In this S5E12 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, literacy expert and author Gravity Goldberg reveals game-changing strategies backed by 25 years of teaching experience. Discover the revolutionary research that explains why student exhaustion isn't about tired brains—it's about expectations.
🎯 KEY INSIGHTS:
✅Students retain 76% MORE information when movement is integrated into learning
✅The "two-thirds rule" explains why students get tired—and how to prevent it
✅Simple gestures can boost memory, engagement, and comprehension across all grade levels
✅Why sitting still actually SABOTAGES student memory and focus
✨ WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
💡How to use movement to boost comprehension by over 50%
💡The actor's secret to memorization (and how it applies to your classroom)
💡Pre-test warmup strategies based on student anxiety levels
💡Why timers might be sabotaging your students' stamina
💡Simple manipulatives that transform understanding across content areas
Some Episode Mentions:
- Ellen Langer - Key Study: Eye exam reversal study (starting with small print vs. large print changed prescriptions)
- Arthur Glenberg - Key Study: Reading comprehension with manipulatives vs. rereading (50%+ improvement)
- The Noices - Researchers studying actor memorization techniques
- The Body-Brain Connection: Evidence-Based Ways to Reduce Anxiety, Boost Engagement, and Increase Comprehension Across Classrooms
CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction: The Fatigue Paradox
1:00 Movement IS the Learning
2:00 Meet Gravity Goldberg
3:00 Ellen Langer's Eye Exam Study
4:00 The Two-Thirds Rule Explained
5:00 Gravity's Running Discovery
6:00 Mental Fatigue vs Physical Fatigue
8:00 Why Timers Might Be Sabotaging Stamina
9:00 The Broken Clock Advantage
10:00 What's Really Happening During Mental Fatigue
12:00 Stamina vs Willpower
13:00 The 76% Memory Boost from Movement
14:00 The Actor's Secret: Blocking and Memory Tags
16:00 Big Movement to Small Visualization
17:00 Walking with Perspective Exercise
18:00 Reading Comprehension and Facial Expressions
19:00 Envisioning Strategies for Parents
21:00 Decoding with Multisensory Approaches
22:00 Fluency and Physical Tracking
24:00 High-Impact Strategy: Intentional Gesture
25:00 Why Gesture Beats Talking Heads
27:00 The Manipulative Study: 50% Better Comprehension
29:00 What a Body-Brain Classroom Looks Like
31:00 Trust and Student Autonomy
33:00 Play Meets Rigor
34:00 Lightning Round Begins
35:00 Pre-Test Body Strategy Warmups
36:00 The Homework Position Secret
38:00 Gravity's Personal Discovery
39:00 Ending the Body-Brain Dualism
41:00 Closing Challenge and Resources
Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child. Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
