In honour of The Literary Maven’s linky, I’m reposting this entry from my old blog:

Ironically, many of us will do that very same thing to our students today as we pass out schedules and drone on about procedure and rules. Like us, they will squirm, doodle and tune out as they try to get their minds and bodies ready to do it all every day of the semester. Like us, some of them will still learn despite their wish to be somewhere else. However, wouldn’t it be better if we could find ways to wake them up and to be active while they learn?
The human body is not designed to sit for long periods of time; yet, that is exactly what it does in school. In Brain Rules (2008) brain researcher John Medina states that “physical activity is cognitive candy” and that “exercise boosts brain power”. In fact, study after study points to the same conclusion: learners need to move. But is this research just about kinesthetic learners? Definitely not, for we all benefit from moving and stretching. It gets the blood flowing, it boosts creativity, and it breaks up the monotony of sitting in those hard old seats!


In a few weeks we will begin essay writing and I will use a very interactive approach to this, too, as students work together to develop ideas for an essay, and then create a “kinesthetic essay”. They activate all of their learning styles and, hopefully, better understand how to write an essay.
So today, when I meet my new students, I do have to give them a lot of information as we start the new year, but I plan to get them out of their seats so they don’t drift off to zombie land. And every day after that I will plan opportunities for my students to move and interact. The last two days of staff meetings served as a great reminder of how important these things are for engagement and learning!
Have an awesome new semester with your students. If you have any great ideas for active learning, please share them in the comments!
That grammar game seems interesting. It also seems like it wouldn't take a ton of prep time for the teacher. I wonder if a similar format would work for vocabulary – matching the definition to the word. Thanks for the idea!