Surprise! I expected my classroom would be virtual for a few months during the 2020-2021 school year. However, it ended up being virtual from start to finish. Making the Walking Classroom a daily component of my students’ day was very valuable.
In our virtual classrooms, my district chose to put the most emphasis on math and reading. Because I was teaching two grade levels, teaching all subjects synchronously every day was not a possibility. Therefore, our live sessions on Google Meet focused on our math and reading objectives.
The Walking Classroom became the way I helped introduce science and social studies content into our classroom. Each day, students were assigned to either take a walk or get some exercise outside if they weren’t allowed to walk in their neighborhoods. During this physical activity, they listened to an assigned podcast. While I know every student did not always complete this assignment, many did, and I received positive feedback from parents.
Last school year required the ultimate flexibility and The Walking Classroom helped me build students’ knowledge in a way which otherwise might not have been possible. I will be returning to live instruction in the classroom this year. I am looking forward to expanding our Walking Classroom program in a live classroom setting!
Matthew White
Fourth Grade Teacher
William Henry Burkhart Elementary
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