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Monday, February 27, 2012

PE Debate (live)


Video streaming by Ustream

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Lab C Blasting off with Hantis

We had a great start to lab C with Hantis being our sport for grades 4 (Kyle), 8 (Eric), and 12 (Mike). It was great to see the creators of Hantis send you a video to thank and encourage you all to enjoy the sport they created. I hope it shows us all the power of social media and importance of communicating in the digital age. You never know what can happen from here... Go Hantilators!

Remember the objective is to teach the through the physical and especially for this lab the culture from which the sport came.  Your Lab C C9 forms are in our Google Docs folder so please download them and if you choose, you may post to your blog (but you are not obligated). You should also have your peer feedback form that was given to you after you taught. You have one week to get all your analyses, reflections, photos and video uploaded to your blog.  Be sure you know what needs to get done for lab C.


Student teaching expectations

For those of you that are getting ready to student teach here's a little insight for you.  Be prepared!  Your students will be at school ready to do what you have for them before you think.  You always have to be on your toes and be willing to switch things up if they don't work out.  As you can see in this picture, it's not a normal game of volleyball but one with four courts.  Reason being because the students got bored with regular volleyball and I still had two days left to teach it.  Students like change and a challenge.  Give them that challenge because the best reward is when they come in next class asking if they can play that game again.


Nothing will prepare you for discipline.  Fights, foul language, and kids messing around is something that you can't be prepared to handle but have to have a cool head and know the appropriate ways to handle these situations.  Just saying "stop" might not work, so you have to think.  The best way to learn how to deal with these situations is experience and it will get easier.  My first few weeks of student teaching was a handful with many fights, a constant use of foul language, and students doing what they're not supposed to, the entire class.  It is now easy for me to handle because I know what to expect and what to do because of the previous problems.

Whatever you do when student teaching, have fun!  If you can't enjoy it, then you shouldn't be teaching.  It's also not about how much you know, it's about how much you care about the students.  Building a positive relationship with your students has some of the best rewards and will make your job easier.  Whether it's coaching or teaching, know your students, be personal with them, and show them that you care about their success because they will see that and appreciate that you're their teacher/coach.  You will know that you accomplished this when they are upset that you are leaving their school and you will know that you did everything you were supposed to do. 

Andrew Snide

Monday, February 20, 2012

The Great Debate in PE (201)


The Great Debate is on to determine which curriculum emphasis is more appropriate for the students in New York State. Remember our end goal is to have grade 12 students physically educated and in part that means being a recreationally competent mover in six activities/sports, a proficient mover in three other activities/sports spread across at least three different activity categories.  Here are the forms which are the basis for our assignment. This assignment is really a synthesis activity that is placing you in the context of a real educational situation. Although I have shown you some resources, these are not the only ones. Here are some others




Lab C
Wednesday Group one will be teaching.  You will need your lesson plans and Activity Progressions sheets done and turned in.
Groups teaching Friday 24th, Monday 27th, and Wednesday 29th will need to turn in their lesson plans and Activity Progressions sheets Friday the 24th.
TEACHING:
Remember to print out your lesson plan to look onto while teaching, set up and check technology before starting class, setting up posters and equipment (hope fully its signed out), and have a common plan with your group members ie: same play list for music or same rules poster. Also practice with the equipment before teaching with it. You may find using a certain ball is not working or a scooters wheel is broken and you are not aware of it until the lesson has started. Lastly have fun!
PACKET DUE
If you go to the Lab C and D link you will see what is needed for the lab C packets. You may want to work together to do the scoping sequence (this is allowed). Be creative with these Packets you most likely will be using these in your portfolio! 
The packets are due Wednesday the 29th printed and shared on Google.





Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Is Dodgeball good for PE?


Children playing "Duck Duck Goose", ...
Image via Wikipedia
Having some games ready to play at St.Mary's was a good start to our overall preparedness; however, if we are truly going to change the culture of PE and have more physically educated students, then we must be sure to provide developmentally appropriate physical education (DAPE) and avoid games and activities that are in the PE Hall of Shame. After watching some of us resort to games that we played as kids and ones that are not in the best interest of young children...we will now start to explore WHY these games are not beneficial.  


Anybody without a teaching degree and a B.Sc. in P.E. can "lead" games such as Duck Duck Goose, Kickball, Dodgeball, etc...  You don't have to go to a teacher preparation program to use those games and we will NOT be playing these games while we are at St.Mary's.  We are striving to change the environment of the after-school program by using games that are supportive of the needs and abilities of the students and not just convenient to play because they know how to already play them.  When we're not there, they can play them all they want.  While we're at St.Mary's - we need you to explore and be creative to create enticing environments, choose developmentally appropriate and adaptable games/activities that help you assess fundamental motor skills and teach students to perform these skills more effectively.


PE Hall of Shame (Part 2)  (also available here) was released after the initial induction of 6 games that should not be played in PE class. In class we discussed two of the initial inductees (Dodgeball and Kickball) and why (human targets, isolation, no choice, safety, hiding from others, skill level, etc...) they were included in the initial induction ceremony.

It would help if you added pictures like Jack's post on defending dodgeball (posted below). This assignment is due before next class. (Photo via iStockPhoto & Xanga)

ASSIGNMENT
  1. Please read Chapter 3, 18-20.
  2. Click on the comment link at the bottom of this post to leave your initial reactions (2-3 sentences) to these games and whether or not you agree with them. Also leave a link to your own blog URL (eg. http://www.rockstarpe.blogspot.com  or Twitter handle @syangman or http://www.twitter.com/syangman) where you further expand on your opinions, connect with other professionals, and start developing your own PLN. 
  3. Blog about how the games we play compare to the many HALL OF SHAME games (1994 and 1996) we often experienced in the OLD PE.  What is your general reaction to seeing some of your favorite games included?  If you were to play one of these SHAME games, how would you alter it so that it meets the requirement of being developmentally appropriate for your students?  
    1. How would you justify playing these games today so that it fits in with NYS Learning Standards and NASPE Standards for high-quality PE?
    2. How will playing this game help your students attain the goals of being physically educated and what will be gained?
  4. Be sure to use our photos from lab or one from your Zemanta plug-in or from some other Creative Commons source.  
  5. Due by next class.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Student Teaching: Expectations for New Experiences

Some of you PE Rockstars may be getting ready to Student Teach next semester. Maybe you are still a whole year away. Either way, it is never too late to start preparing. I am sure you are all excited and anxious to begin this new experience as you should be. Of course, you have put in some time during your Field Experiences, but this brings it to a new level. Now, you have the chance to feel the experience of being a teacher. It becomes reality. Think about the times you have sat in class and learned about "Behavioral Management;" things to look for, some possible actions you must take. Now, think about how you will actually take action because trust me, you will face issues.

When it comes to teaching your lessons, jump in as soon as possible. Take some time in the beginning to do some observation, get to know the facilities and equipment, the kids names and to see how your Cooperating Teacher runs his/her class.  Progress into teaching some warm ups or maybe a class here and there. Then, you might want to start teaching every other class until you are comfortable enough to take the full work load.  Your cooperating teacher is there to help you. They know it is YOUR experience. Never be afraid to ask them for anything.

The most important part of your Student Teaching Experience is your PROFESSIONALISM. You are there representing yourself, as well as SUNY Cortland. You need to be well prepared every day, and present yourself in the school as if you are part of the faculty. This will do wonders for your "Professional Development" so, do whatever it takes to get your name out there even if it is just saying "Hi" to teachers in the hallway. Take part in anything possible. Recently, I have had the opportunity to receive training with the entire PE Department with the XerPro SportWall. The school district has received great new equipment via grant. To promote the grant, the school district put on a Family Fitness Night in which students and parents were invited to attend and participate in physical activity.  I have also sat in on a PE Department meeting to discuss upcoming events, grant options and new ideas including Project Adventure.

I could go on and on so, I leave this message with you: Do everything you are required to do and MORE. There is always a different experience to improve your Professional Development. Take advantage of it.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Great Job on Lab B!

Awesome job on lab B Rockstars!
Your teaching is looking great! There has already been a large amount of  improvement in your teaching in just a short amount of time.  Many of you look calm and confident while others still look a little nervous when their teaching, but don’t worry its easier and easier each time. Just remember when your teaching, go out there and have fun!
Even though I wasn’t able to see everyone teach there lab B I was still very impressed with how much improvement I did see with just five of you teaching.  Some great things that I noticed was that your hooks were very creative, I really enjoyed how Kim incorporated the history of jump roping, and how they used to use vines which added into her grapevine skill. Also everyone’s voice was loud and clear and made it easy for the class to hear the instructions that were being given. The pinpointing was great as well! By using pinpointing it gives your class another demonstration on how the skill is supposed to look. Also when pinpointing a student it makes that student feel good about themselves because they are doing something correct. Make sure before you pinpoint your student that you let them know in advance.
There are some things that still need a little work, but its okay it teaching comes with practice. Remember that it is your lesson and you can run it the way you want, you don’t have to go right down the list of the C9 form right in order, you can mix things up. Just try and make sure you get everything in. Also like what was said in class on Friday when you see or hear the one minute signal don’t wrap things up right away. A class wrap up only takes about 20 seconds so you still have 40 seconds where your students can be working on their task.
Lab C and D will be here before you know it, so here are a few things to keep in mind. You want to make sure that you have your back to the wall at all times; you want to be able to see what every student is doing. If you have your back to your students behavioral issues are easier to occur. With that being said Professor Yang will start throwing behavioral issues at you during your lessons. You can think that you’re ready for him to throw something at you, but you’re not. So when he does stay calm take a breath and deal with the issue. Also you will have to complete Lab packets , it is your great interest to get started on them right away and don’t leave them for the last minute. The faster you get them done, the more time your TA’s and  Professor Yang have to look over them and improve them before you have to hand them in.
Keep up the good work!



Saturday, February 11, 2012

Padawan Training TC to Jedi's: Lab B Overview

Cross-posted (and slightly edited from EricE's blog EDU 255 Lab B Overview)
Today I observed five teacher-candidates (TC) teaching their lab B to the class, I was very impressed with a lot of things and I also have some suggestions.


First were the hooks, every body I observed today had a hook and they were very clever. Hooks are used to get students interested (and motivated) and to think about why the teacher is saying this and excited to learn. One hook was about all of the students being warriors, and that would be very motivating to younger students in a normal classroom setting. Also the energy that everyone brought was awesome, everyone was clearly excited to be there and happy to be able to teach the lesson they were waiting to teach.

I thought everyone was excellent but here is some feedback to get your teaching to the next level. First thing I recognized was where’s the music? During all of the practice days I expressed my love for music and the energy that it brings in a lesson. Nobody used music except for one person for a very minimal time. Music fills that dead silence while you are teaching and has a energy that can’t be replaced regardless of what you say. Also,  every time TC's heard they have one minute left they began to panic. Relax you have a whole minute to finish up your lesson and break it down. I taped the videos and I found that on average it took students twenty-five to thirty-five seconds to close out a lesson which means you still have some time for activity. And lastly just go with it! You are the only person who knows how your lesson is supposed to go, so if ya mess up… who cares. Figure out where you should be and get back on target never stop and draw attention. Overall everyone was great but everybody should aim to build on what they did. Good luck to everybody and keep working hard!

Rockstar Performance in the Pool

Congrats to former #ped201 Rocker JessE and current rocker MKD (Click here for her blog) for winning the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:35.79. That effort is a school record and an NCAA “B” cut, and ties the SUNYAC conference and meet record set by Geneseo in 2009. 

More information on Cortland's Athletics page

Student Teaching (Wii) Fitting for Nicole S

Student Teaching

Hello All! So the first 4 weeks of student teaching have flown by, but yet so much has been done. While I've been at this school I have been able to help out it in games night, literacy day, and start up a morning intramural game program. Most recently we have started up our gymnastics unit which usually consists of 7 or so stations that the students rotate through. This year I decided that a Wii Fit Balance station would be a nice addition. Students have been very enthusiastic to participate. Many already understand and own the game, so little instruction is needed, which means more activity time! The school that I am currently at is not very familiar with technology. This game is a great start for the program, and I have been able to peek the interest of my cooperating teacher to invest in more of these games for next year. This  game is both exciting and beneficial to the students, which will hopefully continue onto next year. - Nicole Sherman's ePortfolio

Friday, February 10, 2012

Scary Student-teaching: Working (it) Out

Student-teaching (ST) is on the horizon for many of you and I wanted to share some words and experiences from your fellow Cortland Rockstars PE Student Teachers.

Be sure to check out Ben Paquette's experiences incorporating Minute To Win It Fitness Unit with some exergaming (Jackie Chan J-Mat) to provide timed trials and feedback.

First period went off with a hit(ch) and was a complete success, students were sweating, working hard, cheering on their teammates, captains came out in the groups (which wasn’t even thought of) and after reviewing the results the students that we thought would be weaker, were actually the students doing the best! In the fast feet challenge, I had students breaking records and a Kindergartner get 86 steps in 10 seconds… it was so unbelievable and impressive we decided to submit his name into the morning announcements with the 5th and 6th grade teams. Overall the teams were even and worked out in all my classes today. Behavioral problems were minimal to the point Mrs. Drumm commented, “This is almost scary, how well everyone is working together and actually working hard”. Overall today was amazing, it felt great to know my hard work came together and worked out!

Ryan Carpenter just emailed me with this update of a recent workshop for new exergaming equipment that arrived via a PEP grant.

Hope this semester is going well for you. Thought I would shoot you an e-mail today after the training I did with my Cooperating Teacher and the PE teachers in the school district.  The school district just received a large grant this year for PE, and they're bringing in a lot of new equipment.  They just started putting in XerPro SPORTWALLs, and we got to play some games on it with different variations and ideas. Put in a pretty solid workout with different shuttle runs, sit ups and throwing games.  It was a good time, and thought I would share it with you.
Hope all is well,
Ryan C 

Family Buy In PE

Beltsville PE uses blogs to communicate with students and parents homework, special dates and even assignments for missed classes. In Prince George's County there are over 25 SUNY Cortland PE alumni - so I'll follow up with them to see if any of this staff did.

I asked them " On a scale of 1-10, how important is it for you to intereact/communicate/educate the parents/guardians & advocating HQPE" and they answered:

"@syangman 10! Getting the family to buy in is a huge step toward creating physically competent and active, healthy kids!"

https://twitter.com/#!/BeltsvillePE/status/167987939052232704

Check them out at:
http://beltsvillepe.blogspot.com/



How will you use technology to aid you in "creating physically competent and active, healthy kids!"


Remember that using tech is part of the Healthy New Year Resolution Video Assignment - which is due Feb. 16th.
201 - 255  - 470


Video Contest page - Go Cortland PE!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Attention 201 Rockstars!

Rockstars, do not forget to blog about your recent visit to St. Mary's.  Please remember to upload your game for your next lab to the Google docs.  For Monday's lab please have it completed by 5pm this friday Feb. 10, and for Wednesday's lab please have it completed by this Sunday Feb. 12. Thanks!


Also please publish your reflections to your blog one week from your lab experience.  This includes your reflection, the answers to your lab questions, as well as at least 3 pictures.


Click here for St. Mary's Game Planner.





Also do not forget to check out the photo album!  This is a helpful tool to use not only for uploading the pictures to your block, but for using the pictures as artifacts to use in your portfolio.  Take advantage of this great opportunity that Dr. Yang offers for you!


Click here for Picasa photo album from Labs 1 and 2. Thumbs Up!


Lab B: Blazing a Trail to Better PE

We had a great series of lessons this morning to really jump start our teaching labs. Check out the videos on our Lab B playlist and see what pedagogical tools you can identify and determine their effectiveness.



Sunday, February 5, 2012

255 Lab B Tips

Hey Rock stars I hope everybody is practicing for their lab B, it is quickly approaching. From what I saw everyone was off to a great start!!! Don't forget, teaching is not only about being able to do the skill but also to teach your students how to do the skill. The first thing to think about when teaching is your cues; your cues set the basis for your whole lesson. They should be descriptive but also short so the students can remember them easily; try and keep the lesson to only three main cues. Next is be creative, everybody is teaching jump rope, what can you do to set your lesson apart from everyone else’s? Some things to think about are music, different activities, etc. Anything unique that comes to mind, give it a try because you never know what will work. It is helpful to create a trademark for yourself, something you can always go to, and once again, makes you stand out. Most importantly bring high energy, after five other people teaching some kind of jump rope skill if your energy is low then your lesson will be a flop. Energy is very contagious and you need to provide it in order to be successful. I hope everyone is practicing very hard to master all of your skills to deliver a lesson to be proud of. Ultimately, remember to utilize what you have, all of the TA’s are more then willing to help you and give you ideas!!