DPA (Daily Physical Activity) Archives - Rowntree Montessori Schools

2017/05/16 by Contributor

Active Learning in the Classroom

A supportive and modern learning environment must nurture all aspects of a student’s life, that includes physical health through active learning. Daily physical activity (DPA) is proving to be an important part of a child’s growth and development. It can greatly benefit physical, mental, and social well-being. Research has shown that active learning enhances academic achievement, and it also motivates students to open their minds to learning new concepts. DPA can have a positive impact on students’ behavior and their willingness to learn. Keeping students active in the classroom ensures increased focus, because of greater blood flow to the brain. Even adults whose work requires them to be seated at a desk for extended periods of time can experience fatigue. A brisk walk, a good stretch or even a brief workout can renew one’s energy and significantly improve the clarity of one’s focus. Studies have shown that this also applies to young students in a school environment.

Students participating in active learning by counting multiples through song and dance

Students learning multiplication through song and dance

Building daily physical activity into a mathematics programme has proven to be a very useful and motivating tool for both teachers and students. Learning the multiplication tables by singing and dancing to multiplication songs, is a lesson that students look forward to! This type of active learning helps students to more easily retain information and apply it effectively to their classroom assignments. RMS prides itself on an accelerated mathematics programme, and our students are always ready for a challenge! DPA is an essential part of our daily routine, and its benefits to students’ performance within the classroom is becoming increasingly evident, as we endeavor to make daily learning both rigorous and fun.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2016/08/10 by RMS

Developing a Child’s Mind, Body and Soul

“Yoga creates children who are bright lights in this world, increasing their self-awareness and strengthening their bodies.” – Shakta Khalsa

Teacher instructing the students in tree pose

I have been a strong believer and follower of yoga ever since I can remember. Yoga has helped me to keep balance in my own life, it has taught me to be more patient, and helped my body stay healthy with flexibility. Seeing the positive effects it had on my own life, I decided to introduce a yoga program to our students. The children gather every Wednesday morning in the gym for a 30 minute practice session to learn and sharpen their yoga poses. The poses are done standing, sitting and lying down. Each pose challenges various muscle groups while helping a child become aware of his/her body and how it efficiently functions. Yoga poses enhance physical flexibility and strength because children learn to use their muscles in new ways.

A focused student demonstrating prayer pose

Yoga helps develop focus, concentration, balance and dexterity. The poses which we practise during yoga encourage children to clear their minds and focus on the present pose. For example, when children were taught the tree pose, the first thing they needed to learn was to stand still. They did this by staying calm and finding something to focus upon. After accomplishing this stage, the children were then challenged to further their pose to the next level. Now being able to focus, the students learn to coordinate their movements so they are able to balance on one foot completing the pose.

Cobra and Downward Dog

As a result, children learn to focus and concentrate during class time. Yoga also teaches them to persevere, be patient and work towards daily goals. Teachers like me have found that incorporating yoga and meditation into the daily schedule has had a positive impact on the completion of daily tasks. It has enhanced and strengthened the quality of students’ learning potential, and helped them to sustain their concentration, therefore making them more productive during their work day and helping them to achieve success in their learning environment.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2016/07/25 by RMS

Active Body = Active Mind

We are all aware of the importance of being a healthy and active individual in terms of our physical health, however, many overlook the important relationship between physical health, mental health and academic achievement. Through my experiences as a Health and Physical Education teacher at Rowntree Montessori Schools, I would like to highlight the important role physical activity plays in academic success.

Students actively participating in the gym

I was a child who grew up reading “…is encouraged to slow down when completing assignments.” or “…loses focus during class time and becomes distracted easily.” Despite these comments, I maintained honours-level grades year after year. It wasn’t until later in life that I was diagnosed with ADHD, and at that time I chose to speak with my parents and previous teachers about my elementary and secondary academic career. It was after conversing with them that I realized a direct correlation between my grades and my active participation in sports, both in and outside of the classroom. The whole picture then became crystal clear!

Combining physical Health with written work

The relationship between my ability to focus on things like studying and assignments and how often I participated in sports became clear as I progressed through university. I began to make sure that I integrated daily physical activity, regardless of my work load, because I knew that taking a single hour out of my time to play squash or hockey would ensure that when I got to work, I was able to focus and maintain a higher level of critical thinking.

Students who are physically active, stay mentally active too!

As a member of a variety of sports teams, across a variety of levels of sport, I learned the life skills I needed to succeed in my academics. I was able to develop time management, leadership, communication, and co-operation skills through my interactions with my many teammates; these are skills I would have not learned otherwise, being so unable to maintain focus in the classroom. All of those essential skills were developed through a means which I enjoyed and as a result I learned how to implement them into all aspects of my life; my body and my mind were thoroughly exercised each and every day. Of course as a child I didn’t recognize that I was developing critical life skills, but that is what makes sport such a great medium for children to develop a solid academic foundation!

Demonstrating their physical skill in various ball activities

Demonstrating their physical skills in various ball activities

Sports have also helped me, as a child and as an adult, recognize the relationship between practice and hard work, and my eventual success in anything I chose to do in life. I understood at an early age that in order to improve at anything I had to practice, and that included my academic subjects like Math and English. As a Physical Education teacher, I pride myself in my ability to recognize my own learning in life and infuse my experiences into my teaching. I work each and every day to foster each student’s enjoyment of physical activity because I recognize the importance of sports and physical activity in one’s academic success. As a coach of many teams at this school, I use that time to develop not only the skills required for our teams to succeed in their sport, but also the skills they will need to progress through life. My personal teaching philosophy relies on the foundation that students need to develop proper life skills in order to succeed at a high level, and I believe that sports and athletics play a large role in the development of those skills!

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .