Math & Movement Blog - Posts for Educators and Parents

28Jun 2018 by suzy123 No Comments

Physical Activity: The Root of Learning Through Leisure in Education

Blog

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: THE ROOT OF LEARNING THROUGH LEISURE A Classical Perspective on Kinesthetic Learning Education is the key. Our education starts at school where we prepare for what’s to come by learning what we need to know. The ancient Greeks saw learning as important for the progression of society and the development of good citizens. Schooling today has lost sight of activity in education, a factor that the Greeks were first to highlight in their philosophies. The Root of “School” The modern word “school” means “a place to learn from teachers” and comes directly from the Latin word schola. The Greek “school,” however, meant “leisure” or “that in which leisure is employed.” Since “school” was synonymous with “leisure,” the origins of the “school” were grounded in the idea of comfort…

01Jun 2018 by suzy123 No Comments

So You’re Teaching Summer School… Let’s Make it Fun!

Tips

The Benefits Of Teaching Summer School There is a stigma around teaching summer school. For starters, no student, or even teacher, wants to be in school outside the academic year in the first place, right? Actually, summer school is a great opportunity for teachers to have more independence with their curriculum. It also allows them to work in small groups with struggling students, instead of larger classroom settings. Summer school benefits the student because it can reinstill their interest in learning, help develop confidence, and improve recall of information. When students are taught at their own pace, they can take more time to focus on their learning. Students also develop more confidence because they are not under as much testing pressure and, instead, are focused on developing their skills. Finally,…

01Jun 2018 by suzy123 No Comments

3 Tips to End the School Year Right

Tips

3 Tips to End the School Year Right What is the best way to end the school year? During those last few weeks of school, students can hardly focus with summer right around the corner. Did you know that even at this time of year, there are ways to keep students engaged and end the school year strong? After that, it’s just a smooth transition into summer! Below are three tips to end your school year right. 1) Review and Reinforce Plan fun lessons that review the math and reading material that students learned throughout the school year. This will reinforce what students learned during the school year. If students focused on learning place value and decimals, the teacher could use the Place Value Hop and make a fun game…

01May 2018 by suzy123 No Comments

Kinesthetic Learning: Movement Exercises Your Mind

Research

MAKE YOUR MIND MOVE Students in lecture-based classes are 1.5 times more likely to fail than students in classes with kinesthetic, multi-sensory, movement-based learning (Jordt, Wenderoth 2014). Similarly, 68 percent of high school students in the United States do not have daily physical activity (Grunbaum et al., 2002). What do both of these things have in common? Students are sitting in class and not exercising their minds. Kinesthetic learning through movement helps: Strengthen learning Improve memory Enhance motivation STRENGTHEN LEARNING Classrooms across the nation have seen positive changes in students' self-discipline and test scores. The reason why? Their teachers are incorporating cross-body movements, chanting, skip-counting, songs, and dance into subjects like math, reading, and even science. When students learn through movement, it strengthens their academics and their overall love…

02Apr 2018 by suzy123 No Comments

Spring Activities

Activities

Here are some fun Spring activities you can use in your classroom to make math fun and active! Bunny Hop for Fours Make bunny ears. Whisper, "one." Bend left ear down (bend left-hand fingers forward). Whisper, "two." Bend right ear down (bend right-hand fingers forward). Whisper, "three." Clap‚ "FOUR!" Continue on to forty... Carrot Printable Print and cut out the carrots. Place them around the room. Students can bunny hop to gather them. For younger students: Have them add up all of their carrots! Write different numbers on the carrots for an added challenge. Students will add up the written numbers, instead of the actual amount of carrots. For older students: Write multiplication or division problems on the carrots and use them as flashcards! Download the free carrot printable [maxbutton id="1"…

30Mar 2018 by suzy123 No Comments

5 Reasons Why Social-Emotional Learning Should Be Taught in School

Research

1) Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) keeps students engaged in school In early elementary school, children learn how to play and be a good friend. Then, as students go through school, they become less engaged with social-emotional learning. Instead, they focus on academics through standardized testing and following school discipline. “In a national sample of 148,189 sixth to twelfth graders, 29%–45% reported that they had…empathy, decision making, and conflict resolution skills…only 29% indicated that their school provided a caring, encouraging environment” (Benson, 2006). 2) SEL helps students with emotions and relationships Students need social-emotional learning (SEL) as much as math, writing, or any other subject. SEL “builds children’s skills to recognize and manage their emotions, appreciate the perspectives of others, establish positive goals, make responsible decisions, and handle…

01Mar 2018 by suzy123 No Comments

Spatial Learning for At-Risk Students

Research, Uncategorized

From At-Risk to Einstein: Could Kinesthetic and Spatial Learning Be the Answer to Helping At-Risk Students Succeed? Where Standard Learning Falls Short The average five-year-old can have an attention span of five minutes. These short five minutes makes it challenging for educators to effectively communicate key concepts. Especially when they are sitting near talkative or restless peers or content is not presented in their natural learning style. Standard teaching approaches often focus on auditory methods and leave out kinesthetic and visual learners. “Because adolescents have not biologically developed strong auditory skills, at-risk students are particularly unlikely to remember at least 70 percent of what they hear or read and thus either do not read well or cannot maintain concentration when they are not interested in the required reading” (Honingsfeld,…

05Jul 2017 by suzy123 No Comments

Hopping Towards Mathematical Success

News

“Because movement is such a big part of culture, that’s why we’re using the Math & Movement mats,” says Gina Cordaro, a Rochester City School District teacher helping rewrite the curriculum. Gina explains how the Board of Education came to the decision that the standard Common Core curriculum isn’t helping their students reach their full potential. To support the students that have not responded successfully to the Common Core, Gina has been augmenting their learning with kinesthetic strategies and materials. She has been writing grants and purchasing Math & Movement mats for the past nine years. These days, Gina spends her time holding community math nights at different schools where parents, teachers, student teachers, and, most importantly, the children can jump and learn. The goal is to increase…

30Dec 2016 by suzy123 No Comments

Our Holiday Gift to You! A Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Draft Proposal

Grants, Opportunities

By Suzy Koontz We know you are wildly busy…so we are offering you a special holiday gift! We’d like to draft your Lowe’s Toolbox for Education application so you can easily apply for funding to bring Math & Movement to your school. Why would you want one written for you? How is that a gift??? Many of you on this email list have asked for help getting funding for Math & Movement materials. Lowe’s has been very supportive of this project for many schools in the past so we are helping other schools access this possible funding. If we draft it, you can refine and complete the application in just a few hours of time. If funded, you get to select the perfect materials for your school. Once you are…

20Dec 2016 by suzy123 No Comments

Holiday Multiples

Activities

Students form partner pairs and choose a multiple. Then, they will toss a holiday ornament back and forth to each other while skip counting by that multiple. Students could also toss a dreidel back and forth -- or any other holiday item! See if they can make it through the multiple faster next time!