Following the Fragile Brain Conference, a highly enthusiastic Parker-Eastside
Team (which included two classroom teachers from each school, the
Learning Center teacher, and the principal) met to discuss implementation
of what they had learned at the conference. Teachers agreed to try
out some of the strategies in their classrooms and then share the
results at their weekly meetings. They are also developing a training/sharing
session for the whole staff to take place on March 29, 2004.
Below are pictures
of teachers trying out strategies in their classrooms.
In Darcy Strange's room (Eastside), students try an activity where
they mirror the movements of the teacher, but at a time delay (one
step behind, two steps behind, three steps behind, etc.). The movements
require the coordination of the right and left brain, as well as remembering
movements several steps behind strengthening their ability to remember
a series of directions.
Kitt
Fitzgerald directs Parker students in an eye-hand coordination and
memory skills activity. They have to dribble a ball while reconstructing
a block structure from a model on the other side of the gym.
Parker students
in Connie Wood's class engage in a cross-body "brain break,"
exercising both aerobically (getting the heart pumping blood through
their systems) and neurobically (getting the brain synapses firing).
Eugene School District 4J