Act2Learn - Overview
As human beings we remember best the things that we are physically engaged in. It's as simple as that.
Acting out elements of the curriculum creates a physical memory of the learning experience. This physical memory is assisted by verbal, visual and emotional memories that are part of the same learning moments.
Why? Because having students act-out the curriculum also means they are speaking more, have greater visual stimulus and a bigger emotional involvement in their learning. They are simply more engaged and greater engagement means enhanced learning.
It makes sense. What do we remember best in life? What we read in the paper? What we hear on TV? What we try and memorize out of a textbook? No - we remember the things that we do. So, the challenge in education is to create learning environments that build on that understanding.
The Act2Learn program is set up to support teachers in increasing the amount of teaching time in which students are able to learn physically. We call it the "out-of-desk experience". For more details on how this can enliven your classroom and school - see the PD and Workshops section.
Act2Learn Study
This report is a result of a study that looked at the results of our Act2Learn program in two Calgary schools. The report was written by Arts in Education researcher Sheryl Krill and funded by Heritage Canada.
Act2Learn Lesson Plan Site
The Act2learn website contains lesson plans that focus primarily on the grade 1-6 science curriculum.
