All posts by thompson jennifer

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Physical Literacy Reflection

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What a great way to end our group teach lessons for the semester! Elizabeth, Mary, Cheryl, and Rob did a wonderful job of taking all of the skills we have learned this semester, and created a unique and effective lesson!

The instant activity where we got to create letters of the alphabet using our bodies and partners, and then coming together as a group to create “CITE” was a lot of fun, and also provided an opportunity for us to work on our team building skills. This activity would be a great way to get students active in a fun way, as well to develop their group work skills, such as cooperation, giving instruction, and listening skills.

I really enjoyed the warm up and the cool down where the team lead us through an imaginative environment such as a forest and a jungle to stretch and move. I thought the music in the background was a really nice touch, and definitely sets the mood for the activities.

I thoroughly enjoyed the main activity, where the group set up several different stations that each focused on a certain skill that we had learned throughout the year. I especially liked how the group had activities that incorporated mental health, such as the meditation centre and the positivity wall.

What I think is really great about having a variety of stations and allowing students to explore them is that students are able to have a sense of ownership and choice in the classroom. They are able to become innovative and use their imaginations, such as when a group of us started a game of “hungry hippo”, even though it wasn’t a designated station.

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Week 8 – Track and Field Group Teach Reflection

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Teaching Physical Education is something that I was a little worried about going into this program. Because I did not particularly enjoy PE growing up, I was concerned that my experience would transfer into my PE teaching practice. However, Steve has done an excellent job in teaching us how to make PE fun and inclusive for everyone. In addition, I could not imagine a better environment to learn how to teach PE, than being in our CITE cohort! As a result of this, I found myself really looking forward to teaching sprinting at the track.

Our warm up activity, Rabbits and Roosters, was a little tricky as a lot of people were a bit confused on how it worked. This is something that I was not anticipating, but is completely realistic in a classroom setting. After a few tries, everyone was getting the hang of it, and seemed to be having fun. If I could do this again, I think I would get a few students to help us model it, so that students could first see how it should look like. But I think Megan did a super excellent job at demonstrating each round, and what the students should be focusing on as they play the game.

Our cumulative activity also seemed to be a great hit! I was a little apprehensive about how people were going to receive this activity, mostly because of how big the track is, especially for sprinting. But it turned out to be great, and everyone was using the sprinting techniques that Rabbits and Roosters focused on. The baton relay race also had just the right amount of competitiveness to it, that everyone seemed to enjoy the race, and everyone felt included.

This lesson could also be adapted to include any students with disabilities. For instance, if there was a child in a wheel chair, the child could get help from another student while racing around the track passing the baton.

Overall, I felt that our group worked really well together, and we all had an opportunity to share our ideas and contribute equally to the group teach. Thanks everyone for making it such a fun lesson to teach!

 

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Outdoor Education / Alternate Environments – Movement Journal Post

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Last week’s outdoor P.E class was fantastic!! It will definitely be a class that I will always remember. I thought that  Jackie, Lexi, Brianna and Katy did such a wonderful job of leading the class. They were very organized, and everything flowed and transitioned very nicely.

I really enjoyed the different stations that the group had set up, and that each station had a different focus. This shows that outdoor education is holistic, and does not necessarily mean it has to always be active. For instance, I really enjoyed the art station where we created images out of natural materials. This could also transition into a math class where you have students looking at patterns, or perhaps even ratios (how many pine cones to leaves does your image have?) !

I think that many teachers are a bit hesitant to take their students outside for fear of not being able to control the students, or for not being able to keep track of where all the students are. However, if the expectations are clearly stated before the students go outside, then taking the class outside, should be a beneficial experience for both the students and the teachers. Plus, I think that the more going outside becomes a routine, the more likely students will respect and understand the teachers expectations.

Outdoor education is definitely something I would really like to incorporate into my teaching style, so this was such a wonderful way to feel inspired!

Awesome job Jackie, Lexi, Brianna and Katy!!

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Week 5 Reflection

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Friday’s PE class was, yet again, a super fun and engaging class! Thank you Vivian for being our choreographer that morning. It was such a fun way to begin the day, and it definitely got us way more energized than any cup of coffee would!

I really enjoyed exploring the Teaching Games For Understanding model (TGfU). By shining the light on critical understanding of the nature of a game, as opposed to focusing on technical skill development, students will also develop skills that they will be able to transfer outside of PE class, and will also be more likely to truly enjoy PE class. For instance, when learning how to play the game of basketball, the teacher would also emphasize that the abilities and skills used to participate in basketball can also be used in volleyball or soccer.

I thought that the group teach by Jenny, Zoe, and Vivian did a wonderful job of applying TGfU in their lesson plan.  For example, in the Space Invader game, the group had us first play the game, then they had us think about why we would play a game like this. Once we discussed that the game was meant to create spatial awareness, we developed tactics to create space, and then played the game thinking about how to best create space and how to make the best decisions in the game.

Great job ladies!

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Week 2 Journal

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I am finding myself to be more and more excited about PE class, and delving into the topic of physical literacy. Many of us are leading very busy lives with the demands of the program, family obligations, work, etc. that leading a balanced lifestyle may not always come up as a priority. I found that even in the 15 minutes of free play at the beginning of class the past two weeks really sets a positive tone for the day, and increases my awareness. This makes me realize just how important physical activity is to the youth, and the importance of education surrounding a healthy lifestyle. Living a healthy lifestyle should not just be about making sure you get your daily 30 minutes of physical activity (although it is important!), but it should take on a more holistic approach, and really pay special attention to emotional and mental well-being, in addition to physical activity. 

I particularly really like the idea of linking ideas across the curriculum. For instance, by having students experiment with gardening allows for time outside, as well as teaching students about larger ideas and other subjects such as food processes, ecology, and the sciences. 

Lastly, physical education should be something that students look forward to, and that includes everyone in the class in a supportive environment. I thought that the Target Group did a really great job of demonstrating how to modify the Hall of Shame game dodge ball, into a game that really focuses on skills like, aim, and the underhand throw.