My kye7e (gramma) used to tell us that everything that we need is outside, whether we want entertainment, food, clothes anything and everything is out there for us to share. However i think as a society we have moved away from that philosophy to the point where it has become harmful for some which is in regards to the unhealthy desire to just stay inside always.

Some will say that everything we need is inside, how could we possibly need to or even want to go outside. I even saw a movie based in the 2000’s about a group of newly graduated twenty somethings employed in Calgary having a bet to stay inside for one year, only using the plus fifteens to get back and forth from work and to entertainment and for food. I thought to myself that i would lose immediately that I couldn’t handle not going outside.

I love being outside so much and I would enjoy the chance to share that with my students and anyone who would care to listen. In fact in my community a man has started up a group where they drive out into the forest once a week for an afternoon and just spend the day, whether it hunting or just hiking they spend the day together and for their health. The benefits have yet to be measured but I bet they will be good in the long run.

So how would this fit into any teaching or lessons that i would develop in the future? well I will try to go outside as much as I can and even bring some of the lessons outside too, cross curricular stylez, YO! Like my Kye7e once said, everything that you could ever need is outside, you just have to go out there and look.

What ideas are used to create a safer, inclusive and respectful environment?

There are many more opportunities for injury in the gymnasium and therefore, PE teachers must be very thoughtful and careful and ensuring the safety of all students. The use of space and equipment should take into consideration and possible risks for injury and how they can be addressed. The space should be able to accommodate all students and the activity they will be engaged in. If the space is too small, the teacher should either adapt their activity or the area of participation in order to create a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment. The equipment used should be appropriate for the students’ age/abilities (plushy balls as apposed to medicine balls in elementary grades) and the use of helmets, padding, and other safety equipment should be used whenever required.

Furthermore, teachers should have a zero tolerance policy for bullying and aggressive behaviour. When game play becomes too competitive then the activities not only fail to be inclusive, but there is an increased risk of injury. Therefore, teachers must provide close supervision in order to monitor students’ behaviors.

Overall, paying attention to details and developing thoughtful, carefully planned activities are elements in creating a safe space for students. Knowing what to do in case of injury is another crucial detail for learners’ safety. Teachers should always know emergency procedures and have quick and easy access to first aid care/equipment.

What are legal responsibilities of educators in a range of movement contexts?

The “law of torts” concerns educators because it “is concerned with the compensation of losses suffered by private individuals” (Robinson & Randall, p.179). Therefore, if a student sustains injuries under the supervision of an educator, the teacher may be responsible for the financial compensation of the losses incurred. This can occur when a student sustains injuries on account of a teacher’s negligence. Therefore, it is the educator’s responsibility to predict any potential harm that may occur under their supervision and take any/all steps necessary to avoid (or in the least, minimize) these risks. One way for teacher’s to avoid unnecessary risks in PE is by educating students on the safety and rules involved in class activities. Ensuring that all students have a firm understanding on how to properly and safely utilize the equipment and space of the class should be a pre-requisite for student participation. Furthermore, it is the teacher’s responsibility to store equipment in a safe and secure manner so that it does not pose a threat to anyone’s wellbeing.

As discussed in the previous guiding question, it is also the teacher’s responsibility to monitor students’ behaviours in order to ensure the safety of all. If students have a history of unsafe behaviours, measures should be taken in order to ensure that the student does not pose a safety risk to themselves or the others in the class. As well, activities should be safe and appropriate for the students’ physical and mental abilities.

How do I approach gymnastics with limited resources?

Although the use of specialized equipment can enhance gymnastics in PE, there are many activities that can still be done without the use of equipment. For example, running, jumping, rolling, and balancing require very little (if any) special resources. Other equipment such as balls, hoops, ropes, and ribbons are inexpensive and easily acquired. In this sense, if a teacher is able to think, “out-side the box” and take a creative approach to gymnastics, the curriculum should be easily adapted to the use of limited resources. For example, most schools or public parks have playground equipment that can easily be adapted to fit in with a gymnastics lesson.

“Body control is the major objective of gymnastics; efficient movement is necessary in a variety of situations, both on the floor and when using an apparatus” (Robinson & Randall, p.214). This statement helps to convey the idea that assuming specialized equipment is needed for meaningful gymnastics is a misconception.

What are conditions for including all learners in game playing?

Through the multi-activity curriculum model, students will be introduced to a diverse range of physical activity. This allows for the differing needs of students to be addressed rather than focusing on those who are more athletically inclined. Activities should include a combination of cooperative and individual games, sports, dance, gymnastics, fitness development, aquatics, and outdoor activities. Furthermore, activities should incorporate different categories such as cooperative, individual, and team sports, recreational. Games that do not provide inclusive conditions involve those that are eliminate players such as dodge ball or duck duck goose. Another method for learner inclusion involves randomized teams rather than allowing team captains to choose players so that certain students are not made to feel unappreciated.

The Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Model is useful for creating inclusive conditions for learning as it encourages students to be “accountable for their own well-being and contributing to the well-being of others… both inside and outside the gymnasium” (Robinson & Randall, p.38). These are skills that can be acquired by all students, regardless of their physical limitations. The Fitness for Life model is another inclusive pedagogy, as it focuses on the “health for everyone with an emphasis on lifetime activity designed to meet their personal needs” (Robinson & Randall, p.42).

The TGfU Model is an inclusive practice as well, because it places the learner at the center of teaching. In this practice, the “needs, motivation, abilities, and developmental level of the student are fundamental to all decisions made by the physical educator” (Robinson & Randall, p.36). An inclusive teacher will take these considerations into account and adapt games in order to allow for the student’s full participation.

Overall, in order to create inclusive conditions for learners, teachers should incorporate ideas from all of the discussed models (as well as those that were not touched upon in my reflection). Learning is a multi-faceted concept and there are many different ways of knowing. Exploring different areas and approaches are crucial for meeting the needs of all learners.

I really think the gymnastics group did such an awesome job with their lesson last Wednesday. I think gymnastics might be one of the more difficult topics we will have to cover, but after our last session I saw some ideas I can definitely see myself using if I have to teach a gymnastics class. Learning the fundamental skills of balance again made me think about how it might be to teach a gymnastics class to much younger children. I remember the group who was running the team teach felt like they were repeating themselves a lot with their directions, but that kind of repetition is absolutely necessary when working with younger students. Another thing to remember is the safety issues when working with all of the gymnastics equipment. I thought the group kept us in line and safe for the whole lesson and managed to make things fun for us too. I really liked that they incorporated a cooperative activity for teaching us balance as well. Gymnastics is usually such an independent sport, but it was fun to work together on it too in this kind of setting.

This lesson also made me think back to when I used to do gymnastics as a child. I don’t remember ever doing a gymnastics unit in school, but I did it outside of school and absolutely loved it. Looking back I can say that I really like the way gymnastics develops basic fundamental skills such as balance, and I think it should be included in the curriculum for this reason. Looking forward to this week’s lesson!

I felt that our team-teach on Outdoor Education went really well! It was refreshing to be outside to do a lesson, and the feedback from TCs participating in the lesson was that is was very fun and engaging. Particularly, comments that the lesson could lead well into a cross-curricular lesson, and that many were interested in doing the same lesson in their own practicums were very encouraging and in-line with some of the goals we had as a group.

One thing that I noticed about the planning process for an outdoor lesson was that it was very easy to overthink things. I often caught myself thinking about how to make the lesson as “outdoorsy” and rich as possible, but really the most important thing is just to get kids outside. In fact, it is a very positive thing to be able to get kids outside without making a big deal out of it. We want to encourage our students just to get outside at any chance they get – they don’t need to wait until its time for “outdoor education” initiated only by an adult or teacher with their own motivations and goals.

In the end, though, I feel our lesson ended up being a great balance between a more formally presented outdoor education lesson and a fun way to get our class outside. If I were to change anything about the lesson it would have been to do the whole thing, including the instant activity and the introduction outside as well. We structured it with the first two components inside to help with our transition, but perhaps we could have just asked the class to quickly walk out into the courtyard and start our lesson there.

Overall, doing outdoor education was really fun and I’m looking forward to teaching PE, both indoors and out, on my practicum.

Last Thursday the Group Teach did their lesson at outdoor. It was a great experience having PE at outside. I had fun playing games and running around in the woods with my classmates. I can see there is a value teaching in the alternative environment, such as having outdoor physical education. Good things about doing PE outside is that students can develop their ability of become self-reliance. They can learn how to overcome fears and face new challenges when they are outside. This will lead them to become more independent as well. It was also a good way for the students to learn about nature outside and exploring the environment around; whereas, in the gym they won’t get any of that. For staying in the gym too long, children might get bored or tired easily.  Part of having the outdoor activity is that everyone all need to working together as a team. There is trust and respect when working as a team. I think as a teacher, we should take or try to bring the students to outdoor as much as we can. I remember when I was in elementary school we didn’t get much of outdoor activities and most of the time we got to stay in the gym. I think it is important for the students to have outdoors and experiencing more during PE class. Overall, moving the class to alternative environments is a great way to make students more interested, motivated, and willing to learn.

This week was outdoor education with lisa, audrey, christina and christine. I enjoyed this lesson and love watching people shine when they are teaching something they love – that was very evident in this class today.

Outdoor education can be overwhelming but we reviewed safety concerns, risk assessments, behavior expectations and boundaries. The activities were all well thought out and organized. I played prey and predator on a class field trip to the wetlands and it was a great example of incorporating pe into all aspects of a lesson. It was fun and we remember a lot through drama, movement and engagement. I feel less overwhelmed by outdoor education because of this lesson.

BC has so many opportunities forcreating experiential education opportunities. We learn so much more and internalize the information when we are given a chance to interact with nature. My practicum school is very close to the seawall, i plan to teach my students outdoors in my local, urban, beautiful setting. In the city it is so easy to feel trapped by all of the buildings and cars and it is important for us to show our kids places where they can feel connected to nature.

We can collect and analyze ocean rocks, kelp, sand and mussel shells. We can make art projects with leaves. We can study the snails, worms and spiders. We can play in the park. Connecting to the land is a part of who we are and outdoor education is very important.

I hope everyone feels empowered, educated and inspired to take their kids outside all the time! Inquiry based education depends on these real life experiences!

Group A
Week # 1 Post

October 21, 2015

Guiding questions:
* What were my positive and negative experiences in PE
* What is important to teach in PE
* Fears of teaching PE
* What is purpose, understanding of PE past & present

Sorry for the late post! My experiences in PE were mostly negative. I was self conscious of my body and was teased a lot by boys.  I was often left out of the PE activities and most of the times was able to sit on the sidelines and watch or I would skip class.  PE was focused around learning how to play sports that of which I did not have an interest in.  I did join basketball for midgets and senior high school, but fell out of interest because of small town politics.  I was always turned away from sports from players being too competitive and or aggressive.

In PE, it is important to teach students all aspects of health at not just focus on games and sports. I was absolutely terrified to take this course and my whole past PE class life flashed before me.  Honestly, I was wondering if I could sit on the sidelines and pass – this is how my past in PE had shaped me!

What I learned on the very first day of this course was a breath of fresh air and I was able to relax. Some of the key things I took away include:
~ Looking at the gym as a big classroom
~ Lesson planning for a purpose and giving every activity a purpose
~ On-going assessment of students
~ Emotional safety by setting rules and including everyone
~ Play safe, no province wide, school wide and classroom rules

Prior to this class I thought I could not teach PE and coming out I can honestly say this is one of my favourite classes and I look forward to every Tuesday!

Today’s P.E. class was conducted outdoors, which was an interesting change. I have always wondered what a lecture out in nature would be like and today was the closest to the real deal. I have done many summer camps outdoors but to see a group use nature as a possible cross curriculum activity was something special. It really aligns with my beliefs that learning and school isn’t just about books and listening to lecture all the time but it is also an active process between the students and the teacher. The great thing about outdoors learning is that it takes the class out of familiar territory (classroom) to a new environment that allow for hands on learning and connection with the world. Out in nature, the student can begin to see the real world and see relevance and relationships from what they have learned in class and experience it for themselves.

Another thing that struck out to me was the “trust” game we played today. It is hard to believe how it hasn’t been two full months since we started the program but everyone in the cohort seemed to have faith that everyone in their group was going to catch them before they would fall to the ground. It just amazes me how trust can go a long way.