Enhancing Learning Through Movement

To keep your students engaged despite the excitement of the holidays AND to help them learn more efficiently and retain learning longer, consider adding some movement to your classroom.

Why should you add movement?  

• ·         A much-referenced study from 1976 showed that students can focus on a teacher lecturing for 10-18 minutes before their mind wanders. Note: this was before computers, phones, headphones, DVDs, video games, etc., etc., etc.).
• ·         In a nutshell, movement and exercise facilitate learning.
• ·          Do you want a more scientific reason? John J. Ratey, MD, author of Spark, The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, says that exercise “[first] optimizes your mind-set to improve alertness, attention, and motivation; second, it prepares and encourages nerve cells to bind to one another, which is the cellular basis for logging in new information; and, third, it spurs the development of new nerve cells from stem cells in the hippocampus.”

What are some easy ways to integrate movement into your lesson?

• ·         In a math or science class, have students use their bodies to measure things around the room and report the results. Example: “This diagram is five pinkies long.”
• ·         Play Simon Says game with content you have just covered: “Simon says point to the square root. Simon says point to five things in this room that are the color ‘rojo.’” “Simon says to point toward a word that could be used as a metaphor.”
• ·         Model a move-around system using memory cue words. For example, “Move to the place in the room where we first learned about the life cycle of. . .”
• ·         Use a ball toss for a review.
•          Have students do arm and leg crossover activities that can force both of their brain hemispheres to “talk” to each other better. “Pat your head and rub your belly” is an example of a crossover activity. Other examples include marching in place while patting opposite knees, patting yourself on the opposite shoulder, and touching opposite elbows or heels. Even better, have them recite or review new learning while patting and rubbing.

(The above were adapted from  http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/104013/chapters/Movement-and-Learning.aspx, taken from Teaching with the Brain in Mind, 2nd Edition by Eric Jensen, Chapter 4. Movement and Learning) 

•  Chalk Talks or Graffiti Wall, in which students read their peers' ideas and add their own
•  Gallery Walks, in which students walk around the room, reading texts or graphic organizers posted on the wall, and adding their own ideas, either on the poster or in their notes
• Musical Mingle—ask students to stand. When music starts, they should find  a partner and answer a designated question.  When the music stops, they must find a new partner, share their answers, and answer a new question.

(The above were adapted from http://kennycmckee.com/five-movement-strategies-in-the-high-school-classroom/)

•  Move small groups of students around the room to the white board or poster paper.  Give a problem or a question, and have them record a response.  They step back, and then others examine their responses.
•  Ask students to pair up and walk around the building or down the hall while reviewing specific content. Tell them that you will cold-call on students to share when the return.
•  Ask students to create a tableau, a living image representing a concept. They form this with their bodies, as in a small group depicting the life cycle of a plant

More Resources

    

•       Go to http://kennycmckee.com/five-more-strategies-to-get-students-moving/
•          Get a copy of Energizing Brain Breaks by David Sladkey
•       Your Health and Fitness teachers

Being a Thankful Teacher

As we approach a much- needed break, we can spend some time reflecting on what we are thankful for as teachers.

This article recounts one teacher’s appreciation for our profession.

Have a quick read, and then respond with one thing for which you are thankful, using the comments . Check out how we are thankful teachers-- we’ve already posted!

We will come back next week with a more “instructional” tip. In the meantime, have a restful break and enjoy your family and friends this week!

Frequently-asked Questions on Lesson Closure

Frequently-Asked Questions on Lesson Closure

Does every lesson need a closure? 

Closures should occur at the end of each learning target and at least once during that day’s lesson. Whether it’s a review day or a test day or a work day for students, the end of the learning target should culminate in a closure.

What are the minimum components in an effective lesson closure?  

·       a formative assessment aligned with the learning target and success criteria. This could be formal or informal.

·       a student evaluation/reflection aligned with the learning target and success criteria

·       a feeling of wrap-up and a transition to the next learning target or lesson

Does my closure have to be at the end of the period? 

Absolutely not. The closure should come at the end of the learning target and unit, whether they fall during your lesson or at the end of your lesson.

What should I do if my time is short?  

A well-crafted student reflection/evaluation aligned with the learning target and success criteria can also be a formative assessment, showing you where kids see themselves and where you need to help them grow. This can help you kill two birds with one stone.

How long does my closure need to be? 

It might be a 2-3 minute wrap-up with an informal formative assessment and self-reflection, but at least occasionally you will want to gather formal data. Most closures are 5-10 minutes, although a unit closure might run longer.

What are some quick closure strategies?

• ·       Have kids pack up and return to seats. Have someone read aloud the learning target, and give students 30-60 seconds to reflect on specific evidence as to how they met the learning target. Cold-call on students to share out. This will serve as your formative assessment.  You could do a quick thumbs-up or fist of five to have them share how well they individually met the learning target.
• ·       Give students a Post-it. Ask them to place the Post-it on an arrow you’ve drawn on the whiteboard to show where they are on  the path to meeting the learning target. If they’re not 80% of the way there, they must record which of the success criteria is keeping them from a score of 4 or 5 (example, using transitions or reducing the fraction in the problem).
• ·       Have students write a one-minute summary of their learning today on a 3 x 5 card as the formative assessment. Then, put the success criteria on the screen, and have students rate themselves regarding their mastery of the success criteria on the back (example: 1, 5, 3, 3, 5).  You can review the cards quickly, looking for scores of 1-2, and deciding what you will need to reteach.

Success Criteria: Product vs. Process

Success criteria in the form of rubrics and exemplary examples are great tools, but what if you teach math, science, a CTE elective, or are doing some skill based reviewing in a humanities class? It’s easy to make your success criteria “to find the right answer.” However, we want our students to be able to identify the processes they go through to find the right answer, rather than the end product-- the right answer.

Product success criteria can be defined as focusing on only the endpoints of a lesson. Whereas, process success criteria can be defined as explaining how the learning target will be achieved. Students are more actively engaged in the process of learning.

According to Connie Moss and Susan Brookhart’s book Learning Targets they believe, “Many educators mistakenly assume that they are sharing success criteria when they tell their students how many questions they should get right on an assignment or encouraging them to shoot for a certain score or simply to ‘do their best.’ These vague criteria cannot foster the kind of meaningful goal setting or critical self-assessment that our theory of action requires. Success criteria are not ways to certify student understanding in terms of grading language: scores (55/60), grades (A+), percentages (95%), or any other numbers or labels. Rather, they describe what it means to do quality work in today’s lesson in student-friendly terms that are ‘lesson-sized,’ observable, and measurable. Students can use the criteria to plan, monitor, and assess their own learning progress.”

Here is a simple math example of product versus process success criteria (adapted from Samaira Nasim):

Learning Target: I can use a multiplication grid to calculate AB x AB.

Success Criteria (Product): I can find the answers as I calculate AB x AB by using a multiplication grid.

Vs.

Success Criteria (Process):
I will be able to…
1. Partition the numbers into A and B on the grid.
2. Multiply the numbers for the first square and put the answer in the box
3. Do the same for the rest of the grid total the four boxes
4. Explain how multiplication grid demonstrates about the process of multiplication

To sum up, success criteria that helps explain the process kids go through to meet the learning target is much more specific, helpful, and truly guides students through the critical thinking we need them to accomplish—even if the task is a seemingly simple one.

As always, we’d love some suggestions for future instructional tips.

Bridget & Brooke

Sharing Student Reflections in a Debrief Circle

Are you working on your closures, but getting thoroughly sick of exit slips?  A fun closure strategy is the Debrief Circle, demonstrated here in this Teaching Channel video from Expeditionary Learning (note: you may have to create an account to watch the full video).

In this two minute-video, the teacher has her students form two circles, one inside the other, each with the same number of students. The students face one another; each holds written responses to reflection questions. When the teacher calls time, the students share with the person directly across from them the answer to the first question.  One circle then rotates, so that students now have new partners, and they then discuss the second question.  In the video, the teacher has students answer four questions:

• What would you have changed in the lab you did?
• What did you notice?
• What did you wonder?
• What did it mean to meet the learning target?

While the video doesn't show this, the teacher could take notes on what he/she hears, and use those notes either as a quick summary at the end of the period or to have students share specific targeted responses with the large group.

This would be a creative way for students to reflect, to practice their communication skills, and to deepen their understanding of the topic!