Tag Archives: assessment

Sheena’s Movement Journal – Group Teach Reflection

Lesson: Individual and Dual Activities

What worked well in your lesson? What specifically did you contribute?

Our team was quite flexible with the activities that we chose: we were all willing to compromise a little bit. This made planning the lesson very easy. We worked together on all parts of the lesson plan and worked independently to plan our own sections. During the lesson, we supported each other by adjusting the music and giving cues for time. Overall, I think we worked well as a team. Regarding the actual lesson, everything basically went exactly as planned. Our class was really enthusiastic and I saw many people get really into the lesson.

What did you notice about your planning and teaching? How are they connected?

Considering adaptations of the lesson was quite valuable because we actually talked about them, and this helped others feel more comfortable with the activities.

What changes needed to be made and why?

We needed to create a worksheet last minute so that the students could record their heart rates. This was a really good revision because it kept students organized.

What did you notice about the learners’ response to your lesson in the classroom? How did they respond (affective, cognitive, physical)? How did that impact your teaching and flow of your lesson?

The class was quite keen and looked really happy to be dancing. They were also able to execute the movements in a coordinated way. These responses made me excited to teach. I also noticed that the movement was neither too complex nor too simple to follow. If I were to teach a similar lesson again with the same class, I would plan with that in mind. The part of the lesson that was most cognitively taxing was the calculation of their heart rates. Since they were all able to multiply, we did not have to spend much time on this. If I had done this with my practicum grade five class, they would not have been able to do this. In that case, we would take our pulse in class for fifteen seconds and then calculate our heart rate in math class.

What, if any, would you have done differently?

I would have incorporated more assessment into the lesson. For instance, between the songs, I could have asked the class how they were feeling. Additionally, it would be a good idea to record the lesson so that we could assess the students according to the rubric we created. I was so focused on remembering my choreography that I was not able to assess every student.

Outdoor Education – Jenny Cho’s Reflection

Well done Brianna, Jackie, Katy and Lexi! It was a nice change of environment to be outside. I really enjoyed the instant activity. It reminded me of the amazing race. Our cohort is energetic so it was nice to have the chance to run around outside!

This week we are learning about Outdoor Education and how we should incorporate our environment and setting in our lesson plan. I have always thought outdoor education was like going on a tour or  a field trip. But that isn’t the case. We can take indoor activity and played them outside. This is great in many ways. Most students enjoy being placed in a different setting, we love being in the sun when it is sunny and most importantly, it gives students ideas how to play outside while teaching physical literacy. For example, passing a balloon teaches a lot. We had to work as a team, we had to think of a strategy and also, manage our strength so we won’t pop the balloon. It was a lot of fun.

I liked the discussion question Lexi proposed to our group in regards to the characteristic of our own PE teacher. I had a really great connection with my PE teachers and they are my role model. I would not be where I am right now without them. I can only hope I can do the same to my future students.

Movement Journal Week 4

Great work to Sonya, Emily, and Pamela on their group teach! They did a good job considering the cognitive and psychomotor levels of their grade two students and how to best design a lesson for this age group. They considered how well grade twos would be able to follow instructions, run around with spatial awareness, and their ability to throw and catch.

I appreciated assessing the baseball activity. Looking at how well an activity incorporates participation, challenge, positive social behaviors, flow, safety and learning, are all important factors that I need to consider when creating my own lessons. As well, I need to keep in mind the objective of each lesson and criterion-reference what I am teaching to assess how well the students’ are learning in relation to what I want them to learn.

Some assessment and evaluation strategies that I prefer are exit slips, learning logs, and observation. I like the idea of reflectively assessing improvement instead of skill level as not everyone is athletic. I understand that in older grades there might be some sort of  fitness testing that monitors effort/improvement, but I prefer the idea of active participation over grading. I also never liked written tests for P.E., and I feel that for the most part, P.E. should not have tests that involve pen and paper as all the other subjects already do.

 

MOVEMENT JOURNAL WEEK 4

First of all, let me start off by saying great job, Emily, Sonya and Pamela! You came up with a creative lesson that approached striking games in a fun, and engaging way. What stuck out to me most about this lesson, was our own assessment practice after the 50 minute session. One of the guiding questions for this week asks which assessment and evaluation strategies may be used to effectively gather information of student learning in physical education. My experience of CITE as a cohort and the education program as a whole, including the EDCP course, has been a focus on inclusion, confidence building for our students. We have talked about belonging, autonomy and competence as key factors to student success. With this in mind, I wonder if rating and reading aloud our comments on the session was perhaps not quite in line with this way of thinking? I left the class feeling as though we had singled out the students in charge of the lesson, as well as those who responded. In terms of applying this to our own teaching practices, I’m curious as to what other assessment forms we might use in evaluating lessons as they occur. I realize that the exercise was meant to foster discussion and insight for future reference (which it did!), but I can’t help but feel that we might have approached in a more inclusive and safe format. That being said, I realize that our group is already an extremely supportive environment, and I know that each of us is open to constructive criticism.

Week 4- movement journal

Friday was my first experience teaching the group in this program and it was my first time teaching PE; therefore, I was extremely nervous. Even though I thought we were pretty well prepared, I was still shaking the whole morning before class. I lead the instant activity without really paying attention to what was going on around me. I still cannot recall what happened during that time, but according to some reflections, it went well and most of you had fun dancing.

To be honest, I was focusing too much on what I thought I should and should not do as a teacher instead of paying attention to my students. I was constantly thinking of remembering to say things such as “when I say go” before giving instructions, and reminding myself to speak louder. Then I was concentrating on not saying “you guys” and focusing on the time, because I was the time keeper. Reflecting now, I wish I had paid more attention to everyone’s engagement level and given some feedback during the activities instead of focusing so much on myself.

I really appreciate how Steve showed us how to evaluate one of our games and modify it for safety issues. The brainstorming for modifications was very helpful, I am glad we got to do this here in Cite rather than during our practicum. Our focus age for this lesson was grade 2, so I was very worried the games might have been too childish for grownups to have fun. However, after class, many people told us we did a good job and that they enjoyed the activities which was very encouraging. Thank you everyone for being so supportive! 😀

Movement Journal – assessment and movement

This week’s team teach was excellent in many different ways. The warm up activity was hilarious. I got so many laughs out of other people’s animal dance moves and it was a lot of fun to be silly with a group of people! What a great fun way to get everyone moving!

The first activity was a lot of fun too. I was confused at first, I think the huge amount of cones set up made it a bit hard for me to visualize but once we got into our groups to play I was not confused anymore. The game was a good way to get students moving and practicing their throwing. There are so many modifications you could do to help enhance student learning.

The last game was an interesting game. I did not like the unsafe elements but other than that it was great. I was running around so much in this game that by the end I was exhausted! This really helped me to see the importance of an active curriculum. After class, I felt awake, alert and ready for the day. Being active in school really does help students in other areas of academics.

Our discussion of assessment was very important. Growing up we were often assessed on how fast we ran or how talented we were at a certain sport. Using strategies such as exit slips, or student evaluation on their performance in class not only gets them involved but also allows those who are not naturally fast runners to be successful.

Week 4 Movement Journal

I really enjoyed this week’s lesson. The games were fun and eventful – I was never standing around and waiting. I think these sorts of activities are really important in PE because they ensure that EVERYONE is participating, even people who are less athletically inclined and may try to avoid participation. I also enjoyed how we stopped as a class and worked to modify the game to make it even safer and more inclusive. This is something that we as teachers should be doing in all of our classes, so that we can continuously improve our lessons.

I also really enjoyed the group discussion. I was in Pamela’s group and she did a great job talking to us about assessment in PE. Lots of us remembered being tested based on our athletic abilities as kids; tests like the beep test, or seeing how many push ups we could do in a minute. Although I usually enjoyed these activities, it seemed that most people didn’t. I agree with the group consensus that assessment based on athletic ability is not fair. Grading based on athletic ability doesn’t take into account that some people are simply more naturally athletic than others, and that this natural athleticism is not a fair representation of a student’s efforts and improvement. I think students in PE should be graded based on their understanding and passion for an active lifestyle, as well as their participation and willingness to learn. I think this way of assessment will be much more successful in encouraging a love for physical activity in children.

Movement Journal: Week 4 Elizabeth Greenwood

I have recently come to understand that one of the fundamental and foundational pieces of education is an understanding of one’s students. Thus, pedagogical approaches for the accommodation of the diverse needs and interests of learners is to first understand what those diverse needs and interests are! Entry and exit slips with simple questions are a good way to gauge students’ feelings about PHE, as well as journals or blogs. After you have an understanding of who you are teaching, you can begin to differentiate your lessons to accommodate a diverse student population. I really enjoy stations as a part of my own Physical Education. Stations provide diversity in the learning environment and account for differences between students. Even if there are one or two stations that students enjoy less, a limited amount of time and a variety of stations ensures that all students’ will be catered to.
In the same way as understanding your students feelings about PHE through entry and exit slips, journals, etc. is important, observing your students throughout physical education is important to give them formative assessment, and to find the best ways to provide summative assessment at the end of the learning period. Formative assessment is critical in subjects such as PHE as many students struggle with testing and performance at the level to which they are actually capable. Observation is more likely to provide those performing assessments with an understanding of students’ authentic ability to apply fundamental movement skills in real-life situations. Observation is another way in which educators can glean a better understanding of their students’ needs and interests. Levels of engagement during a lesson can be observed and lessons can then be adjusted to better suit the needs of the students. Thus, reflective and observational assessment of one’s own teaching is incorporated in the PHE experience.

Week 4: Understanding Movement Journal – Jenny Cho

Kudos to Emily, Pamela and Sonia!

We learn so much from each other so thank you. I would like to say it was well planned and executed but, as we would all experience it, there are unexpected events that might happen. We will just have to keep our heads up and learn from them. I really liked how Steve asked our cohort on our opinion and how we can improve on it. It gives the students a chance to work together and collaborate with one and another.

I really liked the summary discussion in regards to how should we assess our students. I agree with majority of our class that we should not assign letter grades as it does not promote positive physical activity outside of class. We need to assess students through development. For example, if a student is level 1 at throwing and at the end of the year increases to a level 3, then the student should receive a positive feedback. I see it similar to reading level. A grade 5 student might not be at a grade 5 level of reading, but maybe they have improved from grade 2 to grade 4. I think that’s a great improvement and should be recognized as “pass”. As long as the student shows improvement and effort, we should respond with positive feedback.

I can’t wait for next class, hope the class will enjoy my team’s lesson!