Lab C Moving Forward

On Friday 4 more of my fellow teacher candidates taught their lab C. I want to recognize the excellent job that everyone did. I am both shocked and pleasantly surprised by how far everyone has come. I think  that it is important to think back as individuals and really see the progress we have made. This will motivate us to not only continue but also to push ourselves harder and strive for excellence. I want to point out also, that although many of you taught age groups that you may not want to teach in the future, or wouldn't prefer to teach, being able to teach them is a great skill. Often times as physical educators we will be running events, or programs that will include a wide variety of age groups. In order for us to be effective in teaching and creating an environment that is conducive to learning we need to be able to understand their development and how to teach specific skills. The conference is coming up on us fast. I encourage everyone to go. I have been to the NYS conference and it was truly an amazing experience. You are exposed to new games and equipment that you can use in your classes. Also it is a great way to get your name out there and to meet people and formulate connections in the physical education world. These connections may be the stronghold upon which you find a career or develop successful programs. I will post some pictures and videos of last years NYS conference so that you can see the real value behind it. I look forward to seeing many of you there!

Lab C- Hantis

In class I taught my lab C. I taught Hantis at a fourth grade level. I really think that this newly emerging game could be a big thing in physical education classrooms. It uses a good deal of object control skills, while still incorporating activity and strategy. For those of you who have never heard of the game, it is a mixture between ping-pong, and foursquare, where you can hit the ball only with your hand, and are allowed two hits. The game is played with four people at a time but the rotation is very quick, as with foursquare. This allows for many students to be active and also get a rest in between games. I have been working directly with the "Crators"of Hantis in creating lesson plans and progressions. They are very interested in getting this game out there in the PE world and I am working with them so that teachers will be able to effectively implement it in a classroom setting. I am really excited to be part of this new game and I will be sure to keep everyone on here updated on how it is progressing. I also want to commend my fellow teacher candidates as they did a great job teaching at the 8th and 12th grade level. I think that this game is very inclusive in that the concepts and some of the skills can be taught to pretty much every grade. I think that it is important to realize that full game play, while often very fun cannot always be used first. Skills must be taught and refinements must be made. Often times even after getting into games, you may need to revisit the skills and refine them. I will post a video that the "crators" send to me and will also give the link to more Hantis info. I will also include some pictures of me teaching and keep everyone updated!

Time Coding

Verbal Transcript

Preparing for Lab C

Teaching is a very complex skill. For lab C I am going to be teaching a game that I myself have never played (Hantis). I think that Hantis is a great game and will teach the students a great deal of skills. I have resolved to break my game down into many progressions that will help the students, most of which have never played the game before either. I think that as a teacher it is important to understand that through the use of progressions we can help our students to work up to an eventual skill that we want them to acquire. I think for the grade I am teaching (fourth) it may never progress to the actual game with the official rules. I think that it is important not to try and play a game with the students that is too far above their developmental level.

Hantis is a great game that works on hand eye coordination as well as  body eye coordination, as you can use any part of your body for your two hits to return the ball. It also involves teamwork as the person that is on the table next to is working with you to get one of the opposing two out. Along with this it is very fast paced therefore allowing people a lot of participation time with not a lot of time being inactive. I think that a lot of games using the same concepts can be used and developed based on the principles of this game. I will also be showing a video of the creators of Hantis as I think that this will give the students a good sense of what the rules are and how to apply the skills to an actual game. I think that everyone will enjoy this game and will find a way to use the skills from the game in teaching their own lessons and games.

Below is the link to the Hantis Instructions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQY-7soDS6M

Checking for Understanding

The answers to the following questions should provide a good idea of what is highlighted in chapters 4 and 5:

Chapter 4:
2. When teaching it is important to always be clear when communicating with our students. Some of the ways which we can do this is by orienting the learner,presenting in a logical order, giving examples,and check for understanding. It is important that we set and induction as this often times can make the student feel more comfortable with what we are going to teach. This does not need to be a long explanation but rather a brief overview. It is also important that we go in sequence. Although backward chaining can be effective sometimes, more often that not the students will learn the skills more effectively if the progressions go in a logical sequential order. Although there are many other ways to make sure we are communicating effectively, one of the most effective ways is to check for understanding. This may include asking students about what they have just heard or what they are about to do, as well as asking if they have any questions as to eliminate confusion that may be detrimental later to the learning of the skill.

Chapter 5:
1. Extension is a task which adds complexity and makes it more difficult for the students providing them with the opportunity to showcase their skills. Refinement is also important for progression as this makes the qualitative aspect of the performance more important. And application is very important as this is why we teach so that students can generalize and apply their skills across a wide spectrum of activities. This section may also include a self-test or assessment.

3.A progression for a closed skill differs from that of an open skills in a few ways. First and foremost the closed skills will be practiced and results will be produced in a set environment where the goal of the open skills would be eventual application or generalization across many environments. For example for a closed skill you would establish prerequisites that the students needed to have to perform this activity. Also you may modify the skill or equipment to ensure that the students will be successful. Teachers would also want to establish a progression of intent. This way the goals are modified so that it ensures success of the students.
In developing open skills the teacher wants to ultimately help learners to develop skills that can be applied to complex and ever changing environments. This may first be taught using closed skills but not for too long as the learner may become highly developed with his closed skill and will not be able to adapt to a higher level or open skill. The end result would be a much more complex progression as far as open skills. For example of you were teaching basketball you may start out very shortly on fixed shots and in place dribbling. Then you would have them dribble at different speeds, in different patterns, dribble and pass, dribble and shoot, do so while defending the ball and maintaining possession. It is important that we progress with out learners so they may get the best learning possible.

5. Extensions closed skill baseball:
Practice bat grip
Practice batting stance
Practice hitting off tee
Practice catching simple toss
Practice Base-running

Open skill:
Practice Hitting simple pitch
Practice different pitches (fastball, curveball, knuckleball)
Practice catching form different positions on field
Practice catching differently hit balls
Practice running bases as different speeds using strategy
Full game using all skills combined

255 Advances

As I progress through EDU 255 I have learned a great deal. First and foremost I am learning the challenges of being a teacher. I think it is important though not only to understand these challenges but also to overcome them and have the greatest success possible teaching. As a future educator I think that it is important to be well educated and also also be looking for ways to be involved with professional development. In March I will be attending the National AAHPERD conference and I encourage all of you to do the same. I think this is one of the best opportunities for students to be able to see great teachers in action. Also the showcases and presentations give a wide variety of ideas that you may be unable to think of on your own. Physical Education is not about creating new ways of teaching it's about modifying it and making it the best it can be. By watching fellow teachers showcases their teaching skills we can being to acquire our own personal ways of teaching. Below I will attach a link of the conference and the organization as a whole. I encourage all of you to check it out and at minimum join the organization. Anyone wanting to attend the conference there is still time! I think that if you check out all of the various events and presentations you will be sure to find that there are a bunch that peak your interest. Keep up the good work SUNY Cortland PE Majors!

www.aahperd.org

Teaching Lab B

Teaching Lab B was a great experience. Before I had posted about my fellow teacher candidates teaching and their strengths and shortcomings, now I will tell you about my own. Below I will attach the link to the video of my teaching the lab so that you can see first hand what I am referencing. First and foremost I wish that I had done instant activity. I think that it is very important to get the kids moving right away. This time can be used to pre-test the students abilities so that you know where they may stand and how small of progressions that you may need to take in your lesson. Also I think that it would have been more beneficial if I had demonstarted the skills from a few different angles and also had some students of both genders come up and demonstarte their competency. I think that my hook was good since it was getting close to Valentine's day. I think it is very important to give a hook that interests the students and that they can relate to. It is also great if you can reuse the hook in conclusion as to create a whole feeling, and to peak their interest for next class. I did put of the fact that students would be preforming another hard jumprope skill the next class and that it would be good for them to practice at home. I think teachers should always encourage students to be practicing at home so that they can achieve a higher level of competency. Also I think that many of my fellow students did a great job of creating a challenge for the students. Although I had them compete against themselves often times it is better to get them to compete against each other within a certain time. I will be sure to include this in my lessons from now on. Great learning experience!

Time Transcript
Verbal Transcript


Link to me Teaching:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb6_GH8BP6o&list=UUb6j26RCqfk7VmOqM7DfwXw&index=12&feature=plpp_video

Lab B: Learning by Example

Watching my fellow teacher candidates I have learned many great ways to teach. Not only have I been exposed to new skills that I learned by them giving cues and demonstrating I have learned effective ways to teach using these cues. I want to start off by congratulating those of you who have taught already. I think that everyone did a great job and I was amazed by how calm, cool and collected some of you were. I think it's great that we can give and receive feedback form out peers who are going through the same steps as us, as well as Professor Yang and the TA's. It really helps us to see where we are strong and where we may need to put in some work. I also wanted to make mention to the great posters that everyone has been making. Often times visual aides are put by the wayside and forgotten. As teachers we must remember the value that these can have to our students. The cues on posters can reinforce students activity and can help them when we may not notice they need help. Also great job with classroom rules. It is important as teachers that we include rules that we expect our students to follow. It is crucial that the rules are specific and that we use economy so as not to bombard our students with too many rules. I think a mnemonic device as one of the TC's used in the lab is a great way for students to be able to easily learn and remember the rules. I am attaching a few photos that I think so how hard some of our TC's are working to become professionals. Also make sure to look that the great job that was done on the posters with the cues and classroom rules.

Lab B

First and foremost I want to congratulate my fellow teacher candidates who taught their lesson already. I really thought that everyone did a great job including many new teaching strategies that perhaps they lacked in Lab A. Jump roping can be such a great way for students to get active and enjoy themselves while working on cardiovascular fitness. I think that often times teachers do not use jump rope enough even if it is for only a few minutes to get the blood pumping and the students ready to be active. Teaching the front cross really gave me the experience of showing others how to preform a skill that they have not been able to previously preform. I think that as teachers we need to expand our repertoire and be able to incorporate many games and skills into the classroom to keep the students active and interested. One of our biggest goals is to keep students interested in what we are doing so as to get maximum participation. I also like the idea that with jump ropes you can work at an individual level on your skills in the classroom and at home. For many of the skills all the students need is a jump rope and a small space. This means students can practice at home and in their free time. I also think that it can be greatly beneficial to include motivational music, as Yang did in almost all of his classes. Often we become better movers without even knowing it, at the sound of music. Overall great success!

Soccer Coaching Clinic

In my coaching clinic we are learning how to develop our personal statements and eventually our coaching philosophies. Although with experience our philosophies may change greatly, it is important to formulate our ideas into a philosophy. Formulating a purpose statement and a rough draft of my coaching philosophy has really opened my eyes. I have realized many things about myself as a coach that I had previously overlooked. I think that as I progress towards becoming a teacher it is important for me to expand my knowledge and experience as wide as possible. I think through being exposed not only to others great teaching and coaching but also seeing where they may have fallen short, will in turn help me to become the proficient educator I am striving to be. I think as teachers we need to convey more of our own feelings about teaching and education to our students, parents and fellow educators. This will help inform them of the impact that we are having and also will open ourselves up to feedback and constructive criticism. I hope that all my fellow educators and peers can take as much from their coaching clinics as I am taking away from mine. Applications from coaching can be used in not only teaching but many aspects of everyday life. I hope that my teaching can generalize across many fields also. In conclusion, it is important to get the most out of what is available to you, take your time, do all you can and make sure it's worth doing. Keep up the great work current and future physical educators of the world!

The Raquette Lake experience

This summer I will be going to Raquette Lake as part of PED 308. This promises to be a great experience for my and my fellow colleagues. I hope to learn many skills and ideas that may help me in my future profession as a physical educator. Some of the skills that I think would really lead to me becoming a better teaching are those that are used in team building activities. I think communication is greatly important. When teaching not only do you need to be able to communicate with your students, you also need to be able to communicate with fellow teachers, administrators and the students parents. I think that our profession can be greatly misunderstood if not vocalized correctly. With these skills, physical educators as a whole can turn the profession into what we would like it to be. I also think that being able to rough it out in the wild will be a great experience. I think that learning to live a simpler life can be a truly eye opening experience. I will be sure to take the lessons that I learn and new skills I may acquire into my future teaching. Hope all my fellow teacher candidates will find this experience rewarding and take as much away from it as possible. Keep up the good work Cortland P.E

Second Time Teaching

Today in class it was our second chance at teaching. This time everyone had a better lesson planned including things such as hooks,good demonstrations,and cues that would help their fellow students to learn more effectively. I took away a few main points from the feedback that was offered to my fellow students and myself. First and foremost always be loud. In a physical education setting you can't be too loud so don't be afraid. It is greatly important that all students hear the instructions. Another things that many of my fellow classmates did incorrectly was that they themselves jumped into the games or skills practice. Although it is important to demonstrate the skills properly and explain them throughly, by the educator becoming involved in the game, it limits the amount of observation time and time to give feedback. It is important that we step away from the activity and observe, help and guide our students. I also think that through watching other teacher canadates' successes and failures we will learn effective teaching styles,ideas, and methods. It it far better to learn form others mistakes rather than our own. I am going to continue working on where I fall short and to reinforce those things that I do well already. This will lead to me becoming a far more effective teacher and giving the kids the education they deserve.