Wendy Starwalt, principal at Sangamon and Middletown Prairie Elementary schools, and Kathryn Rose, Mahomet-Seymour Physical Therapist, presented an addition to the kindergarten through second-grade specials rotation at the Feb. 12 school board meeting.
The Active Learning Lab, which will be a 2018-2019 addition to what Starwalt is calling the “Encore” schedule, will provide children with a physical activity to do while they simultaneously work on their academic foundation.
“What’s happening is students go into the space, and there are six stations, each one of a different focus: one might be a student doing some physical activity while at the same time they are learning academic content,” Starwalt said.
Examples provided to the board included students standing on balance boards while working on letter memorization on the wall and children jumping through a “ladder” while reciting sight words.
“It’s the combination of doing the physical and cognitive at the same time that grows them faster cognitively,” she said.
To fit the Active Learning Lab into the Encore schedule, which currently includes P.E., Art and Library, the district will also rearrange the school’s master schedule.
Currently, students receive two days of P.E. at 30 minutes each, one day of library for 30 minutes, two days of music at 30 minutes and art once a week for 45 minutes.
Superintendent Lindsey Hall said, “There will now be four specials at (Middletown Prairie Elementary), kids will rotate through these four (and the) rotation starts over every fifth day of school.”
For the model to work, art will be cut to 30 minutes.
Current Illinois law states all schools must offer P.E. to students every day. The state has granted elementary schools, which also offer recess, the ability to submit waivers, allowing them to reduce the number of times students go to P.E. to at least once a week.
Starwalt said research states that physical activity is critical to brain development from ages 2.5 to 6 years of age.
“Ninety-percent of the oxygen in our body and brain is stale until we take a deep breath, Starwalt said. “Lack of oxygen can result in decreases in emotional intelligence, aide in confusion and memory losses.
“We’re committed that K-2 will not have office jobs at this age.”
During the same meeting, Building Construction Consultant Rick Johnston presented updates to a large screen located on the wall of the Middletown Prairie gymnasium where educators could show videos.
The Active Learning Lab will be located in one of the larger classrooms on the first floor of the renovated building.
