The Ken-Ton Curriculum & Instruction Department is spending the rest of the 2024-2025 school year focusing on high-impact practices used in our classrooms across the district. For the remainder of the school year, we’ll be highlighting a different practice each month and spotlighting two of our teachers who excel at modeling this type of practice.
March's focus is “Movement”. This practice is a simple yet effective tool to energize students and make lessons more interactive.
Two teachers who model this type of practice well are Hoover Middle School Gr. 5 teacher Robin Hall and Lindbergh Elementary physical education teacher Kelly Strong.
We stopped by Mrs. Hall’s classroom on March 5th to see her practice of “Movement” in action. During a fraction lesson, we watched students solve equations and get up from their desks to work their minds and bodies.
“Students love Mrs. Hall’s class because of the lively and interactive atmosphere she creates,” said Instructional Support Specialist Melissa Carrato. “Her ability to mix learning with movement not only makes the lessons fun but also helps students stay engaged and energized.”
At the beginning of the lesson, students did both jumping jacks and ab rows while counting by multiples of seven. The movement didn’t stop there. Later in the lesson, Hall put up an equation on the white board and gave four possible answers for students to choose from. Each corner of the room corresponded to the answer of A, B, C, or D. Students got up from their desks and sped-walked to the corner they believed to be the correct answer. Once the answer was revealed, students had to “hop” back to their desks.
“I like getting kids up and moving to keep them actively involved in the lesson,” Hall said. “I find when kids get up and get moving, it boosts their focus and attention.”
While students move throughout the day during different lessons in the classroom, there’s a lot more movement in each school’s gymnasium as our Physical Education Department focuses on “Movement” from the beginning to the end of each class period. Kelly Strong is a great example of a teacher that gets her kids moving and keeps them focused on the task at hand.
“Kelly is one of the most outstanding elementary PE teachers in NYS in a subject which is about movement on a daily basis,” said District Coordinator for Physical Education Heather Ratka. “Her teaching approach actively involves students in physical activity by incorporating elements like choice, variation, creativity, and real-life connections, aiming to keep them motivated and engaged throughout the lesson from the second they walk in the door.”
Kelly and her colleagues at Lindbergh have found different ways to get kids moving so that each class is different and makes things fresh and exciting. Sometimes their lessons revolve around an activity like running that tests your endurance, while other lessons revolve around an activity that keeps your arms moving, like cup stacking.
“Movement is the core of Physical Education. Through movement, we are encouraging teamwork, decision-making, building resilience, confidence and problem-solving skills,” Strong said. “We use a variety of movement activities throughout the year, such as cardiovascular activities, strength & endurance exercises, sport skills, rhythms & dance, balance & coordination.”
It’s important to note that the practice of “Movement”, whether it be in the gymnasium or the classroom, doesn’t have to be complex or time-consuming. Small changes can have a significant impact on student engagement and learning outcomes.
“Moving around, even just a little bit, helps to keep kids actively engaged in the lesson,” Hall said. “I think it helps kids feel more positive, helps kids feel connected to their classmates and the lesson, and it improves their ability to pay attention in class.”
“Physical Education has a powerful impact on learning and student performance,” Strong added. “Vigorous activity has been proven to increase focus and attention, enhance memory and cognitive skills, reduce stress and anxiety and encourage better behavior and classroom engagement.”
We’re so proud of our teachers for embracing and using “Movement” in their everyday curriculum. Next month, we’ll be focusing on the high-impact practice of “Productive Group Work” and will be spotlighting two more teachers who excel at using this type of practice.
