Let's talk about movement and the power for making memory. In this strategy, students physically move to demonstrate or sort information to strengthen memory. This ties into the research connecting long term memory and physical activity. There is a mind body connection... I believe the saying goes, "when I move my body, I move my mind". Pretty powerful stuff right there! How can we harness this valuable strategy in our classrooms? You got it, get students to move. Movement is a powerful type of mnemonic device. Let's dive deeper.
There are two premises in play here:
1. using gesturing to depict vocabulary terms or events
These gesturing techniques use specific actions, like touching parts of your body or tracing shapes, to create a physical association with the information you want to remember. Have students create representations, demonstrating the words.
Examples
- Using your knuckles to count the days in a month.
- Using gestures to remember vocabulary - like the term - "Manifest Destiny" with the gesture: "Stretch your arms wide as if showing the whole continent."
- Using gestures to remember the states of matter, types of precipitation or parts of a story.
- Touching different parts of your body for each item on a list.
- Tracing the shape of an object in the air with your finger.
- Acting out math word problems to better understand them.
- Using hand gestures while learning a new language.
- Creating physical hand signals to recall, like the shape of the state of texas for regions.
- Moving counterclockwise in a room to learn about each phase of the lunar cycle
- Walking while brainstorming to improve creativity.
- Specific activities include hopping across a number line or using body twisters for new concepts.
- Using different parts of the room while reviewing
- Gallery walks for notes
- Carousel - moving from station to station - adding feedback
All the research conducted on movement suggest that these teacher moves
benefit our students' learning and retention of new material. Also, they can provide students with opportunities to make personal connections to the content. A win-win for the teacher and the students. Does this mean we should be creating mnemonics every day for every new piece of content we teach? “Whoa! Slow down there, tiger!” Based on our current understanding of this type of mnemonic device, when might it be appropriate to use this teacher move? Think about using this strategically, when it garners the best student learning outcome. See you next time!
