Participate | movincog

/ PARTICIPATE

We are based in Auckland, but are delivering our programme throughout the country, free of charge. If you would like to discuss possibilities for your school or institution to be involved in the programme, feel free to contact us. Many schools have already registered, yours could be next!

Schools and institutions can be involved in trialing the remediation programme being developed as part of the MovinCog Initiative. The programme includes three phases: Pretest, Trial, and Posttest. Pretest and Posttest consist of measurements before and after the trial. These are non-invasive, group-administered, and include cognitive tasks on a computer (approximately 45 minutes) and a questionnaire (5 minutes).

In the trial, all participating students are randomly assigned to one of the following: an exercise group, a brain training group, an exercise + brain training group, or a control group. The programme lasts 10 weeks, with a session every weekday. We provide more details below.

Structure of the trial

There are three phases involved in school participation. Phases 1 and 3 will require a MovinCog representative to come to your school.

Phase 1: Pretest

Pretest includes a series of cognitive tests, tasks completed on a computer (approximately 45 minutes), to determine cognitive performance before the programme starts. A questionnaire is also conducted (approximately 5 minutes). All testing is non-invasive.

Phase 2: Trial

What does the programme entail? All participants are randomly assigned to one of the following: an exercise group, a brain training group, an exercise + brain training group, or a control group. All groups are matched in duration (30 minutes/session).

The exercise group includes 10min/day of physical exercise, via a video-based workout called "Physical Space";
The brain training group includes 20min/day of computerized training, via a software called "Cerebral Space";
The exercise + brain training group is a combination of the two; Physical Space and Cerebral Space;
The control group includes fun non-related activities in the classroom.

Who decides group assignment? Assignment will be randomized; however, students initially assigned to a specific group will have the opportunity to switch to a different one at the end of the 10 weeks.

Do teachers need specific training to deliver the programme? No. Both components of the intervention, Physical Space and Cerebral Space, can be administered without training. All instructions to students are explicit, and embedded within the programme.

How long does it last? The programme consists of 50 sessions of 30 minutes, one session completed each day of the school week across 10 weeks. If falling across the school holidays, the programme stops and resume when the next term begins. We check back in with you throughout the program, to anticipate your final day and schedule posttest.

Who can participate? Every student, regardless of background or learning difficulties, should be encouraged to participate as anyone can benefit from the programme. Importantly, your participation helps refine the content of the programme, so that you can later use a better-designed, more valid tool. We require a minimum of 20 students, with a minimum age of 7 years due to nature of the training content. Other than these requirements, the number and age of classes/students to be involved is at the discretion of the school, to be arranged with a MovinCog representative.

What if students miss a session? In the event that the whole class misses a session (e.g. school trip, visit, camp, etc.), it is best to reschedule it. If a student misses a session or multiple sessions, feel free to find a time to reschedule, but we understand that this is not always possible.

Phase 3: Posttest

This phase is identical to Phase 1 (pretest), to evaluate improvements.

Facilities and equipment

In order to implement the programme in your school, you need to have access to a large room with a videoprojector and sound system. Each student enrolled will also need access to a computer or laptop, for pretest, posttest, and the duration of the programme. Note that the physical exercise component does not require going to sports facilities -- it is designed to take place in the classroom.

Travel expenses

We are happy to provide you with the latest version of our programme free of charge. This is a fundamental idea behind the MovinCog Initiative. However, if you are located outside Auckland central, your school will need to cover travel expenses for one researcher to visit your school twice (phases 1 and 3).