A positive relationship between physical motion and learning is widely acknowledged. However, few studies have investigated the potential effects of combining physical movement with second language learning. This review examines ten studies that combine physical activity with learning English as a second language (ESL), specifically focusing on vocabulary acquisition and learner motivation. Aspects of combining English with Physical education (PE) in a cross-curricular manner are also explored to investigate its applicability to the Swedish middle school context. Results indicate that classroom-based physical activity positively affects vocabulary learning and motivation among learners across a wide age span, both in Europe and across the world. Moreover, combining ESL with PE seems to improve learners´ motivation and language proficiency, without hindering the attainment of PE-related goals. Nonetheless, some findings provide varying results, indicating that supportive actions - such as pre-teaching vocabulary - may be needed. In conclusion, a physically oriented learning approach seems to work well in the context of curricular requirements in Sweden since cross-curricular tasks, daily physical activity, and efforts to encourage foreign language learning are described as necessary. Despite promising claims, further investigation in the area of physical language learning is still required.

Childhood obesity and physical inactivity are serious threats to the health and wellness of our schoolchildren. Research has shown that play and physical activity are important in development, behaviour and academic achievement. Through the efforts of coordinated school health program and a Physical Education for Progress grant, a county school system in a southern state was able to construct multiple innovative playground systems at schools and combine them with various academic units in a cross-curricular effort to address the wellness needs of students. Exploratory research using pedometers, accelerometers and an observation method examined physical activity intensity levels during cross-curricular sessions. Results indicated that this type of physical activity might be a viable supplement to daily school-based physical activity needs.

Environmental Education is widely considered to be indispensable for realizing behaviour which supports sustainable life. Several international declarations and South African policy documents plead for the inclusion of environmental education processes at all levels of formal education. The White Paper for Education and Training (1995) stipulates that environmental education should be presented in accordance with an interdisciplinary, integrated and active approach to learning. The aim of this study was to investigate the role a learner activity plays in the decisions learners make to live more in the interest of the sustainability of the environment. Three schools that are engaged in the project Build capacity for life were selected. The project aims at implementing an environment management system at the schools by means of which the environment forms an integral part of school management and of the curriculum. The study is performed as a qualitative case study in which data was collected by means of observation, focus group sessions and interviews. The learner involvement in the staging of an activity that dealt with energy consumption and the influence thereof on the environment was investigated. Firstly, the collected data was organised by means of matrixes and brain charts and then analysed with the help of plotting charts. The findings indicate that learners are capable of recognising the relationship between electric energy, littering and air pollution. Learners are aware of the impact they as energy consumers have on the environment and could list methods according to which they creatively save energy on the school grounds and at their homes. Their performance is testament to a responsible attitude towards the environment and to the fact that they are convinced of the value of making people aware of environmental issues. From this, it can be inferred that, should channels and structures exist at schools by means of which learners can gain access to the management of their schools, they would be able to make contributions to promoting the sustainability of the environment. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Environmental Education is widely considered to be indispensable for realizing behaviour which supports sustainable life. Several international declarations and South African policy documents plead for the inclusion of environmental education processes at all levels of formal education. The White Paper for Education and Training (1995) stipulates that environmental education should be presented in accordance with an interdisciplinary, integrated and active approach to learning. The aim of this study was to investigate the role a learner activity plays in the decisions learners make to live more in the interest of the sustainability of the environment. Three schools that are engaged in the project Build capacity for life were selected. The project aims at implementing an environment management system at the schools by means of which the environment forms an integral part of school management and of the curriculum. The study is performed as a qualitative case study in which data was collected by means of observation, focus group sessions and interviews. The learner involvement in the staging of an activity that dealt with energy consumption and the influence thereof on the environment was investigated. Firstly, the collected data was organised by means of matrixes and brain charts and then analysed with the help of plotting charts. The findings indicate that learners are capable of recognising the relationship between electric energy, littering and air pollution. Learners are aware of the impact they as energy consumers have on the environment and could list methods according to which they creatively save energy on the school grounds and at their homes. Their performance is testament to a responsible attitude towards the environment and to the fact that they are convinced of the value of making people aware of environmental issues. From this, it can be inferred that, should channels and structures exist at schools by means of which learners can gain access to the management of their schools, they would be able to make contributions to promoting the sustainability of the environment. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

This qualitative case study explored the effectiveness of the Right To Play Learning to Play: Playing to Learn (Playbook) educational resource on fostering social responsibility in a single class of grade six/seven boys and girls. A secondary objective of this study was to examine the teacher’s perceptions of the sustainability of the Playbook as an effective educational resource. Data collection methods included semi-structured student and teacher interviews, samples of the student’s work and course materials, teacher journal entries and observational field notes. Data were analyzed using constant comparison. Findings suggested that the Playbook learning activities provided the students with opportunities to practice building positive relationships, communicate in various forms, develop cooperation and teamwork skills and recognize and discuss issues of social justice. Comments and journal entries made by the teacher highlighted the Playbook as being a sustainable resource. / Graduate

This thesis focuses on the use of the cross-curricular subject of Thinking within European and Global Contexts in English language classes. The theoretical section introduces the subject in general and deals with its place within the Framework Educational Programme for grammar schools as well as within the School Educational Programme for Gymnázium Český Krumlov where a project, which constitutes the practical part of the thesis, has taken place. It also examines the ways of using the subject in other courses, describes the methodology itself and suggests some methodological books and other available resources. The practical section presents a project of teaching the subject Thinking within European and Global Contexts in two ninety-minute-long English lessons dealing with the topics of globalization and European identity. The structure, aims and methods of both of the classes as well as the lesson plans and the process of each lesson are described in detail here. The final part is devoted to the students´ evaluations.

The purpose of the study is to find out in what way educators in different preschools work with cross-curricular activities in learning, and how they plan activities in everyday life with purpose to promote children's motor skills in connection with mathematics and science. The questions are as follows: What are the pedagogues' views on physical activity as part of cross-curricular teaching in preschool? How do teachers work with movement and learning in connection with the subject’s mathematics and science? The method we have used is qualitative interviews conducted with eight respondents from four different preschools, we chose to apply open interview questions to give the respondent room to share their own experiences. We have chosen three different subject matters that represent each major topic in our study and the first is mathematics that deals with the overall need for an educator who has knowledge of and uses mathematical terms in everyday life. The second is Natural science education that takes place in the outdoor environment and makes learning context more concrete for the children and gives opportunity for the educators to establish conversations about discoveries. The third subject matter is about physical activity and play, which is a big part of the children's play where they learn with their whole body. The results we have collected from the respondents have shown that physical activity does not usually form part of the planning in the teaching and that it mostly occurs spontaneously. Mathematics teaching integrated with physical activity usually takes place in conjunction with singing and movement where the children develop, among other things, rhythm. Nature is by the educators considered to be an excellent place to teach natural knowledge as it becomes more concrete for the children and takes place in a more natural way. The preschool department, which is on a bus in an outdoor area, includes a lot of the subject natural knowledge where they among other things often see, discover and talk about the environment and biology. A common view of the educators is that the children learn with their whole body and that it applies to all learning subjects in preschool.

This Master thesis focuses on connecting school subjects to overcome the isolation of information that students obtain through them. First of all, the thesis describes the different forms of school subject integration and lists the positive outcomes to which this integration leads, as well as the reasons why any form of interdisciplinarity concerning school subjects could be demanding. While any sort of integration could be challenging because of the timetables or the teachers' workload, it is beneficial. The students can realize the connections between information that they acquire, and this leads to better retention of the knowledge. Plus, they feel more motivated because they can use facts from one subject in another one. Then, the main goal of this thesis is presented - to search for cross-curricular links between French language as a foreign language and Basics of Civics or Social Sciences. In order to do so, the thesis details their subject didactics and the goals of these school subjects. Based on their description and the analysis of their respective textbooks, their common themes emerge, and they can be used for further integration. These themes work as suggestions for teachers who wish to leave the isolation of their specialty. The thesis also proposes activities that work with common...

Content and language integrated learning is an approach to learning a language while studying subject matter, as well as the other way round. The intention with this dissertation has been to gather insights into teachers‘ perceptions regarding this approach and pupils’ perceived views regarding working with subject matter through the medium of English. Previous research within this area of study has shown that using this approach to learn content and language is increasing in Sweden primarily at upper secondary schools. This dissertation can be seen as twofold: firstly, a project was conducted in an 8th grade at a compulsory school in the southern part of Sweden that implement interdisciplinary work on a daily basis; secondly, data was gathered from questionnaires and interviews with both teachers and pupils who participated in the project. The results show that this approach is time-consuming and very challenging for pupils in general; it is particularly difficult for weaker pupils in English. Also, it may lead to shortcomings in the Swedish language, with terminology in particular. However, both teachers and pupils think that learning English while studying subject matter is effective, since pupils have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the English language more than otherwise. Working with subject matter in English is very different from doing it in Swedish and there are aspects that must be taken into consideration when planning, designing and implementing this approach at compulsory school level.

An increasing number of schools across Europe offer education which integrates the teaching of content with that of language, sometimes known as CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), or the Swedish equivalent SPRINT (språk- och innehållsintegrerad inlärning och undervisning). In Sweden this type of learning often goes under the name of cross-curricular or interdisciplinary work. This dissertation is a case study of one such project that integrated content and English and that took place in year 9 at a secondary school in southern Sweden. The purpose of the investigation was to find out what the teachers' and pupils' perceptions were of the use and role of English in this particular cross-curricular project. Applying case study methodology, data was collected using triangulation through observations, a focus group interview with the teachers and a pupil questionnaire. The results show that all the involved teachers and a majority of the pupils were positive towards the integration of content and language, but not on a permanent basis. The teachers felt that the project gave the pupils the opportunity to work with the language and develop communication skills. The pupils said that they had learned more speaking skills compared to being taught English as a separate subject, closely followed by writing and reading skills. However, some felt that they had not learned any grammar, which showed a view of English as a skills subject. The study shows that project-based cross-curricular work could be a successful way to integrate content and language, provided projects are well-planned and clearly structured.