Chapter Three in Math on the Move is titled “Beyond Mnemonics: Getting Starting with Moving-Scale Math.” The chapter is designed as a “zero entry” pool of sorts for whole-body math learning.  You can start at the shallow end and get your feet wet by incorporating students’ whole bodies into familiar math activities you might already be doing at hand or desk scale. Or, if you feel ready, you can jump into the deep end and facilitate a more organized activity.

This chapter is not about replacing an entire math unit with moving-scale, body-based learning or changing your teaching approach overnight. Instead, this is a chance to get a sense of what it feels, looks, and sounds like to engage your students in mathematical sense making by engaging their whole, moving bodies in collaboration with other learners.

The chapter opens with stories from Jenn Kranenburg’s classroom, many of them centered on the large hundred chart she has taped to the floor of her classroom. Today on Twitter she shared a short video of that shows student activity on the “moving scale” hundred chart.  Notice the way this familiar but scaled-up tool opens up whole-class collaboration and conversation, and allows students to fully engage with the spatial nature of the chart.

Some great #math talk today as we explore our #hundredschart @mathinyourfeet #lkdsb pic.twitter.com/3KJN8vQcZV

— Jenn Kranenburg (@JennKranenburg) October 5, 2016

Updated 10/7, another video from Jenn!

@mathinyourfeet more exploration of number and patterns on our hundreds chart today #LKDSB #math #paperless pic.twitter.com/vUq0LeqSvx

— Jenn Kranenburg (@JennKranenburg) October 7, 2016

If you’re interested in joining the Facebook discussion group forming around the book please do!  We are learning together and growing a community of practice around meaningful whole-body learning.

Malke Rosenfeld delights in creating rich environments in which children and their adults can explore, make, play, and talk math based on their own questions and inclinations. Her upcoming book, Math on the Move: Engaging Students in Whole Body Learning, will be published by Heinemann in October 2016.