Wings Educational Resources Blog

Student Activity and Movement

Posted admin on June 9th, 2008 | Filed under Educational Resources, Student Activity and Movement

I feel that student activity and movement, both physical and intellectual, is extremely important throughout the curriculum, not just in P.E. class or at recess time.  Even adults have coffee breaks to stretch, take a breath, get a new perspective…

Activity within the classroom related to curriculum promotes students taking an active interest and role in the learning process.  Students should be involved in individual and group projects which require them to utilize various areas of the classroom i.e. the computer lab, the library, the art or as I like to say, “creative supplies” areas….

Students need to learn how to fulfill their needs and goals by planning and utilizing what is available to them.  After all, the goal of education is to prepare the students for the “world out there” after graduation.  How will they learn to take care of themselves and work for what they want, if they are taught from day one to be passive, still, dependent on others and “spoon-fed”?

A large part of the learning process is done through discussion and group work, research and application of knowledge.  How will they learn if they just sit there all the time? 

Learning through building, experimenting, researching, group feedback and projects, movement orientated songs which teach subject matter etc. , these provide much more personal satisfaction and a greater sense of achievement than sitting still and being “spoon-fed”.  As in the real world, sometimes they will fail in activities they attempt, but failure should drive the student’s desire to try again, see what they did wrong, come up with a solution.  That is the real world! 

What are we teaching through inactivity?  As mature young people or adults, what are they going to do?   This is the ideal way to develop youth who “live off” the system and never set developmental (whether educational or personal) goals for themselves.  “Why should I work for it?  It will come to me…”

Way to go!  Assist in the development of future leaders and active members of the community!  Great role models were set in school, weren’t they?