MOVEMENT AND MEMORY A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, Stanislaus In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Education By Lisa Joy Adams June 2013 CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL MOVEMENT AND MEMORY by Lisa Joy Adams Dr. Susan Neufeld Date Professor of Education Dr. Christopher J. Roe Date Associate Professor of Education © 2013 Lisa Joy Adams ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DEDICATION This project has been an exciting and enlightening journey. I could not have done it without the love, support, and encouragement of my adult children and wonderful husband. My husband has been beside me through the entirety of this endeavor. He has inspired me to reach within myself and motivated me to never give up. He has compelled me to be the best that I can be and I love him for that. He has encouraged me when I have become frustrated and he has rejoiced with me when I have succeeded. It has not always been easy, but he has continuously been by my side and has made significant sacrifices to be present at every completion of every step. It is with all my love and adoration that I dedicate this project to my husband, Gregory L. Adams. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I need to acknowledge my parents for the support they have given me throughout my childhood and educational career. They have been Godly role models, which have impelled me to always do my best. They have continually believed in my abilities and it is because of their dedication to my success that I was able to complete this project. I also would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Susan Neufeld, who has been dedicated to not only my success but also, the success of all her students. This is an inspiring attribute that I implore to possess and demonstrate throughout my career. It has been through her patience, continual encouragement, and professional experience that I was able to make it through this journey. Her distinct ability to help me see the big picture while allowing me to still pay close attention to the details is a precious gift she possesses and I am grateful to her for that. Throughout this journey, she has laughed with me at life’s funny moments and has cried with me when life’s struggles knock at my door. She provided a safe place to make mistakes and I came to embrace her keen eye and purple pen. She never let me lose sight of my goal and I am truly thankful for her. v TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Dedication ............................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. v Abstract ................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER I. Introduction ........................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem .......................................................... 2 Purpose of the Project ............................................................... 4 Significance of the Project ........................................................ 4 Definition of Terms.………………………………………….. 4 Summary……………………………………………………… 5 II. Review of the Literature ....................................................................... 7 Theorists .................................................................................... 8 Brain Based Research………………………………………… 9 Brain Based Learning Through Kinesthetic Instruction ........... 12 Brain Based Learning Through Total Physical Response ........ 15 Summary……………………………………………………… 16 III. Description of the Project ..................................................................... 17 Purpose ...................................................................................... 17 IV. Implementation ..................................................................................... 18 V. Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations ................................... 20 Summary ................................................................................... 20 Conclusions ............................................................................... 21 Recommendations…………………………………………….. 22 References ............................................................................................................... 26 Appendix A. Movement and Memory .............................................................................. 31 vi ABSTRACT The lack of retention of knowledge learned is overwhelming in today’ educational system. Many students struggle to remember simple concepts taught in the classroom. The goal of this project is to provide educators with strategies incorporating kinesthetic techniques to enable students to use both the right and left sides of the brain. Allowing students to connect academic content learned to movements practiced, facilitating long-term retention. Included is a handbook that focuses on lessons including strategies and movements to increase student’s academic retention. vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION In classrooms across America children are struggling and many are academically unsuccessful. Education Data Partnership (2011) reported that, only 46% of all schools in California scored at least 800 on the growth Academic Performance Index (API) in 2010. Teachers strive to find new and innovative ways to help floundering students retain information taught in school. There have been a number of studies examining the learning and development of children (Kolb, 1984; Piaget, 1970). Correlational and experimental studies have provided insight into the relationship between teaching and how the brain stores information. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development (1970), Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory (1984), and Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences (1993) are examples of theories that have contributed to the understanding of human development and the learning process. How does a child or an adult learn best? Gardner (1993) suggested that each person possessed eight distinct intelligences. According to his Multiple Intelligence Theory, they are visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, logical-mathematical and recently added to the list was the naturalist. These intelligences are seen every day, in every classroom, across America. Each student possesses their own unique set of intellectual strengths and constraints. Even though Gardner does not refer to these intelligences as learning styles or learning modalities, teachers are striving to present information in a 1 2 particular manner reflecting specific learning modalities in which students will be able to comprehend the material easier. Nevertheless, with this wealth of knowledge on learning modalities there continues to be a lack of retention of knowledge learned by students. In Gardner’s book (1991), The Unschooled Mind, he explains this phenomenon: A disciplined education is best conveyed by comparing disciplines with subject matter. All over the world, students study different subjects-mathematics, history, biology, physics, perhaps music, psychology, or geography. They read texts, listen to lectures and carry out exercises. Often however, what they learn is primarily information of a factual sort. After the course, they appear to know what they did not know before-the formula for the binomial theorem, the dates of Civil War battles, the names of phyla and orders, or the law of thermodynamics. However, far too often, the facts are all the students know-and sooner or later, these facts disappear unless they have been repeated and revisited. After all that memorization, little is left. (p xiii) Statement of the Problem Students are often unable to retain critical information about the concepts they are taught. This in turn has consequences on their ability to meet academic standards in a timely manner. The question becomes how can educators increase students’ retention of knowledge covered in the classroom. Teachers use many strategies in the classroom to help students remember information. The strategies include activities such as note taking, study guides, the use of graphic organizers, realia, choral response, mnemonics, rhymes, and even the use of acronyms. Another strategy that has become increasingly popular is the use of kinesthetic 3 movements. The use of hand and body movements with vocabulary and concepts can be introduced as part of learning about “volcanoes” or “the rock cycle” in the sciences to help students retain important information. Goldin-Meadow, Wagner Cook, and Mitchell (2009) suggested movement enhanced long-term memory and showed that bodily movements and gestures not only helped the user recover old ideas but also aided in the creation of new ones. Bohrer (1970) previously reported on the possible connections between physical movements and language learning and observable increases in retention of material learned. Piaget (1970) understood that tactile learning during the first 12 years of a child’s education was important. In Total Physical Response, the left side of the brain is used to analyze, talk and discuss (Asher, 2003). The right side of the brain is used when moving, acting or creating. When language is taught through lecturing, the left side of the brain receives the information and stores it in short-term memory and is soon forgotten, it never becomes real to the student. When language is taught vigorously through