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Goal

Ease on down, Ease on down the road! That’s just what I have done. I’ve moved “on down the road” to Naples Park Elementary school. After successfully developing a classroom environment centered on movement and acquiring the movement equipment necessary through fulfilled classroom grant requests I have decided to move schools to follow my passion of working with exceptional students with special needs. I’m excited to create a new movement learning environment at Naples Park and I have a clean slate as I have left my equipment with my colleagues and former students at Laurel Oak Elementary. I’m not giving up my moving shoes, I’m just going to “keep on keepin' on the road that I choose”!

It continues to be my goal to encourage students to move throughout the day. Movement increases student activity which improves their academic performance and participation level across all subject areas. After two years of first hand experience I can honestly sing of the praises of embracing movement in a learning environment. My students became more engaged in lessons and were able to participate and stay focused for longer periods of time. Reluctant learners, students with low attention spans, fidgety students and students who tended to avoid tasks were all able to be a productive part of the classroom specifically because of their use of the movement equipment. I have found that moving is beneficial to students and having classroom-friendly equipment that allows for movement enhanced my classroom in ways I didn’t think possible. Removing the restriction of movement also removed the temptation and urge to become a movement distraction. Within respectful and explicitly taught expectations of proper equipment use, students found ways to stay engaged in lessons while fulfilling the need to stay active. They were more successful which improved their morale and self-esteem. My students were happier, loved being able to use the equipment and looked forward to coming to school each and every day! I consider this a win-win-win situation!

Now that I know the secret of connecting with highly active students I want to continue this amazing practice as well as share it with any teacher who is interested. As I shared my equipment with colleagues at Laurel Oak I intend on sharing equipment with my Naples Park colleagues. I am happy to send equipment out to those students who need it so that they are able to participate in their classroom. The more active classrooms I can help create and the more active students I can help, the more successful I will feel as an educator. 

What will be done with my students

Students loved coming to my classroom every morning to see what piece of equipment they had for the day. I created a rotation system for the equipment so that every student was allowed to use each piece of equipment frequently throughout the school year. The equipment is not, and is never treated as, toys or rewards for positive behavior. The equipment will be used as a tool for learning much like a pencil is used as a tool for writing. The expectations of proper use of the equipment will be clearly taught at the beginning of the year and throughout the year as needed.

The following items were selected with student input after looking at many different options. I would like to purchase equipment from www.moving-minds.com after researching many different companies, this company provides durable, kid-friendly equipment made for the classroom in mind.

The “ergoErgo Seats” and the “Kore Wobble Chairs” are for the students who never seem comfortable in a traditional chair. The Kore Wobble Chair's constant "wobble" engages muscles and provides an opportunity to release excess energy. This chair improves balance and allows students' backs, knees, and hips to rest comfortably. Students enjoy sitting on the ergoErgo, which compresses slightly to allow continuous small movements forward, back, and side-to-side. The “Elephant Z-Stool” would provide yet another sitting option for students, desks could be raised to accommodate the stool height and students would be able to comfortably rest their feet on the foot rest.

The “Foot Rocker Foot Rest”, “Swidget”, “Swidget Duo”, and “Bouncy Bands” keep legs and feet moving and would be placed under student desks. This equipment would allow students to remain at their seat and keep their feet active while remaining non-disruptive. Allowing students to rock and bounce their legs and feet encourages them to stay engaged and on task.

The “Wobble Cushions” are for students that like to rock in their chairs. These cushions have different textures on each side, one is smooth while the other has plastic bumps which provide sensory input that many students found soothing and comforting.

The “Surf Floor Desk” would be used for students working on the floor. Sometimes the best place to learn is sitting on the floor, this desk would provide a surface for notebooks and worksheets so that students can continue participating in classroom activities no matter where they sit.  

Benefits to my students

Students benefit from movement. When their bodies are active, students are more alert and engaged. I was named Teacher of Distinction for the 2017-2018 school year with my best practice of encouraging students to move throughout the day. The equipment that I had at Laurel Oak and that I hope to have at Naples Park makes my best practice possible. Because I allow and encourage students to bounce, wiggle and move throughout the day they are more likely to be an active participant in the classroom learning environment. I found that students who had behavior issues and/or office referrals in past years found success in my classroom because of the use of the equipment. Fidgety students who struggle with focus and attention are able to meet classroom expectations because of the unique classroom environment I have been fortunate enough to create with the funds from grants in the past. The importance of the equipment as well as encouraging the use of the equipment cannot be overstated, it has simply changed my life as a teacher.

As my students progress through elementary, middle and high school it would be my hope that they would request the opportunity to move throughout the day to promote their participation in classroom activities. These students will have become accustom to learning and working while being active and will want to continue this trend. Eventually when they enter the workforce the will bring with them these healthy habits of movement, staying active and enthusiastically embracing energy rather than trying to subdue it. As more and more workplaces strive to become Blue Zone compliant, these exact same practices can be implemented. The days of sitting all day at a desk in a cubical are fortunately become outdated, many companies are already putting this active workstyle into practice. My students will hopefully be ready to carry the torch!  

Budget Narrative

The equipment needed for this proposal can be purchased through an amazing company that makes products specifically for active classrooms, www.moving-minds.com. Other equipment is available at reduced costs, with no detriment to quality, through www.amazon.com. After reviewing all of the available products, the most relevant, kid approved, and budget friendly options were selected.  

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