Blog
Spring is my favorite time of year, minus the allergies. The Sonoran desert is in full bloom, the beauty so unexpected. Wildflowers popping up all along the highways. Download your three free Spring activities to provide some nourishing movement for students’ nervous systems.
It’s Fall and time for a fun activity that improves proprioceptive input and ultimately focus. Find some students and get moving!
The fastest way to help students stay in a learning state (or get them into one) is to have go to strategies that take minutes but net great results. These strategies have stood the test of time and are classroom tested to work most of the time, no guarantees for every time. You can even use some of these strategies to keep yourself stay in the teaching zone when you feel things getting a bit out of plumb.
On a rare, sunny day in the Pacific Northwest, Nanette, her husband, and I headed for the speaker’s hall, anticipating a lecture titled, Making Memories. On one hand, I was eager to hear the information and on the other hand, I was a little concerned about trying to stay awake through a dull, scientific lecture complete with PowerPoint slides filled with stats, brain images, and complicated explanations of how a memory is formed, stored, and retrieved.
Do you teach a concept today and tomorrow it’s like 50 First Dates all over again? If you don’t know the reference, I recommend grabbing a big bowl of popcorn and an equally big box of tissues, and say, “50 First Dates” into your remote.
The Fastest Way to Improve Learning
The fastest way to change the brain is to invite the body into every academic lesson. Science tells us that the mind and body are a team and bi-directional. What you do to one, you do to the other. That’s why all my lessons include some form of mind-body integration activity. Children learn the lessons much faster and remember content longer when lessons include mind-body neural building activities.
As a reading specialist, jumping is a favorite heavy work activity I use frequently with children. Though the activity doesn’t look anything like what one would think of when it comes to an academic lesson, jumping is like a probiotic, creating the perfect biome for the brain.
Why is the reading achievement curve in the US flatlined? I have some insights to share. You can download your Student Profile Observation Tool to begin spotting readers right away.
“You had me at vestibular,” said possibly no one ever except perhaps sensory processing gurus the likes of Diana Henry and Carol Kranowitz, both friends of mine and authors of books, articles, and sensory processing checklists and measures.
However, those five words swirled around like semi-circular canals in my brain (only OTs will get that simile) when my daughter, Shalea, at age five was diagnosed with sensory processing disorder, commonly shortened to SPD.
When you invite minions to a party, be prepared to have a whole lot of fun. What do minions and proprioception have to do with improving students’ ability to focus for learning? Lots! Enjoy your three free activities that help with focus through heavy work jumping activities as well as improving visual tracking from left to right and figure-ground with the Smiley Tracing activity.
Intervention within a tiered framework like RTI or MTSS is what S'cool Moves is all about. Often confused with other movement programs, S'cool Moves is much more than movement or exercise. It's specifically targeted intervention that has 5 key elements essential for implementation success.
Stepping outside of my education comfort zone, I have a conversation with an international superstar in the field of social work and therapy for trauma survivors. Because this engaging interview was packed full of great information, I edited the video and made two Cognitive Confetti videos. In fifteen minutes, get up to speed with the latest research in regulation.
Enjoy this short four minute video of Dr. Rachel Gambino, DPT, and Ms. Anderson as they collaborate in the classroom to help all students, not just students with IEPs.
On the run? You can watch this video in three minutes or less and learn how helping a friend paint her office led to this week’s Tuesday Tip.
Blue light and the dangers to our vision is a real threat to our children and ourselves. This is an edited version from my original one hour interview with Deg’er Saner from Reticare. If you need research, I’ve included it here along with the video. Please share and let’s save our children’s eyes and our own!
Today, it's all about the holy grail of reading fluency and comprehension. I've received several emails this week about this topic, so I've decided to make it today's tip. Please watch this short 6 minute video I put together starting with a one minute videoscribe animation and then going into an interview with a couple of experts who bring us up to speed quickly. I've edited the longer half hour version. You can find the complete video on YouTube if interested.
Here’s your Tuesday Tip to flip the learning switch for students in your classrooms or clinics. It’s a three letter word that changes everything. Enjoy my first videoscribe, the program that animates concepts on a white board. I created a short three minute scribe. Shalea and I had fun choosing images and trying to figure out the ins and outs of the animation software.
We all know about Common Core State Standards but what I mean by "core" is a wee bit different than what policymakers mean by "core." This lesson includes a demonstration video to use with children in classrooms or clinics, a brief Debinar explaining the theory behind core movement, Minute Moves Core Out The Door Routine, Minute Moves Core On The Floor Routine, and Family Letters to send home in English and Spanish.
This Staff Chat includes a "Debinar" highlighting why using the Figure 8 is an important strategy for supporting student goals. How does this work? Deborah Sunbeck, Ph.D. provides the evidence base needed to validate using Figure 8s in our daily activities. Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor discusses serial and parallel processing information in her Ted talk. I cover this briefly in this video.
Who is missing from your collaboration team when it comes to supporting struggling readers? Let's get those readers off the bench and into the game. Read more by clicking on the title of this blog post. You'll be directed to the International Literacy Association's Blog area.
Amy, we are so honored that you asked S'cool Moves to share in your journey of love to South Africa. When I received this email from you, my heart filled with so much hope and gratitude. Your mission to support the volunteers and children teach us about the difference that one person can make in the lives of many.
After doing an Online Blended Course with therapists from New Beginnings School in New Jersey, the therapists wanted to share what they had learned with their entire staff. After the therapists completed their staff training, I received an email from Jessica saying how excited she was about the training and that the staff was on board to begin implementing S'cool Moves. Her excitement led me to ask if I could interview her and share how she managed to get an entire staff on board with only a TWO HOUR presentation!
I received an email from Eric Henrickson last week. It read, "Greetings! My company's foundation, The Meemic Foundation, funded implementation of S'cool Moves at a school in Big Rapids, MI. It was impressive to see all the kids doing exercise, and we filmed a video about how they were doing with the program. We thought you might be interested."
As collaboration becomes the holy grail of excellence in education, the calls and emails I receive highlight the challenges of sorting through education mandates, various intervention frameworks, and a host of bureaucratic processes. Teachers and support staff, wanting to hitch their wagons to best practice collaboration protocol find it difficult to travel through the rocky terrain, prickly brush, and many obstacles that make the journey frustrating and tiring.
In the words of Dr. Carla Hannaford, I repeat her wisdom. When we get children like this who find their way into our pond, we need to ask ourselves, “What have you come to teach me?” You might discover a profound answer to your question rather than thinking that the frog has hopped into your pond merely to drive you crazy and be the nightmare that keeps you up at night. Thriving when there is a frog in your educational pond takes perseverance. I’d like to think S’cool Moves strategies are designed to assist with turning the frog in your pond into a prince in your classroom.
This week I received a phone call from a parent who took the time from her busy day just to say thanks for how much S'cool Moves has helped her son. Now wait, don't start thinking I'm Elastigirl, stretching my arm out nice and long so I can pat myself on the back for a job well done. I'm stretching my arm from Washington to New Jersey to pat the occupational therapist on the back who took the brave step forward to integrate her practice with our Reading Moves materials.
I just finished doing three separate training days with a fabulous group of therapists from Cincinnati Public Schools. We had engaging conversations. Many challenges with collaboration surfaced through our discussions. As the final assignment, I asked the therapists to write out their challenges and brainstorm possible solutions. ...I'm sharing their great work with you today.
Do you ever feel the need to slip away into some quiet place where you can take a walk in nature or decompress with an activity that helps you regroup?
This week, I applaud a school in Oregon that is providing a quiet, yet effective space for children to diffuse and regroup when they are struggling to maintain their cool and focus control in the classroom.
As S’cool Moves morphs and grows in its mission, a key element is understanding collaboration and figuring out ways to bring together the unique skill sets and wisdom of multidisciplinary team members.
To the tune of Jingle Bells, here we go...Push those walls. Push those walls. Push them every day...I've put together a short little 3 minute video showing different ways schools are using Wall Push-ups. How are you using them? We want to know. Please post if you have an idea to share with us.