Hall Of Modification

There are so many traditional games that are seen to be on the infamous "Wall of Shame".  It is clear as to how some of those games do not teach what parents want to be seen taught in their physical education classes.  As a future physical educator I considerate it my job to take these games that most children love so much and transform them.  I feel as though you never want to strip students of the games they love in phys-ed class, but rather modify them in such a way where they still have a maximal amount of fun as well as get something a little more out of the game play.  There are so many different modifications for all these games in circulation, and can easily be found if you cannot think of a modification yourself.   The possibilities for transforming a traditional game to a new, creative, and exciting game are endless; and when I am one day controlling a physical education program, I plan on creating some unique and personalized games myself.  

Hall Of Shame

Inspire Others to be Healthy!

So many people today do not have the motivation or commitment to living a healthier lifestyle.  Thanks to HealthIT.gov, hopefully more and more people get that motivation to change some bad habits and pick up new, healthier ones.  I already keep a relatively good diet with plenty of exercise and physical activity, so my goal is to improve or at the very least maintain my level of activity and performance so I can continue living the life I want. Hopefully this video, and other videos similar, will give people that extra push to get out, get active, and make a positive impact on their life.  Too few people today are out of shape, unhealthy, and have low self esteem, and my goal as a physical educator is to minimize that number of people best I can. 

Living a Healthy Lifestyle (www.healthIT.gov)

Does Practice Make Perfect?

Last weeks practice lab really aided in my knowledge of how to run a classroom/gymnasium.  You must be able to control all the students to give direction and make the games sound interesting and fun.  If you hold their attention, they will enjoy and comprehend the game itself, and the goals at hand.  I also found that coming up with a dance routine with music in 20 minutes is much harder than anticipated...

Through this exercise I feel as though it helped me to think on my toes with the pressure on.  When you only have  a select amount of time to figure out a game in the gym, or a lesson in the classroom, or in this case, a dance in class, it can be nerve wrecking and frustrating but you need to learn how to deal with that kind of immediate stress.  This exercise definitely allowed me to understand the importance of being ready for anything, especially in an unforeseeable classroom setting.

A week after the rehearsal of games and brainstorming, our skills were put to the test in St. Mary's after school program.  This was the first lab that we had actually planned a series of games and had a good amount of structure.  As prepared as we were, and as confident as we were after practicing how we would go about explaining, demonstrating and performing our games, the group of children we had shot our ideas down.  All these 5th and 6th grade students wanted to do was play basketball.  We eventually came to a small consensus which still did not work out overly well.  We were able to get a large number of students to play the game, Great Wall, but after about five or so minutes of that, they became bored and longed for something better.  Due to the stubbornness of the students to try new games, we ended up playing basketball.  We played for a while and then slowly modified the game to make it a little different, until we were able to transition into playing team handball which was a relatively positive turnout.  Ultimately, no matter how many times you may practice what you want to do, or run through it in your head, you need to have some sort of back up plan and be able to think on your toes in order to make a program or lesson flow smoothly.  Practice helps, but experience is really what makes a lesson perfect.
Lab 2 and Assessment

Virtus and Abuse

After completing the Virtus training with Sister Harriet Hamilton, I left with more knowledge of sexual abuse than I thought possible in a school setting.  I've realized that as a teacher, and state mandated reporter, it is possible to make a difference if you suspect suspicious behavior.  By noting that maybe an adult is getting a little close or a little to friendly around a child, and reporting this activity to your superiors, you could prevent an act of sexual abuse and a save a child or children from something that will traumatize them for life.  If unsettling behavior is not reported, that potential perpetrator will remain to have access to children and have the opportunity to cause harm.  I am glad I was able to partake in this workshop and learn things that will definitely benefit my professional career and knowledge of the horrors of the real world.

Lab 1 Reflection

Today, at St. Mary's, I felt everything ran much smoother and was a little bit more comfortable and relaxing.  I was shocked to find that many of the children that were there the previous week quickly recalled who i was and wanted to jump straight into playing games and having fun.  Due to the small number of children in the group I was working with, we resorted to playing a small game of soccer which really got the children moving.  I feel as though playing simple, traditional games as such, are good to bring back into play rather than some new games where the children may be confused.  I also believe that playing something most everyone was familiar with was beneficial so that next time, when more children are around, everyone can learn a new game/games at the same time together.


lab 1

"Learn through the physical"

When referring to learning through the physical, I believe that students can learn a lot.  Learning through the physical is more or less learning through play and experience.  Anyone can talk about what to do during a sports game but you can learn so much more actually exploring that sports game yourself.  Through learning through the physical, learning can occur through the three domains, psychomotor, affective, and cognitive. This can quickly be summed up into how you train your sensory coordination skills,  your social skills while interacting with others, and becoming all around more knowledgeable about the sport, topic or activity you are working on and partaking in.   Through learning through the physical, one of the most important thing someone can take from it would be from the affective domain.  By participating in physical activity and play, your behavior towards other while on the field, court, stadium, etc, will be improved as you learn how to handle situations and work together with the people around you.  Learning through the physical is one of the best ways to learn, for it expands your knowledge to the fullest extent and allows for growth in all three domains.

Day 1

Being unsure of what our lab experience would be like, I found my first day working with the kids and getting a feel for the environment was a success.  I got a good feeling when entering, seeing all the children running around with smiles on their face, and when i stepped into the gym i instantly felt welcomed.  The most memorable part of my day was probably in the Pre-K room where i found myself on the ground playing with trucks and animals with a child named Lucas.  While playing I was able to ask him how many animals or people he would put in the bus, allowing him to use some basic cognitive skill while having a good time.  I'm looking forward to our actual first day at the school when we meet the primary students we will be working with and getting to know.