Il progetto “Multi-Teaching Styles Approach and Active Reflection” per l’attività motoria nella scuola primaria = The “Multi-Teaching Styles Approach and Active Reflection” Project for physical activity in the primary school

L\u2019educazione fisica curricolare, per essere veramente sostenibile nel con-testo educativo scolastico e motorio pi\uf9 in generale, deve rispondere ad al-cune prerogative di adattamento ai bisogni specifici della realt\ue0 a cui essa siriferisce. In questo articolo sono sviluppate le premesse necessarie e un pos-sibile approccio da proporre per la formazione del corpo docente deputatoalla conduzione dell\u2019attivit\ue0 motoria nella scuola primaria, sia esso general-ista o specialista. Sono approfonditi il concetto di sostenibilit\ue0 dell\u2019edu-cazione fisica, l\u2019insegnamento, l\u2019organizzazione e la conduzione dell\u2019attivit\ue0motoria da parte di insegnanti per definizione preparati e padroni della ma-teria. Per questo sono considerate le strategie didattico-metodologiche dautilizzare per coinvolgere in modo adeguato gli alunni, suscitandone il nec-essario interesse per apprendere ed acquisire le competenze motorie utiliper la vita. In particolare, sono descritti il background, la metodologia ed iprincipali risultati di un primo studio condotto nell\u2019ambito del progetto diricerca \u201cMulti-Teaching Styles Approach and Active Reflection\u201d. Ne consegueil delinearsi di un possibile efficace indirizzo per la formazione di insegnanticapaci di adattare adeguatamente la propria progettualit\ue0 operativa in fun-Pietro Luigi InvernizziUniversit\ue0 degli Studi di Milano - [email protected] ScuratiUniversit\ue0 degli Studi di Milano - [email protected] & Insegnamento XVII \u2013 3s \u2013 2019Codice ISSN 2279-7505 (on line)\ua9 Pensa MultiMedia EditoreCodice doi: 10.7346/-feis-XVII-03-19_10 IntroduzioneUna Educazione Fisica moderna per essere al passo con i tempi e poter assumereun ruolo culturale significativo e sostenibileall\u2019interno della realt\ue0 scolastica deveessere capace di adattarsi per rispondere alle differenti esigenze e necessit\ue0 socio-culturali di realt\ue0 scolastiche che spesso esprimono bisogni molto differenti (In-vernizzi, Dugnani, & Mauro, 2018). In alcune scuole, per esempio, diventapreminente attuare l\u2019integrazione progressiva di pi\uf9 culture, favorita da globaliz-zazione e fenomeni migratori. In altre, le sfide richieste all\u2019Educazione Fisica po-trebbero essere maggiormente rivolte ad una trasversalit\ue0 disciplinare, checonsenta di esprimere un pensiero critico e riflessivo anche attraverso l\u2019uso ditecnologie che rendono disponibili una grande quantit\ue0 di informazioni, comun-que da vagliare e verificare.L\u2019educazione della motricit\ue0 non pu\uf2 disgiungersi quindi da una visione pi\uf9ampia, che si ricolleghi alla necessit\ue0 di affrontare le sfide di ogni peculiare realt\ue0in modo flessibile e appropriato, per assumere un significato di physical literacy(Whitehead, 2010), quindi di utilit\ue0 sociale, e che favorisca l\u2019instaurarsi di \u201cbuonepratiche\u201d come risposta di adattamento plastico alle richieste di una societ\ue0 sem-pre pi\uf9 complessa e variabile. La \u201cnormalit\ue0 motoria\u201d (proficiency barrier) costituisce comunque, in ambitoscolastico, la premessa indispensabile e la base di una autonomia funzionale perun\u2019adeguata tutela della salute, la \u201cqualit\ue0 degli anni di vita\u201d, un dinamismo e vi-talit\ue0 psico-fisica per la gestione di s\ue9 non solo nel breve periodo, ma anche nellefasi successive della vita (Stodden, Langendorfer, & Roberton, 2009). A questo pro-posito, in questo articolo abbiamo ritenuto utile incentrare l\u2019attenzione, pi\uf9 chesul quantoe sul cosafare, ampiamente studiati in letteratura, sul comefare e sullestrategie didattiche utili ad un pi\uf9 rapido ed efficace adattamento ai differentipossibili contesti. Il tutto trova applicazione nel progetto di ricerca \u201cMulti-Teaching, Pietro Luigi Invernizzi, Raffaele Scurati110zione delle occorrenze di trasversalit\ue0 culturale e delle caratteristiche socio-ambientali della scuola in cui si trovano ad operare.Physical education (PE) curricula, to be sustainable in the educational processand, more widely, during physical activity (PA) at school, must adapt to thespecific needs of the actual related context. This paper addresses the as-sumptions and the possible approaches for a successful teachers\u2019 trainingfor leading physical activity in the primary school. They might be proposedto both generalists and specialists. PE sustainability, teaching processes, PAorganization and conduction from teachers expected to be competent andproficient because of their background, are also deepened. Therefore,proper teaching methods to involve the students and to promote the interestin learning and acquiring the motor competence for daily life are considered.In particular, we described the background, the procedure and the resultsof a pilot study within the \u201cMulti-Teaching Styles Approach and Active Re-flection\u201d research program. A promising effective direction of teachers\u2019 ed-ucational programs outcomes. It is likely suitable to train teachers skilled inadapting the operational planning to the specific demands deriving from cul-tural, social and environmental features of the school in which they operate

The "safe falls, safe schools" multicentre international project: Evaluation and analysis of backwards falling ability in Italian secondary schools

Problem statement: Different studies have reported on the epidemiology related to injuries resulting from falls, which are the most common causes of injury in Italy. The World Health Organization considers falls as the second leading cause of accidental or unintentional deaths worldwide. However, it has been demonstrated that the Safe Fall, Safe Schools Programme (SFSSP) based on 10-min warm-up sessions is able to teach techniques for falling backwards in safe way during physical education (PE) classes. Unfortunately, there are no studies that have analysed extensive warm-up and detraining effects related to the age. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess extensive specific warm-up (20 min) and detraining effects after five weeks on the SFSSP on Italian secondary school students according to age. Methods: Eighty-seven secondary school students took part in this investigation. Students were divided into two groups, equally distributed by age. The trial-control group (TC=39) and the control-trial group (CT=48) performed the same PE lesson for 10 weeks. In the first five weeks, two different 20-min warm-up exercises were performed (TC=SFSSP; CT=conventional warm-up); after five weeks, the warm-ups were inverted (TC=conventional warm-up; CT=SFSSP). The backwards falling ability test carried out among both groups was evaluated in relation to the position of the neck, trunk, knees, hips and hands, before and after five and 10 weeks. Results: McNemar\u2019s test showed significant differences (between pre-and mid-time points, P<0.05) for the neck, trunk, hip and hands, while no significant differences were found in the knee value (P=0.581 in TC). No differences were found between the mid-and post-time points for TC. In CT, no differences were found in-between (pre-and mid-time points, P>0.05) for all variables studied. Significant differences (P<0.05) were found in-between the mid-and post- time points for CT in all variables studied. Analysis of the total scores for SFSSP showed significantly differences in TC and CT (P<0.0001). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed no significant differences (total scores: first year=1.68\ub11.05 AU; fifth year=1.47\ub10.86 AU; P=0.34) before the SFSSP intervention, while the SFSSP was able to improve the ability after intervention (total scores: first year=4.47\ub10.84 AU; fifth year=3.91\ub11.40 AU; P<0.01). Conclusions: The SFSSP was able to improve motor ability for both groups and the detraining effect was found to maintain the same ability level compared to that after the SFSSP intervention. Participants started with the same level of backwards falling ability and each group, after the intervention, significantly raised its score, confirming the efficacy of the intervention. Therefore, the SFSSP could be included in the standard national programme without changing the standard training lesson

Circuit training during physical education classes to prepare cadets for military academies tests: Analysis of an educational project

Background: The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of an eight-week physical education program based on circuit training to better improve the overall physical and military-specific performance compared to a conventional physical education program in military high school students. Methods: Sixty-four students were enrolled in this study and randomly assigned to an experimental (EG, circuit training) or a control group (CG, traditional physical education program). Immediately before and after the eight-week training period, participants were tested on strength and endurance performance, circuit training tests, and military tests. Moreover, the acquisition of the educational objectives and the pleasantness of the experimental intervention were tested using a qualitative approach. Results: Despite the higher workload in EG than CG during the training period, the effect of the experimental intervention compared to the control was only possibly to likely positive for a few strength and endurance performances and circuit training tests, respectively. A trivial effect was shown in the military tests. On the contrary, the high percentage of motivation (76%), understanding (78%) and collaboration (86%) showed by the students suggests the achievement of acquisition of the educational objectives and a fair pleasantness of the lessons. Conclusions: A lack of clear and marked effect of the experimental intervention could be ascribed to an insufficient exposure time to the training and a high subjective overall workload encountered in military high school students

Correlation between cognitive functions and motor coordination in children with different cognitive levels

Cognitive development is related with central nervous system maturation and plays a crucial role for the definition of executive functions such as movement imagination, movement planning and problem-solving. In particular, executive functions are required during complex interactions between players/environment and are also fundamental for motor skills coordination. Although the complex interaction between cognitive and physical outcomes was recognized by several authors, few studies examined the magnitude of the relation between executive functions and motor development according to dif- ferent stages of cognitive maturation. Thus the aim was the assessment of the relationships between motor skills coordination and executive functions in children with different cognitive level. Ninety healthy male participants were involved in the study where children affected by Down syndrome were, also, recruited. The participants were divided into three groups according to classi- fication of Piaget: concrete, formal operational groups and Down syndrome individuals. Executive functions were assessed using a validated computerized battery tests while motor skills was evaluated using the K\uf6rperkoordinations Test f\ufcr Kinder. Analysis of variance by ranks (Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test) and Mann-Whitney U pairwise comparisons with Dunn\u2019s correction for multiple contrasts were applied to assess the differences concerning the two kinds of outcome. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was used to calculate the correlation between physical performance and the outcomes of the cognitive tests. A Spearman correlation was used to analyze the data when the assumption of normality was violated. The three groups showed differences in both executive functions and motor coordination outcomes. The highest number of significant correlations was found in the formal operational group (correlation coefficients ranging between 120.999 and 120.520, and between 0.970 and 0.759, all p values < 0.05) while a small number of correlations were found in the concrete operational group (correlation coefficients equal to 120.527, 120.461, 120.436 and 0.468, all p values < 0.05). No correlations between executive function and motor coordination were found in Down syndrome group. High executive function seems to affect the coordination skills

Kayaking performance is altered in mentally fatigued young elite athletes

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to assess the impact of 60 min of a cognitive demanding task inducing mental fatigue (Stroop) on kayaking performance in young elite athletes. The second objective was to elucidate the effect of mental fatigue on performance in a population of young under-17 elite athletes of national. METHODS: Thirteen under-17 elite kayakers completed 60 min of an incongruent Stroop color-word test, or the equivalent time in a control condition in a cross-over study design. Afterwards, participants completed a 2000 m kayaking time trial in which power output, stroke rate and time at the end of 400, 800, 1200, 1600 and 2000 m were recorded. Physiological and perceptual measures of heart rate (HR), blood lactate and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were collected during the time trial. Psychological questionnaires were used to assess fatigue and mental demand of the Stroop. RESULTS: Subjective ratings of mental fatigue following the Stroop were almost certainly higher. Results of the time trial suggested that mental fatigue almost certainly impaired power output , stroke rate and time (552\ub1 30 s) compared to the control (521\ub1 36 s) condition. Yet, during the time trial RPE was almost certainly higher in the mental fatigue condition, while HR was reported to be possibly lower. Blood lactate resulted almost certainly lower in the mental fatigue state at completion of the time trial (10.3\ub11.5 vs 12.2\ub11.6 mmol\u2022L-1). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, mental fatigue has an almost certain negative impact on 2000-m kayaking performance in young elite athletes

Irisin : A Potential Link between Physical Exercise and Metabolism : An Observational Study in Differently Trained Subjects, from Elite Athletes to Sedentary People

We compared irisin levels among groups of differently trained healthy individuals to explore the role of irisin as a physiological linker between exercise and metabolic health. Irisin and biochemical parameters of glucose and lipid metabolism were assessed in 70 healthy volunteers stratified for sport performance level into four groups: (1) 20 elite athletes of national level, (2) 20 subelite athletes of local level, (3) 20 recreational athletes, and (4) 10 sedentary subjects. All biochemical parameters were within the ranges of normality. Fasting glucose, HOMA-IR, and total cholesterol levels were inversely related to the degree of physical activity. HbA1c was higher in elite athletes compared to all the other groups (p < 0.01). A U-shaped relation between free fatty acids and the degree of physical activity was observed. All groups showed similar plasma irisin levels. After correction for the degree of insulin resistance (irisin/HOMA-IR), elite athletes showed higher levels compared to sedentary and recreational subjects (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, resp.). In addition, the number of metabolic parameters correlated with irisin increased at increasing the training status. Our study suggests a correlation between sport performance, insulin sensitivity, and irisin levels. Irisin may be one potential mediator of the beneficial effects of exercise on metabolic profile

L'attivit\ue0 motoria nei processi formativi

Lo scopo di questo lavoro \ue8 quello di analizzare i benefici sul piano sociale delle attivit\ue0 motorie educative e delle arti marziali orientali, attraverso una analisi di alcuni lavori scientifici. Diversi studi mettono in evidenza come le attivit\ue0 motorie generali e specifiche presentino benefici per la salute. In particolare l\u2019acquisizione di stili di vita fisicamente attivi durante l\u2019infanzia e l\u2019adolescenza generano l\u2019abitudine all\u2019attivit\ue0 fisica in et\ue0 adulta e una migliore salute (Malina 1996, 2001; Kemper et al. 2001; Mc Murray et al. 2003). Altre evidenze scientifiche indicano inoltre che bassi livelli di attivit\ue0 fisica in et\ue0 scolare sono correlati ai rischi di malattia cronica: diabete II; patologie cardiache; sovrappeso/obesit\ue0; osteoporosi (Strong et al. 2005). Studi sulle arti marziali hanno evidenziato come un training specifico sull\u2019equilibrio e sulla capacit\ue0 di cadere in sicurezza consentano in soggetti anziani di prevenire e limitare i danni da caduta accidentale (Murphy et al. 2008; Groen et al. 2010) Oltre ai benefici sul piano della salute esistono evidenze scientifiche che dimostrano benefici anche in altri ambiti come quello cognitivo (Castelli et al. 2007; Buck et al. 2008), della percezione del s\ue9 (Dunton et Cooper, 2008) e di come la pratica delle arti marziali contribuisca a limitare l\u2019aggressivit\ue0 nei giovani (Reynes et al. 2004). Evidenze scientifiche dimostrano anche come la pratica di alcune discipline marziali orientali consenta l\u2019acquisizione di una migliore qualit\ue0 della vita e un miglior supporto psicologico anche in soggetti sopravvissuti da patologie quali il cancro (K.M. Mustian, 2004) In conclusione \ue8 possibile affermare che attivit\ue0 motorie educative e arti marziali orientali possono costituire validi strumenti di educazione alla salute, di prevenzione e di formazione generale a tutte le et\ue0. References: Castelli DM, Hillman CH, Buck SM, Erwin HE, Physical Fitness and Academic Achievement in Third and Fifth Grade Students, Journal of Sport and Exercise Physiology, 2007, 29, 239-252 Groen BE, Smulders E, de Kam D, Duysens J, Weerdesteyn V., Martial arts fall training to prevent hip fractures in the elderly. Osteoporos Int. 2010 Feb;21(2):215-21. Lori Murphy and Betsy B Singh, Effects of 5-Form, Yang Style Tai Chi on older females who have or are at risk for developing osteoporosis 2008, Vol. 24, No. 5 , Pages 311-320 Malina R, 2001. Adherence to physical activity from childhood to adulthood: a perspective from tracking studies. Quest 53: 346-355Reynes E, Lorant J, Percept Mot Skills 2004; 98: 103-115 Reynes E , Lorant J, Competitive martial arts and aggressiveness: a 2-Yr. Longitudinal study among young boys, Percept Mot Skills 2004; 98: 103-115 William B. Strong MD et al. Evidence Based Physical Activity for School-age Youth, The Journal of Pediatrics, Volume 146, Issue 6, June 2005, Pages 732-73