Minds In Motion
Minds in Motion is a kinesthetic approach to teaching and learning academic curriculum -reading, math, science, history - using creative movement, dance, and simple movement activities .
Susan Griss is a dancer, educator, and teacher-trainer who has been a pioneer in the field of arts-in-education. Her book Minds in Motion: A Kinesthetic Approach to Teaching Elementary Curriculum (Heinemann, 1998) is still widely used.
The Kinaesthetic way of learning is deeply embedded in the TCG classrooms. Susan Griss is a mentor to the school and is also on the Advisory Board.
For the past two decades, Susan has taught graduate courses for early education and elementary teachers in the Continuing Professional Studies program at Bank Street College of Education in New York. During that time, she co-founded/co-directed BEYOND PAPER AND PENCIL: Bringing Literacy to Life through the Performing Arts; offering professional development and artist residencies in elementary schools throughout the New York State capital region. Susan has taught teachers throughout the U.S, Slovenia, Israel and most recently India as a Fulbright Scholar.
Minds in Motion is a set of strategies that uses creative movement, dance, and kinesthetic activities to enhance teaching and learning. When children are young, they are fluent in the language of movement, using their bodies to explore the world, express feelings, and act out their ideas. Minds in Motion, developed by Susan Griss, harnesses this natural instinct and transforms it into a language for learning in the classroom. As documented by new research on the brain, the use of kinesthetic lessons can make the curriculum more tangible, accessible and memorable for students. In the words of neurophysiologist Dr. Carla Hannaford, “Movement anchors thought.” What distinguishes Minds in Motion from other kinesthetic learning programs is that the movement is integrated into the content of the lesson, rather than as a tangent or parallel activity. The academic objective is at the heart of the movement experience.
