 |
printer friendly | |
 |
Model | |
 |
Resources | |
 |
||
 |
Community | |
 |
Additional Learning Opportunities |
|
 |
Site Map | |
 |
Home | |
|
|
||
<--
Back to Classroom Applications Page
Walk
to a Solution Strategy
Read
through the activity, step by step
Skip to Rationale
Skip to Materials
Skip to Process
Strategy Rationale
--
Movement is beneficial to brain processing.
-- A change of location can lead to changes in perception.
-- Students who may be reluctant to speak up in class build confidence
as they develop a one-on-one relationship with a classmate in this informal
walk and talk exercise.
Materials
No special materials necessary.
Process
In a collaborative, learning-centered classroom, students are often actively engaged in defining problems and in developing solutions, either working together or individually. It's important to monitor the level of challenge in the classroom. If students are "stuck," frustration can rise to an unacceptable level. When I notice this happening, I will often call for a five minute "walk and talk."
1. The first time this activity is used, it's important to explain the rationale. This isn't a "break." It's method used to help students work through a problem.
2. Students leave the classroom, together in pairs or groups of three, for a five minute walk.
3. During the walk, they discuss the problem they are having in the classroom. If the walkers were working together in the classroom, they can discuss what they were working on. If they were working individual, they can take turns discussing their projects, getting feedback from the walking partner(s).
4. When the students return to class, they go back to their work, often with renewed enthusiasm and energy. Often a problem that seemed impossible to solve has been solved!
Tips
* Soon this strategy will become well known and students may ask for a "walk and talk" on their own. This works very well when students are working on collaborative projects.
* Not everyone has to go on every "walk and talk." While you might want to encourage everyone to go on the first "walk and talk" so that they see how useful the experience can be, later you might want to emphasize that participation is a choice. I've found that about 85 percent of students choose to go on the "walk and talk." The others are content to move around the classroom and/or stay in their seats, and that's perfectly acceptable.
.
Dialogue!Lisa designed the Walk to a Solution Strategy guided by the three components of our theoretical model:
the unique learner
the learning centered environment
the construction of meaning.
Click here to email Lisa questions, comments, and suggestions.