| Did you know that while many students are visual | | | | 2. Use simulations or "act-it-outs". Give students a |
| learners and many others are auditory learners, | | | | chance to work together in a group to create and |
| most students actually prefer a combination of | | | | perform a short simple skit. When studying the |
| visual, auditory, AND kinesthetic learning. | | | | "Roaring Twenties" I split the class into several |
| So what is kinesthetic learning? | | | | groups with each group receiving roughly eight |
| Simple...kinesthetic learners are those students | | | | "slang" terms from the 1920s. Students then have |
| who typically memorize facts by walking/pacing, | | | | 5-10 minutes to create a skit using those slang |
| they learn by doing, and like to move around | | | | terms. After students perform their quick skits |
| frequently. | | | | we can discuss what we learned about the 1920s |
| Here are three teaching tips for kinesthetic | | | | based on their performances. |
| learning: | | | | 3. Reviews games. Many review games provide |
| 1. Do activities that allow for movement. I often | | | | the opportunity for movement. For example, I |
| have my class set up into "stations". Students | | | | create a large-size concentration/memory game |
| move from station to station completing an | | | | board on the classroom floor using vocabulary |
| activity. For example, when studying "colonial life", | | | | terms from the current unit. Students need to |
| I have the desks arranged into eight different | | | | get up and move to the center of the room to |
| stations and each station represents a different | | | | physically participate in the game. |
| aspect of colonial life (pictures and written | | | | Remember, while students have different learning |
| information are provided at each station). | | | | styles...effective teachers combine various |
| Students then have five minutes to complete an | | | | teaching strategies to meet the various learning |
| activity at one station before they move onto | | | | needs of all their students...including kinesthetic |
| another station. | | | | learning activities. |