Hypothesis: If we focus on developing students' foundation skills then this will transfer to progress in reading, writing, and maths longitudinally.
Foundation skills are the foundations we build our 'traditional' learning upon. If students miss out on acquiring these skills in the early years then how can we be expecting them to build on something that just isn't there. As time is of the essence my hypothesis is that if we can build these skills alongside key early literacy practice then the skills will transfer from one domain across to the other at an accelerated rate. Students are not missing out on those early literacy skills that don't get taught further up the school, yet they are at the same time developing the skills needed to consolidate that learning.
These skills are
Exploring this hypothesis I have taken balance, a foundation skill that influences the ability to adjust movements, muscle strength, core stability, sensory awareness, and movement reactions, and created opportunities throughout each day for the students to develop this skill.
First I did a quick assessment of students' balance standing on one leg, hopping, walking along a low beam, and their ability to sit still on the mat (core stability and strength). Some students found these activities challenging. These students also are pre-writing stage, making marks on the page yet to form letters.
Then I made a trip to Kmart to buy balance boards. I placed these in my classroom. As soon as the students saw them they were on them. They seemed to gravitate to them throughout the day as a way to calm and center them as if they were seeking the stimulation. This reminded me of the readings I had done about play schemas.
I also incorporated movement games and activities throughout the day that developed balance. Each time we did an activity we talked about how balance strengthens our core and helps us to do certain activities. The outcome of this is that students can now identify activities that help them to balance and choose these activities independently "Look miss I'm balancing." They seem to enjoy the challenge of seeing if they can balance in different ways.
The exciting thing is that I'm seeing it transfer into formal learning. These students can sit for longer periods on a chair or on the mat. They seem to hold a pencil easier and are beginning to form letters correctly. The latter part may not be connected to balance but there is a noticeable difference in a short period of time.
