Author/s:
Chan, Joefrey R.*
Dominican School, Manila, Philippines (jupri_4@live.com)
Morales, Marie Paz E.
Philippine Normal University, Philippines (morales.mpe@pnu.edu.ph)
Abstract:
Cognitive fitness, a product of neuroscience research that offers activities that fits how the brain learns best may offer insights to students’ learning of science concepts. The study critically explored the effect of customized cognitive fitness classroom activities on the academic achievement of students in physics and their integrated science process skills (ISPS). Descriptive research design and qualitative approaches determined pertinent data from a purposively selected intact class of 43 grade niners in a government-supervised school in the Philippines’ capital city. Results revealed that customized cognitive fitness classroom activities effectively and significantly improved student physics achievement and their ISPS. Students perceived the integration of customized cognitive fitness classroom activities in the learning process as something that made them feel relaxed, focused, reflective, and assimilative. Few among the students, however, feel distracted during the teaching and learning process with particular cognitive fitness activities (e.g. silence and collaborative activities). Based on the gathered data and results, it can be recommended that customized cognitive fitness classroom activities as a strategy to brain-based learning could be continuously utilized and intensified in classroom settings to enhance the 21st century skills of students.
Keywords: cognitive fitness; brain-based learning; physics achievement; integrated science process skills
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2016.1648
*Corresponding Author