Kiely's Balance of Instruction and Activity

The balance of instruction and activity in the classroom is something I've been thinking about over the last few days. I am teaching in a middle school and assumed going into the experience that all drama kids are ADHD and can't focus unless they're on their feet running around. I think I assumed this because I am partly that way. But as I have been teaching, I realized that kids like this, though they all learn differently, yes, they are still young and thrive on discipline. As kids grow they need structure because it does help them learn. They need help connecting the dots, because essentially we are teaching them how to take information and connect it. They can do this to a point already, but that ability is still developing. So, taking this to instruction, I realized that it can't be 20% instruction and 80% activity. It needs to be closer to 50/50 because they need time to digest what activity they have just done and connect it to the overall unit that is being taught.

Now activity is still important. They learn a principle, and then do something physical to make it more concrete and a part of them, then they need to discuss it to reconnect the principle with the activity. More activity and discussion can be used after that point. I realized that I have trouble discussing. I assume the students will be bored, but that's not necessarily the case. As I've watched my partners discuss I've also watched the students and seen how they are still engaged and actively thinking. In fact, sometimes they get lost in the fun and energy of the activity and lose the point it is there to make. In order to make what we're teaching concrete for the students we need to utilize both sides of the brain and connect the brain with the body. If we have too much activity and not enough instruction/discussion we work the body but not the brain, and something vital is lost. Likewise, if we have too much instruction and not enough activity we work the brain and not the body and the two stay disconnected. It is essential to balance instruction and activity and always couple them together in equal parts.