It felt so odd to be back in a gymnasium for Physical Education after years away. I stopped taking PE as soon as it became optional in high school because I absolutely hated the fitness tests (especially the 4 lap run) and how none of my friends ended up in my class. PE in elementary school was different though – in a good way. It was more about team work and having fun, while in high school it was more about developing specific skill sets and repeat practise of techniques. I think it’s important to keep a fun and encouraging atmosphere in Physical and Health Education. In my high school classes it wasn’t fun or encouraging; we were told to run around the track until the whistle blew. I had zero motivation to do so. When exercise is under the guise of an interactive and fast paced game, it is much easier to have an enthusiastic group that looks forward to PE class. I think the purpose of PE is to build interpersonal skills, communication skills, hand/eye/foot coordination, and to keep kids active. By sharing our personal experiences, we can take a step back and examine our stories with another perspective, possibly gaining more insight into why we had those experiences and how they will shape our teaching. We can recreate the positive experiences we had, and avoid recreating the negative ones for our students.
Monthly Archives: September 2015
Ally’s Movement Journal – Sept. 16th
Steve, when you told us on Wednesday that we would have to do a flash mob dance in public, in front of everyone, I just about died. I did ballet as a child, but beyond what the Royal Academy of Dance taught me, I can’t actually dance. I even told my elementary school PE teacher that it was “stupid” that we had to do dance and I shouldn’t have to do it, because I already knew I wasn’t going to grow up to be a dancer. So, long story short, flash mobs just really aren’t my thing. But! Dare I say that I actually enjoyed myself? The instructor was just so enthusiastic it was contagious! I have so much respect for people like her, who are able to get up in front of the crowd and just radiate excitement and positivity.
Before the whole flash mob exercise, I was wondering aloud to some classmates about why on earth we would have to do this and what it could possibly do for my teaching. But, having thought it through a bit, and thinking about how I felt before and after, I’ll concede that there was a good point and it is beneficial to my teaching practice.
We’ve heard from our profs about how teachers have to be actresses, to not let our fears, personal opinions, or baggage shine through. Our students can’t know that we hate algebra, or that we can’t dance, because then they will hate algebra or dance too. Teachers are role models first, conveyors of knowledge second. So for the time I’m with my students, I have to pretend that doing a silly dance routine with all my friends in front of a bunch of strangers, who I’ll probably never see again is my FAVOURITE THING EVER!!! And then I can not dance on my own time 🙂
Thanks, Steve, for this lesson in life and in teaching!
Movement Journal- Week :Group A
Last Friday’s EDPC physical eduction class was a refreshing experience after a week of lectures and readings. Upon entering the gym, the free time and access to equipment got me so excited for the term and to participate in this course. As a child, I always had a good experience in PE, other than when I’d get hit in the face, but that happens. I can understand that it can be an intimidating space for students who aren’t as athletically inclined. I think it’s important to reduce the stigma and create a safe space for learners to try new things and develop their physical literacy. Steve seems like and awesome instructor who has a good attitude about shifting the way physical education is taught. He believes in inclusive and creative games, and feels there’s no need for shameful games. I very much enjoyed playing games like Mission Impossible and Chuck the Chicken. Reviewing the video and photos from the first class you could tell that everyone was excited to be part of the group and participate in an alternative course. I am so relieved that we have the opportunity to participate in a course focused on physical education and that we get a chance to let off some steam, run and play together.
September 9th-Movement Journal #1
When I think of PE, I remember it as a minor subject in my elementary school, only an hour-block once a week. From grades 4-7, each grade level was assigned a single sport to learn and play all year (kickball, T-ball, volleyball, and basketball).
I remember being not-so-athletic back in grade four and would dread PE because kickball meant running and if I struck out, I let my team down. One day, I was up on the plate, the ball was rolled to me, and I actually kicked it far! I was ecstatic and started running to first base, only to trip on a jagged rock poking from the ground, resulting to the biggest gash on my knee. Needless to say I could not participate in PE after that because I was always on the sidelines. Even when my knee healed, I shied away from participating whenever possible and developed a sense of disconnect with my physical well-being (both education and activities) even in the later years.
This Tuesday, a colleague and I happened upon a flash mob at the Martha Piper Plaza, which turned out to be the Secondary Programme’s Dance Play flash mob. It was so amazing to see people moving and dancing and having being fun. The energy was so contagious, we decided to join and it just made me think that this is what was essentially lost for me in anything related to physical literacy: FUN.
I hope to gain more knowledge in class on different ways I can make my future PE classes fun and full of energy, at the very least have my students not dread PE. I can’t wait to learn from my peers especially during Group Teach sessions!
Sept 16th Movement Journal – Ashley Wong
This week I became overwhelmed with the idea of creating my own lesson plan (something I have never done before). But after watching today’s groups execute their lessons so flawlessly, they helped me realize sometimes the best form of learning is to “do”. Like our peers today, I can be creative and unafraid to try new things in front of our classmates and instructors. Our time at UBC is really a chance to hone our own styles or ways of teaching (without judgment) and realizing this has helped me settle my own anxieties about our future assignments.
Regarding our own PE experiences, growing up I actually had only positive experiences. I always loved the physical, teamwork and competitive aspect of physical education. However, today’s class did put things into perspective; I realized that some of the things I might have enjoyed in my PE experience may have negatively affected or excluded my classmates in the past. The fact that Steve recommended setting benchmark goals to improve students’ individual results shed light that there has been a clear shift in teaching physical education. Teachers today want to create positive experiences and attitudes towards physical activity within their students by considering inclusivity and personal growth. These are important values that I want to instill into my own teaching.
Week One Movement Journal – Sonya Gaia-Maretta
Reading the article, “ Over a quarter of primary school teachers say they are not qualified enough to teach PE as worries grow over childhood obesity” is something I worry about as a future teacher. Before I started this program, I did not know that teachers were expected to teach physical education. When I went to elementary school there was a trained physical education teacher who was responsible for teaching the subject to every class plus healthy eating. I think my class really benefitted from this because she was so enthusiastic, passionate and knowledgeable about being active that she made you want to participate even if you did not like gym class. I think it is a shame they took that out of the school system because physical activity is so important to instil in young children.
Reading this article with such a high percentage of teachers dreading teaching this subject is kind of scary and makes sense why so many students leave elementary disliking physical activity. But if you do not properly prepare your teachers to teach something how can you expect them to succeed. It was sad to read the perception teacher’s have about obese children because especially in elementary your teacher is someone you trust and if they can sense you are judging them then that will have a huge affect on their self esteem. I’m really glad they are offering this subject as part of the BEd curriculum because it will make me feel a bit more confident when I have to teach this subject and hopefully the students will learn to love being active.
Lesson Plan 1: Target Games
Movement Journal #1
I was already looking forward to P.E. class before going last Friday, but my excitement grew when I arrived at the door and saw that everyone was shooting hoops, kicking a soccer ball, running around with foam and ribbons and things that I was not even sure the name of. I was excited to jump right in. I always looked forward to P.E. growing up because I loved being active for one, but it was also so enjoyable to me to just get out of the classroom and move! I would say from that, that my experiences of P.E. were primarily positive. I do know however, that this is not the case for everyone and often P.E. is thought to be only for “athletic” children. I think in the past, that P.E. class was tailored towards children with a natural athletic ability and therefore provided a negative experience to others. In talking to each other and learning about our own experiences of P.E., I think we can better understand how to avoid these negative experiences in the future. In my opinion, the purpose of P.E. should be to promote a healthy active lifestyle in everyone. As such it should incorporate a diversity of activities that would cater to a wide range of abilities and, just like in the classroom, take into account a variety of learning styles. I am looking forward to learning what the P.E. curriculum looks like now, and how it has changed and evolved since I was in elementary school.
Group A
Our first Physical Education class sparked good memories and some not so great memories for me. Growing up as a child I was always the shortest in my class; which, increased my competitive nature to be the best in my class no matter my height. The majority of my peers enjoyed playing competitive sports such as soccer, football, and red rover (best and worst game ever). Competition in my school was normal, even encouraged.
Most of my great memories centering around PE are being picked first for a sports team or scoring the winning goal. Where as, some of my not so great memories are centred around aspects of bullying. As a young child I would witness other girls not being invited to play sports, such as soccer, being teased, due to their lack of ability at that particular sport, and treated poorly in general. My hopes for this PE class is to learn how to be inclusive in every sport, to learn how to manage situations of bullying, and how to be a positive role model for my future students.
September 17th: Group A, Reflection
I have always looked forward to P.E class, and last week was no different. I was thrilled to see all the equipment laid out and some people already starting some games up. Beginning class off with free play was a great way to get our creative juices flowing as well as giving the class a chance to mingle with one another. It was a great way to bond with the cohort and have a great start to the year!
Even though P.E has always been my favourite class, I have never thought much about the meaning behind the games we play before. Chuck the chicken, I found to be a fun team bonding game activity. Little did I know, it was a stepping stone to baseball. I am excited to find new activities to teach the fundamental of sport.
P.E has always been a positive experience for me. My favourite P.E classes were ones spent outside usually playing a team sport. I loved having the brain break in the day, being able to get fresh air and interacting with my peers. Many of my negative moments involved too much talking and not enough playtime. For instance when the teacher constantly stopped the class to explain the activity or one day we had to write an exam.