Out with the Old, In with the New; Learning Through Movement

Long gone are the days of the standard, lecture-style classroom. Rows of desks facing forward, students taking notes while a teacher speaks at the front of the room are becoming a thing of the past.

After 30 years of teaching at Fair Lawn High School,  Jason Mastandrea is introducing a new and innovative course at Centenary University, titled “Motivate with Movement.” The course focuses on how physical movement and hands-on activities in the classroom can enhance student learning, focus, and participation.

“There are many studies that show how movement enhances brain function and cognitive development. Movement supplies brain cells with oxygen, promotes the production of new brain cells, and aids in creating new synapses” says Mastandrea.

Kinesthetic learning, often described as learning through movement and action, encourages students to engage with content by doing rather than only listening or watching. The course will cover a variety of strategies that make learning more interactive, including flexible classroom setups, group-based tasks, and real-world applications.

Students who enroll in the course will not only study educational theory but also design and test their own kinesthetic lessons. They will observe how movement in the classroom can support different learning styles and make academic content more meaningful.

Mastandrea says that “Each 2-hour class session will be taught using hands-on, interactive and engaging activities proven to foster teamwork, collaboration and critical thinking. Students who register for this class will leave with the energized instructional attitude needed to implement and foster Kinesthetic Classrooms.”

For those looking to transform the way teaching and learning happens, “Motivate with Movement” is a step in an exciting new direction.