First let me say welcome back after Spring Break. I do hope everyone was safe and enjoyed the small mid-semester break we each had. I'm not sure about everyone else but this week has been super hectic for me. Working twenty-five hours at my job plus doing all of the homework assignments that were given has really worn me out. Despite being tired from all the work I had to complete this week I stumbled upon a really great article about movement in the classroom.
The article talks about how when students are actively involved in the lesson with their bodies they are able to retain the information and make a better connection to the information. It goes into detail about how teachers and educators can improve their students understanding when they have the students get out of their seats to actively play a part in the lesson. This is a great idea in my opinion. I can remember being excited when I didn't have to sit in my seat for the entire class period in both elementary and higher education. It was those lessons that I can remember the most from my childhood education. For example my high school physics teacher constantly made us participate in a variety of lessons to give us a better understanding; as displayed below I am being used a weight on top of the box for one of his examples.
Not only did every student end up understanding the lesson, but we also had fun while doing it. We were able to retain the information that was given and also apply it to our own personal experiences. The article mentioned goes into detail about why getting students out of their seats is so important to education today. There are a plethora amount of benefits to having your students actively involved in the lessons, but one of the greatest benefits is the fact that when pupils are not constantly sitting in their seats they actually remember, understand, and process new information better. As future and current educators, isn't that the purpose? We want students to retain all the information we throw at them and be able to apply it in several aspects of their life.
So, to all my readers I have a few questions to ask. Do you think having kids get out of their seat in the classroom would make a difference to their level of understanding? What are some creative ways you can include body movement into a lesson plan? Can you recall a school memory where you were actively participating in a teachers lesson? Finally, do you think you would have remembered some information more clearly if you had been active in the class lesson?
Until next time darlings,
April N. Avery
I still remember particular tests where there were a lot of people chair dancing / making small arm movements / singing softly because the information stuck via those instructional methods.
ReplyDeleteHow do teachers deal with that? I remember one of my kids choreographing a "prime numbers dance," with different steps for each. I doubt the teacher, who required the dance as an assignment, let the students get up during the exam. Is exam time 'sacred,' or should students be able to move around somehow?
Kinesthetic Learners!Our students need physical activities to keep them actively engaged in our lessons. I can remember observing earlier this semester and this English teacher went beyond by creating a center for her students that was based around the theme of one of Shakespeare's plays. It was all about adding depth to what they were learning in a more tangible way.
ReplyDeleteYou know that saying, it applies to the world of teaching. Students learn 10 percent of what they read; 20 percent of what they hear; 30 percent of what they see; 50 percent of what they see and hear; 70 percent of what they say; and 90 percent of what they do and say? I know we can't all have our students running around the school every day, but we need to start incorporating more of the hands on activities if we want our students to learn.
ReplyDeleteGetting up and out of the seat is great for the right classroom. As teachers, we have to know our students and how much activity and movement the students can handle.
ReplyDeleteSince this was a high school class, of course, this isn't a problem. For my kindergarten babies, they live outside the chair. My problem is trying to get and keep them in their chair. It just depends on the class.
P.S. I remember doing this in his class too. It was so much fun.