Week 5 Reading Reflection

 Article Summary:

Riley et al. worked in the article Movement-based Mathematics: Enjoyment and Engagement without Compromising Learning through the EASY Minds Program, to determine both teacher and student perceptions of the Encouraging Activity to Stimulate Young Minds (EASY Minds) program, which is designed to increase physical activity and enhance learning and engagement using movement-based learning activities. This study was a 6 week intervention

The article established the problem of low mathematical engagement and its resulting declining achievement scores, highlighting the prominent factors tied to student engagement to include teacher influence and the pedagogies employed in mathematics. This work focused on utilizing the integration of physical activity into math lessons, emphasizing that this program has an additional aim of increasing physical activity to support the benefits it has on children's physical, mental and cognitive health. Acknowledging both the importance of teachers in the delivery of interventions such as this and the challenges with the skills and knowledge to integrate it effectively. 

The study was a 6 week intervention after selection from the EASY Minds cluster randomized controlled trial. The teachers involved were trained over a single day professional learning for the interventions delivery, promoting two types of mathematical lessons: activities that used physical activity for development of procedural fluency of fundamental number operations such as students recall of multiplication tables while skipping, and activities focused on looking at mathematics in the world around the school such as estimating and measuring distances. Grade 5/6 classes were selected from eight public schools in New South Wales (NSW), Australia and randomly assigned intervention or control groups. During the intervention groups professional learning, they received a resource pack of equipment to help promote physical activity, and a small example for lesson ideas from each strand from the NSW syllabus for mathematics and were directed to  embed movement-based learning in their mathematics program at least three lessons per week for all six weeks. Continued intervention support was provided through weekly emails, members of the research team made three lesson observations followed up by a discussion about a 3 scale self-evaluation/ activity log: 1) mathematical concepts reinforced throughout the movement-based activity, 2) activity levels and transition management, and 3) engagement by students with the activities. The control group maintained their regular mathematics program. At the completion of the intervention the teacher and their selected two students each from higher, middle, and lower achievement, participated in a focus group and discussion approximately two weeks after the completion of the intervention program. Where semi-structured discussion frameworks were used to facilitate discussion around perception of the program, and later verbatim transcripts were analyzed by an independent researcher not previously involved. 

The results were separated into enjoyment and engagement of mathematics lessons and the quality of learning experiences. The perceptions of the program by students and teachers were positive, with increased enjoyment and engagement in the mathematics lessons. Highlighted by many students was the increased time outside, in the fresh air, and having more fun. Sharing that it helped them concentrate, focus better, and reduced talking, off-task time, and other distractions. Students from all levels reported finding EASY Minds beneficial, additionally students perceived their teachers to have enjoyed the program for trying new things and not having to deal with as many discipline problems. All teachers interviewed perceived the program to be enjoyable and engaging, they were all planning to continue with the EASY Minds approach. Teachers additionally commented on wishing to see the program extended to other subject areas as well, or even whole-school level. Teachers acknowledged the benefit of the resource equipment and the running around to organize equipment that they no longer had to do, and one suggested a pooling of lesson plans to share and make more accessible for everyone. 

 The study acknowledged limitations as the need for the professional learning day to prepare and the physical resources teacher acquired through the program, all teachers involved were teachers prepared to embrace the EASY Minds movement-based learning approach. The professional learning was given by researchers who specialize in physical activity or mathematics, making future replication or application of this project to be financially challenging. 

The shift from worksheets based activities and teaching that students perceived as dull, repetitive, and uninteresting, making it easy to be distracted to a 14% increase in on-task behaviour during active math lessons, and students finding their teacher more innovative with different interesting activities for their learning, shows the the EASY Minds program can support changing students attitudes towards math and increase students physical activity.

Stop 1: 

"Teachers were only given a small sample of lesson ideas to encourage creativity, autonomy and ownership of lesson content" (Riley et al., 2017, p. 1657)

I appreciate that they gave the teachers a set of lesson plans to have a jumping point but I would be curious to know in the professional learning how much time there was for the opportunity for teachers to discuss ideas an collaborate together to create ideas and activities. When planning more physical or "alternative" math activities I find the amount of time it takes to plan, prep, and execute to sometimes not be feasible, where the upfront work can be multiple hours for just a single hour lesson, where as if I am able to have the time to collaborate or bounce ideas around with someone it goes much faster and feels significantly easier. I appreciated as well that later in the article there was acknowledgement of the "run around" that often is required with incorporating activities like this if you do not have the equipment provided, as well loved their suggestion to share lesson plans to make it more accessible for everyone. The application of the grade levels from the article are lower than the grade levels I teach and I am curious how teachers of higher grades (ten and up) feel about the ability to implement components of this? 

Stop 2: 

"Teacher attitude towards mathematics is a key predictor of students attitudes towards mathematics."(Riley et al., 2017, p. 1668)

I am curious of this in the context of if the EASY Mind program were to implemented by a teacher who did not enjoy components of the movement-based activities. Would their students still see some improvement in engagement and perceptions, or would the teachers attitudes towards math in that context prevent that shift? 

Question(s): 

Have you used movement-based activities in your mathematics lessons? If so what grade level and what have you done? If you haven't how could you incorporate it for the future (and what grade level)? What challenges have you found in what you've done or anticipate in what you would like to try?

Including images of some outdoor movement-based activities I have tried in the past:

Creating shapes with specific areas and calculating pre-drawn ones dimensions and area with chalk. (Grade 7)

Recording Basketball shots to do students sports stats. (Grade 8)

Throwing paper airplanes and measuring their distance to gather data to determine mean, median, and mode of their flights. (Grade 7)

Riley, N., Lubans, D., Holmes, K., Hansen, V., Gore, J., & Morgan, P. (2017). Movement-based mathematics: Enjoyment and engagement without compromising learning through the EASY minds program. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 13(6), 1653-1673. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.00690a