DAYS 25-29: Class.
DAY 30: TEACHING!
Lizzy and I got to St. Michael's school and were immediately asked to volunteer with the "PMP" lab that is run on Friday mornings. We had no idea what that was, but we found out quickly that it stands for "Perceptual Motor Program". Essentially, Grades 1, 2, and 3 each come into the "gym" (at staggered times) and are split into groups that rotate between 6 stations. Each station is geared toward certain skills such as motor skills, memory, eyesight, or hearing that can help students learn how to read. Studies found that children have the most difficulty reading because they are not at the correct memory level or their eye sight needs work on staying on the line of a page etc. So the students practice by doing fun things that actually help them to read better.
Lizzy and I ran the memory station. The children stood in a line facing about 12 pieces of paper on the floor with different pictures on them. We said the names of three different pictures, such as "Sun, Fish, Car". The student repeated the words and stepped on each picture. After, the student would one-legged hop on a line, crawl through a tunnel, and pencil roll on a mat before getting back in line.
Supposedly, kids who roll off of the mat can have balance problems. Those who don't keep their arms above their heads and curl into a ball might have self image problems. Students who forget the list of pictures will have problems learning a new word and then identifying it on another page.
My reading class the next week talked about PMP and how it has improved reading in New Zealand. I'm really hoping that this makes it the the U.S. because it is a really cool program that doesn't cost much but has great results. If you want to read more, here is a good website:
http://www.movingsmart.co.nz/home/schools/pmp/what-is-perceptual-judgement/
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