How do I plan, participate, and advocate for School Based Physical Activity? An important question that as educators it is our responsibility to encourage the school as a whole to be more physically active. This increase in physical activity does not need to be drastic by building a new gymnasium. Physically active lifestyle choices can be implemented into the daily routine of the individual class. I would encourage fellow educators to start their day with a brisk morning walk, approximately 20 minutes, and during this walk the class can engage in cross-curricular education. One morning the students could be observing for scientific research, for example, the different types of moss. I would also recommend for schools that have limited Physical Education time, anything less than once a day, to combined blocks with other classes to optimize student physical activity. Finally the last tool that I would use to increase the physical activity of the whole school would be once a month offers a “sports day”. This program would change monthly to adapt to the weather. During the winter months I suggest a school trip to a swimming pool, skating rink, or a ski hill. This program would expose students of all ages to the wide variety of sports related positions.

Through adaptations to the school as a physically active environment we will encourage students to become lifelong students of health and physical education. By supporting students at a young age we are setting them up with the knowledge and skill base that they need to strive in the future. By educating students on healthy eating practices they will be prepared to make healthy choices throughout their life. The programs that encourage healthy eating habits are present in PE class, Science, and Home Economics. Cross-circular programs that encourage students to inquire about their health is the future. The presence of school or community gardens is impressive. By teaching students to get dirty and grow their own vegetables we are teaching them valuable life long skills.

Diversity within any education system is critical to understand. Diversity is the important structure that encourages people to be different and to love those differences. Within the Physical Education structure diversity is critical due to several reasons: physical disabilities,  socio-economic, gender, and religion. The main theme of diversity within the PE classroom is inclusion. Inclusion is the central notion that will remove negative stereotypes to create a safe place for all students.

Diversity in relation to physical disabilities has a painful history. Throughout the past people with disabilities have been victimized and ostracized from society. This history is the prime example to why it is important to create an inclusive and safe learning environment. Socio-economic diversity is clear within the public school system. Depending on the location of the school there can be students from a drastic different economic standing. This can lead to problems in the PE classroom if the students can not afford the equipment. Equal opportunities for all students is critical. Gender plays a large role within diversity for PE classroom due to the fact of preconceived society expectations for the genders. Females are viewed as weak compared to males, which creates discrimination within the class. Religion creates added diversity within the classroom. Students may abstain from certain activities due to their religious belief and it is important that educators are flexible to these needs.

Inclusion. The most important solution to creating a safe and diverse classroom. All students should feel safe and welcome no matter their diversity. Diversity should be seen as a strength within the classroom culture.

The notion of incorporating physical literacy and outdoor education in the daily routine of students seems obvious to me. Planning a lesson that is both educational and inspirational to the children can happen outside. Throughout the reading I was thinking of my grade 10 to grade 12 Gym teacher, Mr. Ray, who was both a coach and a mentor to me.

Mr. Ray, in conjunction with being the gym teacher, he was also my soccer and snowboarding coach. The reading emphases the differences and similarities between the roles a physical educator can take on for the class. I admire to be a physical educator who encourages students to become physically active, which means so much more than participating in sports. A great educator can focus on the fundamental movement skills and incorporate those into any environment or subject matter.

Congratulations to Jackie, Brianna, Katy, and Lexi for an amazing outdoor education class. Your directions were clear and direct (which in an alternative environment can be hard) and the lesson ran perfectly. During my time in Katy’s air station we observed a HUGE spider catch, spin, and eat a fly. By far the coolest thing I have scene in awhile. After observing the spider we discussed how we could incorporate that experience into a science or math project. The options for cross-ciricular learning are endless.

Great job Pamela, Sonya, and Emily! Thank you for choosing activities that avoid eliminations. I enjoyed this class for several reasons, the instant activity, our group discussion, and how was assessed and modified the activity as a class.

The instant activity was FANTASTIC! The music was engaging, upbeat, and fun. Prompting students to dance in particular ways, such as dance like a dog, bird, and boogie, helped to warm up different muscles. The directions we clear and short.

The group summary and discussion, lead by Emily, was not only informative but also engaging. We discussed about the different options for evaluating students and how they relate to PE. Overall we agreed about the importance of moving away from traditional letter grades to more observational assessments. We compared assessing PE to assessing an English class and how there are fundamental skills and outcomes; however, if the student participates and are increasing their skill base they should pass the course. Offering a pass/fail assessment rubric may relieve stress from the individual student and may encourage them to foster their skills in the future.

Having the class work together, using the rubric, to assess the first activity was awesome! Learning how to modify activities will be extremely helpful during our practicum. Using the group opinions, after filling out the rubric, helped to modify the game to be safer for all participants.

All around great class!

Presenting first is never easy. However, I figured it would be kind of me to share some “do’s” and “dont’s” for future presentations.

Do’s, figure out your group strengths and weaknesses. Luckily for me I had the opportunity to work with three amazing people. The combination of Nicole’s organizational skills, Bobby’s real world struggles (being picked last, haha sorry Bobby), and Mikes comedic relief made for an awesome group.

Do’s, start early, the presentation is the tip of the iceberg. Finish the readings then sit down and write the page summary together. Working as a team to create the summary makes the in-class presentation much more cohesive. Planning a good lesson takes time; therefore, read the new curiculum and structure your lesson according to the PLOS of your target grade.

Dont’s, try to scream across the gym. The gym is massive space that echoes; therefore, bring the group into close to explain any directions.

I had an amazing experience planning and executing our target game lesson plan. This unit has taught me the importance of analyzing traditional sports to ensure they are not Hall of Shame games and can both function for knowledge and inclusion.

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.