Book Review: The Kinesthetic Classroom

Allowing ones brain to grow and process new information is a very crucial part of human existence. Though this continues throughout ones teenage and adult life, the most important years for monumental growth occur during early childhood. Nurturing students’ brains can be done in many different ways, but research proves incorporating kinesthetic activities into classroom applications is one of the most auspicious ways for students to retain valuable information and sustain and preserve physical and mental focus. Bringing movement into the daily work of a classroom not only develops stronger bodies, but stronger minds as well. “Movement awakens thinking, activates many of our mental capacities, and helps express new thoughts.”(Peterson). Through …show more content…
When including it in ones learning process, one of the many positive outcomes is improved motor activity. It spurs the mindset and develops new and healthy nerve cells. It also increases neural connections inside of the brain. The neural connections are what supports cognition, which is the process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thoughts and experience, then in return that supports memory retention. It is important to be developing these brain cells throughout learning so that minds are able to retain important and useful information. Another benefit to putting movement in classroom lessons is the opportunity it makes for students to allow their brain to better comprehend change and real life situations, and to enhance emotional awareness to the people and things around them (Peterson). All of these benefits happen from using movement to develop these important brain …show more content…
Teachers teaching any class are constantly trying to keep students’ attention throughout the lessons. If the teachers can keep the students focused, the students will learn more and test better, which is the goal in any learning environment. “Research tells us that physical activity increases focus, attention, and achievement. Teachers can create focused, energized learners in less than a minute with brain breaks, energizers, and games.” (Book Review: The Kinesthetic Classroom). Enlisting kinesthetic activities in the classroom allows kids to focus better, making the subjects experience at the center of learning (Peterson). When the focus in the classroom increases, the knowledge and memory retention does as well (Gwo-Dong). When teachers use movement, the students begin to concentrate on the learning process and retain new and difficult information, which in return makes achievement go up