Engaging Students Through Movement and Media

Reinvigorating ELA: A Teacher's Quest
Engaging students in English Language Arts is a constant challenge for educators.
 

I chose to research how to engage K-12 students in English Language Arts. As an English Language Arts teacher myself, I have been thinking about this quite a bit. I work for Franklin Township School District, where I teach 8th graders at the Sampson G. Smith campus.

Lately, I have been struggling to figure out how to make my lessons more engaging and entertaining for my students. Over the past few weeks, I have mostly stuck with providing the students with writing prompts to check for understanding, and it’s clear that my students are getting bored with them.

The Movement and Engagement Approach to Teaching ELA

Incorporating physical activity into ELA instruction can absolutely be a game-changer.

I decided to be intentional about creating a pleasant learning experience. One strategy that truly stuck with me was the idea of incorporating more movement in the classroom. One of my sources, in particular, Ashley Bible’s “Building Book Love,” goes into extensive detail about this teaching strategy, stating, “Due to the nature of English classes, ELA students often find themselves needing to sit to read or write for long periods of time.” This can cause many students to get antsy in their seats and struggle to stay focused. Bible encourages teachers to create activities where students will need to get up and physically move throughout the classroom. Jackson Best at “3P Learning” also suggests incorporating movement not only because it allows students to release pent-up energy but because it helps kids who are typically sluggish and inattentive to be more engaged as well.

One activity I use is what “Building Book Love” calls a “Walk and Talk,” where the teacher posts several discussion questions around the room. Students need to get out of their seats and walk to each question to discuss it with their groups. After some time, the students will rotate around the room and discuss the next prompt. In my previous attempts to facilitate book clubs, I have had issues with both students getting off-task and students not being engaged at all. This strategy for group discussion seems to address both groups of students, and while I do not expect change overnight, I am hoping to see improvement in my next book club by going about it this way.

Multi-Media Learning Engagement

Incorporating diverse media formats can enhance student learning and expression.

Another way to foster student engagement in the classroom is to incorporate a mix of different media. This has a few benefits. One benefit, as described by Melinda Kolk for “Creative Educator," is that it allows students to use “multiple forms of representation.” This means that students have a variety of ways to express themselves in the classroom. Another reason is that combining different media, especially digital media, better reflects how students encounter the skills they build in an ELA class. Critical thinking, the skill English classes are meant to develop, is used in many ways outside of the classroom. We use it when we read articles, play games, and even have everyday conversations with friends. Mixing media in the classroom demonstrates this to our students and better prepares them to use these skills in the “real world.”

Kolk recommends several different activities in which students incorporate mixed media. The activity I would like to try is creating a social media profile for a character in the book they are reading. One advantage of using this type of assignment is that a student who may be struggling in class can demonstrate their understanding of the text in a language that best fits them. For example, a student who has a hard time writing in the formal tone expected in a writing response can use this assignment to show their ability to cite textual evidence without the pressure to write in a style that is unfamiliar to them.

A Brighter Future for ELA

By combining movement and multimedia, I aim to create a more dynamic and inclusive classroom.

Overall, I discovered several different techniques that will make my English classroom a more engaging environment for my students. My goal going forward is to incorporate both movement and mixed media. By having my students physically get up and move around the room, they can demonstrate their understanding of the material while releasing pent-up energy. It also pushes students who may typically be disengaged in the classroom to participate.

Additionally, using a combination of different media sources addresses students of multiple learning styles. Students can also use multiple forms of media to express themselves and their learning in a way that is more natural to them. While I realize these techniques won’t change the classroom culture overnight, I am looking forward to using these different strategies in my classroom. Additionally, seeking out tools for engagement has encouraged me to seek out more creative ways of addressing student accountability.

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