For The Health Of It!
CONNECTING & COMMUNICATING YOUR IDEAS
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING STRATEGY
Introduction
When it comes to student achievement and success, there are two things that are very important: student engagement and student ownership of learning. The implementation of action-based learning activities in elementary school classrooms has proven to be beneficial and helps to achieve both. During action-based learning, teachers use movement and the twelve foundations to help students to retain content taught in the classroom.
Action-Based Learning is based on research that supports the link of movement and physical activity to increase academic performance. Exercise and movement benefit the brain and prepare it for learning. Action-based learning’s mission is to prepare the brain for optimal learning by re-teaching basic motor movements and activities that fill in developmental learning gaps. Due to the pandemic, there have been substantial learning gaps, and with the use of action-based learning, my hope is to help close those gaps.
Below, I will plan professional learning sessions that will assist teachers in using action-based learning as a tool to increase learner’s engagement and academic success.
CALL TO ACTION
Effective professional learning calls for much more than sitting and getting. As seen in the 5 principles of effective professional learning, teachers must feel engaged, supported, and information must be relevant. The time to end ineffective professional learning is now. Using the five principles will help teachers to change their attitude about professional learning. No longer will it feel like time wasted, but time well spent. View here to see my call to action.
Professional Learning Blueprint
My plan is to expose elementary school teachers to action-based learning through exposing them to action-based learning research, resources, and activities. With five different sessions, teachers can learn about the link between learning and movement, the 12 foundations, and the science behind action-based learning. The professional learning sessions will take place on zoom, during faculty meeting breakout sessions, and in-person meetings in the library and gym. As a method of supporting teachers who wish to implement action-based learning in their classrooms, one-on-one sessions can be scheduled. Click here to view my professional learning schedule.
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Audience
The target audience is elementary teachers. No matter what content area, action-based learning can enhance any classroom and help students to understand what they are learning.
Fostering Collaboration
In education, collaboration is very important. When educators come together, amazing things can happen because everyone has a different perspective. Collaboration can lead to the improvement of best practices and classroom procedures. During professional learning, there are opportunities for teachers to collaborate as they integrate course content into the movement activities. There are also opportunities for collaboration as they support each other through the implementation phase. The educators have a chance to collaborate as they review their campus improvement plan and determine content areas to focus on. Also, during the professional learning, educators will take part in discussions.
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Fostering Self-Directed Learning
I plan to foster self-directed learning by spitting the teachers into groups based on their content area and similar objective areas. I will allow them time to collaborate as they plan for implementing action based learning into their classrooms and also share resources with them through google documents. During the first sessions, when the action based learning presenter comes to show teachers different activities, those activities will be taped and placed in the google document folder as well. All of the sessions will be taped and saved to the google document folder. Opportunities for teachers to take part in training from the action based learning company will also be emailed and placed in the google document folder. Teachers will have the opportunity to meet with the action based learning facilitators for the district one on one for any question or suggestions they may have.
Professional Learning Instructors
During this professional learning, there will be different administrators coming together to assist. During the first presentation, there would be a presenter from the action based learning company that would come out and present to the teachers. They would be able to show techniques and equipment that would aid in them being successful in the implementation in their classrooms. A couple of the sessions would be run by the action based learning facilitators for the district. Our district has 7 action based learning labs and teachers who run them. Those facilitators would be able to assist teachers as they bring action based learning activities into the classroom and add content. Administrators and instructional coaches would be a part of professional learning when it is time to break down the campus improvement plan and figuring out how action based learning can assist with low achievement content areas and behavioral intervention.
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5 Key Principles of Effective Professional Learning
Ongoing: This professional learning offers five sessions during the first two months of the school year. Each session further reinforces the benefits expressed in the first session and offers continuous support as teachers are in the implementation phase.
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Support: During each session, educators are being supported by administrators on campus who will continue to support them when this set of professional learning sessions ends. They will receive support from the action based learning facilitators, administration, instructional coaches, and others. Educators will also have the opportunity to support each other through collaboration.
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Modeling: During professional learning, the session facilitators will model different aspects of action-based learning to educators. Teachers will also have the opportunity to model their activities to other educators during collaboration periods.
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Specific: This professional development is specific because it will cater to the teachers content area. Although some of the same movements will be used in each class, the content involved will assist students to be successful in each individual class.
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Engagement: Teachers will participate in action based learning activities and movements during the sessions, and also be engaged through collaboration in all sessions.
Timeline
The first four sessions (8/1-8/4) are where teachers will learn the basics of action-based learning. They will learn what it is and why it has been proven to be successful for students. They will also learn action based learning activities and get to perform them as well. The next session (8/24) is all about learning about the students academic needs based on the data and how action based learning can assist in helping with those needs. On 9/15, teachers will take a closer look at the 12 foundations of learning readiness and how each foundation can be used to aid in student success. At the next session, on 9/30, teachers will take a look at the science behind action based learning and how each of the foundations is linked to a region of the brain. At the last session, teachers will have the opportunity to add their content to action based learning activities and collaborate as they adjust movements and activities.
Click here to see the timeline.
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Resources & Media
During the professional learning, the facilitators will be using two action based learning manuals. The first is The ABL Primary Lab Manual for grades PreK through 2. And the second manual is called Body Brain Adventures Lab Manual for grades 3 through 6. These manuals discuss action based learning and why it is important. They also give examples of action based learning activities based on grade level, adding content to the activities, and how to set up an action based learning lab, if that is the route that teachers or schools want to take. During the sesion on 8/24, facilitators would need the campus improvement plan, data from unit testing scores, and the goal sheet made by the facilitators. The goal sheet will help teachers to set goals for how action based learning will be used. Facilitators would also use the video Kidsfit Kinesthetic Classrooms and Action Based Learning Labs Training Seminar which is linked here.
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Summary
I think this professional learning could have huge benefits for all teachers and students. Through adding movement and engaging activities, teachers will be able to help their students to be successful at learning and retaining the content, keeping students actively engaged, and in their testing. Action-based learning will help students to associate learning with things that they consider fun. It will help students to want to learn and be excited to attend classes. Action-based learning helps students to stay on task and behave. It also assists students in taking ownership of their learning. Action-based learning has been researched and proven to help students to close learning gaps. Student success is what it is all about.
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Reference
Kidsfit Kinesthetic Classrooms and Action Based Learning Labs Seminar. Youtube. (2016, Nov 16). Retrieved September 20, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhTWyhiGnMI&t=50s