Riley et al. examine the EASY Minds program, a six-week intervention that integrated movement into primary mathematics lessons in New South Wales schools. The study included Grade 5/6 classes across eight public schools, with 66 students participating in focus groups and four teachers interviewed about their experiences. The findings showed that embedding physical activity into math increased student enjoyment and engagement without compromising learning, and teachers reported renewed reflection on their pedagogy.
Stop One
My first stop was the idea that schools need novel strategies to promote physical activity across the day, not just in PE. The authors suggest integrating movement across the curriculum as one solution. That immediately made me think about numeracy. One of my goals in my job it to encourage teachers to integrate numeracy throughout the day, not just during math block.
But schools are built on the “grid”: separate subjects, bells, rooms, timetables. Everything reinforces separation. To truly integrate movement (or numeracy), we would almost need a more open and flexible structure. It made me realize that the challenge isn’t always teacher willingness, sometimes it’s the system we’re working inside that makes integration difficult.
Stop Two
My second stop was the reminder that of all the things schools can control, it is the teacher and the quality of the pedagogy that most directly affects learning outcomes.
Students described theses lessons as freeing and more fun. They even noticed their teachers seemed more relaxed and invested. The teachers themselves said it helped them re-evaluate what they might have been stuck doing for years. That part resonated with me. I don’t think most teachers want dull lessons. I think many of us want engaging, meaningful experiences for students. The challenge is time, energy, and resources. Our days are rushed. Planning (or even finding something already planned) takes effort. Having a structured program with training and materials, like the EASY Minds program described in the article, seems to lower that barrier. It gives teachers support and permission to try something different without starting from scratch. I think sometimes innovation isn’t about teachers lacking ideas, but about lacking the structural support to make those ideas sustainable.
Question for the Group
Would you be willing to try a program like this in your own classroom? And do you agree that it’s often not lack of interest, but lack of time, energy, and structural support that keeps many of us from trying new approaches?
I am intrigued that your school is looking to incorporate numeracy across student's entire day, not just in the math block. I sometimes feel frustrated by what I call the "social-studies-ification" of the math and science curriculum. Acknowledging the value of teaching reasoning skills (and in science, media literacy), I often wonder if I am overlapping skills practiced in english and social studies without reciprocity.
ReplyDeleteI read the same article as you, and also was interested to see that the teachers and students reported that the teachers were more relaxed. I am thinking of all the time spent with classroom management when students are bored or tuned out because they don't understand. Incorporating embodied elements can circumvent much of that effort.
I also liked the way the EASY program lowered barriers for teachers. Teachers are understandably tired due to the competing and never-ending demands of the job. Being tired is not conducive to creativity.
I agree that it is lack of time, energy, and structural support that prevents us from trying new approaches. Also, buy-in from colleagues, which if that was in place would increase support because of the community sharing of ideas that could occur.
I am looking forward to trying out Susan's timeline suggestion. Looking ahead to next year it seems like a manageable way to start.
Unfortunately, it is not a school I am at that is looking it incorporate numeracy across the day, it is me in my role as district numeracy teacher trying to get teachers to do this. I have had some buy in by a few teachers (one in particular is doing some amazing things between the Olympics, PE, and grade 4 math). But it’s definitely not whole-school yet. It’s more small pockets of experimentation.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Teachers are tired. I also really like Susan’s timeline suggestion. It’s a good reminder for me to pass this on to the teachers I work with — they don’t need to overhaul everything at once. Start small. Build from there. I really appreciate that a few teachers invite me into their classes to lead projects and try ideas like this. My hope is that once they see it in action, they’ll feel confident trying it themselves, and that it spreads organically through conversation and shared practice rather than feeling like another top-down initiative.