scholarly journals Study design and protocol for a mixed methods evaluation of an intervention to reduce and break up sitting time in primary school classrooms in the UK: The CLASS PAL (Physically Active Learning) Programme

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. e019428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ash C Routen ◽  
Stuart J H Biddle ◽  
Danielle H Bodicoat ◽  
Lorraine Cale ◽  
Stacy Clemes ◽  
...  

IntroductionChildren engage in a high volume of sitting in school, particularly in the classroom. A number of strategies, such as physically active lessons (termed movement integration (MI)), have been developed to integrate physical activity into this learning environment; however, no single approach is likely to meet the needs of all pupils and teachers. This protocol outlines an implementation study of a primary school-based MI intervention: CLASS PAL (Physically Active Learning) programme. This study aims to (A) determine the degree of implementation of CLASS PAL, (B) identify processes by which teachers and schools implement CLASS PAL and (C) investigate individual (pupil and teacher) level and school-level characteristics associated with implementation of CLASS PAL.Methods and analysisThe intervention will provide teachers with a professional development workshop and a bespoke teaching resources website. The study will use a single group before-and-after design, strengthened by multiple interim measurements. Six state-funded primary schools will be recruited within Leicestershire, UK.Evaluation data will be collected prior to implementation and at four discrete time points during implementation: At measurement 0 (October 2016), school, teacher and pupil characteristics will be collected. At measurements 0 and 3 (June–July 2017), accelerometry, cognitive functioning, self-reported sitting and classroom engagement data will be collected. At measurements 1(December 2016–March 2017) and 3 , teacher interviews (also at measurement 4; September–October 2017) and pupil focus groups will be conducted, and at measurements 1 and 2 (April–May 2017), classroom observations. Implementation will be captured through website analytics and ongoing teacher completed logs.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was obtained through the Loughborough University Human Participants Ethics Sub-Committee (Reference number: R16-P115). Findings will be disseminated via practitioner and/or research journals and to relevant regional and national stakeholders through print and online media and dissemination event(s).

Author(s):  
Alharbi Awatif Abdullah M. ◽  
Cuihong Yang

As learning at a primary school level is a critical process in setting foundations for individuals’ development, a sensitive and meticulous approach should be taken in the process of instruction and teaching strategy development for various subjects of the school curriculum. Learning can be divided into various types, with cooperative and active being recognized as a key component that may result in better study outcomes. Active learning has been a subject of this study. The paper explores the ways to achieve superior job math achievement among students through impacting their motivation. The study aims to explore the methods of active learning applied in primary school math classes. After the research model has been developed, a similar questionnaire survey was constructed and conducted on the sample of Saudi Arabian pupils and teachers. The subject of the study is Saudi Arabia, a developed economy that based most of its development on oil exports. To stay competitive, new strategies and ways of competitiveness need to be found. The education of its nationals is an important pillar in achieving the overall competitiveness of the country. The data was collected in primary schools in Makkah city. 1060 students and 61 teachers participated in the project. The data was analyzed using SPSS. The quantitative analysis consisted of descriptive statistics calculation, assumption testing, correlation analysis and regression analysis. The findings of the research suggest that active learning enhances student motivation. Another finding of the paper shows that increasing certain factors of student motivations will result in better math achievement. Thus, the findings of the research can be useful for the educators and policymakers to suggest introducing more active learning into the curriculum.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-104
Author(s):  
Joseph K Waigera ◽  
Maureen Mweru ◽  
Lucy Ngige

The purpose of this research was to establish whether there was a significant relationship between teachers’ attitudes and levels of utilization of instructional materials (IM) in Pre-Primary Schools in Kenya. The study adopted the Ecological Systems Theory by Urie Bronfenbrenner. The study used a cross-sectional survey research design and data were collected through self-administered questionnaires. A sample of 164 teachers comprising of 76.2% females and 23.8% males participated in the study. Results established that 86.4% of the teachers had positive attitudes towards the instructional practice. In terms of utilization of instructional materials, the researchers determined that 62.1% of the respondents achieved high levels while 37.9% attained low levels of utilization of instructional materials across the Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) activity areas. The Chi-Square results revealed that there was a statistically significant relationship between teachers’ attitudes and utilization of instructional materials (χ2 = 4.094; d.f.= 2; p = 0.043). Further analysis using the regression test revealed that there was a statistically significant relationship between teachers’ positive attitudes and levels of utilization of instructional materials (β =0.516; p = 0.001). These findings established that teachers who had positive attitudes attained higher levels of utilization of instructional materials in their classrooms compared to their counterparts who had negative attitudes. Therefore, it was concluded that teachers’ attitudes were a significant factor in promoting the utilization of instructional materials in ECDE activities. This implies that a positive attitude is an important attribute of a pre-primary school teacher. Therefore, there is a need to inculcate positive attitudes towards the utilization of instructional materials among teachers during pre-service and in-service training sessions to promote the best practices in instruction at the pre-primary school level.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 7-13
Author(s):  
Ernst Håkon Jahr

This paper recounts the beginnings of the School Gardening Movement in Norway, which is now (in 2021) a topic of great interest throughout the country. The famous 19th-century school teacher and reformist Andreas M. Feragen (1818–1912), who retired from his teaching position at the age of 93, was the first to argue, in the late 1850s and early 1860s, for including gardening both as a subject and as a practical activity in primary schools. A widely used reader first published in 1863 included four pieces by Feragen about different types of gardens which would be appropriate for a rural school: the first piece was about the garden in general, the following three described a kitchen garden, a fruit garden, and a flower garden. These four pieces were written in the form of a story about a teacher and his students strolling around the gardens discussing what they saw and how to grow vegetables, fruit trees and fruit bushes, and flowers. Feragen followed up these pieces with an article in the teachers’ journal Den norske Folkeskole [The Norwegian Primary School] in which he argued that basic gardening knowledge ought to be included in the teacher training curriculum. School gardening in Norway started with Feragen’s own gardens surrounding his school in Holt in Agder, clearly the very gardens he described in his pieces in the reader.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-54
Author(s):  
Said Fachry Assagaf ◽  
Suradi Tahmir ◽  
Muhammad Dinar

This is elementary school teacher training to solve mathematics olympiad problems in Bulukumba district. The purpose of this training is to (1) provide information about mathematics olympiad in Indonesia (2) training teacher to solve mathematics olympiad problems, and (3) motivate  primary teachers to conduct olympiad class in their school.  The method is divided into two, namely the presentation and the independent tasks. The presentation focuses on the types of math competitions and the types of Olympic problems. Independent task aims to create and solve mathematics Olympiad problems for elementary school level. In addition, motivation was also being concerned in this training. The teachers were expected to use the problems in their mathematics class and also to identify students who potentially have ability join in mathematics competition. Abstrak Pengabdian ini berupa pelatihan olimpiade matematika tingkat Sekolah Dasar yang diperuntukkan bagi Guru Sekolah Dasar di Kabupaten Bulukumba. Tujuan pengabdian ini adalah untuk (1) memberikan pengetahuan terkait pelaksanaan olimpiade matematika di Indonesia (2) memberikan pemahaman terkait soal-soal olimpiade matematika, dan (3) memberikan motivasi kepada guru untuk melakukan pembimbingan olimpiade. Metode pelaksanaan terbagi atas dua yakni metode ceramah dan metode kerja mandiri. Metode ceramah berfokus kepada materi tentang jenis jenis kompetisi matematika dan jenis jenis soal olimpiade. Kerja mandiri bertujuan untuk membuat dan menyelesaikan soal olimpiade matematika tingkat SD. Selain itu, motivasi juga diberikan agar guru dapat mengadopsi soal tersbeut dalam kegiatan pembelajaran serta mencari bibit unggul yang dapat diikutkan untuk berkompetisi.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 388
Author(s):  
André Freitas ◽  
Fátima Pereira ◽  
Paulo Nogueira

In light of ongoing controversies concerning expressive arts education in Portuguese primary schools, the life history of one primary-school teacher who lives and works in the city of Porto (Portugal) is the starting point for problematizing this issue from the perspective of lived experiences. Data collection comprises oral reports, visual materials, and emotional accounts. Feelings were shared in a relational environment framed by ethical commitments. Through these processes, it was possible to create a narrative within the framework of a biographical narrative research approach. The main purpose was to highlight the voice of one primary-school teacher whose life history is blended with the foundations and practices of artistic expression in basic education—such as language, communication, knowledge, and lived experiences—making it an important starting point for reconceptualizing expressive arts education. The results showed that this reconceptualization can be achieved through three dimensions: seducing people, mediating places, and governing senses.


2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 1280-1289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham F Moore ◽  
Simon Murphy ◽  
Katherine Chaplin ◽  
Ronan A Lyons ◽  
Mark Atkinson ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesUniversal interventions may widen or narrow inequalities if disproportionately effective among higher or lower socio-economic groups. The present paper examines impacts of the Primary School Free Breakfast Initiative in Wales on inequalities in children's dietary behaviours and cognitive functioning.DesignCluster-randomised controlled trial. Responses were linked to free school meal (FSM) entitlement via the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage databank. Impacts on inequalities were evaluated using weighted school-level regression models with interaction terms for intervention × whole-school percentage FSM entitlement and intervention × aggregated individual FSM entitlement. Individual-level regression models included interaction terms for intervention × individual FSM entitlement.SettingFifty-five intervention and fifty-six wait-list control primary schools.SubjectsApproximately 4500 children completed measures of dietary behaviours and cognitive tests at baseline and 12-month follow-up.ResultsSchool-level models indicated that children in intervention schools ate a greater number of healthy items for breakfast than children in control schools (b = 0·25; 95 % CI 0·07, 0·44), with larger increases observed in more deprived schools (interaction term b = 1·76; 95 % CI 0·36, 3·16). An interaction between intervention and household-level deprivation was not significant. Despite no main effects on breakfast skipping, a significant interaction was observed, indicating declines in breakfast skipping in more deprived schools (interaction term b = −0·07; 95 % CI −0·15, −0·00) and households (OR = 0·67; 95 % CI 0·46, 0·98). No significant influence on inequality was observed for the remaining outcomes.ConclusionsUniversal breakfast provision may reduce socio-economic inequalities in consumption of healthy breakfast items and breakfast skipping. There was no evidence of intervention-generated inequalities in any outcomes.


ALQALAM ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 452
Author(s):  
Mansur Akil

The research aimed to understand ways of implementing multicultural values in Indonesia primary schools. This case study attempted to discover the multicultura values in primary school curriculum documents and teacher's perspective on how to promote the multicultural values in primary shcool students, by interviewing primary school teacher in Makassar and examining primary school curriculum documents. The investigation showed that teaching the values of tolerance, respecting diversity, acknowledging similarities and maintaining native languages and local identy should be done gradually by initially introducing the symbols of multicultural values through picture, videos, and observations, then teaching children through modeling and attitudes of inclusiveness. More importantly is teachers' knowledge on multiculturalism so that they could behave equally towards students and colleagues in school setting. Finally, multiculturalism should be embedded in the schools through celebration of cultures, ethnics and language diversity, through cultural festivals, food exhibition, local art and dance shows, music contests, drama, and literature. Keywords: Multicultura Values, Implementing, Primary School, Teacher Views.


Author(s):  
Siti Faridah Omar

Reading is one of the basic skills needed to be enhance at the primary school level. Early research shows that pupils lack the interest in reading and this affected their ability to grasp vocab and understanding. Thus, Pintar Baca cards were introduced to help increase interest and level up pupils’ ability to understand the texts read. The Pintar Baca cards comprises of teaching and learning tools published by the Malay Language Centre of Singapore. These resources were designed to help primary school pupils improve their language mastery through reading. These cards were developed for Primary 2 to 4 and consists of 12 stories on the names of origins of places of Singapore. It is hoped that through these historical stories, we are able to instil interest and strengthen pupils’ knowledge on the historical background of some places in Singapore in a simpler and more interesting way. In addition, each story comes with a set of comprehension questions which can develop pupils’ understanding on the reading materials. A trialling session was done at 9 primary schools involving around 189 pupils. A thinking routine strategy were applied in the teaching and learning during the trialling sessions to support the use of the Pintar Baca cards. Research findings showed an increase in reading interest amongst pupils. In addition, the application of the thinking routines has helped improve pupils’ understanding of the contents of the stories and their language mastery.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-25
Author(s):  
Ahmad Jazuly ◽  
Ninuk Indrayani ◽  
Nostalgianti Citra Prystiananta

In this study, I investigated the teachers' current practice without curriculum of English lesson at primary schools and teacher's response to the new policy on English lessons in primary school. The participants of this study were 46 respondents which consist of 17 males and 29 females. The data was obtained by distributing an open-ended question to teachers who teach in a primary school in Jember district of East Java. The questionnaire was administered to the teacher to be filled in directly. The first finding showed that most of the teachers agreed that teachers should be qualified, teachers need appropriate teaching media for students, and most of the students are very enthusiastic in learning English. The second finding about the teacher's response to the new policy on English lessons in primary school showed that most teachers expected the government to return the English language policy to be taught in primary school as a compulsory subject. Conclusion, the current practices of teaching English in primary school are divided into three parts, 1) most the teachers who involve become sample in this study agreed that the teachers should be qualified in teaching English in primary school, 2) most the teachers needed teaching media appropriate for the students in primary school, 3) most the students were very enthusiastic about learning English. Keyword; Indonesian primary school, teacher, new policy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (86) ◽  
Author(s):  
Larysa Vozniak ◽  

Case study is one of the active approaches to learning, which is considered a more effective way to develop professional skills and achieve learning outcomes than traditional teaching methods. However interactive teaching methods require more responsibility, innovation of the primary school teacher and involvement of students in the educational process. The article examines the problem of introducing into the practice of primary school teachers the method of studying situations (case study) as a promising method of forming an educated, creative personality. The expediency of using case-based technologies for the formation of vital competence junior student, improving the quality of education in primary schools. Case study is considered by specialists as a method of interactive learning that provides a combination of theory with practice and knowledge with competencies. This method allows to implement the learning process in primary school on fundamentally different methodological approaches. Features, types, forms and other methodical characteristics of cases are considered, the structure of lessons in elementary school with use of a case method is described. The problems of introduction of the method in the educational process of primary school are also described. It is characterized by the means of the teacher's work in the context of the use of case-methods in more educated students. It was found solutions such research tasks as – understanding of the case as a multi-functional technologies; – characterization of educational opportunities Case technology; Studying of its content, the main types of structure in terms of achieving the objectives of formation of vital competence of the younger schoolboy. Тhe basic components of this technology are analyzed. It is noted that the work with cases in the classroom allows applying the theoretical knowledge to solve practical problems, helps to develop students' independent thinking, linking theory with practice. The work with cases is creative and is a determiner of the high level of teaching.


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