Move & read: Co-design and feasibility of physically active and embodied activities for early literacy

"Purpose: To co-design with teachers a physically active learning (PAL) programme for early literacy skills and test the feasibility of this programme. Background: PAL combines physical activity with academic lessons in school, aiming to reduce sedentary behaviour and increase physical activity without taking time away from lessons. Research into PAL has found benefits for health, cognition, and academic attainment. However, PAL may be optimised by incorporating embodied cognition into learning, that is, integrating physical and cognitive activities in a meaningful way. Since early literacy has not been as studied using PAL as maths/science, we chose to focus on early literacy skills. Methods: 7 primary 1 schoolteachers attended five workshops. The first three disseminated research findings around early literacy, PAL and embodied cognition. The fourth workshop involved co-development of teaching activities for literacy that were both physically active and embodied. A handbook of activities was developed and participants trialled the activities with their classes over a 5 week period, keeping detailed diaries. Researchers conducted school visits to observe and support. In the fifth session, feedback was gathered around teacher and pupil experiences and the feasibility of using these activities in the classroom. Conclusions: We were successful in co-developing The Move & Read Programme for teaching early literacy skills with schoolteachers. This programme is both acceptable and practical to deliver in primary 1 classes in Scotland. Further work is planned to formally evaluate the impact that participation in Move & Read may have on pupils’ reading engagement and attainment."