How Learning in Motion Can Benefit Exceptional Child Classrooms

Learning in Motion brings movement-based lessons into classrooms for Exceptional Children. Our teaching artists deliver developmentally appropriate creative movement curricula that can be customized according to classroom needs.

Research findings have demonstrated that students’ conceptions (SCs) gradually change over time and can be activated differently depending on task characteristics [1]. These observations provide valuable information about how to adapt instruction by selecting tasks with specific CCTCs that facilitate conceptual change along a learning progression.

1. Make Learning More Active

Movement during class can help students learn more effectively while also making lessons more fun and engaging for both educators and pupils alike. They can take advantage of it by having children travel to various areas of the room to observe visual aids or working in groups or pairs on lessons while moving around more physically themselves; board games that require players to walk or stand can also add more movement into classes; even offering midmorning snacks on tables rather than passing them around can get kids moving about in their classrooms!

Students should spend less time memorizing facts and more time learning how to access, analyze, understand, and apply information. They must also focus on using their knowledge in new situations – an approach known as inquiry learning, which offers one of the best means for engaging in self-disclosure discussions in digital environments.

LEARN IN MOTION offers supplemental education and recreation programs for schools, parks, and other organizations that do not have the resources to provide these services themselves. Our wide variety of programs can be tailored specifically to meet the needs of each organization, such as:

2. Build Confidence

Self-confidence as a learner is paramount to academic success. By giving students the freedom to progress at their own pace, without feeling pressured to keep up with classmates, they can build self-esteem – this can significantly help students dealing with social anxiety or other challenges that hinder learning.

Students gain confidence in themselves by recalling past successes. This process is similar to driving a car: initially, you may doubt your abilities, but with practice and experience comes greater ease and more self-assurance behind the wheel.

Virtual learning presents similar difficulties: children struggling to grasp new concepts may become disenchanted and frustrated if left alone to their own devices, yet with support at their own pace and encouragement to keep trying, they may overcome any ‘learning dips’ that arise.

3. Increase Blood Flow

Students who learn in motion experience increased blood flow to both their brain and body, helping stimulate it for increased understanding and retention of new information. This type of teaching method can significantly benefit those with learning disabilities or difficulty focusing in traditional classroom environments.

Young children understand movement is an integral component of their lives; it’s virtually impossible to find a classroom of young learners not tapping, rocking, or fidgeting during class time. Such movements may signal they need a movement break while also helping kids use their bodies in ways that support both brain and body engagement with learning.

Researchers have discovered that even college-age students can reap the rewards of kinesthetic movement. Any opportunity for physical exercise during class, from taking a 10-minute standing coffee break to participating in an activity designed to build muscle memory, can help increase concentration, decrease stress, and boost retention.

4. Develop Social Skills

Movement can help people develop social skills as well. A study revealed that children learning in motion demonstrated improved social cognitive ability based on body motion alone. This finding is especially significant as social cognition encompasses the interpretation of nonverbal cues from others, such as facial expressions, body posture and movements, gestures, actions, and touch. While preliminary, this research may provide support for adding music and movement activities into learning environments to boost students’ social cognitive development.

The addition of kinesthetic movement to the learning process can help children stay more focused and engaged during lessons. Many classrooms find it hard to keep children still for extended periods, so adding this form of movement into classes may increase engagement while making lessons more fun – keeping students more involved can increase retention of information as well as increase understanding.

Teachers have various strategies for integrating movement into learning. One such technique is brain breaks – short physical activities designed to get energy out and facilitate physical exercise among their students – or just simply encouraging standing and stretching during lessons.

Phonics in Motion provides another interactive teaching tool that uses movement as part of its instruction, using whole-body kinesthetic movements to teach phonemic awareness and phonics to students. Movement sequences correspond with every new sound that they learn; additionally, Phonics in Motion includes a “Letter to Parents,” which can be copied and sent home with each student to explain its educational benefits.

Overall, the results of this research demonstrate that including movement in learning processes can significantly enhance both students’ social and emotional skills as well as academic achievement. Therefore, educators must ensure they consider both measures of development when designing and conducting lessons – this will ensure all pupils receive optimal education that will prepare them for life after college.