Have you watched any of the new Interview series with @Jason_McKenna and Claire Cameron yet? Claire Cameron is the author of Hands On, Minds On: How Executive Function, Motor, and Spatial Skills Foster School Readiness, and she recently visited the Studio for a chat about her book and how it relates to STEM education.
There are so many wonderful, thought provoking, and insightful moments from the book and the interviews that I could write about - but one in particular has stuck with me. Dr. Cameron talked about how motor and spatial skills underscore so much of what we do in the classroom. We may think about these things when picturing children in gym class, but what about reading, writing, or even building a robot?
Motor skills give students the core stability to sit upright at a desk to read, or write, or do a math problem. Fine motor skills are needed to manipulate a pencil to write a number or letter. Spatial skills are needed to know where on the paper to begin to read or write, and how large or small to make your letters or numbers in the space provided.
Connecting this to building robots, motor skills are needed for students to be able to sit upright at a desk, and look from build instructions to Kit components, to what is in their hands. Fine motor skills are needed to manipulate pins and parts to connect and move them successfully. Spatial skills and working memory are needed to connect the pieces in one’s hand to the image in the build instructions. And that’s just the beginning…
In celebration of these amazing interviews, PD+ is offering a FREE COPY OF HANDS ON, MINDS ON to the first 20 Community members that create an accepted Community Activity that showcases the kinds of Hands On, Minds On learning that Dr. Cameron champions!
To submit a Community Activity, complete this form (from the Community Activities page) and attach your activity. If your activity is accepted, we will contact you and get you a copy of the book!
How are you incorporating Hands On, Minds On learning in your setting?
