Abstract
Mathematics is a science which can lead to both anxiety in children and teaching difficulties in teachers. Together, these two difficulties can increase the time spent in teaching and learning mathematics. The aim of this study is to examine the efficiency of a new integrated mathematics/geometry and physical activity program, specifically structured for increasing learning in fourth-grade pupils. Thirty-six children (age 10.36±0.55) were divided into an experimental (n1 = 19) group and a control (n2 = 17) group. The experimental group of subjects learned mathematics and geometry via the integrated teaching method, while the control group of subjects learned these subjects via traditional teaching methods. We administered two ad hoc tests, before and after the intervention, in order to study its effect. One test was on geometry knowledge and the other on mathematics, in which there were questions about the implemented teaching topics: rectangles, squares and their perimeters. Using a factorial 2×2 ANOVA, the results after four weeks indicated that the group of subjects who gained their mathematics and geometry knowledge through our intervention program were significantly more successful (P<0.05) than the control group. Our results suggest that the integrated teaching method proposed here could be considered a useful and efficient method for teaching mathematics and geometry based on motor tasks.
Highlights
Motor and cognitive skills influence each other from childhood through physical activity (PA) [1,2,3]
The results indicate a high reliability for the tests used for estimation of geometric knowledge in the initial measurement (ICC = 0.93) and the final measurement (ICC = 0.89)
These results indicate that the teaching of mathematics/geometry through our PA program provides a better and more efficient method of teaching than traditional methods
Summary
Motor and cognitive skills influence each other from childhood through physical activity (PA) [1,2,3]. Enhancing the teaching of mathematics via physical activity biological perspective assuming that motor, cognitive and physical development are all determined primarily by biological predispositions [4]. Atypical or delayed motor development is linked with evident cognitive deficits and vice versa [6]. It has already been demonstrated that in cases of intellectual disability, PA, environmental enrichment and education can improve motor and cognitive performance, both in animals [7,8,9] and in humans [10,11,12,13]
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