The two groups that presented on Friday both did a really good job and kept the whole class very energized! First off, the Gymnastics group that presented first had great structure and organization in the facilitation of their activities. I also really liked that from the beginning, the emphasis on safety was placed. In this way, the group was able to address one of the guiding questions about safe and inclusive environments. By separating into groups, there was also a team atmosphere that was really encouraging, as everyone had really great positive attitudes. The group was also able to address gymnastics with limited resources, simulating a PE environment that we as TCs may encounter at some point in our practicums or future teaching endeavors.
The second group-teach was on Dance, which was the perfect way to close out the PE lesson. It was a very high-energy lesson and teamwork (with some healthy competition, ie. Dance battles) was encouraged, much like the previous group-teach. Personally based on my experiences in the past, dance units were never my forte. I never enjoyed it and never fully participated/expressed myself. In all honesty, yesterday’s group-taught lesson may have been the first time I fully engaged with a dance lesson (big props to the group for encouraging the high energy!). I learned that through dance, students are able to express themselves and understand their own bodily movement. At the same time, this practices spatial awareness.
Great job to both groups!
I had a lot of fun last PE class as well! I also liked that safety was emphasised in the beginning of the gymnastics lesson which is important before beginning all lessons. It was great that the group started with very basic gymnastic skills to ensure understanding in the topic but I also liked that when someone in my group was not comfortable with doing an activity, he/she was not pushed to complete it. However, I didn’t have a chance to complete all the balancing beams as I was waiting for my turn most of the time! It is true that we may have limited sources in our schools and we would have to find alternative ways to teach the lesson with what we have on hand.
I loved the dance group teach as it was so entertaining! I liked how they broke down the steps first, then put it all together in the end where we all danced as a class. I also enjoyed the dance battles as it was fun to come up with our own moves to the song, but also to see our classmates’ moves when it was there turn to dance.