Plan Plan Plan

          Today, May 23rd, I completed the appendix of our "notebook" that involves attending an extracurricular activity. This activity can not be an athletic practice, which makes sense because it forces us to learn about another department of the school, while also giving us an opportunity to see the forces behind these before and after school activities.
          When you do your job for a while you kind of get the feeling of what you expect from which class or which extracurricular activity you're doing. I was trying to attend an activity that involved the schools choir unfortunately it didn't work out this way. Instead I was able to stay after school for a day of intramural's. There were only a few other students who showed up today though so their was some improvising, as always. The kids decided they wanted to play Kan-Jam since there weren't enough players to play Ultimate Frisbee. This new game seems to be a hit with every age! From middle school to college students. Even if their not getting their heart rate up, at least the students are getting sunlight and little exercise, both important to having a good day, what happens when you have seven good days in a row? That's a good week. Keep going and see what you end up with!
          It's always interesting to see the behavioral problems that occur during the school day. A teacher can almost be in eight different moods a day based on the class he/she just had. Each class is treated differently based on how they've acted throughout the week, for example; whether you've covered the same material as the last class. The time a student gets to do an actual activity depends on so many things that are out of a teachers control. A student walking out of the door as the bus is driving away, two students tipping the canoe just a little too far three minutes before the bus leaves. Some things you just don't know will happen and you handle them as they come. But as teachers we are always prepared for the worst and ready to jump into action, getting the students to do a self rescue and get to shore in a timely manner all of a sudden was our top objective. And it's always nice to say we still made it back before the late bell rang!

Bouncing Fish

Well yesterday I started observing at the high-school and what a difference it is! The activities we are doing are for the 11th and 12th graders mostly, while only working with the freshmen and sophomore's for one period a day. The juniors and seniors get the option to do a fishing and kayaking unit or a field games unit (kan-jam, bocce, washers, ladder toss). My host teacher is doing the fishing and kayaking unit this week along with track and field. It's unbelievable the resources the high-school has. They may not have a pool but they get permission from the Village to use a pond about a mile from the school. This was no easy thing to accomplish either, my host teacher, his colleague and myself got to school thirty minutes earlier than usual to get the kayaks and canoes where they needed to go. My host teacher has a great way of controlling his students, they knew exactly what was expected of them before we got to the boats, they were prepared for anything, as it should be when you have a risky unit like this one. A shout out to SUNY Delhi for having a great Outdoor Adventure Rec class and teaching me to kayak down the good ol' Delaware River. Its nice to say during this experience I've had a no problem having an ample amount of useful information and tips to provide for the students.

              A couple of the periods we were fishing on the same pond, although I haven't taken a fishing course in college it's something I know how to do from being addicted to fishing for a couple of summers during high-school. And I know how difficult it could be to be patient while fishing, having problems with so much waiting myself I decided to make it interesting, each student that caught a fish got a bouncy ball! I thought it might give them incentive to get there a little quicker the next class and try to catch something. Unfortunately towards the end of the day I ran out of bouncy balls! Still, it's great to see a Physical Education class doing these activities that can be done for the rest of their lives. Now when the students of this class have kids of their own they can teach them how to fish properly, and all of this is because of important teachers like the one I am trying to be. Time is the only thing I am waiting on.

WHAT A JOB!

The few, The proud, The Physical Educator. What a crazy day/week. All week kids in different grades have been participating in the IOWA's, not to mention the students who have to make up certain activities for the fitnessgram. Planning and coordinating times is a part of the behind the scenes work. Whereas dealing with the kids who need a lot of running around to do is on the front lines. During the 8th grade class I completed a SOFIT form. This form is a written representation of; what the class is doing, what the teachers are doing/presenting and what the student is doing. This was very interesting to do, partly because it made me feel like an administrator! The students were again in stations today, Bocce ball, Disc Golf and Kan Jam. Three activities we never did at my school which was awesome to see. The students switch every day, so in theory they usually get one day at each station (weather permitting and length of unit). I also did an interview with an English as a Second Language student today. Imagine your parents couldn't help you with any homework that you brought home. Seems like a tough road, fortunately we all know a teacher is always available for extra help. 

Tomorrow we are doing things in the Track and Field Unit. Students get to try and beat school records in the High Jump, 400, 200, 100 and 50 meter races.This is a lot of fun for the students and you are always hearing them talk about it after class about who might break Bobby Jones' 200 record of 33 seconds from 2002! It's a great thing to see when students are getting excited for Phys Ed and want to participate in the activities they can be doing forever, hopefully they will!

Observing Homer

Well the week started off with a bang!  I arrived at Homer Junior High School  right around 7:30. It was damp from the rain the night before and their was an overcast in the sky. Not typically a great day for physical educators doing a track and field unit. However my host teacher, and his co-worker had great plans to keep the kids interested in the class and have some fun. When I walked into the office to sign in my host teacher (HT) happened to also be there, and we made our way to the gym. In the gym 4 or 5 Kan-Jam stations were set up with 3 ping pong tables and a fooseball table. This already had my attention! The monday students had exhausted their indoor days for the Track and Field unit and my HT thought it'd be better to give the 7th grade students an idea on what they'd be learning next year. As eighth graders do Disc Golf, Kan-Jam and Bocce Ball unlike their younger peers. The kids were split into 3 stations, Kan-Jam, Table Tennis/fooseball and Reviewing for the cognitive test they have coming up on Friday. The stations rotated depending on how many students were in the class. The sixth Graders however didn't have an exam on friday, so when they were at the review station they were just sitting out. Although Kan-Jam and Ping Pong are some of the greatest games ever invented, there is not a lot of movement going on. So while the sixth graders were sitting out I walked over to them and taught them how to play Full Body Rock Paper Scissors. The students were fully engaged and really were intrigued by this new game they had learned. Some, however didn't want to do it which is okay, because 95% of the students really enjoyed what we were doing. I felt good about the situation because now probably 30 more kids can go home and be jumping around all day playing Rock Paper Scissors. So to me, I did my job.

Fit For Life

This is my bulletin board for my 255 class. It is located in park center around the corner from the main doors. I had a pull tab information sheet that would direct students to the cdc website. Where they can find facts about obesity and diabetes or and disease in their county state or country. Students should be informed about the problems in America and how to be healthy forever. Included on the board are fact or fiction questions on fitness related topics. On the right side of the board you see ways to stay active and live a healthier life style.

The last full week we have of 255 is a depressing one. As the projects are passing their due dates its easy to see the finish of the semester sprinting towards us. It's fun to see how much we have developed in the past few months. In such a short time we have accomplished so much. Integrating technology into our lesson plans and responding to emergencies are only some of the experiences we got from this semester. In the beginning of the semester Professor Yang told us that a lot of times the people you have 255 with are some of the closest friends in your major. I find this to be very true in my case. I can't help but see the contacts I have made in this class. How close we all have come is astonishing, especially without the use of group projects. We were not forced to come together and look at each others blogs and steal ideas for our lessons but we do this by choice and accept that it happens. This class has changed my learning experience and I could only hope to have many more like it in my next year and a half at SUNY Cortland. Unfortunately I don't have Professor Yang for 470 next year which is upsetting. But there is one thing he has taught me, don't be afraid  of challenging yourself and trying new things. I feel this class has taught me so many ways to go above and beyond while teaching physical education to students. I can't wait to see how the teachers at Homer Middle School and High School run there classes. This is where I will be doing by 256 experience and I am excited to start observing this summer. As one door closes another opens. Keep checking this page to see how my experience at Homer is doing!

Lab D

Last Friday was my Lab D for 255. Unfortunately I don't feel it was my strongest lesson of the year. However I feel that my Lesson Plan, Scope+Sequence and Block Plan are better than they have been all year. The lesson; failure gives life to success. The whole lesson, from a student being blind to using the technology to my maximum potential and lesson plans and progressions. Some aspects of lessons are better than others, learning from those aspects that are not as good is what makes a teacher candidate a better candidate.

New Animoto Video

Lab D not EYE

Last Friday really tested my abilities to keep cool and trust in my lesson plan development. It was all going great, until I found out one of my students was blind. This really put me in an awkward experience, having no interaction with a blind person before. This was a really good challenge and I tried the best I could to adapt to the situation as best as possible. The difficulties that arose during the lesson were incredible. She couldn't hear what I or anybody would yell out to her which made it difficult for her to do the zumba moves. I also found myself really focusing on her which could tend to be a bad thing, and I tried to get my attention away from her. This was a great experience for me though and learned a lot from it. Check out the collage and slide show!

Collage and Video

Preparing

                                 
Well a week without 255 is not a very fun one. I always look forward to class time. However this week is going to help me prepare for my next lesson. Which I found out is Zumba! I'm not entirely sure what zumba is, but from the little research I did it is some mix of dancing and a fitness work out with international music. Sounds pretty exciting because who doesn't love dancing. It is a great opportunity to get the students moving the whole class. I could even bring my pedometer with me and challenge different kids to see how many steps the can get in 5 minutes. This is going to be an exciting lab and it's coming up quickly! Stay tuned.

Week of Weak

This week was not a very good one for me. I was sick on tuesday and still am not 100 percent today. But after a day in the hospital I had time to reflect on how I thought my Lab C went. It was an alright lesson. However after receiving feedback from one of Professor Yangs old TA's, I discovered that my problem might lay within the lesson plan I write. I think if I could pay a little more attention to details with my lesson plan, the lesson itself will go a lot smoother. Also my dad suggested having a cushion activity for the end of class, just in case you do run short and need a quick filler. I'm going to be working very hard over the break on getting caught up on what I missed this week. I need to come back from break stronger than before that is for sure.

LAB C Monday

Well once again I was teaching on a monday. Luckily everybody had a lot of energy and was willing to participate. I had to teach the game of Kin-Ball, it originated in Quebec, it's creator was Mario Dever's who was a physical education teacher! This was actually going to be a part of my hook that i completely forgot. However I feel I still got the students attention quickly and held it for a good amount of time. Eveery time you teach somethings going  to happen during your lesson when you're required to think right on the spot. Today I had a few minutes to spare and I needed another activity to do. Unfortunately my mind was absolutely blank and I went to basics. I had already had the students playing the game, then brought them back to a simple level which was only because I panicked and couldnt think. Luckily my mind came up with the last activity we did with jus keeping the big ball in the air. I feel that this progressed well with the simple activity, but I really didnt need to do the beach ball activity. This is how we learn though, I'm going to have to make sure I have a filler activity if for some reason I do get ahead of time. There are 2 videos here, the camera cut off but both of these are 1 lesson.

Transcript from lab B

This link! Will take you to a google document of my transcript from Lab B Sounds better than it reads!!!

HW Assignment

Chapter 4

2)There are quite a few things teachers can do to improve communication with students. Using Logical sequences is important, teachers should give relevant material and in a structured way. Personalizing the presentation always gets students hooked on you. When they have something to realate to it only intrigues them more. Repeating directions is also a good way to communicate with them, especially more difficult instructions. Lastly, always check for understanding. If the student doesn't know what's going on they wont want to participate and may begin to shy away from the class.

Chapter 5

1)Teachers use progression to develop motor skills. Using a progression helps the students develop a part of a bigger task before completing the whole thing at once. Also teachers must refine their progressions, if they decide to make it simpler or harder based on the kind of students the teacher has. Also assessing how well the students do the task or their knowledge on the skill is important. Using Intratask or Intertask development is a question to ask ones self when trying to come up with a progression system for their students.

3) The way you can develop progressions for closed skills is different than dealing with the progression of an open skill. When you are teaching a closed skill you want to teach the whole skill whenever possible, break it down after giving students an opportunity to practice it. Also aim for accuracy vs quantity. Lastly you want to modify the goal of performance, which could be the same for an open skill. When working with an ipen skill the teacher wants to make sure they are helping students adapt their skills to a difficult environment, almost a game like situation, this way their skills become developed while in that environment and it is not a shock when actually performing it.

5) Closed Skill; Free throw -- first start with just the ball, laying on your back, practicing shooting ball off your forehead and having it back spin and come down right to you. Next start 3 ft away from basket, when you hit nothing but net you move one step back. Until at the foul line. Last thing hit a foul shot, nothing but net.
Open Skill; Volleyball Set -- First toss the ball to student right over their head, Next tell them whether the ball is coming left right or right at them. Next don't tell them where the ball will be going. Eventually mix in some throws where a bump pass would be needed.

B Day

Today was finally the day I got to do my Lab B! I was awake at 7 am practiving what to say. Its tough because no matter how many times you practice you'll never say what you exactly want! However I did do a lot better than in my A lab. I would have like to stop saying guys but I still am going to have to work with it. I also should have gone over my safety statement a little more elaborately. It was monday morning so I knew I had to go in there with  a lot of energy, especially going first, I really needed to set the pace. I like using the instant activity becasue it gets students to know, when I'm teaching we are going to be moving! I did go a little over my time though so I will have to be able to manage my time a little better. I'm hoping filling out the time sheet and transcript will help me think of ways to move the class a little faster. Another thing I liked is when Professor Yang turned on the music. I had wanted to use music but didn't get the chance to turn it on. Yang wanted to see if I could project my voice over the music. This is really interesting because he keeps throwing challenges at us to see if we can handle them. These challenges really help get us ready for whats going to happen. He might throw behavioral problems at you, kids that need to go to the nurse, could be anything. This is going to have to be where I take my teaching now, understanding what to do with kids who misbehave. This was a lot of fun and I'm hoping Lab C will be even better, let me know what you think!

Weekend to Prepare

I am getting so excited to do this B lab! I cannot wait til monday. I keep talking to myself going over everything that I want to say. Today was a good job for most people, I really liked Emily and Leslie's lesson they were very smooth and had a lot of positive things about their lesson. I always like to try and build off people and see waht they do in myself. I dont think they missed many aspects of the lesson plan format which was really good. I always forget the little things so this is really helping me to prepare and not forget the little details. The only thing I havent liked this round is there is TOO MUCH STANDING around. I HATE standing listening to directions, this is physical education. Lets get moving!! On monday I plan on not missing a beat and get right into jumping. CANT WAIT.

Teacher Candidates show off their skills

Today in class we watched other teacher candidates do their B lab. It was exciting seeing how they would handle the lesson in a short amount of time.  They handled it very well too! I loved getting new ideas with people. Although I hate the fact that it makes me feel like my lesson plan will feel the same as everyone elses. this also gives me the chance to adapt it and change what I want to do. For example I know that I want my classes a lot more fast paced than what we had today. I also need to get the class enthused, especially since I'm going on a Monday morning. One thing I thought about doing was changing the way i check for understanding. I am going to have the students demonstrate the skill and the other students scream the cues as their happening. I think this is a better more fun way for everyone to get involved. I also can get more ideas of what to do this weekend. can't wait for Monday!

Monday Morning Madness

A great class today, got to do a couple rounds of shotgun which is a really cool way to get everybodys mind thinking quickly. It is a game where you and a partner have a part of a lesson (hook, intro, task, demo, feedback) each group goes right after the other as if it were one group teaching the whole thing. I have a hard time thinking of activities right on the spot, so it forces me to get past that barrier. We also had to keep switching up the partners which gets us more involved with eachother. OH I almost forgot about the other day in class, this (vv) was a lot of fun.......

There aint no bugs on us, any bugs on you?

Amazin' Jumpers

Can you guess what we did in class today? Thats right, more jump roping!! It was a lot of fun especially becasue we got time to work on what task we have to teach in the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately, I spent the whole class figuring out cues and what works with the task I was assigned only to have to do 2 completely different ones! Oh well, the more I can teach the better! Now instead of doing an alternating in and out partner routine, I have to do 2 people 1 rope (w/o alternating) and 2 people 1 rope at the same time. What happened in class is a perfect example of what might happen in real life though. You think you are going to be set doing a certain lesson plan only to find out it's already been done the previous class. It helps to know what is going to happen the day of the lesson, so Steph and I who had a conflict of lesson plans talked and I told her I would let her do the ones that may be a little more fun to teach. However enough about teaching, here is a cool video of some Frenchies double dutching, pretty cool, really picks up about 30 seconds into it.

Jump Rope for Yang

Well last class as always was a blast. We got right into jump roping again which is always fun, especially since this whole week my calfs have been sore from jumping rope so much! We worked on our jump rope routines in class with a partner or two. It is tough to get a good routine when not everybody can jump as well as others. It was nice though because we worked on the affective domain in class, working with different people than we did the last time. This class keeps giving me new ways to work with students in the future, whether its simple cues for teaching jump rope lessons, or tips on making me a better teacher. I have no idea what is going to go on in class today, maybe YOGA again!

A2 What do you do!

So, If you took a look at the video, you can see that I am still a teacher candidate! But I am only going to use this video to help me for the next lesson, whether it be in 255 or another class. This will especially help get me into the groove of 201 labs at Saint Mary's that I'll  be attending to get my 10 hours of outside experience for this class. Whereas college students are easy to handle, and to some extent attentive, kids at Saint Mary's need to be running the WHOLE time! This class has already branded into my brain the fact that I need a hook. This is ESPECIALLY true with the children at Saint Mary's! If you don't get their attention right away, you're toast! I think this video has also showed me that it is okay to slow it down a bit when it comes to giving a lesson. I feel almost as if I am rushing myself while giving the lesson. When I do this, I fail to remember the important variables that GREAT teaching requires. I will find myself forgetting cues I wanted to use. I also find myself stuttering, because my mind is racing and I cant think of the word I want! However I did get to build on my last lesson which is what I was aiming for. I also got to add a competitive and difficult task for people to do. It wasn't as much moving as I would like, however it was a great way to teach the students; how to EXPLODE to the basket, how to break up defenses and how to make space between you and the defender. This is turning out to be a good progression of learning this skill, especially since I can keep building on it and eventually get to an actual game and get them in the real life setting! BUT my question to you is.. What do you do, to be a better teacher!?

Prep for a better 4!

Today we spent a good amount of time talking about what, as a teacher, could we have done to improve our 4 minute lesson. (Refer to video in previous blog) This was a really good opportunity to talk with the TA's who have been through this and get pointers. For example I'm going to need a hook, I was thinking about using a quote that we could all relate to the activity. However I was also thinking about changing the activity to be more of a game type situation. for example, samewhere along the lines of, 1v1 and you only get one dribble to the basket! Not only will this give the students a lot of touches on the ball, but it brings in difficulty and competition in a fun atmosphere. This also teaches great moves to the basket to set up for a layup which we talked about last time I taught. I cant wait to try this out.

Professor Yang - How to Teach

Today in class for 255 Professor Yang kept the pace with last week. Right off the bat he had us in an instant activity and throwing the Frisbee around. This helped get us back into the mood we left in last week. He introduced what we were doing in the course and today he hooked us with the topic of Chinese new year. This was an interesting and different approach for a PE class so it was intriguing indeed. I cannot remember if there was a safety statement, however you could see the gym was sett up appropriately to keep students in a safe environment. Professor Yang also used visual aids; posters on how to throw a frisbee and decorations for the Chinese Year of the Dragon. He was very good at explaining the tasks and if there was confusion he would be certain to clarify it. The professionalism and ability that  Professor Yang has to keep the attentino of a group and to make them participate is extraordinary, we are very lucky to have a professor like this to model off of.

4 Minutes to Teach It

This was last week in our 255 class in which we had 4 minutes to teach. This was on the first day of class. I was very excited to start so quickly. I think this cideo gives a great description at some of my qualities. I like to keep the students active and keep their heart rates up. I also like to give out simple cues for kids to remember the next time they may be performing this task. With such little time and preparation I think the overall lesson was a success!

Welcome to 255

WOW! What a difference from 201 already! As soon as I walked into Professor Yang's classs today I knew I was going to have fun; there were footballs, basketballs, volleyballs and even soccer balls right at half court. I immediately knew we would be doing something interesting and of course we were. We got to teach right off the bat, and thats exactly what I love to do. I felt very comfortable in front of my classmates, seeing a few that i knew from last semester. This class to me looks very promising, hopefully I will learn quite a few things to better myself as a teacher. Cannot wait until Friday