Technology and Physical Education: Motivating, Measuring and Rewarding Students for Physical Activity

(A Validation of the Electric Pedometer in Physical Education)

Welcome to the world of “I can't get my students to stop moving.” This is a problem the Physical Education Teacher welcomes!  My name is Todd Keating and I am an Elementary Physical Education Teacher. As school boards and legislatures challenge the validity of our profession, we must rethink our position regarding our purpose and goals. I believe utilizing technology in Physical Education can help substantiate our goals and clarify our purpose.

The cost of technology and the unrealistic time constraints it presents are just a few of the obstacles that confront true technological change in Physical Education.  It is my hope that this paper will prove that the pedometer is not bound by these obstacles but has the potential to be a valuable tool for the Physical Educator.  The following presentation outlines how I use the pedometer and the computer in a program designed to motivate and measure movement, present integrated learning concepts, and provide assessment data for validating Physical Education curriculum.  Hopefully, the use of the pedometer will help provide support for physical educators who confront those who challenge the legitimacy of our profession.

The name of my program is called “Stepping through the Heartland.”  The program is designed to:

1. integrate technology into Physical Education

2. be flexible and affordable enough to include in any curriculum

3. have minimal time impact on classes

4. motivate students to increase activity levels in every class

5. reward students with incentives for their accomplishments

6. provide data for student assessment

7. provide lesson assessment data for evaluating class activity levels

8. provide integration components including math, history and geography

9. provide correspondence in the learning process through electronic mail

10. provide ownership for students through data entry responsibilities

The design of the electric pedometer has taken great strides with the development of new technology.  It is no longer a simple mechanical device, but is an accurate instrument designed to measure walking and running steps.  The pedometer functions by collecting uniaxial motion data by measuring vertical oscillations or, simply, steps.

This program had its beginnings when I first introduced pedometers, strictly on an experimental basis, in my classes.  My first notion was to challenge students with how many steps they could collect during a class. The student's positive response to the pedometer feedback was overwhelming.  When I began giving awards for reaching 1000 or 2000 steps I began to see the potential it had to be a great motivational tool.  The focus of the lesson now became multi-dimensional. While students were still engaged in the normal process of learning and practicing skills, they were equally challenged by the pedometer step count. The fitness component of physical education was now present in every lesson I taught.  I could be instructing a lesson on juggling scarves or playing a game of line soccer, the students were remaining constantly active because of the feedback from the pedometer. In a study published in Human Kinetics it states,  “pedometers are highly correlated with physical activity in children.  The unobtrusive size and economical cost makes the pedometer a useful objective measure of physical activity in children.” (1)

The impact on fitness for the students was substantial.  The pedometer introduced a fresh motivation for students to stay active in physical education classes.  The next step was to develop a comprehensive program to measure and assess these new activity levels and share them with parents.

Stepping through the Heartland

This program is designed to track and chart individual and class miles from the step data collected by the pedometer throughout the entire year. It does not interfere with any of the present programs in our curriculum. I choose the word Stepping, because of the pedometer model we are using, the MLS 2000 Life Stepper. (2) The “Heartland” is where we live, Naperville, Illinois.  As we collect and record our steps at the conclusion of each class, we chart them as miles on the heartland map of Illinois.

Before I could use the pedometer to track miles, I had to know how many steps it took for a student to travel one mile. I set up a ¼ mile track and divided it into ten equal segments. If you were setting up your track in meters it would be about 42 meters for each 1/10 th segment. If you were setting up your track in yards, than it would be 44 yards between every segment.  The typical steps in a physical education class are usually a combination of walking and running steps. Therefore, I asked the students, in-groups of four at a time, to alternate running and walking from one cone to the next. They continued from cone to cone until they reached the finish line. This was to determine how many steps it would take to finish a ¼ mile.

As each foursome crossed the finish line, I recorded the amount of steps for each individual. I did this with every student in the class. I repeated the process a second time to help validate the process. I then figured the average amount of steps for the class to complete one mile. To do this I took the total steps from each student and multiplied by four. This number represented the sum total of steps for the class to cover the one-mile distance. Next, I divided the number of students in my class into the sum step total. The result was 1774 steps.  Although the pedometer I use is the most accurate today, this number is only an estimate for converting the steps to miles; it is not an exact measurement. (3)

If you are interested in obtaining just walking steps, here are the average steps per mile for the appropriate grade level. 5 th Grade=2300, 4 th Grade=2400, 3 rd Grade =2500. These figures are averages that I took from four classes at each grade level.

At the end of class each day, we count how many students had 1700 steps or more. Any student that reaches this number is awarded a mile toe token. A mile toe token is a small plastic colored foot with a hole the shape of a heart in the heel, which easily fits through the student's shoelace. They enjoy collecting and trading for the different colors that are awarded them. The mile toe token is a huge motivational incentive for the students. Next, each student is responsible for estimating the distance they traveled in miles by comparing their step total to the mileage chart I have posted on the bulletin board. This chart post the number of steps needed to travel ¼, ½ and ¾ of a mile. The students learn to find out how close their step total is to one of these distances. Then, each squad figures out their total miles. One squad at a time we add our total miles traveled for the class. Then we chart them on our state map. Each class has their own color for tracking their progress. The map scale for the map is one inch for every ten miles. The students view their progress daily.

Our destinations as we chart our miles through the heartland include historical sights, as well as other schools in our state involved in walking/running programs. When other schools are involved we correspond via email to share pictures and information about our school and community. Also, I solicit destinations from teachers to help determine some of the historical destinations we visit. For example, the fifth grade students are studying the Civil War. Cairo, Illinois is one of our destinations because it was the main outpost for the Illinois troops traveling south to engage in battle.

Wearing the pedometer everyday for every unit taught has enabled me to evaluate the activity levels in each of the lessons I teach. Teachers have commented positively on the student's use of math skills in the lessons.  My principal has encouraged me to continue to make connections from the steps we take in the gym to the need to keep active outside of school. She commented that even though we have families within walking distance parents still choose to drive to school. This program is helping to change that. Our classes talk about what are some of the ways we can accumulate more steps in a day. Walking up stairs instead of using the elevators and WALKING TO SCHOOL are just a few examples.

Collecting and Sharing Data

I am currently using one 5 th grade class as a pilot for the purpose of collecting more specific and accurate data.  This class writes down their individual step totals on a daily basis.  This is accomplished by meeting in their squads at the end of class. At this time each squad leader picks up a manila folder with the names of each student in that squad.

The dates are listed across the top of the page indicating the number of times the class has attended Physical Education. Squad leaders record the number of steps for each student in the appropriate box. Using the average step count for the class, 1774, the excel program automatically computes the step total to miles.  When the information is entered in the computer the program keeps a running total for the miles completed by each student. The accumulated total for the class appears at the bottom of the page.

This is a sample of the computer read-out from my pilot program that computes steps to mile and keeps a running total of individual and class achievement.

NOTE: some columns have been deleted in order to fit the page .

The folders are then returned to a file box and kept at the computer in my office. Students called “data input people,” enter the steps during their free time into an excel program on the computer. The students are responsible for entering data and keeping their progress up to date. The teacher is freed up to teach and not burdened by spending hours of inputting data on the computer. The parents now will be able to view data that the students produced and recorded themselves. The students have shared ownership in the process of assessing their own physical activity.

Pediatric Exercise Science noted in their study, Validation of an Electronic Pedometer for Measurement of Physical Activity in Children , “This study provided additional support for the use of an electronic pedometer as a measure of physical activity when observing children engaged in a variety of moderate to high intensity recreational activity.”(4) Physical Education today has to provide evidence to substantiate the claims it makes for making our children physically fit. The pedometer, when used in carefully designed programs can offer validity and support to our physical education programs.

In conclusion, I hope I have helped inform you about the potential of the pedometer as a powerful resource for the physical educator.   I believe Physical Education, even with limited budgets and time restraints, has the opportunity to utilize the pedometer as an important technological tool. With innovative programming, partnered with existing technology, the pedometer becomes a movement motivator as well as an assessment tool that brings merit to our profession. It is truly has the potential to offer a positive impact on Physical Education for the future. 

Notes

1. Pediatric Exercise Science, 1999, 11. 63-68

2. Walk4Life  11939 Spaulding School Dr. Unit #1 Plainfield, Ill. 60544 815-439-2340 or www.walk4life.com

3. Accuracy of five electronic pedometers for measuring distance walked . Med. Sce. Sports Exers. 28:1071-1077. 1996

4.     Measurement of physical activity in children with particular reference to the use of heart rare and pedometry. Sports Medicine. 24:258-272. 1997