Fun, Engaging, and Easy-to-Use: Students Love Learning with Walkabouts (Virginia)

Profile

Middlesex Elementary is a public elementary school in Middlesex County Public Schools in Virginia. It serves roughly 570 students from Pre-Kindergarten to fifth grade.

Jennifer Brown is a second grade teacher with 1 year of instructional experience.

“I enjoy using it because my kids enjoy using it! I really wish other teachers would use it more!”
– Jennifer Brown

Challenge

Jennifer Brown wanted to provide her second graders with additional opportunities for movement and engagement in the classroom. While asking herself, “How much movement can we give our kids? How can we keep them having fun?” she looked for resources and activities that she knew would keep her students excited to learn each day.

Solution

Brown signed up for a Walkabouts account after a district-level administrator asked her to try it in her classroom. Brown found herself using Walkabouts several times each week. Unlike other active learning resources, each Walkabouts adventure is correlated to a specific state standard. Students are engaged in their learning and in physical activity with each lesson they complete.

Additional Outcomes

Brown found the web-based Walkabouts platform easy to use, noting that she has no difficulty locating specific activities and accompanying Walksheet sets (worksheets with a movement component). She also appreciated the length of each Walkabouts adventure, as they are well-suited for transitions between other activities.

Walkabouts provide multiple opportunities for students to practice and demonstrate their learning. “We can pause the lesson if students need more time, and we can watch the lessons multiple times because the questions change,” noted Brown.

Finally, Brown appreciates that Walkabouts allow her students to practice having a growth mindset. Not only did she see improvement in her students’ understanding of content and gross motor skills, but also in their self-confidence. “By doing our regular Walkabouts in the different subjects, I've seen improvement. If we do it more than once, the more students grasp it, the more confident they become in their ability to understand a topic.” Improving self-confidence while having fun? Walkabouts make that happen.