Teach PE Like a Rockstar: Mainstreaming, "Multiple Intelligences" & DIversity

The following is a summary of what we've posted so far about the topics in chapter 2. Be sure you find images (with Creative Commons permissions) and videos that support what you are trying to say and find and link to other resources that show you have researched and understand the complexity of issues that surround or educational system. Remember that you need to be writing at minimum 250 words EACH DAY or broadcast a video (in any style) that shows your understanding in a clear and concise manner. If as a class you have an idea on what to produce for Friday's class, please let me know so we can get producing and directing ASAP.

Amanda (Featuring Jess) interviews a fellow student in relation to the factors that affects her learning. Her main emphasis in this broadcast is the student's locus of control and its impact on learning. Amanda's blog Sound Mind, Sound Body highlights her efforts to help and inspire her students.

Mainstreaming in Education? - Cross posted from Vinny Brites A Brite Way to Learn PE blog and Patrick Hayes Got PhysEd blog. Starring Vinny Brites and Patrick Hayes in a SCOPE Media Broadcasting Production.

These are the guiding questions for chapter 2:

1. How do cognitive, affective, and physiological factors impact learning?

2. How can teachers respond to different learning styles?

3. What are the classroom implications of Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences?

4. How does emotional intelligence influence teaching and learning?

5. How can teachers meet the diverse needs of an increasingly multicultural student population?

6. What are the different levels of multicultural education?

7. What are the political and instructional issues surrounding bilingual education?

8. How are the needs of special learners met in today's classrooms?

9. Does technology exacerbate racial, class, geographic, and gender divisions?

Alex Coffee wrote about the importance of understanding "learning styles" as it applies to one's learning in his blog Cup of Coffee PE

Each student has their own style of learning, and when teaching these styles are mixed together which makes it important for a teacher to incorporate more than one style into their presentation. There are three main types of learning styles: Visual, Kinesthetic, and Auditory. Visual learning students require learning through seeing words, charts, pictures etc. Things that they can see are learned more efficiently. The students that learn this way will gain more information from diagrams in the text, overheads presented to them in class or simply through text books. Kinesthetic learning is known as learning through performing actions or "hands-on". If the students are moving around or have things they can directly use by themselves, then this will enhance the ability of the kinesthetic learner. Even strategies as the students taking roles will help enhance the learning process for the student who is a kinesthetic learner. The third learning style is Auditory learners. This type of learner gains the most knowledge by hearing lectures and conversation. These students have the ability to gain their knowledge from talking about it with others. Groupwork is a great way for Auditory learners to understand what is being taught. This type of learner will benefit from from hearing and talking about what is put in front of them. It is important for teachers to blend these styles together therefore there will be less of a chance for misunderstanding. My belief is that the only way to ensure effective teaching would be to display each style of teaching into a lesson.

You must check out all the resources on Edutopia (sponsored by the George Lucas Foundation) as they have been advocates in transforming education everywhere across all the disciplines and emphasizing innovative educational practices.

Anthony summarized his view of multiple intelligences as it applies to him in PE on his blog Golden Super Star PE:

Everybody is unique and different! What appeals to one person might not appeal to another. These ideas are true in almost every aspect of our lives. Think about a roommate you may have had at one point in your life. Did your roommate like to study with music playing in the background while you liked to study in silence? Were you better in subjects like art and music while he or she may have been better at math and social studies? If you answered yes to any of the following questions it's because we as students and future physical educators must know that students have preferred learning styles and that teaching to these styles will increase our educational success! There are three styles of learners that students commonly fit into and they are Visual Learners, Kinesthetic Learners and Auditory Learners. It's imperative that we as future educators understand that not all of our students will be the same and need to build our curriculum for students of all learning styles. Now you may be asking yourself how can we as physical educators encompass things in our lessons to meet the needs of all these different types of learners? Let's start with visual learners!

Now if I'm a physical education, it's important to have things students can see like visual aids or pictures. These visual aids can have cues and little reminders that the students can look back on during the lesson. This will also help you remember what you're looking for in the lesson when giving constructive feedback. Pictures are a great way for students to see what something should look like so if you're playing soccer or in a track and field unit students can see proper form of a runner and how his or her hands move.

By using visual aids and pictures the visual learners should have a good grasp of the subject at hand but now you have to explain it. So with the help of your cues and pictures you address what is happening in those pictures and state out loud the cues. This helps auditory learners get a grasp of what is being asked. Also during your lesson you may get creative and come up with a little song that the students can remember and sing during the class and outside of the class to help them remember cues or rules, etc.

So now that you've covered the visual and auditory learners it's time to help out the students that are more "hands on". So you've covered you're visual aids and given the students a little song to remember. So now it's time to have the students get out and practice. Most students love practicing and playing games and moving! So it's especially important as physical educators get the students moving as soon as possible (usually within the first 30 seconds of class starting) Practice makes perfect right? As physical educators it's important to have all students moving and build lessons that get the students as much practice at a particular task as possible! *Remember to give feedback! Start with a positive and then explain what needs work. Additionally end with a positive!

As a physical educator I feel it's important to understand all learning styles and try to become as well a rounded a learner as possible. I have personally taken tests that have shown me that I am about equal in all these categories meaning I can be shown something or hear something or actually perform the task and understand it all the same. I feel I couldn't pick just one that appeals to me because they all have a critical role in helping students become more physically educated. So ask yourself, if somebody where to ask you what learning style is most appealing to you and why, which one would you choose?