Abstract
Despite the widespread perception that the preschool stage is a physically active stage, current studies indicate that levels of physical activity (PA). Of the different environments in which PA engagement may be promoted, the school setting is one of the most important. Thus, there is a need to investigate further in this area in order to propose research designs and interventions which can be evaluated. An innovative and recently researched method is the integration of movement within classroom activities which goes beyond break time activity and the implementation of government mandated curricular physical education sessions. Specifically, the current chapter addresses the combination of basic physical activity and academic lessons as an approach for teaching English language vocabulary. Results from research studies to have developed interventions using this methodology provide positive outcomes regarding effectiveness in terms of increasing physical activity, motivation, and cognitive performance at early ages.
TopIntroduction
Regular physical activity (PA) engagement throughout the first years of life helps children to achieve comprehensive health benefits and acquire positive habits which will last throughout life. Despite the idea that young children are naturally active, studies show that their PA engagement is insufficient. This has led to an increase in interest for planning strategies that will allow for the inclusion of more PA within the school timetable. A current innovative technique involves the combination of PA and basic academic lessons (physically active lessons), promoting both an increase in the time spent engaging in PA and improved academic performance. Although there is not enough evidence at this stage, existing studies in different curricular contents show the effectiveness of these methodologies. Positive outcomes even extend to the teaching of vocabulary in a foreign language, an aspect which forms the subject of the present study.
The first objectives of this chapter is to analyse existing literature on methodologies that integrate movement and PA within the teaching of curricular contents at the educational stage, specifically, those used for the teaching a second language. As an additional objective, the research seeks to identify the degree of effectiveness of these methodologies. Further, another aim is to propose potential interventions for students aged between 4 and 7 years old. These proposals will be based on previous studies which used expressive resources (gestures) and motor games to facilitate the learning of English vocabulary.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Physical Active Learning/Physically Active Lesson: A strategy that intentionally combines physical activity and movement with basic academic lessons. It is based on teaching academic content through physically active teaching methods, in order to achieve both classroom learning outcomes and time spent on PA.
Integrated Classroom Movement/Active Classrooms: Process of instilling movement, at any level of intensity, during normal class time. It includes different strategies as either academic-infused (Physical Active Learning/ Physically Active Lesson) or non-academic (Active Breaks/ Brain breaks).
Physical Activity Breaks/Active Breaks/Brain Breaks: 5-15-minute sessions, led by the teacher, which introduce short bursts of physical activity to refresh the brain, and can be done during the academic lessons or when changing from one lesson to another, thus introducing short periods of movement, which increase physical activity and break up sedentariness in the classroom. They do not have to be related to educational content.