Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to participate in gymnastics in my elementary PE classes before, so the group teach and the activities in the gymnastics room were definitely a new eye-opening experience for me! I really appreciated how the group teach focussed on only one fundamental skill of balance, and was able to come up with a variety of different activities for their demonstration. Being able to balance seems like such a simple task, we do it every day by just walking and standing, but their activities really emphasized how important the concept of balance is among different sports and activities.
I also thought that their circuit activities were well executed and explained. All the exercises required very little equipment, but we were still able to demonstrate the skills properly as individuals and as a team. Also, it was most definitely a plus that we had the opportunity to move the rest of the class to the gymnastics room. Having the lesson in a different environment than we usually do, (with gymnastics, outdoor ed) emphasizes the importance of alternate activities and gives me some ideas that I can use when I am with my students.
Great job Sydney, Sienna, and Maria!
Thanks for a great summary group! It was nice being out in the sun 🙂
– Kaira, Sienna, and Fiona
EDCP 320 Week 6 Reading Summary
This week’s PE class was so active and fun, I honestly have not moved around this much in class since high school! It was pretty much non-stop from the instant activity to the group teach to Steve’s mini-activities. The instant activity and this week’s group teach was amazing by the way, definitely worked up a sweat early on! All of the activities involved a ton of movement and got our blood pumping and warmed us up quickly, especially in the chilly gymnasium :). I also appreciated Steve’s demonstration games on the importance of TGFU. It was really useful to see it in action and to actually participate in the activities. It’s amazing how much we can accomplish with minimal equipment!
When I was at my first practicum visit at Southridge, I was impressed to hear from some students that their DPA was actually implemented every day during school hours. I was able to witness this firsthand in a first class grade when the teacher noticed the students were getting antsy from having sat on the carpet for quite some time. She told everyone to stand up, head outside and run some small laps around the courtyard just outside their classroom. Students came back out of breath but energized, and were able to contribute even more to the activity the class was completing beforehand! I guess something to keep in mind is to always keep our eyes and ears alert to make sure the class is still paying attention instead of focussing on getting the lesson done. From all the different group teach presentations we have done, a valuable lesson I have learned from them all is definitely to be adaptable!
Julie, Helen, and I were in charge of the group teach activity last week and I must say, it was a nerve-racking and fun experience at the same time. One thing we realized is that no matter how prepared you feel like you are in your lesson plans, there will always be something that needs to be altered during your actual lessons. You cannot predict everything! I think that was one of our biggest take-aways we got from Steve. Nonetheless, we had a great time teaching and we were so pleased that everyone enjoyed the activities and playing badminton!
Something else I wanted to mention during last week’s class was the case study of Billy during the physical literacy reading summaries. The scenario was similar to something that happened when I was in Grade 6, when I received my first C+ in PE class. I was always an active child and participated in PE class regularly, so the letter grade was basically a slap in the face for me. I remember thinking what was I doing wrong? Back then, I always thought PE was built solely on skills and athletic ability, and the term ‘physical literacy’ was all but non-existent for me. But after the short discussion during our summary circles, I finally have a better understanding of what the new school curriculum is shifting towards. This change towards an holistic understanding of healthy living and physical well-being is going to be vital for children and youths today, teaching them about the importance of physical literacy and the motivation to stay active for life.
I can’t wait for the rest of the class’ group teach!
Hi everybody!
Here are our lesson plan and rubric for the Badminton group teach.
We had a great time teaching everyone, thank you for being such wonderful students! 🙂
EDCP 320 Badminton Lesson Plan Group 2
EDCP 320 Badminton Skills Rubric Group 2
An “aha” moment I had during our first class was learning that Dodgeball and various other activities like Capture the Flag are classified in the “Hall of Shame” category. It came of a shock to me initially, but after it was explained in class that it is seen as a form of bullying, I can see how that is the case. As an active participant in PE classes back in elementary and secondary school, I never saw dodgeball from this perspective. In my view before, I just saw it as another fun activity where we had the chance to run around and throw things. However, looking back at it now, the remaining players on either side of the gym are always the individuals who were athletically gifted and the ones who were less gifted are eliminated immediately. Being able to see this issue in wider scope, it does make me wonder why dodgeball and other types of elimination games are allowed to be an activity that exists in school. It does not promote sportsmanship or teamwork in any way, and it literally puts a target on everybody’s back. As future educators, I think one of our challenges will be to derive lesson plans that encompass all the positive aspects of physical education, and that means creating an inclusive and comfortable environment among the students; the level of respect expected inside a classroom should be the same inside a gymnasium. The gym should be seen as an extension of a classroom and should not be a daunting and fearful space for students.
UBC Health Outdoor and Physical Education
