Think back to a time that you were in the learning environment and felt like you'd successfully mastered the content AND had fun while learning. Now, think about how that lesson or activity was structured and why you felt successful. Did your lesson or activity incorporate movement? Mine did! When I do this activity it is easy for me to choose the class, and I can recall many of the details related even though this class was several years ago. My class was getting my street license for my motorcycle, and it was successful because every learning objective in the class was outlined clearly for each learning chunk and incorporated activity and movement.
I realize that many classes are not as fun as weaving a motorcycle in and out of cones or driving a figure eight pattern on a skinny painted yellow line on concrete, however, through my observations in teaching I believe that children are more engaged when they have an opportunity to use physical movement to learn as well as break up their learning into smaller chunks.
The brain research identifies the qualities of the following programs I'm going to outline.
The American Psychological Association states, "A healthy brain likes to
learn, and
children learn best when they are exposed to a variety of ideas,
experiences, skills and materials. In the early years, children like to explore and learn using several senses or multiple skills at the same time. Activities that pair motor and auditory skills can encourage the development of both pathways."
Have you heard of Whole Brain Teaching, Whole Body Learning or Brain Gym?
WHOLE BRAIN LEARNING
"The techniques are not validated by contemporary brain research,
according to two experts in the relationship between neuroscience and
education who reviewed the claims for the Akron Beacon Journal." The article goes on to state, "The misrepresentation of brain science on the website doesn’t mean the techniques don’t work." Perhaps this is because "The
techniques involve a highly structured gesturing and repetition of
catch phrases that are supposed to capture and maintain student interest
and attention by making the rules more fun to follow than to ignore." (Arkon Beacon Journal, "Teachers learn ways to keep students' attention, but are brain claims valid?", 2014.)
Ms. Freundlich is a teacher who believes in Whole Brain Teaching. She attended the free seminar some years ago and has seen a difference in her classroom since she returned and has implemented the program. http://www.teachingandlearningtogether.com/whole-brain.html
WHOLE BODY LEARNING
Whole Body Learning is another catchphrase in the world of education today.
"My techniques, in which I have trained hundreds of classroom teachers, release students from a passive learning posture—glued to their seats, dissociated, with decreased oxygen in their brains—and engage them physically and creatively with what they are learning. Simply by getting students out of their seats, we encourage new levels of self-discovery and self-expression. And by letting students experience the curriculum through their bodies, we help them make deeper emotional, interpersonal, and kinesthetic connections to academic subjects." (Education Week Teacher, "The Power of Movement in Teaching and Learning", 2013)
BRAIN GYM
Brain Gym® movements, exercises, or activities refer to
the original 26 Brain Gym movements, sometimes abbreviated as the 26.
These activities recall the movements naturally done during the first
years of life when learning to coordinate the eyes, ears, hands, and
whole body. The twenty-six activities, along with a program for
“learning through movement” were developed by educator and reading
specialist Paul E. Dennison and his wife and colleague, Gail E. Dennison
who say that the interdependence of movement, cognition, and applied
learning is the basis of their work. Clients, teachers, and students
have been reporting for over 20 years on the effectiveness of these
simple activities. Even though it is not clear yet "why" these
movements work so well, they often bring about dramatic improvements in
areas such as:
- Concentration and Focus
- Memory
- Academics: reading, writing, math, test taking
- Physical coordination
- Relationships
- Self-responsibility
- Organization skills
- Attitude
