The final week of my practicum prior to spring break and my first week of 3 preps a day. I spent quite a lot of time the weekend prior to this week preparing for the week ahead to ensure I was organized and that things would run seamlessly.
The goal for this week was to diversify as much as I could in the P.E. setting. The reason being that as a P.E. specialist, one can get comfortable with the gym environment and the classroom setting may come across as foreign if I do not condition myself to be familiar in that environment also. This week consisted of a P.E. 10 volleyball unit. The conclusion of the P.E. 9 tumbling unit, and my first week running the Fitness 11/12 class. Because my Grade 9 and 10 units were already underway, I used the Fitness 11/12 (all male) class as the opportunity for the students to learn in a different way than what they are used to in that class. Typically that class is mostly self run in that an activity for the day is selected by the teacher, and the students quickly organize and begin the activity. My week was structured in that students would lift weights on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, and they would participate in an activity selected by me on Tuesday/Thursday. The weight lifting days were much different than the boys were accustomed to in that prior to meeting in the weight room, the students went to the assessment lab and sat in desks where I presented a PowerPoint presentation on the muscle groups they were meant to target for that particular day. This provided me with the opportunity to familiarize myself with a lecture style classroom setting and allowed the students the opportunity to watch visual demonstrations of correct technique and ask as many questions as they desired with regards to training for that day. The result was a much more focused weight training session where a visible increase in weightlifting knowledge (and encouragement) could be seen on the gym floor.
Some notable highlights during this week included the conclusion of the Grade 9 tumbling unit and volunteering to be the teacher in charge of the setup/take-down and the referees for a Grade 5 Basketball tournament.
The Grade 9 tumbling unit presentations were exceptional, and although I was nervous at the beginning of this unit due to my relative lack of expertise in this area, my ability to teach to what I know proved valuable in that students were willing to give it their best effort knowing that they were in a safe environment filled with nothing but positive reinforcement. The unit itself focused on student creativity and proved to be a valuable learning experience for the students.
Being in charge of the Grade 5 basketball tournament was also an extremely fulfilling experience. Watching the Junior and Senior boys basketball players ref the Grade 5’s games was such a great representation of school community and provided me with an excellent opportunity to get to know some of my students a little bit more.
I now have Spring break for the next 2 weeks and although I plan to use some of my time to recharge my batteries, The goal is to fine tune my lessons for my Inquiry research as well as develop lessons for the remainder of my practicum.