Classrooms in Motion

Brain Break, a Misnomer…

I distinctly remember my first solo conference. While the focus was on physical literacy, I was inspired by the number of experts and attendees whose passion highlighted the impact of  movement and activity in the academic classroom space. I was a “newbie” to the world of academia and secretly intimidated to be in a room of researchers and experienced conference-goers. I had a decade of teaching under my belt and was in the process of earning a doctoral degree, and I was determined to soak up as much as I could.

I don’t recall the conversation, but I spoke those words: Brain Brain. The vehement response from my collocutor was one of the most impactful moments of my career…

Movement and physical activity is not a break for the brain…it’s a BOOST to the brain.

By using the term brain break, we are giving students the impressive that movement is less important or unrelated to other classroom activity. The evidence is clear: movement benefits learning, activity complements academic instruction, active students are better learners.

On this site, I’ve used the term “Motion Moment” because it aligns with “Classrooms in Motion”. (See potential daily schedule.) But you are encouraged to create your own appropriate and engaging moniker! Can you tie in your school mascot or district name? Perhaps your school is the Mustangs and you can implement Mustang Movement. If you’re the first to generate ideas, have your students brainstorm and propose terms! This will increase their ownership and support engagement.

Say yes to classroom physical activity – by promoting the critical importance of movement opportunities with an effective term to support academic achievement and holistic health of students.

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Summer PD in Colorado: July 19-21, 2023

The First Annual Active Schools National Summit will be held this July at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, CO.

“This summit will motivate and inspire you to integrate more physical activity into your daily practice and ensure that all youth are educated in an active school designed to enhance learning, health, and well-being. … The theme of this conference is A Mountain Worth Climbing. This theme was chosen because we recognize that creating and sustaining an active school culture is not always easy. Much like climbing a mountain, there can be challenges or obstacles that you encounter and must overcome.”

For information, click here. To register, click here.

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Healthy Day Toolkit – From Healthier Generation

Back to school is an exciting, stressful, energizing, challenging time! In honor of this back-to-school season, Healthier Generation just released a “toolkit” with tips and ideas to promote positivity, family bonding, and holistic health.

As per the free download: “This toolkit is full of activities and resources to help your family feel well, live well, and learn well during this busy transitional season.”

Check out the Healthier Generation toolkit here – and try one of the strategies today!

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Online Education via Healthier Generation

Alliance for a Healthier Generation, whose mission is to “promote healthy environments so that young people can achieve lifelong good health”, offers an online Healthier Generation Training Center that is available with a free membership. One recently posted training, Fostering Belonging through Physical Activity, is a short 20-minute session where “participants will take away resources and simple strategies for integrating physical activity during transition time to and from out-of-school programming.”

Link to training: E-Learning: Fostering Belonging through Physical Activity

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February is Active Classrooms Month!

It doesn’t seem like a year has passed since the last Active Classrooms Month, but here we are again! Active Schools hosts Active Classrooms Month each February. Teachers and families are invited to participate.

“The event will introduce ways to integrate movement into the classroom and demonstrate the positive impact it has on young people. We will share resources and tools to make it easy for teachers and parents/caregivers to use movement activities with their students/children.” – Active Schools

For more information and to get involved: https://www.activeschoolsus.org/active-classrooms-month

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“Activity Breaks that Encourage Social-Emotional Learning” (from Moving Minds)

One of the things I’m loving about increased awareness of classroom physical activity is the quantity of resources that are available. I subscribe to the Moving Minds email blasts, and these messages contain information and tips for classroom movement (and things to buy, which I skip). This month, a linked blog post offers information about social-emotional learning (SEL) areas and how to integrate movement with SEL. Promoting healthy body and mind is important for our students’ holistic wellness, and the need has escalated during the past two years. Check out the “Activity Breaks that Encourage Social-Emotional Learning” blog here!

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Strategies for Classroom Management and School Connectedness

From the Division of Adolescent and School Health within the CDC, this page offers an excellent compilation of resources and methods for managing classes and enhancing connectedness. “CDC researchers reviewed scientific papers on classroom management and identified these classroom management approaches that promote student connectedness and engagement. Strategies to support these approaches were identified through a structured review of web-based practice resources.”

The resources are categorized into six themes, each with research, examples, tools, and additional links:

  • Teacher caring and support
  • Peer connection and support
  • Student autonomy and empowerment
  • Management of classroom social dynamics
  • Teacher expectations
  • Behavior management

While this resource is not specific to classroom physical activity, it does address holistic wellness, student learning, and classroom climate, all of which can directly or indirectly impact student activity and the likelihood of success for classroom movement.

Check out the index page here: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/classroom-management/index.htm

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30 Days of Mental Health

This campaign, from the Trauma Responsive Educational Practices (TREP) Project, strives to promote awareness of mental health and support for students during the first 30 days back at school. By pledging to engage students in mental health lessons, educators will receive access to a resource guide on how to talk with students about mental health.

For information, see the 30 Days of Mental Health to Start the Academic Year website.

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The Cs of College – What I Want My Students to Learn (repost)

In honor of back-to-school and, for some, the first back-to-in-person-teaching in 20 months, here is a repost of a 2018 entry…

Content. This is the C that drives our education system. The content is the material that we want students to learn in our classrooms. Recently, I went to a college teaching conference and, along with the end of semester experiences, facilitated a reflection on what I want my students to take away from my classes. While I agree that the content is a critical component, I also acknowledge that if we teach students how to learn, they can look up content in the moment. Plus, necessary content is often specific to the situation and the environment, which may not be the same content that I offer in my curriculum. Therefore, I propose several additional important Cs…

Communication

Being able to communicate effectively via multiple mediums is a life skill that requires practice. Especially in a generation rife with electronic communication, providing students with opportunities to practice listening and to dialogue with peers, write professionally, and present orally sets them up for future success.

Collaboration

Ah, working with others! Being able to communicate is a sub-set of collaboration, but working in a group presents unique challenges, especially when you’re paired with someone who wants to do nothing…or everything. Navigating group-work situations while in schools enables students to gain perspective and experience that will inform the group-work that will inevitably present itself in professional life.

Conscientiousness

Being conscientious is often an intrinsic characteristic, but one that can be modeled and encouraged. As with communication, providing students with opportunities to practice may enable them to increase their awareness of how to be conscientious. This includes skills such as respect, time management, organization, consistency, punctuality, professionalism, and effective communication.

Compassion

Compassion is also an intrinsic characteristic that can be promoted. Sharing stories and information to broaden students’ perspectives may increase their ability to understand and respect differences. Compassion can also be modeled, both in teacher-student interactions, and by creating a safe and effective classroom climate that generates respectful dialogue. Compassion for self is also critical, and students should be encouraged to reinvent negative self-talk (ex: change “I’m not a good writer” to “I’m still working to improve my writing”). Interesting find: Wharton Commencement Speech 2018

Creativity

Too often in education, the content piece overshadows creativity as students strive to present the “right” answer. Innovation and creativity may be squashed in a system that offers a specific rubric that rewards students for linear responses to demonstrate knowledge and understanding. However, creativity is an integral part of problem solving and resourcefulness, both marketable traits for professional success, and should be cultivated.

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