Movement breaks
As students advance in age, education is more and more static. Even in the classroom, but especially online, students would highly benefit of some especially programmed movement breaks, because:
- they will help them better memorise and understand
- they will improve their physical and mental health on the long term
- they will support them to be more attentive and engaged
Online teaching requires shorter pieces of content, due to the lack of attention of students, so the theory has to be split in pieces interrupted by practical exercises, breaks, or small movement sessions that can energise students.
Henry David Thoreau wrote “the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow” - he was thinking best while walking.
Research shows that our students would have better results if we would encourage them to move while thinking.
“In experiments out of Stanford, students who completed creative tasks while walking – such as coming up with unexpected uses for a paperclip – came up with more ideas than those who brainstormed sitting down. (...) Students who incorporated movement into their learning strategy remembered 76 percent of the material, while those who simply used their brain to memorise recalled only 37 percent.”
Annie Murphy Paul, author of the new book “The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain.”, advises:
“Look for instructional videos that include people gesturing – and not just talking heads; studies show that improves retention. Think about your own gestures as you explain new concepts and be purposeful in your movements. Teach students to pair new vocabulary words with an associated movement. Give them objects or diagrams to point to.
Pay attention to student gestures to see what they might be communicating without words. And actively encourage students to gesture as part of the learning process.”
A few tips for introducing movement breaks:
- Share some of the reasons for the break (e.g. they help us focus and give us energy);
- Make them optional, judgement-free; allow students to opt in or do something else (e.g. close their eyes, or take a short walk);
- Choose the activity that supports your aim - if you want to reduce stress, you can use some stretching, if you want to enhance focus, you can opt for intense activities.
Besides the typical physical exercises (jumping jacks, jogging), you can use some movement exercises, such as:
“Bring an object” competition:
You name an object (one that is around most of your students) - e.g. a pen, a pair of socks, a spoon. Participants are challenged to bring this object as quickly as possible and show it. You can propose an ending, for example the first person who is fastest in bringing 3 objects wins the game.
“Let’s…”:
This is an improvisation exercise that is both energising through miming actions but also good in increasing collaboration and support. You can propose the first activity, for example: “Let’s go swimming”. All participants have to say: “Yes, let’s…”, and imitate your swimming gestures. Then, you can pass on to a student that will propose another action, all other students imitating the movement.
Crazy 8s:
This is a movement exercise that helps energise by quickly shaking some body parts. All students stand up. In unison, you invite students to lift their right hand and shake it while counting from 1 to 8: “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8!”.
After the 8 shakes, repeat with the left hand. Then repeat with the right foot (kicking it in the air while standing on the left foot), then the left. After this, the movement is repeated - right hand, left hand, right foot, left foot - but counting only from 1 to 7.
And so on, counting up to one less number, until the last round when everybody shakes and shouts only "1! 1! 1! 1!". After finishing, everybody cheers. Then, you are ready to start a static lesson.
Dance party:
This is for courageous classes, with students that feel very good in their skin and comfortable with the others. Ask students to pick a favourite song and play it. Everybody dances, either freely, or copying the moves of a certain person (and, after a while, another person taking the lead and proposing a movement).
Alternatively, you can choose a video showing a dance that you can all imitate. If students do not feel that comfortable, they can dance with their cameras off.
Space and nature:
While developing their self-reflection capacity, you can ask students a question and invite them to use space inside and outside their houses (if they live in a house and it is possible to go outside) to reflect on the answer. You can also invite them to bring a metaphorical object as an answer to the question. Decide a time they need to be back and make sure they have the means to calculate the time remaining so that they are back in time.
Super Mario warm-up:
Using an energising tune, invite students to stand up, face sideways. When the music starts, all students jog on the spot (you are encouraged to participate as well).
You can use commands like: “Jump!” (everybody jumps) or “Duck!” (everybody ducks below the camera), “Turn!” (change direction). Of course, you can use a reference to a game they currently play.
Rain and storm:
Ask students to imitate the sounds of a rain, starting from clapping with the index finger of the right hand to the palm of the left hand. You conduct the movement by also inviting students: “Now use two fingers! It starts raining more and more.” (and all of you start clapping with 2 fingers on the other palm), then “Three!”, until you get to all fingers. Then, students applause - “It’s transforming into a storm!”. Then, while applauding, you invite them to hit the floor with their feet as well: “Thunder!”.
Then slowly the thunder stops, then the applause transforms into a lighter rain (4 fingers of the right hand clap on the left hand), and so on until only some drops can be heard (one finger slowly touches the other). The sun is up again, and now, you can start a serious part of the lesson.