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Cross-Body Movements What are they and how can they help increase student focus and retention? Educators are always on the lookout for the perfect teaching tool that will help their students remember yesterday’s lesson, improve motor skills, stay focused, and help rein in their student’s energy. Cross-body movements are fun strategies to reach these goals. Cross-body movements engage both hemispheres of the brain. Many scientists like to think of the brain as a blender. In order to digest information, we blend it up. When both the left and right hemispheres are used, the easier it is to remember the digested information. One of the easiest ways to engage both hemispheres of the brain is to cross the midline in our bodies. Picture an imaginary line that runs from our nose to the floor.…

Students in classes with multi-sensory learning are 1.51 times more likely to succeed than students in traditional lecture-based classes. Studies show that students are more likely to have success in education when they are introduced to multi-sensory learning at a young age. Based on this research and our own findings, we know that kinesthetic, multi-sensory learning strengthens learning, improves memory, and enhances motivation! Strengthens Learning According to Eric Jensen in his book, Teaching with the Brain in Mind (2nd Edition), “Evidence from imaging sources, anatomical studies, and clinical data shows that moderate exercise enhances cognitive processing. It also increases the number of brain cells.”  In Syracuse, New York, interventionists helped pre-school students practice one-to-one correspondence and counting using multi-sensory cross-body exercises as well as the colorful floor mats. These students…

DOES KINESTHETIC LEARNING SUPPORT ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS?English Language Learners (ELL)/English as a Second Language (ESL) students are falling behind their classmates at an alarming rate. About 35% of ELL/ESL students are behind in math. Compared to their non-ELL/ESL counterparts, 47% are behind in reading (Fry 2003). This is a statistically significant percentage of students. Numbers like these cannot be ignored. The reasons for this gap are complex and varied. Many are very hard or even impossible to address by teachers alone. Fortunately, teachers do hold the key to one of the most effective ways to address the issue in the classroom: they can teach students the way they learn best. Studies show that when educators use tactile and kinesthetic methods, ELL/ESL students are successful and excited to learn.Research shows “ESL students…

Why Is the Obesity Epidemic in Our Schools Not Going Anywhere? How does the average American child spend their day? Are they outside playing tag and swinging on the monkey bars for hours? Or are they playing the latest computer and video games all night? A recent study by the journal Health Affairs finds that fewer than one in three American children get enough exercise every week. Unfortunately, if they don't become more active, more than eight million will be obese by their 18th birthdays. When children are not encouraged to eat healthy foods and be active, they may be more at risk for childhood obesity. Furthermore, the implications go beyond childhood, extending to high risk for major health issues and costly medical bills. Therefore, the obesity epidemic is an…

WHY DO YOUR STUDENTS SAY THEY ARE BAD AT MATH? The Short Answer: They’re scared. I am terrified of skydiving; can I expect to ever be good at it? Of course - if you push through the fear and practice, you can be good at most things. But “It is human nature for people to spend more time doing the things they enjoy. People embrace things they are good at. If students "do not understand" mathematics, they will lose confidence and avoid math whenever possible” (Piper). This usually starts when students take their first math class. If they did not understand the way math was taught, it causes them to do poorly and avoid it altogether. This avoidance can limit student confidence and competence in math and their phobia gets renamed…