Research -- StepUp to Learn

A recent study found that personality is more important than intelligence when it comes to children’s success in the classroom.

Christopher was not a behavior problem, but he was refusing to do his work. He usually earned Bs or Cs in his 3rd grade class and his teacher had no sense of why he was no longer interested in school. What was the cause of his apathy, and more urgently, how can we motivate and engage a student like Christopher?

After years of creating and collecting, second grade teacher Erin Klein experienced a catharsis. In a recent article about her experience she wrote, "Entering my classroom one day, it struck me. The space looked more like a teacher storage facility than an inspiring place for students to work together and learn. I knew this needed to change."

In the StepUp programS, we say that self-evaluation is the key to motivation.  In other words, when children feel empowered to do meaningful work and feel the satisfaction of a job well done, then they develop the ability to evaluate their work.

High-intensity interval training, commonly referred to as HIIT workouts, have been shown to improve adults’ physical and mental health. The benefits of HIIT workouts in adults has inspired researchers to examine the effect of similar exercises in the classroom. Can four minutes of physical activity improve attention and behavior in the classroom?

 

Technology dominates every aspect of our lives: how we work, how we live and how we communicate. A recent study in the Journal of Early Childhood Research examines our communication and looks at how it is affecting children learning to read.

Curiosity may kill the cat; but when it comes to learning, it stimulates the brain and enhances learning. Researchers reveal what happens in our brains when our curiosity is peaked and why this leads to better learning.

A classroom full of children waving their arms up and down, jumping, and tapping to the beat may sound like a gym class, but these movement exercises are actually designed for the classroom to help children learn math and writing.

Physical activity, even acute and less intense levels, has beneficial effects on cognitive ability. We know that standing while working has increased health benefits for adults. Now researchers have found that children who stand at their desks in the classroom are more engaged and attentive than