LAS CRUCES >> After a successful pilot year, the New Mexico State University Dance Program and Pan American Dance Institute want to expand their Methods in Learning Kinesthetically (MILK) program at Fairacres Elementary School in the fall.
“We want to build a model school at Fairacres by having all of the classrooms participate in kinesthetic learning,” said Debra Knapp, director of the NMSU dance program in the College of Education.
There are three types of learning styles: visual, auditory and kinesthic, Knapp said. Visual and auditory styles are prevalent in most classrooms, suited for students who learn by watching and listening. But kinesthetic learners need to be active; they use movement to concentrate.
Bringing this type of learning to elementary classrooms can improve reading comprehension on standardized tests, spelling scores and self-efficacy, Knapp said.
Students at Fairacres who participated during the 2013-2014 school year, which included seven classrooms in first, third and fourth grade, made significant improvements on their Developmental Reading Assessment, according to an NMSU news release.
MILK ingredients include individuals and groups using gross-motor, fine motor, sign language and theatrical movement. Kids use body writing, body shaping, body sequencing and whole body phrasing to improve literacy.
“These methods help the kinesthetic learner access their muscle memory, increasing the chance the information will be stored in long-term memory,” Knapp said.
The biggest challenge is funding for the program, she said. It costs $5,000 per classroom to run the program, which includes having kinesthetic specialists in each classroom for 16 weeks.
The dance program and the Pan American Dance Institute are holding a dance workshop in August to raise funds, but Knapp said sponsors are needed to completely move forward.
“Donations of any amount would be greatly appreciated,” she said. “We want to build a model for helping kids who learn through movement.”
Knapp said the kinesthetic learner poses the greatest challenge to educators because little training has been given on teaching to these learners. Moving forward, the program will include a co-teaching component.
“We want to foster teachers’ creativity,” Knapp said. “Using these methods, we want to create an open environment for the teachers and kids.”
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