In the spring, I enhanced KINS 389: Methods of Teaching Health and Physical Education for Elementary Classroom Teachers with Dr. Matthew Lucas. This class was extremely valuable to have under my belt as an aspiring educator.

For my enhancement, I worked with two other honors scholars: Barbara Daniels and Samantha Sheppard, as well as Dr. Lucas, to research and write an article. My group focused on the benefits of recess for students with non-verbal learning disorders. Our ultimate plan is to present our research at the rescheduled Research Day in Fall 2020.

Enhancement Reflection:

Although we have not yet been able to present and communicate our research, I thoroughly enjoyed having the experience of collaborating with my peers to delve into an engaging, important topic. The importance of recess is a topic that resonates with me as extremely significant for my future students. Not only did I learn and explore information that is beneficial for me going into my desired career field, but I learned non-academic skills as well. By working with Dr. Lucas on this project, I was able to develop more professional skills. I also feel as though this experience helped me grow: completing this research required me to push myself out of my comfort zone to do my best work. Additionally, collaborating with my peers was a learning experience – I learned about myself and I adapted new ways of working with others and being flexible to get things done. Overall, enhancing this course allowed me to strengthen my community and scholarship and I definitely have taken a lot from the overall course content.