Florence School District 3 held a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday to officially open the Action Based Learning Lab at Panther Pride Academy for students in grades K-6.
Action Based Learning™ is based on the brain research that strongly supports the link between movement and learning, according to Cheryl Hubbard-George, FSD3 director of the office of exceptional children.
According the developers of the Action Based Learning lab model, Action Based Learning Labs are designed to prepare the brain for learning. Each active learning station in the lab, applies what we know about the brain body connection by focusing on the 12 foundations of Learning Readiness. For example, the body’s vestibular system controls balance and spatial awareness. Strengthening these foundations facilitates the student’s ability to place words and letters on a page. When a student walks or crawls in specific patterns, the brain’s ability to encode symbols is increased. Proper development and remediation of these systems are critical to a child’s ability to learn.
“We know that healthy, active students make better learners and the Action Based Learning lab at Panther Pride Academy provides educational opportunities for students through movement,” said Hubbard-George. “Our hope is that when students are engaged in Action Based Learning they will have improved memory retention, increased focus and attention, improved grades and fewer behavioral issues. Many of the activities foster teamwork and collaboration.”
Students will spend about five minutes using each piece of equipment in the room and then rotate to the next station. Stations include a Super Small Moonwalker, Super Small Skier, Super Small Starwalker, instructional multi-colored cones, Super Small Spot Stations and a set of two Boomer Boards.
Students can read while they ski, jump while they recite their multiplication table facts and so many more activities that include movement while learning.
