Are York Region schools falling short when it comes to keeping students active?

Yorkregion.com
Nov. 19, 2015
By John Cudmore

Physical activity as a pathway to increased productivity in the classroom seems like a no-brainer.

Yet, despite strong evidence backing that notion, there is no clear-cut strategy to ensure elementary school children are receiving adequate daily doses of physical activity.

It has been a decade since then-Ontario minister of education Gerard Kennedy introduced in 2005 the Daily Physical Activity strategy to Ontario’s publicly funded elementary schools. The mandate is to provide opportunity for students to be active for at least 20 minutes every school day to foster healthier places to learn.

For those on board, it has been a positive experience.

“I always valued physical education and was into sports,” said Norma Moffitt, a Grade 6 teacher at Regency Acres Public School in Aurora with 27 years of classroom experience. “I thought there were different ways to get my class under control and interested in their education, but I didn’t realize until that year the benefits.

“Now, I’m hooked. It’s amazing after kids exercise how their confidence improves. It’s the most influential thing I’ve done in my teaching career and it came down to physical exercise.”

Although every timetable is to include 20 minutes, there is no official monitoring from local school boards or the province for implementation of the DPA concept, initially rolled out as Daily Vigorous Physical Activity, and intended to complement regular physical education classes. Schools and teachers on the front lines have largely been left to figure it and advance programs out for themselves. Schools seem to be inconsistent in how or if they present the program at all.

In her 16th year of teaching elementary school, Amanda Telford has mixed views regarding the DPA program. The Holland Landing Public School teacher understands and believes in the concept’s value, yet isn’t so sure it is applicable across the spectrum.

She cites factors ranging from the physical space inside a classroom and the ages of the students, weather and even teacher motivation. Telford says it is difficult to stop class for her students to perform exercises outside a cramped classroom setting.

“I totally see the value of physical activity overall,” said Telford. “But for a distinct value overall, I’m not so sure.

“I don’t think there is the big push in the board to make sure it is happening. It looks good on paper, but the practicality, not so much. There’s not much flexibility in our schedule. It’s just not in the timetable sometimes.”

Without provincial or board-wide enforcement, the DPA concept really is a school-by-school issue.

For instance, where do teachers inject a 20-minute activity break into an already full day of classroom study? Do you cut into math class? English? Spelling?

Some schools set aside time every day to physical activity. It might be right after morning bell. After lunch. Mid-morning.

“You have to be consistent each day,” said Andrea Haefele, a 10-year teaching veteran, including eight in health and physical education, at Highgate Public School in Markham. “If you aren’t, what’s that telling the kids? I can rhyme off 20 reasons not to go to the gym after work, but I find a way to go.”

Highgate follows a five-day cycle and has four DPA activity sites on school grounds, implementing its playing field, two tarmac areas and gymnasium.

“On the fifth day, the whole school dances,” said Haefele. “It has taken many years to get where we are but it is worth it. It’s sustainable because of how we program it. I think there is something very powerful when 500 students drop their pencils and see others moving. It’s more of a community being built in our school.”

With a large class of fifth and sixth grade students, Telford is strapped for space in her classroom. She has been creative in the past to get her students active.

“For small kids, you can have them do a freeze dance in the classroom and they’re happy,” Telford said.

“But if I want to take my class to the gym and it is busy, what do I do?

“The classroom I have is not able to accommodate 34 kids jumping around. In the dead of winter, I don’t know what we’ll do when we can’t get outside. I’m finding it a real challenge - it’s great when the weather is nice out, but when winter comes, it’s a challenge.

“I’ve seen it through the entire cycle,” said Telford. “I’m not sure if the board pushes it. Some schools rely on self-scheduling. I do my own thing. It depends on how I think they are doing. I might have them run or walk laps of the field. I’ve used a stairwell near my classroom. My kids are active. I might give them 10 minutes of teacher-directed activity and allow 10 minutes of student-directed activity.”

So, does the DPA concept work or not?

“It does and it doesn’t,” said Telford. “The thinking nowadays (is) if students are physically active, people think they pay more attention. I don’t think it makes a difference if they are all riled up and jumping up and down.”

Moffitt thinks if home-room teachers are convinced of the potential benefits they are more likely to figure out a way to incorporate physical activity into their schedules.

Introducing daily activity to the Regency Acres community opened Moffitt's eyes. Especially so when, in 2008, her Grade 6 class and another sixth grade class were pitted against each other. Her class, which received daily exposure to physical activity, scored significantly better in both learning skills and reading than the control group, which was exposed to standard DPA as directed by the Ministry of Education.

“If you can see the difference in the classroom and students, if you’re passionate, you will find a way to make it work.”

Jennifer Burt, now a vice-principal at Lake Simcoe Public School in Keswick and the other teacher in the Regency Acres test, would love to set up a program at her new school.

“After a body break, you can see it helps kids get back on track,” said Burt, who pointed to the benefits of exercise stations throughout her last school, Black River Public School in Sutton. “If they’re fidgety or restless, they can take a run in the gym or hall, if there is support staff available. It’s hard to smile when you’re doing jumping jacks.”

Haefele believes the concept requires a push to the next level.

“The purpose is to get students active and instill healthy habits to help choose a lifestyle,” Haefele said. “The concept makes sense, but after 10 years, we’re stuck in the same position. There’s no accountability to do it. Ten years later, we’re still asking he same questions - ‘Why are schools still not implementing DPA?’.”

She sees issues that do not provide favourable conditions to follow the guideline, ranging from lack of interest to classroom space and equipment. The playing field, she said, is not level from one school to the next.

“In those cases, the administration is setting it up for failure. You need accountability and consistency. Time has to be put into it to make a successful program.

“You need quality programming and if you do not put the time into finding space, resources and administration support, it won’t work.

“Implementation is not well done,” Haefele said. “The Ministry has to somehow make schools accountable.”

As the York Region District School Board’s curriculum co-ordinator for healthy schools, Ken Leang acknowledges there are barriers, including time and competing curriculums. He believes it is critical to promote the reasons a period of physical activity is important to the welfare of students. He realizes it is a process.

“Once they understand, that’s when people change their behaviour,” Leang said. “It takes a while, because we didn’t go after the why, but viewed it as an add-on. If it is required, put it in and more and more people will follow it.”

The concept has evolved over the decade since DPA was introduced, Leang believes.

“It really has progressed in a lot of ways, but getting to adults in the building is key,” Leang said. “You have to build it with teachers who want to do it and get the others to buy in. It’s up to schools to determine priority.”