Language Development through Movement, Games, and Dance

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Language Development through Movement, Games, and
Dance

• Adding Kinesthetic Strategies to the
  Educational Tool Box
• Martha Eddy, CMA, Ed.D.

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Center for Kinesthetic Education49 West 27th St
New York City www.WellnessCKE.net

• Kinesthetic - Learning through Doing
• CKE At CKE we Design and Implement Lessons
  using Movement (body language, movement
  exploration, games dance)
• CKE integrates Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL)
  with all Learning Activities
• SEL links to Body Language (NVC)
• Verbal Language can be learned through Bodily
  Engagement NVC, Movement exploration, Games and
  Dance too!

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Defining Kinesthetic Awareness

• The ability to perceive our bodies
• Knowing when we are moving

• Knowing where we are in space
• Knowing about self and how we are feeling
• What senses are used?

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How do we perceive our bodies? We sense our
bodily

• Position
• Movement
• Balance
• Stopping
• Starting
• Changes of each of the above
• Each affects attention and learning

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Movement as Action

• Both non-verbal and verbal expression of ideas
  and feelings occurs through the body
• Movement is required to vocalize and shape
  language, and we also move while we speak.
• We taking action for self-expression
• We communicate through movement

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Developmental Aspects of Language

• Our earliest movements (e.g.nursing) activate 3D
  movement patterns that foreshadow speech and may
  teach complex movement to the rest of our
  bodies (Bainbridge Cohen).
• Our speech is predicated on being able to shape
  our vocal mechanism in diverse ways.

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Developmental Aspects of Language (continued)

• Whole body movement and the articulation of the
  vocal apparatus interact to explore language
  concepts during early childhood and again with
  every new language.
• Movement is the mechanism for speech and of
  non-verbal communication. These movements become
  embedded in our nervous systems pathways.

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Movement and Language

• Movement is needed to speak
• Whole body movement accompanies early speech
  gestures accompany adult speech.
• Movement observation helps in communication.
• Movement is critical as we investigate our
  environment and learn new concepts.
• We move as we explore and find words.

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Use Movement While Teaching Language Acquisition

• To support Non-Verbal Communication (reading
  cues)
• To increase student engagement (Enjoyable and
  creative bodily activities)
• To help diverse types of learners (feeling with
  their bodies as they learn new concepts)
• Arts and games provide contexts for speaking
  Interact Physical Education and Dance Education
  programming

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Movement in Schools

• Benefits of Movement
• We are designed to move.
• Movement is part of recuperation (important for
  attention).
• Movement focuses attention (Moving eyes to pay
  attention)
• Movement is engaging (and enhance memory)
• Movement can reinforce cultural learning

• Challenges
• Movement can be disorderly
• Movement needs space
• Movement brings up feelings
• Movement is stimulating

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Can Movement Be Classroom Friendly?

• Challenges
• Movement can be disorderly
• Movement needs space
• Movement brings up feelings
• Movement is stimulating

• Classroom management guidelines
• Use movement cues games (hand clapping,
  modulation of sound and rhythm)
• Acknowledge feelings

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Movement Description as a Pedagogical Framework
for Learning Language

• Description of movement is description of
  behavior
• Movement description also teaches youth about
  body cues, socialization and expression all
  support verbal language
• Movement activities support more types of
  individual learning styles
• Using a developmental model for movement supports
  brain connections
• Movement offers exciting, integrative curricular
  design components

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Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) a language for
movement

• Body (What parts move and in what sequence? With
  what organization?)
• Space (Where does the movement go?)
• Effort/Motivation (What dynamics or feelings are
  present?)
• Shape (What is the process of changing shape
  how do we relate to our environment)
• Inter-Relationships (What comes with what, and
  whom?)

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Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) Non-verbal
Observation/Intervention

• Movement Observation helps us to see non-verbal
  signals accurately
• Movement language (LMA)provides an exciting
  inroad to learning many types of words (body
  parts, actions, adjectives, adverbs all working
  together)
• Movement sentences support spoken sentences,
  paragraphs, conversations.
• LMA is tested for Observer Reliability

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Acknowledging the Body Highlights Emotions

• School can be scary, challenging, relieving
• Acknowledge the importance of the body in dealing
  with fears, hopes, and being stuck
• Kids experience failure, loneliness, hunger,
  abuse, bullying, and/or unmet hopes. All are
  somatic psychophysical involve the body,mind
  and emotions
• We move while we speak movement is an access to
  feelings movement deepens learning limbic
  system
• Ideally we allow for physical exploration without
  judgment
• Set rules of respectful interaction/boundaries

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CKE Approach to Teaching Children with Learning
Challenges

• Engage as we would with any other children
• Observe with all senses attune build trust
• Create a caring environment for exploration of
  both verbal and non-verbal language
• At CKE we create prompts to elicit new language.
  We call the resulting language responses
  responsive language.

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Language Acquistion for Diverse Learners continued

• Use awareness of body language to assess
  intention and comprehension (watch for movement
  support for receptive, responsive, and
  expressive language).
• Create tailored strategies based on movement
  assessment for engagement goals.

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Use of Dance in Teaching Language

• Research shows
• that exercise, movement and play are
  health-enhancing (Now required by law for
  childrens mental health as well.)
• that listening to music is healing for trauma and
  depression
• learning songs may help in memory retrieval.

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Value of Dance continued

• Dance activities often bring together MUSIC and
  MOVEMENT.
• Dance is a non-verbal symbolic system
• Dance provides a rich multi-sensory learning
  context for language acquisition and
  conversation.

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Teacher Reminders

• Include the bodily experience
• Use positive teaching tactics (Eddy, 1998)
• Try the team approach
• Encourage greater expressiveness through multiple
  modalities
• Explore in new strategies
• Build bridges with family, colleagues and the
  school community

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Eddys Best Practices Teaching Tactics for
Effective Communication

• MODEL GOALS
• ENGAGE STUDENTS
• SHARE FEELINGS
• PROVIDE CHOICES
• SENSITIVE TO INCLUSION
• TEAM TEACH
• ACKNOWLEDGE COMPLEXITY

• PROVIDES SYNTHESIS
• BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
• PRACTICE CONFLICT RESOLUTION
• USE HOLISTIC APPROACHES
• COUNTER THE MEDIA
• From Martha Eddy1998

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Summary

• Society is demanding, challenging, shifting and
  we need all resources to communicate within and
  across cultures
• Children learn through doing moving!
  (Bandura/Dewey/Piaget).
• All language has physical components.
• Be advocates for bodily expression and movement
  during language acquisition.
• Children thrive when arts-based approaches to
  learning languages are included.

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References

• Center for Kinesthetic Education
• www.WellnessCKE.net
• Bainbridge Cohen (1993) Sensing, Feeling and
  Action. Northampton, MA Contact Editions.
• Eddy, M. (2000). Movement Activities for
  Conflict Resolution. The Fourth R. Washington
  DC CREnet. Vol 92, pgs. 13-14, 15-16.
• Eddy, M. (1998). The Role of Physical Activity in
  Educational Violence Prevention for Youth.
  Michigan UMI Press.
• Guest, A. (1983). Your Move A New Approach to the
  Study of Movement and Dance NYGordon and Breach.
• Hellison, D. (1995) Teaching responsibility
  through physical activity. Champaign, IL Human
  Kinetics.
• Kreidler (1994) Creative Conflict Resolution
  More than 200 Activities for Keeping peace in the
  Classroom K-6. Glenview, IL Scott, Foresman and
  Company.
• Kreidler W. Furlong, L. (1995) Adventures in
  Peacemaking A Conflict Resolution Activity
  Guide for School Age Programs. Hamilton, MA
  Project Adventure, Inc.

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Movement Resources for Adapting Language Lessons
SEL, Anatomy, Ecology

• Conflict Resolution and Body Language
• http//www.wellnesscke.net/downloadables/Body-Cues
  -Conflict.pdf
• Using Movement to Teach about Erosion and
  Recycling
• http//www.wellnesscke.net/downloadables/CKE-Recyc
  ling.pdf

 
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Websites For Movement Resources

• Balancing the Brain through Movement Awareness
  (EnglishSpanish article)
• http//www.wellnesscke.net/downloadables/spins.pdf
  
• http//www.wellnesscke.net/downloadables/SPINSSPAN
  ISH.pdf
• Using Movement Coordination Activities to Connect
  Different Pathways in the Brain
• http//www.wellnesscke.net/downloadables/relax-to-
  focus.pdf

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Movement DVDs and CDs

• Music and DVDs
• CHOOSY RESOURCES Im Moving Im Learning A. CD.
  Choosy Kids. 2009. www.choosykids.com Meet
  Choosy and Linda. DVD. Choosy Kids This is My
  Body. CD . Choosy Kids. 2005.
• Kids Get Moving. DVD. The Center for Movement
  Education and Research. 2005. www.movement-educati
  on.org

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CKE Resources

• Contact Information
• Martha Eddy, CMA, RSMT, Ed.D.
• Director, Center for Kinesthetic Education
• www.WellnessCKE.net
• MarthaEddy_at_WellnessCKE.net
• 212-414-2921
• Teacher Supervision Groups for Designing Lessons
  Using Movement in Schools
• CKE Dances! NYC DOE contracted student workshops
  on diverse topics
• Lectures and Professional Development