Learning Through Movement: Integrating Physical Education with the Classroom Curriculum

Abstract The purpose of the experiment was to find if integrating physical education with the culture curriculum would enhance participation and increase learning in the classroom. The experiment was conducted at a Montessori school with one hundred elementary students split into a control group and experiment group. The control group received the traditional established physical education lessons while the experiment group received lessons integrated with culture themes. A pre and post assessment were given to the students to track improvements in concept retention.Observations were made during the lessons and a survey was given to the supervising teachers. There was not a meaningful change in participation but there was significant increase in scores between the pre and post assessment with the first and second graders in the experiment group. Physical Education integration with the culture curriculum aided younger students in remembering classroom lessons. Physical education will now be integrated with the culture curriculum for all elementary classrooms