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Learning in motion Winget Park Elementary students move to learn
Learning and physical activity go hand in hand at Winget Park Elementary , where active-learning equipment is taking the place of traditional furniture and students are encouraged to move as they work .
Winget Park used Physical Education Program ( PEP ) grants to purchase its new equipment , including pedal desks , spin desks , gliders , balance boards and flexible seating . The equipment arrived Oct . 3 and is being used in two first-grade classes and one class each in kindergarten , second grade and fourth grade , as well as the media center .
CMS health and physical education specialists have been working with teachers and schools to improve student achievement through better coordination , balance and physical activity . Winget Park Principal Jason Bissinger and a team of teachers had four days of training over the summer in Charleston with experts in kinesthetic strategies .
“ That ’ s been the key to this is how to use it effectively ,” said Kim Cooke , CMS physical education specialist . “ The least-effective way to teach is sitting . You want to know ‘ How can I teach this concept through movement ?’”
Bissinger said active learning fits well with the school ’ s personalized learning focus and students took to the new equipment quickly . Teachers also are finding value in the concept .
” One of the neat things has been teachers sharing the equipment with others who don ’ t have it ,” he said . “ They ’ re seeing the effectiveness of the whole concept of active learning . It ’ s the icing on top of the cake .”
Darnell Murillo , in her 10th year of teaching at Winget Park , participated in the summer training . She had first gotten interested in action-based learning a few years earlier when the school structured recess . She said she and other teachers saw a decrease in behavior issues when they used games for learning , which made it clear they needed to incorporate more activity into the lessons .
Murillo has incorporated movement into her lessons since the first day of school , which made for a smooth transition when the new equipment arrived in her classroom . She said her students view the furniture as just another tool to learn new skills .
“ Since acquiring the new equipment , I have seen my students ’ eagerness to learn grow ,” Murillo said . “ They are very focused on their independent tasks and very attentive in our whole-class discussions .”
Students also use the new equipment in the media center as part of the B3 ( books , brain , body ) special program . “ The activities for B3 center on really knowing how you learn , taking control of your learning and how movement can help the brain to work more efficiently ,” said Emily Warnke , B3 specialist . “ We incorporate the Active Brain Lab equipment with skills that they are working on in their classroom each week .”
Parent response has been positive . One parent showed Murillo a video of a student playing school at home and mimicking the same routines they perform in class . Another parent told Bissinger that now school is all her child talks about at home .
Most parents want to know how more equipment can be obtained , Bissinger said . It all comes down to funding , but as that becomes available , additional classrooms will be outfitted . Interest also has been sparked at other CMS schools and Winget Park has been welcoming visitors who want to learn more about the active-learning concept .
“ This really is the future of education ,” Bissinger said .
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Parent Teacher Magazine • January / February 2017 • 7