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PLAY A LITTLE, LEARN A LOT:
THE LiiNK PROJECT IN MOTION
By Stephanie Patrick
Our country is conflicted over which
direction to take to improve academic
performance. We are fixated on better
test scores — an obsession that research
shows
has
ironically
jeopardized
academic performance and the health
and happiness of our children. Many
superintendents nationwide are creating
rigid, sedentary environments for
learning that demand more time in the
classroom and either limit (or completely
eliminate) playtime.
“This is a huge mistake,” said Debbie Rhea, Ed. D., professor and
associate dean for health sciences and research at the Harris College
of Nursing & Health Sciences.
For the past two years, Rhea has been developing and championing
The LiiNK Project (Let’s Inspire Innovation ‘N Kids),* an educational
reform model that incorporates more recess breaks and character
development into the curriculum.
The pilot project launched this spring with kindergarteners and first-
graders in two test schools: TCU’s Starpoint School and Trinity Valley
School, a private academy in South Fort Worth. After only four months
in action, results are already apparent.
About 153 students were part of the project’s core group.
“Our current educational model is flawed, and I believe The LiiNK
Project can help fix it,” said Rhea. “I think the data backs me up —
research from this past semester shows this system really has the
promise to change our schools.”
BUILDING A FOUNDATION
Rhea’s main goal for The LiiNK Project is to build a stronger platform so
that children can better absorb the information they are being taught
in the classroom. According to cognitive studies, movement is vital to
a child’s learning process, helping stimulate the type of brain activity
that is necessary for learning and retaining information. Without it,
the brain becomes fatigued and cannot absorb new material.
Studies show that incorporating physical education and even one
recess break can have both academic and emotional benefits, and
adding multiple breaks improves creativity and problem-solving skills.
The second key element that makes The LiiNK Project effective is
the character-building curriculum, called Positive Action, which is
intended to curb the growing problem of bullying and boost self-
esteem. “Each element is strong in its own right, but as the saying
goes, ‘the whole is stronger than the sum of the parts,’” said Rhea.
Positive Action promotes an intrinsic interest in learning and
encourages students to cooperate with each other, reinforcing the
philosophy that students who feel good about themselves will
interact positively with others.
Rhea started putting The LiiNK Project into action last fall by getting
the teachers on board. That meant shifting attitudes about playtime
by encouraging the view that unstructured time is a “reinforcement”
for learning.
By January, students at both schools had at least two 15-minute
recesses in the morning, two 15-minute recesses in the afternoon and
three weekly 15-minute character-development lessons.
REVIEWING THE RESULTS
The LiiNK Project team observed and measured end-of the-year
results in May, comparing findings to the baseline data from the fall
semester. “It was really surprising to see so much change in only four
months,” said Rhea.
Students’ listening skills increased 23 percent, and male students
responded especially well. With a 25 percent improvement in listening
scores, they effectively closed the initial gap between themselves and
their female counterparts.
FEATURES
4
· Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences