I attended a session on teaching through movement. The speaker led with "your immune system is eavesdropping on your inner dialogue." - Deepak The speaker used John Ratey's research support from SPARK detailing the science of exercise and the brain. The emphasis was on "fitness over sitness" across all academic classrooms. Practical strategies were given to easily incorporate movement into any class that were immediately applicable on my return to the classroom on Wednesday. The speaker argues that meaning making is state dependent and learning is a very powerful tool to make learning relevant. It was an engaging session because the speaker practiced what he was preaching by engaging session attendees in many of his suggested activities.
I was struck by the importance of creating a positive environment for my students. One presenter showed a picture of a woman who had a fearful expression on her face. Most of the teachers in the room said she looked afraid; however, the presenter said 8/10 middle school students thought the teacher was angry. We need to be careful how we express ourselves in front of our students, knowing that they misread some of our thoughts.
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