Beyond the brain--active learning is engaging, effective, and fun

Infusing movement into instruction can be a very effective tool for student learning. Using movement to teach academic content is becoming common practice because teachers recognize that students often learn better by doing. When learning is student-centered and active, students are more engaged and retain concepts on a much deeper level.

Physical activity + quality instruction = increased brain compatible learning

Using movement thoughtfully and purposefully at all grade levels and in all content areas provides a valuable opportunity to create powerful learning experiences. From the brain’s perspective there are six critical reasons to add more movement in the classroom. They include:

• The brain is attracted to novelty and is preprogrammed to notice differences. Therefore, using creative and innovative strategies that infuse movement into instruction allows the brain to stay connected for longer periods of time.
• The brain wants the body to move. The brain is stimulated and naturally learns through the movement of its own body. Using movement to teach content creates a very natural and efficient way to learn.
• The brain is a social organ that needs to interact with people. At varying levels, we are all social creatures and crave human engagement and attention. Interactive, cooperative experiences provide the brain with an optimal environment to flourish socially as well as intellectually. Movement activities encourage cooperative learning experiences.
• Learning is primarily an emotional process. When the individual cares about what is being taught, the brain remembers and retrieves information more effectively. We are our emotions; they practically run our lives. Experiential movement is a productive way to create a positive, fun, and engaging classroom environment that enhances the learning process.
• The brain operates from concrete experience. Exposing the brain to “hands-on” learning experiences is critical to memory and retrieval. The brain prefers active, not passive, learning. The more student movements are aligned and connected to instruction, the more profound the learning process.
• The brain is always trying to create a reason for learning. Movement creates increased brain connectivity which enhances higher level problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
• Get your students moving!Kinesthetic activities help students of all ages learn by doing

The ability to engage students in the learning process is the ultimate challenge of our education system. According to most students, the reason for the lack of student achievement is that school is boring. Dr. William Glasser, an expert on the subject of teaching, believes that learning behaviors are based on the basic human needs of survival, belonging, power, freedom, and fun. When we ignore these fundamental needs, we fail to meet the basic needs of our students and fail to engage them fully in the learning process.

This is further supported by research that emphasizes a focus on implicit learning tasks. The capacity for implicit learning is supported by the ability of the learner to retain knowledge through multiple and diverse movement experiences. Closely connected to motivation is also the emotional brain/body state of the learner.

Eric Jensen, author of Learning With The Body In Mind, tells us that meaningful learning depends on the student. In other words, if a student has a positive learning state when information is being taught, he/she is much more likely to make connections and build bridges to the information. Conversely, if a student is bored, inattentive, tired, and/or lethargic, he/she becomes disassociated with the new learning. To motivate students, we need to engage and interest them in what they perceive as worthwhile, relevant, and meaningful information in ways that meet their learning needs.

Unfortunately, classrooms are normally steeped in the traditional teaching and learning modalities of lecture and listening. These are useful but overused forms of instruction as far as the brain is concerned. The average high school student will only be able to focus for approximately fifteen minutes while listening to a lecture. The brain of younger students has an  attention span of five to ten minutes. After that, the brain becomes bored, inattentive, and begins to day dream.

In the past, kinesthetic strategies were often an afterthought or completely neglected in the world of differentiated learning. Although research demonstrates that students learn more effectively when the kinesthetic process is combined with other modes of instructional interaction, interdisciplinary movement strategies were usually ignored. However…the times, they are a changing! More and more teachers are helping their students reap the benefits of instruction focused on the brain/body connection. Educators are recognizing that kinesthetic experiences heighten the learning experience and make concepts easier to learn and recall. Using the body purposefully for learning new information creates a powerful tool for student learning. It is unrealistic to expect all students to respond to one type of instructional style. Although very challenging, it is the teacher’s responsibility to investigate and implement a variety of effective strategies that will personalize learning for each and every student.

Other benefits of integrating movement into instruction

Sitting for long periods of time actually works against the ability of students to learn effectively. As students remain stationary, blood begins to pool in the buttocks and legs, creating a depression of brain attention, function, and learning capability. As facilitators of learning and designers of the learning environment, it is important that teachers  realize the multiple benefits of infusing movement into academic instruction. They include:

Preparing the brain to learn – for example, exercises that cross the mid-line of the body  help the left and right hemispheres of the brain communicate more efficiently.

• Energizing brain breaks – Using 60- 90-second movement activities works quickly to put your students in optimum learning states. Increased blood flow stimulates brain function and student attention.
• Supporting exercise and fitness – We live in a culture where one in three children born in the year 2000 will be diabetic, in part due to a lack of physical activity. It is also well documented that students who are physically fit have a greater level of health as well as academic success.
• Creating class cohesion – It is well understood that creating positive class environments supports academic achievement as well as social and emotional health. Experiential cooperative activities develop cooperative team building skills.

The remarkable brain is designed for analyzing, synthesizing, and critiquing. If we want to develop the whole child to his or her fullest capabilities, we must be purposeful in helping children engage their whole brains in everyday learning. The notion of using only the lecture as a teaching tool is obsolete. Brain compatible instruction means using math, movement, geography, social skills, and science skills together. Integrate movement to teach concepts in your classroom and watch student learning soar.