After
further contemplating my proposed research topics for the next several weeks, I
have chosen to study the correlation between negative classroom behaviors and
the amount of physical outlets of energy provided during the typical
care/school day. In conjunction with the
knowledge that hands-on exploratory experiences are often the most well
absorbed in regards to learning and the theory that children need at least an
hour of physical activity built into their days, I believe that the rise in a
more “structured” day without the outlet for physical energy has caused an
increase in negative behaviors among young children. It is my thought that as we struggle to
attain high national expectations regarding education these days, we have taken
away so many of the practices that work best when teaching children. It is my hope to bring the natural, hands-on
element back into the classroom, which should reduce stress levels for
instructors, children, and their families, and also allow for greater
absorption of required material by learners.
By studying the correlation between
behavior and physical expression, I hope to provide a base line for further
research on the topics. My study will be
more broad-based, which can eventually lead to a dissection of behaviors among
narrower age groups. Further studies
can also included the home and community elements regarding physical
experiences outside of the school day.
In the short time I have been
completing this simulation, I have already encountered some roadblocks,
including the amount of material available for study, deciphering between
worthy sources, and digging deep to figure out what I hope to gain from my
experiences and trials. I enjoy the
research process, but have always had a difficult time limiting myself, as I
tend to want to include as much as possible.
I foresee this as being one of the greatest challenges for me. I am excited to learn how others view my
proposals and hope to learn a great deal from everyone’s experiences. I look forward to working constructively with
others to strengthen our research methodology and take greater strides toward
improving early childhood efforts.
Dana, although I can't offer scientific data to support my findings, I can PROMISE you that rainy days in kindergarten are a hot mess. The children are just wiggly worms and although I do everything in my control to keep them from demonstrating negative behaviors, some do squeak through..I think you need to decide "what counts" as a negative behavior? Does it have to be a BIG infraction or could it simply be, How many time to do children rise away from the activity? Or how many times do children yell out during a non "outdoor/recess" day? It is so hard to narrow a subject down to a measurable question, huh??
ReplyDeleteHi Dana,
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, more and more schools are being built without playgrounds, and children do not have access to recess or physical education programs that would allow them to burn off the extra energy that young children have, which is one of the reasons I believe so many of the schools are now experiences an increase in behavioral problems. By not giving our young children the opportunity to play and run outdoors and to explore the woods or play with simply toys like dolls, trucks or balls, in my opinion is a contributing factor in behavioral problems in the classroom and possibly in the home environment as well. Today, more and more young children are stuck inside with computers, or other handheld devices that offer no type of physical activity.