Walking Classroom keeps kids fit to learn

Arriving at the Arts Academy at Bella Vista (AABV) recently, I was just in time to be gently herded by fifth-grader Jasmyn De la Rosa into a seat next to hers. This young lady had a lanyard waiting, connected to an MP3 (audio player), which she gently put over my head, explaining how I would need to insert the earphones shortly. Settling in, we carefully listened to instructions by Christi Hartley, fifth grade teacher extraordinaire, as she explained what would take place during the Walking Classroom. Another confident young fifth-grader sitting at a desk adjacent to mine, Angel Concha, leaned over and explained that I just needed to follow him.

That was the start of the “Walking Classroom,” a project that Hartley’s been implementing since the beginning of the school year. AABV fifth-graders shift between classrooms for subject changes, so all have an opportunity to participate, and clearly they love to participate.

The idea of the Walking Classroom comes from a national award-winning non-profit program, designed to “strengthen the physical, mental and academic health of students while they walk, listen and learn.” It’s a simple concept: a couple of times a week, students wearing an MP3 player on a lanyard take a brisk 20-minute walk while listening to a “kid-friendly podcast that comes preloaded on their ‘WalkKit’ audio device.” The podcast lesson begins with a health literacy message and the lessons cover a variety of topics from English language arts to science and social studies.

Usually the Walking Classroom takes place around the playground and school building. The day I was able to walk and learn, however, was bitterly cold and we headed out from Hartley’s classroom, power-walking all throughout the school silently in single-file. The podcast was lively and interesting, as was the walk. When we returned to the classroom, students quickly put away their players and eagerly waited to discuss the lesson they’d just heard. A student sitting near me leaned over and whispered, “Brisk walking is good for your heart.”

As Hartley put forth probing questions, students were fully engaged and eager to share their thoughts on the podcast lesson they’d just heard. Not only did I get in far more than the daily prescribed ten thousand steps, I was totally charmed by these students and this unique way of learning.

The Walking Classroom did my heart good in more ways than one.

Cindy Kleyn-Kennedy is the instructional technology coordinator for the Clovis Municipal Schools and can be reached at:

[email protected]