Bog #6

Strategies for active engagement I have seen in the classrooms are often exemplified by abundant opportunities for group work, instructional “equitable distribution and prompting.” Even though these are foundational strategies for fostering active engagement, I am still looking for teachers to deliver models for physical movement when improving active engagement participation.

It seems as though the group work strategy is the universal default method for active engagement. They use group work during journal entry writing and sharing, while expanding insight in language art lessons of reading and sentence structure awareness. Group work is also exercised during reading buddy sessions, math groups, and lab experiments in the science lessons. The groups are pre-arranged by table seating, the students’ desks are organized in groups of 5 desks and even titled “Group 1, 2, 3 etc.” with rotating group leaders. Sometimes the table’s group leader is the speaker of the group but other times each student gets to speak and represent their individual ideas (which I would identify as “equitable distribution”). Prompting is also another powerful strategy utilized for additional cueing and measurement of the student’s individual level of comprehension.

As far as models for promoting physical movement when cultivating active learning engagement, I have yet to witness this strategy. I feel the lack of applying this method is saddening. In my opinion, I believe the kids are dying for physical movement during their school day. The students get 2 recesses daily, but the duration is a microscopic 10 minutes each (no recesses given during lunch break either). I just don’t see that as enough wiggle time to promote the commitment to increased focus for learning. What are the strategies that provide physical movement during active learning in the classrooms? Maybe, I need to ask the teachers about this method in order to gain the understanding I’m looking for…