This week Eric, Krystal and I taught the class about invasion games. We chose to teach this lesson because I thought the title sounded interesting and the first game that came to mind was Capture the Flag, a classic game we have all been playing for a very long time and also recently a Shame Game. When we did just a little bit of research I found the category of invasion games was a lot more than that. It included any game that was about defense, offense and protecting a zone or target from the invading team. These games are much more complex than striking, target or net/wall games in that they usually involve basic strategies and skills to be able to play them.

The way we were probably taught most invasion/territorial games in PE was through a series of drills, scrimmages and intramural sports. This is called the multi-activity curriculum pe model. This approach is usually successful if your class has a background playing these sports on a team and has practiced these drills before. If this is new to them there can be a high rate of frustration as students do not like to be asked to perform in front of others, or waiting or learning new skills this way. It can create anxiety and boredom for all of your students. A lot of games that were taught this way in PE are soccer, football, basketball and rugby. It can be hard to get a real grasp of the game.

There are other ways to teach these popular sports which is what we learned about by reading Chapter 3 and comparing and contrasting various curriculum models in PE class. We used our game Prairie Dog Pickoff as a way to demonstrate the Teaching Games for Understanding Model. This is a fun game using alternative equipment and boundaries but some of the basic rules and strategies involved in most invasion games. The students had to work together to develop strategies to knock over opponents targets and defend their own. It was a fun way to get all learners involved in the game and everyone could participate at a level they were comfortable with. I was very impressed with the success of this game and can’t wait to teach it in my pe classes. I think the Teaching Games for Understanding Model is very effective and in line with the new BC Curriculum that is student centered and learning focussed. I am looking forward to exploring this more.

In my next post I will reflect on what it was actually like to teach PE for the first time! Stay tuned!

In what ways is a discovery approach useful in game play?
It many ways it is useful in game play because the student learns the basics of an invasion or territory game. A great example was this morning during PE we played an invasion game, protecting the alien, it was so much fun and everyone was laughing and everyone was playful. It soon was a discovery for each student to learn when to move from your alien to try invade someones elses alien. Quickly we learned new strategies. It was so engaging. Then the game was extended by borders and grouping up once your alien was hit/knocked over. What sorts of questions enhanced student learning? New strategy, how to improve. Possibly leading to playing soccer or basketball in your later years. (If we were elementary school students) I did not have many questions, at the time as i was having fun and playing hard. It was a great work out. The modified ‘train capture the flag’ was fun too. Thanks to the group for a fun engaging class from warms ups to cool down.

PE was exciting today. I even have the minimally skinned knees to prove it. I am looking forward to using the same game in my own PE class one day.

I hope to make all games inclusive for the learners in my classes. In order to facilitate this there are a few things we as teachers must do. We must create a safe environment where students can safely take risks. Game instructions must be clear to all. Explaining verbally, modeling the game and giving game time to explore can help to achieve clarity. Today our teachers allowed us to try the game in small groups before playing competitively and it really helped ensure we were comfortable with the concept of the game. Games must be able to be modified to meet the needs of all students. Games must not eliminate students who are less skilled. Nobody can gain all the skills they need while sitting on the sidelines. I am not sure if students will ever think that the teams we create are “fair.” Nevertheless we must attempt to make teams or groups as equal as possible. I am sure there are plenty of things that are needed for an inclusive atmosphere that I am not aware of yet. I look forward to exploring more and hearing from the rest of the class.

One of the things I enjoyed about PE today was the way we went outside. We walked in a long line, holding each other’s shoulders. It was a great idea, because it transformed the simple action of traveling out of the gym into an activity in its own right, with a fun sense of movement and rhythm. It is definitely a great strategy we can use in our schools!

Another aspect I found interesting was that we were told before the game the way we would be assessed. I found it useful to know this ahead of time, as it clarified the expectations for the activity and provided me with a tool to assess my learning during the game. I found the assessment in groups also an interesting experience. It gave us an opportunity to reflect on how we played the apple game, and I felt that it fostered encouragement and appreciation between group members. It was, however, quite hard to decide on a category to assign to ourselves and others, because the “good” category did not include a positive attitude, which we felt we demonstrated. I wondered if an assessment with more criteria and more possible answers would be easier or harder to use for a group of children. I also wondered what are some other ways that kids can assess each other in a group setting.

Lastly, I thought the apple game was a good activity because it gave each player a lot of practice catching and hitting the “apple”; there was very little time waiting and being inactive. The only suggestion I have is to remind students to take turns being the catchers and the trees. Thank you for a great PE session!

This was a really fun class!  I noticed that the music instantly made the energy level go up in the group.  The games were fun and I loved that everyone was active most of the time.  It was great to talk about what was good about the game and what could be improved.

The discussion on assessments was thought-provoking and Emily did a good job of keeping us on track.  Vivian was wonderful leading the dance.  She made it so much fun!

This week the group teach was led by Jennie, Carrie and Travis. They did a great job at teaching us striking games. I believe the game we played was called Apples to Buckets. I had a lot of fun and will definitely be implementing games similar to this one when I teach striking games to students. One of the guiding questions from this week was what value embodied learning has. I believe it has a great value because many people are visual and active learners, rather than being told or reading about what they need to do. I learn a lot better personally from being active and actually experiencing something, rather than sitting and having someone explain it to me. This week was the first that an assessment was incorporated and implemented into the group teach. It was helpful because it gave me a guideline to follow to see what I was doing well, and what I could do to improve. The rubric that the group supplied us with was straightforward and easy to understand.

One of the questions from this weeks Guiding Questions that resonated most with me was: “What are ways we can incorporate team building, life skills & leadership games into our PE classroom?” I believe to do this, a teacher needs to build relationships with her students and make an effort to get to know them. This will enable her to see which students can work well together and which ones she can aid in improving their cooperation skills. Creating an environment where students feel safe and included is important. If students feel safe, they are more likely to take risks and want to do better in PE which is an overall great life skill to have.  To ensure that all students voices are heard and their needs are met, teachers can encourage students to have weekly reflections (similar to this blog) to express their experiences in PE. Having open communication is important to gauge how students are doing, whether it be one-on-one verbal acknowledgement, breaking off into groups and discussing the day, or through a blog.

Last Tuesday’s Group Teach team introduced striking and batting games to the class. It was awesome to see how everyone’s energy spiked with the conga line and the warm up activity. Although I was a little wary due to my limited dance abilities, I could see how positive this could be for an elementary class where kids could dance around and be silly and goofy without being judged. I also appreciated how we were able to practice the basic movements of batting and pitching before moving on to the main activity.

I like what Steve says about how we are all on our own physical literacy journey. We learn at our own pace and we improve at our own pace, and that is what we have to keep in mind for our students as well. This is what makes the idea of assessment so tricky. Thinking back to my high school days, I remember assessment only ever being summative and never formative. I was never given feedback to improve my learning or to identify my strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement. I only remember doing beep tests and push up tests at the end of the term to determine my grade, but throughout the term we never had activities directed at working on those movements. Looking back on it now, I can understand how both forms of assessment are useful. Students should be able to receive constructive feedback on their performance so they can improve upon it before being subjected to a summative assessment.