Primary students at Holley Elementary School have plenty to "SMILE" about. Classes have been participating in the SMILE (Sensory Motor Integrated Learning Environment) Lab during physical education. The lab is a series of stations that incorporate balance, visual perception and cross laterality. The basis of the lab stems from the latest brain research that movement enhances learning. Researchers have discovered that the brain can be rewired for academic learning through specific repetitive movements. When students come into the gym, they are each assigned a station and teacher Jill Mann demonstrates what to do at each station, such as jump roping, juggling, tumbling, throwing at a target, cup stacking and balancing. There are also numbered and lettered carpets to help with spelling and math skills. "The students not only get physical activity and mental stimulation, but their self-esteem increases as their abilities improve," said Principal Lee Ann Cervini. Upbeat music plays and after about a minute, when the music stops, the students rotate to the next station. June 17, 2007 |
