Kinesthetic Learning Kiosk Benefits:

Simultaneous development of key cognitive skills

Adaptation to individual learner needs

A fit brain  

Researchers have found that students who had the highest average scores in standardized reading, math, science, and social studies tests were those students who were the most fit.

The brains of physically fit kids show evidence of more extensive processing during tasks. Compared to sedentary kids, fit kids had faster reaction times.

Mental stimulation improves brain function and actually protects against cognitive decline, as does physical exercise.

On a Physiological Level:

Research shows that exercise can increase the size of the hippocampus, which is associated with better performance on spatial reasoning and other cognitive tasks.

Boosts levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a substance important for a substance essential for the growth of brain cells

Stimulates neurogenesis—the birth of new neurons

Mobilizes the expression of genes that are believed to enhance brain plasticity—i.e., the ability of the brain to change its neural pathways.

Throughout life, your neural networks reorganize and reinforce themselves in response to new stimuli and learning experiences. This body-mind interaction is what stimulates brain cells to grow and connect with each other in complex ways. They do so by extending branches of intricate nerve fibers called dendrites (from the Latin word for "tree"). These are the antennas through which neurons receive communication from each other.

Key Learning Methods for Kinesthetic Learners:

Kinesthetic learners learn best through doing including manipulating items, simulations and role plays, and other methods that physically involve them in the learning process. They enjoy and learn well from experimenting and first hand experience. Further, they learn best when activities are varied during a class period.

Ways to Adapt Lessons for Kinesthetic Learners:

Vary instruction not only from day-to-day but also within a single class period. Provide students with as many opportunities as your curriculum warrants to complete hands-on work. Allow students to role-play to gain further understanding of key concepts. Provide students with the opportunity to work in small discussion groups as they study materials. If possible, plan a field trip that can help reinforce key concepts. Allow students to stretch partially through the class if they seem to become restless.

Kinesthetic Learners

Most of the school population excels through kinesthetic means: touching, feeling, experiencing the material at hand. "Children enter kindergarten as kinesthetic and tactual learners, moving and touching everything as they learn. By second or third grade, some students have become visual learners. During the late elementary years some students, primarily females, become auditory learners. Yet, many adults, especially males, maintain kinesthetic and tactual strengths throughout their lives."(Teaching Secondary Students Through Their Individual Learning Styles, Rita Stafford and Kenneth J. Dunn; Allyn and Bacon).

Kinesthetic learners are most successful when totally engaged with the learning activity. They acquire information fastest when participating in a science lab, drama presentation, skit, field trip, dance, or other active activity. Because of the high numbers of kinesthetic learners, education is shifting toward a more hands-on approach; manipulatives and other "props" are incorporated into almost every school subject, from physical education to language arts. Hands-on teaching techniques are gaining recognition because they address the challenging needs of kinesthetic learners, as well as the diverse needs of auditory and visual learners.

The experienced educators and much of the peer-reviewed literature stated that kinesthetic techniques are particularly beneficial for underachieving students, students at risk of academic failure, and students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

As elementary students a few decades ago, we learned to read, write, add and subtract sitting at desks aligned in neat rows, looking at dittos with faded purple ink. This traditional set up may have worked for us, but undoubtedly did not work for everyone. Today, teachers are expected to engage all their students, allowing them to learn with all their senses and to move purposefully around the classroom as part of the learning process. Experienced educators understand this and frequently employ kinesthetic methods in their lessons. Not every lesson lends itself to this type of teaching, but many do. For inexperienced teachers who are unsure of how to incorporate physical activity into their academic lessons, experienced teachers are excellent sources of ideas. So are books, the internet, and the students themselves. Kinesthetic methods may excite our students about the material they are studying, and thus may lead not only to better behavior, but better learning as well.