development in extrinsic types of motivation for mathematics. It was hypothesized that having concrete experiences with the usefulness of mathematics in solving concrete tasks in BM would also increase the students' Extrinsic Motivation Identified. However, this hypothesis could not be confirmed by the data.

Furthermore, no differences were seen in the two most controlled forms of motivation, introjected and external regulation, which can be seen as a quality of the intervention, as these types of motivations often have a negative impact on long term enjoyment, engagement, and continuation with the activities ( Guay et al., 2010).

Practical Recommendations for Basketball Combined With Mathematics and Perspectives

This concept is developed in a Danish school context with the perspective of what is possible. The model might give new ideas for the development of other teaching concepts and, therefore, some reflections on the basis of basketball combined with mathematics (further details are found in Wienecke and Damsgaard, 2020). The teaching setup of having this type of teaching within the physical education classes once a week is suitable to the minimum standard of all public schools in Denmark. The duration of 6 weeks fits in between school vacations so the course can be taken in one coherent period at several different times during the school year, which makes this model practically feasible in a school setting. Facilities at schools varies but the idea behind this intervention, is that you only need two baskets pr. class and one ball for every four children. These minimalistic requirements make it easy for all public schools to use the activities. Scaling up or reconfiguration is easy both in terms of lesson frequency, intensity, and in relation to the structure of the activities.

The structure of the activities is based on some important concepts to create a good learning environment such as togetherness, play and equal focus on developing skills in both basketball and math. The children are always assigned into groups of two or more. This can create a feeling of solving the assignments together and avoid loneliness and incompetence when assignments are found difficult and hopefully, get the common joy of that. It is equally important to develop skills within basketball and as well as in math. The underlying intention is that the children should have the feeling of becoming better, for example, at scoring points and/or solving the math assignments. Implicit in the assignments is that the children have to think, reflect, talk, and use the language of math which can help the children in verbalizing the math terminology and become confident with it.

The assignments are usually starting out in the easiest way and then after the first or second round the assignments are adjusted. For example, shooting drills begin close to the basket so the children hit the basket as often as possible, and then later, the distance increases and the difficulty of hitting the basket will likewise be more challenged. This is the same for the math part (i.e., easy start and then more difficult).

Competition is an element in basketball combined with mathematics but never as a traditional five on five game. The children often compete indirectly. Indirect competition could, for example, be reflected in a situation where the children have to finish first within an assignment but during the competition, they do not always know how far the others are. This practical recommendation can facilitate that the children focus on their own performance instead of on the competitors. The play element is very important. The children should have the feeling of being included in the task and also have the possibility to solve the assignments in their own way or develop their own ideas within the frame of the lesson.

The finding that sessions with basketball combined with mathematics (BM) has a positive effect on children's general intrinsic motivation for classroom-based mathematics is remarkable and supports initiatives where integrating physically active games and play with curriculum based academic tasks are used as a supplement to the more traditional classroom teaching. In this study, the combination of basketball and mathematics was chosen, but physically active play-based teaching methods could be combined with other theoretical themes such as language, biology, physics, etc.

For further exploration of the effects of basketball sessions combined with mathematics, it would be interesting to investigate both short- and long-term effects on the children's mathematical performance before and after a BM intervention.

Strengths and Limitations of the Study

The present study is unique in its study design and sample size. The intervention intensity (i.e., once a week of basketball combined with mathematics) can easily be organized in the public school because it only requires the allocation of physical education classes. The BM does not require an extensive teaching material but only two baskets and some basketballs. As described above, only a few studies have investigated the effects of integrating physical activity and academic learning in a meaningful way as in this study. A limitation of the study is that only a few acute motivation measures were collected (see Figure 2). Furthermore, the intervention group, BM, had external trained researchers to carry through the project, which may have led to differences in the teaching capacity and learning environment. Due to the large number of school classes, trained researchers and teachers involved in this present study the bias should be small. Furthermore, the analysis was adjusted for clustering on school and grade level. Finally, it could have been interesting to measure the children's academic achievement, however, this was beyond the purpose of this study.

Conclusions

This study shows that basketball combined with mathematics is an intrinsically motivating way to practice mathematics, which also has a positive influence on children's more general intrinsic motivation for mathematics in the classroom.

Data Availability Statement

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

Ethics Statement

The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Local Ethical Committee at UCPH. Written informed consent to participate in this study was provided by the participants legal guardian/next of kin.

Author Contributions

JW, JH, and GN designed the experiment. JH and KM collected the data. LD conducted the required data analysis and the first draft of the manuscript. All authors contributed to drafting the manuscript and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Funding

The authors declare that this study received funding from Nordea Foundation. The funder was not involved in the study design, collection, analysis, interpretation of data, the writing of this article or the decision to submit it for publication.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to the Children Basketball Foundation for the collaboration in relation to the development of the teaching concept and carrying through with the interventions. We would like to give a special thanks to Anton Elsner (basketball-expert at Aarhus University, Denmark, Children Basketball Foundation) for teaching at schools, data collection, and for his extremely delicate knowledge about basketball and children. We also want to thank Post Doc Peter Elsborg for contributing to the exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) analysis. Finally, a great full appreciation to the Nordea Foundation for funding of this fantastic project and for all the participating children and schools.

Supplementary Material

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.636578/full#supplementary-material

References

Simons, J., Dewitte, S., and Lens, W. (2003). "Don't do it for me. Do it for yourself!" stressing the personal relevance enhances motivation in physical education. J. Sport Exercise Psychol. 25, 145-160. doi: 10.1123/jsep.25.2.145

CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar

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Frontiers | Six Weeks of Basketball Combined With Mathematics in Physical Education Classes Can Improve Children's Motivation for Mathematics

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This study investigated whether 6 weeks of basketball combined with mathematics once a week in physical education lessons could improve children's motivation...

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Esmée Silverman, 21, is a junior at Reed College in Portland, Ore., studying religion "to help bridge the divide between the trans community and religious communities." They run a nonprofit called Queer Youth Assemble in their free time to foster community with other queer youth. Silverman, who attended high school in Massachusetts, shared their coming-out story and how important community support has been to their mental health. This interview was edited for length and clarity.
I've always been close to the queer/trans community, even before I was fully out. I was in 7th grade and a lot of my friends just happened to be queer and trans, and that really helped me understand and learn more about the community and myself.

I came out as pansexual in 2016. But during my freshman year of high school, I still didn't feel like all pieces were fully together in terms of identity and eventually came to the realization that I was trans. It was something that really terrified me. I was a basketball player for the past eight years. I wasn't popular, but I had friends. If I came out as transgender, it could potentially make me even [more of an] outcast than I already was, and subject me to more bullying and harassment and potential assault. At that time on the news, every single day, there was a trans person who was assaulted, there was a trans person who was killed, there was a trans person who was mocked at their school's assembly. That scares you. That s--- stays with you. It makes you really visible to society. It makes you really comprehend how society is set up and how society is structured.

When I finally came out [as transgender], it was like a huge weight off my shoulders, but I was obviously met with a lot of questions from people in my school and people in my community, from my own family.

[Before I came out, I remember] I went to the guidance counselor because I was having an anxiety attack. The [class] period before, I had just gone into the boys' locker room to change, and that's honestly a pain that I still struggle to talk about to this day-having to go into the locker room that doesn't correspond with your identity every single day. [I was thinking] if I came out, where would I go to change? Where would I go to the bathroom? At that time, I didn't know [our school had accommodations] and in all honesty, those were the least of my concerns. My concern was: Am I going to survive this next day? Am I going to ever feel this weight off of my chest? Am I gonna get kicked out of my house because my family doesn't accept me? Am I going to be ostracized and bullied because students don't understand anything about being trans?

It's really underestimated the impact of going from a president like Barack Obama-who openly supported gay marriage [and] who openly supported trans youth-to Donald Trump, a president, who not only seemed to relish in the opportunity to strip away as many rights and protections as possible, but he emboldened the silent group of people who had the unpopular opinions that transgender people should be using the bathroom of their assigned sex at birth, that believed in conversion therapy, that believe that hormone therapy is child abuse. He emboldened their ideas and gave them a platform to stand on. That really impacts you when you're growing up.

I decided to join my school's GSA for support, for community. This is before I even knew I was trans, but I still felt a very strong connection towards the queer and trans community. I undoubtedly made a decision that shaped my entire life by going to that group. They gave me hope. It gave me solidarity, gave me confidence and made me feel like I had other people I could talk to, relate to. That's a really important thing to have when you're struggling, and you feel overwhelmed.

I was thinking of suicide constantly during my freshman year of high school, and I was not alone in that thought-I know plenty of queer and trans youth who have thought about suicide because of all of this stuff. They think it's easier than coming out. They think it's easier than potentially facing these punches and these verbal jabs. If that doesn't speak toward the problem, I don't know what does.

My school's GSA saved my life. It gave me community. It gave me camaraderie. It made me feel like I could authentically be myself. Sure, my family was accepting but it's not like you can talk about every single thing-they don't understand it. Sure, my friends were accepting, but there's only so many times you can talk about queer topics and then they tell you to stop being political and to just shut up. This place gave me my identity back.

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LGBTQ+ Student Perspective: 'My School's GSA Saved My Life'

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Esmée Silverman came to the realization that they were transgender in high school, but thought about suicide constantly during their freshman year.

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We could show photos of traditional classes in like history, math, etc. with sliders revealing photos of those same subjects being taught outside... historical themed garden, pizza garden (math), etc.

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While many schools already used digital tools in their teaching of reading prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, extended periods of remote or hybrid schooling certainly quickened the pace and appetite for technology.

In fact, surveys now show that school library budgets have been shifting to digital assets over the past few years, especially at the high school level. In a 2021 survey of librarians conducted by the School Library Journal, nearly half of school libraries expect ed to spend more on digital e-books that year, while decreasing spending on print.

As this hybrid learning experience involving books and screens becomes more commonplace, it's important for educators to understand the strengths of each format, particularly around reading and understanding content.

Below are examples that show the strengths and weaknesses of print and digital experiences for four reading instruction priorities.

1. Reading aloud to, and with, young children

Children often work with adults and partners as they practice their reading skills, and that interaction can be enhanced in powerful ways by reading print material together. Still, studies show e-books can help to improve reading skills, too. B ut parent and teacher scaffolding is needed for full benefit. Of course, that is the case for reading print books, too.

2. Navigating text features

Some studies have shown that students struggle more with comprehension when they are reading on digital devices rather than with print materials.

3. Understanding complex text

Studies show that readers may remember specific details better from digital books, but they may lose an understanding of overarching ideas threaded through the content.

4. Accessibility for readers with learning challenges

E-books can be more accessible for individuals with disabilities, such as those with visual impairments, as they can easily adjust the font size, contrast, and color scheme. But never underestimate the power of one-on-one interaction to gauge understanding and lead students through challenges.

All interactives are created by Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva.

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4 Tips for Reading Success: How to Combine Screens and Printed Text

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Studies generally show that students can comprehend print text better than digital-but there are some caveats.

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Gardens_across the curric (Gina and Sam?)

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Gardens_across the curric (Gina and Sam?)

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Some P.E.I. students are growing their knowledge of the province's agricultural past by planting three distinctive gardens that showcase the traditions of the Mi'kmaw, Acadians and Scottish.

The program is called Agri-CULTURE Seeds of Change, and is funded by Canadian Heritage's official languages program.

"The main point of the whole thing is that we're all in this together, and we all have more similarities than we do differences," said Jason MacNeil, education and programming officer with the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation.

"People have been cultivating food throughout history and it's just a nice way for [students] to pause and look back and realize that it's not just their history, that there are other layers of history that have done similar things throughout time."

Students from Mount Stewart Consolidated, École François-Buote, and Souris Regional School are taking part in the project.

MacNeil said the students started by doing research about each of the cultural groups and their agricultural traditions.

"Visibly, they're quite different. The French garden is very symmetrical. You have raised beds inside a fenced area, and things are grown in a very kind of orderly, sort of organized fashion," he said.

"The Mi'kmaw tradition, they grow on mounds and the mounds are done in a spiral; and with the Scots, it's all going to be done in drills and rows."

While the gardens are visually different, MacNeil said, what is being grown in each will have some similarities.

"Corn has been grown for thousands of years. So we're expecting to see a substantial amount of it grown in the different gardens," MacNeil

"Potatoes have also been grown for thousands of years."

From planting to harvest

The three groups of students made their first of several visits to Orwell to get their gardens started in early June, and they'll be there again later this month to plant.

Students from Mount Stewart will plant squash, beans and corn in a "three sisters" garden, which is inspired by an Indigenous form of planting.

"We have a large Mi'kmaw population in our school, so it's really great for our whole school to learn about these kinds of different culture practices. It is really good hands-on learning, learning about the three sisters form of agriculture," said Michael Ellsworth, a Grade 6 teacher and acting vice principal.

"Today the kids designed their own spiral-mound form of agriculture. And, like I said, the best way to learn sometimes is just to actually do it."

The Mount Stewart group will return in the fall to harvest their produce, and they'll bring along incoming Grade 5 students to teach them about the Mi'kmaw garden.

"We're learning hands-on right now, but then you can learn even more when you teach somebody else," Ellsworth said.

"So it's really a great opportunity for everybody."

Lessons from ancestors

Mi'kmaw Elder Junior Peter-Paul was at Orwell to speak to the classes from Mount Stewart, perform some traditional songs and drumming, and help plant the garden.

"It's a good experience for them. I remind them before they even come out here, I have a good talk with them and I tell them, you gotta think about your ancestors, all your grandparents. If it wasn't for them, you wouldn't be here today," Peter-Paul said.

"What they did today, it was the experience of their grandparents, their ancestors."

Advisers from Abegweit First Nation and the Acadian Museum are also involved in the project.

Organizers said the goal is to make Agri-CULTURE Seeds of Change a cornerstone of the educational programming at Orwell Corner Historic Village.

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P.E.I. students dig into the past to create Mi'kmaw, Acadian and Scottish gardens | CBC News

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Students from three P.E.I. schools are cultivating their knowledge of the Island's agricultural past. They will be planting three distinctive gardens that showcase the traditions of the Mi'kmaw, Acadians and Scottish.

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This school is really innovative in general and their Discovery Plus program for kids with complex learning needs is really unique. I saw on their FB page they had their first version of Olympic Games early this spring. They seem to try and integrate non-discovery kids into some of the activities...

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Discovery Plus Program | Firstline Schools

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About Discovery Plus In the 2019-20 school year, FirstLine Schools applied to partner with New Orleans Public Schools (NOLA-PS) as a specialized pilot program, offering services to students with cognitive disabilities citywide. The application was approved for a three-year pilot program beginning in the 2020-21 school year, with funding to build upon the existing Discovery program.

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Topics:

-What data are we missing or is outdated and want survey data to fill in the gaps

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Lauren

scrollytelling?

Lauren will post examples.

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safety

urban

inner-city

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like LTLF Tonya Clark

Is their a district-level leader or principal making a difference beyond the classroom.

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Reimagine that desk and chair. What can classrooms look like to be ready for "active" breaks. (Elem, MS, HS diagrams or interatives)

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Reimagine that desk and chair. What can classrooms look like to be ready for "active" breaks. (Elem, MS, HS diagrams or interatives)

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Alternative seating solutions, room set-up

Is there a site/school/teacher doing this particularly well.

stand up desks

Re-imagining the traditional desk/chair set-up. Exercise balls replacing chairs in some classrooms? These are old videos but included for inspiration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnrFlC7hwCU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_iMnKiJUgg

There are + and - with yoga balls as chairs. We may need to help educators know how to navigate the pitfalls, so solutions are grounded in what to put in place and plan for.....

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From Sam.

She will be attending.

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apparently certain public schools in DC partner with this company for parkour workshops for their 7th & 8th grade students.

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Parkour has many applications, and the spectacular is usually what sticks in people's minds. Doing a flip between two buildings may be parkour, that's the exception, the "black belt". In reality, parkour is safer than any organized team sport per hours practiced per capita. The reasons are fairly simple, parkour is an indivudal sport using only your own power. There are no wheels, slippery surfaces, and you choose how much gravity you're ready for. There is no opposing team trying to tackle, overtake, or win. One of the greatest values of parkour is that it teaches self reliance, parkour depends on the practitioner for safety, not the environment.

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Safe, Fun Parkour Programs and Instruction by experienced professionals

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Data via a quiz or show survey responses

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Data via a quiz or show survey responses

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Responsive Flip Card Grid with 1:1 Aspect Ratio

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https://www.axios.com/

Stream of the package with Dive Deeper links.

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Smart, efficient news worthy of your time, attention, and trust

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6/13:

Cat willl look up Hoops Championship.

Laura will find Student-Principal math study. (Done)

New idea for grouping: (JB)

Timeline of the day.... ideas for every hour of day. (before, between, lunch, pe, after?)

Add cards for content ideas.

Questions.

Half-baked ideas.

Don't need "format" defined.

No need right now to have a site visit in mind or specific person.

We are just chasing ideas right now.

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Any special ed considerations? (ADHD, etc)(Oak)

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Any special ed considerations? (ADHD, etc)(Oak)

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If you have ADHD you likely need to move more! Any other groups vulnerable to moving! Do researchers find that what is good for ADHD students is actually good for ALL students (Potential video)

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5-minute clinic: Rethink how to incorporate daily activity

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5-minute clinic: Rethink how to incorporate daily activity

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5 minute ideas to incorporate movement at the start of your day or start of class, breaks in the day.

Shorts: Teachers incorporating movement into classes (Teacher Try This?) (Downloadable?)(Narrative)

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Primer: What the research says (Maybe just sprinkle in factoids here and there?)

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Primer: What the research says (Maybe just sprinkle in factoids here and there?)

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1. Participation in extracurricular physical activities such as interscholastic sports has been associated with higher grade point averages (GPAs), lower drop-out rates, and fewer disciplinary problems among students.51–63 (CDC)

CDC has lots of data on how activity, even in short bursts, can impact class behavior, test taking, graduation rates, mental health.

2. What is most effective?

1. Sustained programs, not one-off challenges or contests

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CDC guidance on physical activity and how to integrate it into classrooms

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CDC guidance on physical activity and how to integrate it into classrooms

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What are the evidence-based advice. And how do we present this in unique ways?

Quiz?

Factoids presented in unique quilt where tiles can be turned for more information?

How can this important info be more engaging?

Several resources:

Classroom Physical Activity | Physical Activity | Healthy Schools | CDC

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Classroom physical activity is any physical activity done in the classroom. ¹⁻⁴ It can take place at any time and occur in one or several brief periods during the school day. 1-4 It includes integrating physical activity into academic instruction as well as providing breaks from instruction specifically designed for physical activity. ¹⁻⁴ Classroom physical activity should be offered in addition to physical education and recess and at all school levels (elementary, middle, and high school).

Classroom physical activity can benefit students by 1,5:

Improving their concentration and ability to stay on-task in the classroom.

Reducing disruptive behavior, such as fidgeting, in the classroom.

Improving their motivation and engagement in the learning process.

Helping to improve their academic performance (higher grades and test scores).

Increasing their amount of daily physical activity.

Integrate Classroom Physical Activity in Schools [PDF - 269 KB] -This data brief defines classroom physical activity, provides a snapshot of current classroom physical activity practices in the United States, and highlights ways to improve classroom physical activity through national guidance and practical strategies and resources.

Schools can encourage the use of trails, crosswalks, and programs like Safe Routes to Schools and walking school buses to help increase student participation in active transportation. Get more information here about the Community Guide's recommended interventions to support travel to school as a strategy to increase walking among students and reduce traffic-related injury.

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Strategies for Classroom Physical Activity in Schools. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Dept. of Health and Human Services; 2018.

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. School health guidelines to promote healthy eating and physical activity. MMWR 2011;60(RR05):1-76.

3. Institute of Medicine. Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2013.

4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A Guide for Developing Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2013.

5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health and Academic Achievement. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2014.

Page last reviewed:

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centers for disease control and prevention

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regular physical activity in adolescents

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Classroom physical activity is any physical activity done in the classroom such as stretching, jumping, and dancing. It can take place at any time and occur in one or several brief periods during the school day.

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Data visual primer: Behavior, screen time, health, mental health

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Data visual primer: Behavior, screen time, health, mental health

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Behavior in classroom: Less focus, fidgety, acting out, impulse control, well-being, obesity on rise (does this impact learning?)

Assumed causes:

PE, lunch, recess shortened.

Obesity is a data point, but unsure if it fits in our scope. Only if it impedes academic success.

Data Maya found for us so far, and we indicated where survey data might needed.

Maya data doc

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Needs review by group.

Our concept for this project is to look at student well-being and the impact on their ability to be productive and focused in the classroom. Namely: The system of schooling means kids are parked at their desks for a good part of the day. This goes against years of research that says active bodies helps with focus, behavior, and learning. Improved academic success is tied to active kids.

There are known barriers to make sustained and systematic changes. (Lack of time in the school day, policies around "safety" that are in direct conflict with some activity.)

We see this as an opportunity for collaboration between the DigNews and VEX to employ different storytelling approaches. Our goal: Think outside of the box for content, presentation, packaging. Likely we will not rely on any long narrative pieces.

At the core:

Solutions-oriented content and innovative approaches.

Teachers incorporate movement in a classrooms and we want to see that, but are there examples of sustained and system-wide attention to activity where school leaders have tackled known barriers.

We are thinking we want to show Elem, Middle, High School. Rural, Urban, Suburbs. (High poverty schools for example may not have the same opportunities and safe spaces to incorporate movement. Who has solutions?)

The group thought to keep this to more practical-implement more immediately stories. Leave aspirational-need a budget-needs lots of strategy and business partners for another time.

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Emergence of variety of sports in schools

Aim is to be more inclusive, offer more avenues beyond soccer and baseball??

pickleball, ultimate frisbee, Girls on the Run (who started, and why focus on girls?)

more fun gym activities, TikTok Dance challenges

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What does recess look like today compared to 20 years ago? How about P.E.?

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What does recess look like today compared to 20 years ago? How about P.E.?

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We have some longitudinal data. But, how do we bring this to life.

Can we have a former gym teacher interview a current day gym teacher? Gamify comparisons in some way?

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Maybe we can gamify the data?? (SDS idea)

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Maybe we can gamify the data?? (SDS idea)

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Maybe we can create a quiz or Choose Your Own adventure style of showing data.

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Maybe we can find a school using a labyrinth whether for teaching mindfulness, stress reduction, social studies etc.

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The first labyrinth I walked was at a high school where I taught photography in California. I walked it between classes to decompress and found it especially refreshing during grading periods. Then I began taking my students to the labyrinth on the first day of the semester. While all the other teachers were handing out syllabi, textbooks and grading rubrics, we would spend the period walking silently together as a group and setting our intentions for the class. They were fascinated! I would let them know the labyrinth was available when they needed it in the coming months and we would return on the last day of class to walk together again and reflect on how we had grown that year.

Labyrinths have endless applications in schools and some of my favorite projects have been in collaboration with students, faculty, and staff members. From temporary to permanent, drawing to finger tracing, group walks to conflict resolution, the labyrinth is an open source archetype that can provide another entrypoint to curriculum development in any discipline. Here are some examples from my work as a 'labyrinth artist in residence': I facilitated a walk for a choir who reflected on how they hold space for each other singing as a group. We created a labyrinth of withdrawn books from a school library during book week. I taught sacred geometry to sophomore math students to explore how labyrinths reflect patterns and proportions in nature. We built a labyrinth with fallen trees from a university botanic gardens to create a space for students to focus and reflect in nature. I gave an assembly at a K-5 sharing images and stories of building labyrinths with unusual objects such as apples, shoes, coconuts and flamingos!

Here are some more ideas for teaching and using labyrinths in schools, universities and colleges!

Art: Learn to draw classical pattern, experiment with seed patterns & designs, color, collage

Math: Study sacred geometry, meanings of numbers and patterns & proportions in nature

Math: Calculate/estimate length of walking path using geometry or strides, or bricks needed to build

Music: Drum circle on the labyrinth, Walk as group to learn how to hold space

Service Learning: Create labyrinth out of food/clothing donations that builds over time

Social Studies: Study labyrinths around world - Cretan coins, Roman Mosiacs, English Turf Mazes, Peruvian Nazca Lines, Swedish Trojaborg, Hopi "Man in the Maze", etc.

Language Arts: Write poems or reflections along the path of a finger labyrinth drawing

Language Arts: Consider myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, Ariadne's Thread, use of metaphor, also popular culture -David Bowie's Labyrinth, Maze Runner, etc.

PE: Walking meditation as healthy practice of exercise, Epic walks: Appalachian Trail, Mount Everest, Pacific Crest Trail, Camino de Santiago, marathon as meditation

Health: Conflict resolution, emotional control, stress reduction, mindfulness, focus & concentration

Ritual: Group walk on first or last day of the semester to set intention/reflect

Download a PDF with more ideas and links to labyrinth education resources: Click here

Interested in creating a temporary or permanent labyrinth at your school? Want to bring a motivational speaker to campus to share a life journey of healing and transformation through the labyrinth? Interested in an artist-in-residence to explore these ideas through assemblies and classroom visits? Contact me!

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Teaching Labyrinths - Discover Labyrinths

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Lars Howlett is a motivational speaker, artist in residence and experienced teacher of labyrinths, sacred geometry and walking meditation at schools, colleges and universities.

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International perspective (photo gallery? optional.)(Likely to drop out of scope) (LB & Kaylee)

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International perspective (photo gallery? optional.)(Likely to drop out of scope) (LB & Kaylee)

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Do top performing international countries incorporate exercise. China does for sure. What are the top performing countries....Sarah would know likely.

China: Lots of images of seemingly rigorous school exercises outdoors.

What can we learn from what other school systems are doing?

2020 statement. Improving the overall health of China’s more than 170 million children and adolescents has become a national priority.

Physical Education is part of the compulsory national curriculum set by The Ministry of Education (MOE) of the People’s Republic of China from the first year of primary school up to the second year of college. The weekly PE time for grades one to two should be four hours, and for grades three to six, three hours.¹ Schools are required to organize extracurricular physical activities that can include morning exercises, class-break exercises, competitions, events, and after-school sports. Example: https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/physical-education-in-chinese-schools-role-models-repetition-and-winning/

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Policy for "safety" conflicts with being active. allowed. No chase, no tagging. Is there a solution for this?

Equity issues with access to safe spaces

Time: sustained activity is desired, not one-off. How to make time in the school day

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Original Planning doc

Maya data doc

planning board

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Really, Truly understand what a students day looks like (diary/log/data/video?)

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Really, Truly understand what a students day looks like (diary/log/data/video?)

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Be a student (shadow) for a day (likely focus on HS) for a day. (Would be interesting to show their pedometer from their desk job day vs. being a student. I know I walk a lot more.)(VIDEO with reflection at the end of the day)

Pedometer readings?

Shadow and ADHD student for the day? How is their day different if they have a 504 allowing movement. And what can we adopt for the regular student.

Maybe incorporate data with this: what we know about students' days...

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Students with Learning Differences (Lauren & Vanessa?)

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Students with Learning Differences (Lauren & Vanessa?)

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ADHD

physical restrictions

other groups

Shadow an ADHD student through their day.

Are there innovations, alternative seating solutions, or other ideas that could benefit ALL students? (Potential Oak support)

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Do other health factors, related to inactivity, affect performance during school day?

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Do other health factors, related to inactivity, affect performance during school day?

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obesity? Mental Health?

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Looking at the presidential fitness program, is there information about how many students/schools participate, and how that’s evolved over time

Participation data

I don’t see any, but it seems like schools in the past did sign up, so we might be able to ask for participation data from HHS, but we might have to FOIA it, which could take a long time

Evolved over time:

Some historical info

More in-depth info on page 5 of this PDF

Here’s what the attached research says about the current iteration: “In 2012, the reorganized Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP) was launched to promote health-related fitness through school-based physical education programs. The program provides a model for fitness education that includes the use of a health-related fitness assessment, as well as educational and motivational tools to support teachers and empower students to adopt an active lifestyle. The PYFP provides teachers with tools to promote fit and active youth. Sustained positive messaging from programs like PYFP arguably has the potential to contribute to the development of healthy school culture. Based on this mission, the PYFP has used ongoing, content-based professional development (PD) as a medium to transform teacher knowledge by sharing strategies for providing quality physical education in schools.”