Chapter 3: Bodies in Motion

Movement is life, life is movement! Throughout chapter 3, keeping students active in the classroom will help increase their concentration during the school day. Their concentration can be trigged by simple movements. Scary thought: a child in elementary school will lose concentration after five or, at the most ten minutes, an adolescent after 15 to 20 minutes. Try this: challenge their balance systems For example: standing on one foot after 5 to 10 seconds they will be able to concentrate afterward. During my EDU 185 I experienced this in the classroom with Mrs. Schoel’s first grade class. We would do three exercises around 9 a.m. to activate our brains. The students called them brain exercises. They were simple things such as touching elbows, balancing on a leg or touching their knees. The students were excited to pick the three activities they did every day. After the brain exercises they were more focused and ready to learn. Being able to move the furniture in your classroom easily will create a different learning environment which can help students keep their concentration if you switch around the learning environment.

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