DDR in Schools
Many people have referred to Dance Dance Revolution as being high interest but requiring little skill. However, there are gamers and dancers out there that would definitely disagree. As a matter of fact there are at least ten states that are currently using Dance Dance Revolutions invigorating movements as a part of the physical education classes that are a required part of the schools curriculum. Basically a player will stand on the Dance Dance Revolution pad with arrows that point down, up, right and left; by listening to the beat of the music and watching the computer screen, they tap on the arrows corresponding to the beat.
One reason that it has become popular is that many educators and school boards feel that it is a non-competitive (when compared to the more traditional sports) type of movement. It has been shown that many students will be moving and practicing even before it is their turn which means more exercise is being performed per student. You can also set different difficulty levels on the Dance Dance Revolutions independently so that you can have a beginner playing at the same time as someone that is more advanced, making them feel less self conscious as everyone knows that kids in school can be merciless with their teasing. Generally physical education has been about a team sport and is normally fairly skills oriented; now it appears to making a move towards activities that kids do not have to be so great at throwing and catching, which in turn appeals to a much wider range of students.
Many schools are even considering spending a little extra on the games so that they can have up to four kids playing at one time. West Virginia was the state that initiated a pilot program in 20 of their public schools and it was so successful full integration of placing Dance Dance Revolutions in all 753 public schools (over 280,000 students) is expected by the end of the decade. The New York Times has even been reporting on the number of schools that are using it to get their students moving.
Many experts feel that incorporating Dance Dance Revolutions into physical education classes is a great way to promote better health and fitness in the children. It makes them move the entire body and if used in conjunction with promoting healthy snacks while playing, it is a great overall fitness program.