Play With A Purpose: Leveraging Recess to Support a Healthy School - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Play With A Purpose: Leveraging Recess to Support a Healthy School Culture Allan Whitmore School Counselor, Midway Elementary School Ashley Engeler Program Director, Playworks Utah

Self-Disclosure All information and resources referenced in this workshop are accessible for participant use and review via hard copy or website free of charge.

“All the skills required for people to engage in civil society are things you learn in play.” - Jill Vialet, Founder of Playworks

Why Recess? ● The CDC and SHAPE America recommend providing elementary school students daily access to recess ● American Academy of Pediatrics defines recess as “crucial and necessary to a child’s development” ● There is a recess opportunity gap in our nation 1.) London, R.A. (2019, Oct. 28). The right to play: Eliminating the opportunity gap in elementary school recess. Phi Delta Kappan, 101 (3), 48-52. https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/early/2012/12/25/peds.2012-2993.f 2.) ull.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/physicalactivity/recess.htm 3.)

The Research 1.) Massey et al. BMC Public Health (2018) 18:394 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5295-y

Measures Utilized: ● Recess Quality: Great Recess Framework Observational Tool that measures critical aspects of a quality recess environment. ● Student Behavior : Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC-3) is a standardized, valid and reliable tool that examines a range of student behavior during the school day. ● Classroom Quality : Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) is a student report measure that captures classroom quality. ● Recess Time : gathered from school bell schedules

High quality recess contributes to student’s executive function, emotional self-control, resilience, and positive classroom behaviors.

The Rubric ● Rubric with scores from 1 to 4 ● Used to gather observational information about a school’s recess ● Provides specific and actionable results to help improve recess at schools

The Players

Empowerment Play and games, conflict resolution, adult behavior Engagement Recess activity, games rules and equipment, transitions, student and adult participation Safety Play space & equipment, student interactions, adult interventions

Safety ● Play Space and Equipment: Free of hazards well-defined boundaries, safe use of equipment. ● Student Interactions: Encouraging, free of physical altercations. ● Adult Intervention: ratio of 35:1 or less, strategic & active positioning.

Safety

Engagement ● Equipment and Games: Variety of organized choices offered (including free play), inclusive. ● Student Interactions: 90% or more students engaged in active play, community agreement of rules. ● Adult Intervention: Consistently and positively reinforce norms and rules.

Engagement

Empowerment ● Play and Games: Free choice of activities, 90% or more games started and sustained by students. ● Conflict Resolution: Students demonstrate strategies to resolve their own conflict. ● Adult Behavior: Model positive culture (language, getting students involved, etc).

Empowerment

Implemention In The Field - Allan’s “A-Ha”s ● Setting the space ● Recycle lines ● Culture of Ro-Sham-Bo ● Power of engaged adults on the playground ● Reinforcement strategies

● 650 students Pre-school to 5 th grade ● Spanish Dual-Immersion Kindergarten to 5 th Grade ● Free and Reduced Lunch ● PBIS Implementation for 13 years ● Playworks Implementation for 3 years

Tyler’s Story

References 1.) London, R.A. (2019, Oct. 28). The right to play: Eliminating the opportunity gap in elementary school recess. Phi Delta Kappan, 101 (3), 48-52. 2.) American Academy of Pediatrics (2013, Jan.) “ The Crucial Role of Recess in School abstract ” retrieved from https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/early/2012/12/25/peds.201 2-2993.full.pdf 3.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019) “ Recess | Physical Activity | Healthy Schools” retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/physicalactivity/recess.htm 4.) Massey et al. BMC Public Health (2018) 18:394 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5295-y

Additional Resources ● “Rethinking Recess: Creating Safe and Inclusive Playtime for All Children in School” - Rebecca A. London, Ph.D ● “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain” - John J. Ratey, MD ● https://www.playworks.org/resources/great-recess-framework/ : Playworks & Oregon State University College of Public Health and Human Services (2019) Great Recess Framework Observational Tool ● https://www.recesslab.org/ : Free online tools and resources to enhance the quality of recess ● https://schools.utah.gov/file/6c5c979f-803f-4f10-ad4a-7925a3d1348a : Utah State Board of Education Best Practices for Recess Guidance

Thank You For more information contact: Ashley Engeler ashley.engeler@playworks.org Allan Whitmore allan.whitmore@wasatch.edu