A different kind of movement...

I have focused a lot on doing actual physical movement in the classroom during a learning activity.  This week, I took my classes to the computer lab to do an assignment on wordle.  When working on the computers, there was not movement, but the movement to the computer lab to create a change of scenery was great.  Day after day, they come to my classroom and that is our setting, so going to the computer lab was exciting and different and I could tell it created high levels of engagement.  I took three classes to the lab, so out of the 101 students I have in those three classes, 98 of them did a fantastic job in completing the assignment we went down there to do.  Something as simple as walking to a different room was enough to get them engaged.  Change is good.  As a teacher, you want to have routines and clear expectations, but you don't want to be overly predictable.  Changing things up makes the kids say "I wonder what we are going to do today in class?"  That is a good thing to have kids say when they enter your classroom.  If they know what is going to transpire each day in your class, the levels of motivation and attention are going to decrease.  Keep it interesting and unpredictable.