Last Day

The Last day of the labs was the Easter theme, and the kids had a lot of fun with our obstacle course we set up. I was the Easter bunny and Sean was the Ogre that stole all my Easter eggs before I could give them out. The kids went though the course for about 20 minutes before they had to go downstairs for snack. It was a lot of fun. (the kids like props too!)

Going Green

The enviorment theme this week was geared more toward the Pre-K. My group did Guard the Castle, but it was not really envirment based. We were observing dribbling and kicking, which the kids had a lot of fun with. The kids stayed interested to whole time with very little variation needed.

What might be some limitations to games or activities when using them in the process of assessing motor skills?
Some limitations would be that the kids are in such a hurry and so into the game that they are not worried about performing the skill correctly, just as fast as they can. Also, games do not guarantee that the kids are going to have the opportunity to perform all the skills being assessed.

Food Mania

This week was a bit messed up.....my group actually did not get to do our game. We only observed in the gymnasium and then were supposed to do our game downstairs. However, since it was the first nice day (nice enough to go outside) we went outside the the playground. The kids were really excited, and most of them wanted to play kickball, but a few stayed to play on the playground they had there. Inside at first though we looked at throwing and catching.

Reflecting on your experience so far at St Mary’s, what do you think have been some difficulties or challenges you have faced? Consider all areas – environment, children, etc.

Some difficulties for me at St. Mary’s included the space we had to use. For some games there was not enough space and with other games, there was too much space and some of the children did not pay attention to the boundaries. Also, the number to children at each lab varied so sometimes it was so overwhelming because there would be 40 kids when last time we only had about 25. Lastly, being the second lab of the week, at the beginning of the semester when we were doing the same games as the first lab, it was difficult to get the kids excited

Save Batman!

This week was one of my favorites at St. Marys (week 3). It was Action Hero week. The game we (Superfriends) played was save Batman. Geoff came up with the storyline of the story and ran most of it. Sean had brought a Batman mask and he played Batman kidnapped by the Joker. The game went very well and the kids had a lot of fun. It was the first time I really felt I connected with the kids and the responded by having fun.

Animal Day

The first lab we did was an animal lab. My group was named Superfriends and we did barnyard chase. In my opionion, it was not very successful. Im not sure if it was the way we had it set up or if it was just that the kids would not listen. Not matter how many times we told them exactly what to do, they would not listen and would just do what they wanted. I feel like our first lesson should not have been with the parachute because that really riled the students up. However. when playing different activities, different techniques worked better.

. Describe the effective “teaching strategies” that you observed. What were they and on whom did you use them? How were they used? What was the effect? Were there any strategies that were more effective than others? If so, why?

Some teaching strategies that I observed was intra task variation. When Matt and I had set up the hoops for kids to try to kick a soccer ball into, many wanted to go for the lower points because they knew they could make that shot. However, we then started to challenge the kids by saying “You made that hoop 3 times in a row. Why don’t you try for the next high value hoop?” It worked, and the kids did try the next higher value hoop

First Day at St. Mary's

It was almost like the first day at a new school. I was the new kid and all the kids at the school were looking at me and talking. The only difference was, I was two feet taller and 10 years older than them. I was not very happy to be there, I had no desire or the patience to work with younger children, and I was really miserable when I was put right into the Pre-K room on the first day of the class I was sure to dislike the most. However, by the end of the semester, I had no idea how drastric my change of opinion would be.

Dodgeball....In or Out?

One of the most recent debates in the physical education setting is about the "classic" game of dodgeball. Although played in years past, many teachers and administrators feel that the game is too violent to be allowed in P.E. classes anymore, and I agree. However, I also feel that there are alternatives that would allow dodgeball to be played in the physical education program.

When I was attending high school, all the classes were partner taught. There was one class of females and one class of males each period, with each class having a designated teacher. When winter hit and classes could no longer use outdoor facilities, classes were forced to be joined in he gym. At this point in the year, each teacher would choose an activity, and students were allowed to choose which activity they would like participate in. For example, one teacher may use the smaller gym down the hall for a kickboxing and step aerobics class while the other teacher used the larger gym for floor hockey. Both activities require a great deal of movement, but they are different in characteristic. This choice allowed students to decide what activity they would feel more comfortable participating in. This could be one alternative for dodgeball in classes by allowing the students who want to play, play and allowing an alternative to those who do not. Also, creating modifications as to how long a person sits out could be made. Once hit, a student may have to go to the side of the gym and perform 10 jumping jacks before returning to play. This keeps them active and allows them to get right back into the game.

I know that this type of situation is not always available to all schools, but it could be one way to keep this game in physical education without the worry of bullying or violence.