Applying the Results

Discussion of Findings
And we're back! This week our team met to discuss how we will apply the results after collecting the data. This entailed revisiting our original research questions, discussing the data sources (e.g., the Behavior Tracking Chart) and ways to graphically display the data, and hypothesizing what the key findings may be. Based on the literature review, it would be expected that immediate effects of the brain break would be noticed in the form of decreased off-task behavior. It is uncertain based on the literature review if overall effects will be seen in this short of a time frame. We therefore hypothesize that the brain breaks will decrease the occurrence of students exhibiting off-task behaviors. If the results conclude that the intervention (brain breaks) successfully decreased off-task behavior, then the findings could be shared with other co-workers.

Once we understand the results of our study, we will be able to establish the subsequent course of action. If the intervention proves successful, the results would add validity to the current literature on the topic, as indicated in our Literature Review. Furthermore, we could re-implement the brain break intervention, explore other types of brain breaks, and/or share the findings with other co-workers. If they are interested in trying the intervention themselves, then we could explain our methodology and explain how we did the intervention.  For those of us on the team who are studying both students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 Plans as well as students who do not, we could compare how well the intervention affected off-task behavior.

Implications for Improving Teaching and Learning

Teachers are always looking for way to educate better, in new ways, seeking effective ways to reach their students. If the breaks result in children being able to re-focus and concentrate, then highly effective teachers will realize how powerful this intervention can be when used proficiently. The more time students spend on-task, the less time the teacher spends managing behavior and the more time s/he spends teaching. Furthermore, the students will learn more, retain information better, and/or achieve a higher level of quality work completion.

Implications for Further Research
If the intervention decreases off-task behavior, then further research could inquire as to whether certain types of brain breaks are more effective than others. 

If the research indicates that short brain breaks do not decrease off-task behavior, further research will be warranted to determine if this outcome is the result of the intervention chosen, the length of the brain break, the activity done during the brain break, or a combination thereof.

Producing the Final Report
Our team agreed that presenting the final report in Prezi format lends itself to a more succinct, dynamic presentation. Prezi also allows for videos to be imbedded in the presentation, which would be helpful for providing examples of different brain breaks in action.