According to our adopters, The Walking Classroom provides plenty of benefits! Enjoy this sampling of comments about the benefits that educators using the program shared in emails, thank you letters, and the open-ended questions on the 2021-2022 Year-End Update.
Health Benefits and Health Awareness
Even though we are just getting started, we look forward to our Walking Classroom days. My students have already started to rethink their choices for snack each day!
– Mary Porter, North Carolina
We are a middle school group of emergent bilingual students with students in a small rural community. The Walking Classroom has been invaluable for these students to talk about their health and get outside hearing the English language while learning important content. We have taken the WalkKits out through our entire winter season and the kids have loved getting outside even when it was cold. Thank you for changing these kids’ lives one walk at a time.
– Marin Shanahan, Colorado
TWC helped make students more health conscious. As a personal trainer, I enjoyed the awareness they gained.
– Rhonda Bagley, Arizona
The Walking Classroom works toward our goal of healthy, well rounded students. I especially like how The Walking Classroom generates discussions about health and safety. sometimes, hearing those messages from peers instead of adults hits home with the students in a way we cannot.
– Sherry Nicolia, Pennsylvania
Through the podcasts we are learning specific content that complements our Social Studies and English Language Arts curriculum, the importance of developing a healthy lifestyle, and improving listening skills all while exercising. The students are thrilled about getting out of the classroom, adding more physical activity to their day, and getting some fresh air while learning.
– Julia Nestor, West Virginia
Academic Benefits? Kudos for Content!
The content taught on the podcasts is magnificent. It is high quality material that exposes students to real-world topics. The students really benefit from the lessons and are so intrigued by what they are learning. We love being able to connect what they listen to on the podcasts to the content that we are learning in class!
– Ta-Miyah Lowe, Florida
I have never had a week that I cannot find something to connect to our current academic content. We do share our set across 4 classrooms – each classroom has a day and each kid has a number of the podcaster that they routinely use to add accountability. In this way we have about 85 students getting some weekly exercise and background knowledge in an engaging way. The kids love it and ask what they are going to be learning about each week!
– Toni Lehman, North Carolina
We appreciate your support throughout this process and absolutely love the materials. The students look forward to their walks and find the content meaningful.
– Keymi Shannon, Florida
The content alignment and the speakers found within the podcasts were very engaging! The alignment charts were very helpful when deciding which podcasts to use and when. We love using it and I look forward to implementing more and more walks in the years to come!
– Lindsey Gray, South Dakota
I have really enjoyed getting out of the classroom while continuing to learn valuable content..
– Summer Routh, Oklahoma
Supporting Students with Learning Differences
The Walking Classroom has given my students the opportunity to get outside and learn in a different way. I have so many students who have difficulty sitting still in the classroom. We often stop for brain breaks and I allow some of them to stand for part of the day. I’ve noticed that on days we get out for The Walking Classroom, those students often don’t ask if they can stand for the rest of the day. The Walking Classroom has provided us with an alternative to sitting while learning.
– Gina Wheeler, California
My English and history students are from grades nine through twelve, but read on a first to third grade level . . . I use the podcasts as an introduction to the lesson I’m going to teach. My students get tired of listening to me and it’s hard to find texts that are on their reading level but not childish. I will use my Walking Classroom devices for years to come.
– Margaret Mullins, West Virginia
Discussion and Engagement . . . check!
The Walking Classroom is one of the highlights of my students’ week. They love learning from the weekly podcasts and making connections. The discussions that have been generated from these activities have been engaging and educational.
– Mary Lynn Delvin, Nevada
Each day we walk we start with a class discussion about vocabulary, main ideas and the connection to our in-class work . . . Students are excited to listed to the teacher and students who talk during the podcasts and I enjoy hearing the conversations they have after listening.
– Heidi Fregien-Johnson, Wisconsin
Since receiving the materials, we have implemented a routine of walking to a weekly podcast, which relates directly to a featured curriculum area of focus. Students’ understanding has vastly improved through the incorporation of audio instruction. Student engagement remains high, as they are excited to extend their learning beyond the curriculum.
– Erin Galante, Nevada
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