Healthy New Year Video Challenge - 1st entry

GK's Karagrozis' Physical Fit Lifestyle entry for the Healthy New Year Resolution Submission to US Gov Competition is filled with great apps to track Physical Activity and Nutrition. Will he win some $$$??? Top prize is $2000 with lots of other awards too. Let's see if we can get somebody from SUNY Cortland on this list!  Help spread the word, and use the hashtag #HealthIT4U2012 when you tweet.  

Success of Failure - Lab A

Now that we've had the opportunity to teach twice in less than two weeks, we hope that these practice sessions will encourage reflective growth and exploration of the art and science of teaching and learning. We've seen some great initial use of pedagogical tools and with more practice, failures, and "teachable moments" we will get better.

Here are the photos from our micro-lessons so please use them to support your blog posts.  Please download the software program (Picasa) so that you will be able to do other assignments later in the semester. Also once you find a photo in the album you want to download - press the "Action" button then scroll down to "Download Photo. If you try to right click and save or drag the photo to your computer the resolution is much lower than you will need for later on.



Speaking of failure, I saw this great post on CNN about failure for a Pulitzer Prize winning author and I love this statement:

"The key is struggling a lot," she says.

As we mentioned in class you don't learn anything by being successful at it the first time. It is through our struggles and failures that we learn to focus and correct for the next time and the reason why practice is so important to our profession. Just because you do something once does not make you a reflective and ever-improving teacher.

Here is another post from last semester about Manny Pacquio's intense training and sparring regiments prior to a fight. Check it out and see how you might apply similar techniques to your teaching lessons.

Learning to teach like a ROCKSTAR

In today's 255 class everyone had a great time. this shows how easy it is to make an activity exciting with little amount of time. On Friday students will be re-teaching their lab A. This will give you a chance to get a little more practice.

Thing to keep in mind: (Just a few tips)

            Introduce yourself- This is a must.

            Have a safety statement- your job as a teacher candidate is to provide a safe learning environment so a little reminder of what to stay within or to follow is key.

            Hook- Although hooks are great with only 4 minutes to teach it is understandable not to have one.

            Demonstrate with cues- Break down the skill that you are focusing on and there is your cues.

            Feedback- Always give feedback that goes along with your cues.

            Close- Remind them how great they did and add a little spice for next class to keep them excited!

This is the link to the outline of Lab A2. https://sites.google.com/site/rockstarpe/classes/edu-255/labs/lab-a

   This is everything that you will want to know and review before teaching.

Remember have fun and be loud.

Cortland PE Portfolio Showcase Fall 2011

Best & Worst Moments in Movement

Ramsey has posted his Prezi describing his Best and Worst Moments in Movement using a variety of media including images, hand drawn computer art, www.xtranormal.com video with his own voice recorded to narrate the story, all encompassed within the framework of his goaltender gloves. Check it out!

Foundations: Multiculturalism, Philosophy, Finances

Focus questions:

1. How do deficit, expectation, and cultural difference theories explain disparate academic performance among various racial, ethnic, and cultural groups?

2. What major developments have marked the educational history of Native Americans, Hispanics, African Americans, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, and Arab Americans?

3. What educational barriers and break throughs have girls and women experienced?

4. What classroom strategies are appropriate for teaching culturally diverse learners?

5. Are America's schools a secret success story, doing better than the press and public believe?

1. What is a philosophy of education, and why should it be important to you?

2. How do teacher-centered philosophies of education differ from student-centered philosophies of education?

3. What are some major philosophies of education in the United States today?

4. How are these philosophies reflected in school practices?

5. What are some of the psychological and cultural factors influencing education?

6. What were the contributions of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to Western philosophy, and how is their legacy reflected in education today?

7. How do metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics, and logic factor into a philosophy of education?

1. Why do teachers need to know about finance and governance?

2. How is the property tax connected to unequal educational funding?

3. What is the distinction between educational equity and educational adequacy?

4. What are the sources of state revenues?

5. How does the federal government influence education?

6. What current trends are shaping educational finance?

7. How do school boards and superintendents manage schools?

8. What is the "hidden" government of schools?

9. How does the business community influence school culture?

10. How are schools being made more responsive to teachers and the community?

1. What are your legal rights and responsibilities as a teacher?

2. What legal rights do students enjoy (and do they have legal responsibilities)?

3. What are today's main approaches to moral education?

Perfecting Practice

Manny Pacquaiao has three separate sparring partners to prepare him for his fight versus Juan Marquez, each tasked with imitating a certain boxing style, technique, or pace Marquez might display. In essence he beats the heck out of three guys during PRACTICE, and each of them is a great boxer in their own right, yet:

"When you get hit hard, you go, 'f---, how long are these three minutes going to be?'" Rodela says afterward, "because it feels like an eternity when you're in there."

How hard have you practiced for your teaching labs/lessons? How many times have you set up the equipment in the gym or other area to practice exactly what you're going to do when it's your turn? Have you prepared for the unexpected and the possible scenarios that might arise?  Have you gone through your discipline/management plan when problems come up? Will you give someone a time-out on the first offense? Will you be able to see the offense from your positioning in the class?

Here a couple pre- teaching samples from your peers.  Please post your videos to your blog and to our Facebook group to show people your progress.





What it's like to spar with Manny Pacquiao - Bryan Armen Graham - SI.com:

In regards to practice, Dan who was a commercial photographer but gave it up to learn to be an expert golfer by taking 5 full years to accumulate 10,000 hours of practice (a theorized level of expertise/mastery).

Remember, this course is just the start of your teaching career and if you're serious about helping kids learn, then you better get used to practice, trial, error, reflection and then back to practice again. This cycle is essential to continuous growth for both you and your students. I never assume I know everything because I wouldn't be open to see your points of view, appreciate how each of you learn best, and what you can teach me.

Dan's approach is intriguing and very gutsy even has his swing coach doing a video analysis (a necessity in golf education programs and coaching). Hmmm, video analysis - sound familiar?  Happy Practicing and Learning!

CS swing analysis September 2011 from Dan McLaughlin on Vimeo.

Time is of the Essence

Hey 255 Rockstars!  Your Lab C lessons have been up and running for some time now, and they are probably going a lot faster than you expected them to.  With that being said, it is crucial to manage the short time you have, wisely.  For those of you that have already gone, you all have great ideas and you all seem to be comfortable teaching, but some of you may not be satisfied with how it has gone.  So, for those of you that have not gone yet, you might need to think about how you can get your students to participate in activity time sooner.  Do not be afraid to take a look at your watch during your lesson.  Maybe at the 3-minute mark, get the class moving with some activities.  For those who have taught your Lab C already, remember that Lab D is just around the corner.  It is time to prepare.  You get more time, so start coming up with ideas of how you are going to increase the activity time.  This is why we record the lesson.  It allows you to reflect on what needs work.  You are here to become a better teacher with every lesson, so take advantage of it.



Also, you may have all been surprised with the students "misbehaving" in class, and the students with "disabilities."  Be prepared to expect anything.

PE InTECHgration: Lifelong learning

Learning to incorporate technology into our lesson is an important step in helping students learn better. As teachers you should constantly learn new tech skills, as I just read that tech skills have a two-year half-life. In other words

.. that the exact set of skills you have today will only be half as marketable two years from now.

 Lifelong learning should be ingrained in our work ethic and beliefs.

Rules, Protocols, Expectations

I love catching up with PE teachers all over the world on what they're doing in class. I truly miss the daily interactions in a school setting...but with teachers like Michael Beringer in Minnesota, Jarrod Robinson in Australia, Jenna Monahan (student-teacher) on  Long Island, Kyle McKune (Louisville, KY) and others...its almost like being there.

Check out Michael's Gym rules poster and other weekly highlights including how he plays games like Scat Cat and clump to get students used to directions and grouping along with self-spacing.  You never just play/practice these just once - you constantly remind, practice and give feedback on these expected behaviors.