Saturday, December 4, 2010

Last day at St. Mary's!!

The last day that we spent at St. Mary's was a day where the kids were able to just have fun, and play games without having to be assessed on one particular set of skills.  Andrew, Jess, and I tought parachute games, and the kids really seemed to like them.  Jess's game was played by tying a box tied to the center of the parachute and the kids pretended that they were elves and had to shake balls into the box.  For Andrew's game, the kids sat down with the parachute and had to crawl under it to trade places with someone else.  My game was called cool down the elves and the kids shook the parachute to make a breeze for the other kids.  They all seemed to enjoy the games, the only problem with the lab was that the kids had a really hard time not touching the parachute and getting distracted by it. 

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

St. Mary's Turkey's Dribbiling Away!

Monday at St. Mary's, the kids were tested on their control skills.  They practiced both dribbling a soccer ball and a basketball.  The kids did very well with the basketball skills, but not so well with the soccer skills.  I think that a lot of the games that were played at this lab singled kids out, and made them nervous.  This is because the skills we were assessing are skills that need to be done one at a time.  I think that when I teach I will try to eliminate this feeling for kids.  One child in particular, Adam, was not participating in the soccer drill, and when he was asked to kick the ball, he was nervous.  I personally remember being in PE class, and being afraid to do certain skills in front of the class.  I will try my hardest as a physical educator to make kids feel comfortable, and not scared to perform skills.

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1TzKVode2cDuUBmzHPp0AbM4ccYZTX0_bgwT5-XDJu5Y

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Thank you St.Mary's!!

Happy Halloween at St. Marys!

October 25, St. Mary's participated in a Halloween themed after school program.  The focus of the program was throwing and catching, but as teacher candidates, we altered games so that they had a Halloween theme to them.  The kids loved playing all of the games, and the Halloween twist just peaked their interest.  I worked with the older kids. and they picked up on the games really well.  They were able to understand semi-complicated rules, and were able to grasp the concepts of the games.  The game that i taught, "Pumpkin smash", the kids were in groups of 2 and had to knock a basketball off of a cone by throwing another ball at it.  It was really interesting to see the way the boys interacted with the girls.  There was one pair that had to be one boy, one girl and they didn't want to play together so the boy tried to leave the game and not play.  There was also a fight between three girls over which direction they would throw the ball in a different game.  Instances like this remind me that besides teaching, an educator must act as a mediator between students who don't get along or who may have negative attitudes about class.  Overall the lab went really well and I think all of the teacher candidates did a very good job teaching.

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1ub8cXmuf3F8QYPHcqYrPQUDhM0hK3x-jUlisviCkb9o

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The Great Debate Gets Heated!

The implementation of long handled implements in schools is something that all Physical Educators will have to think about.  The three sides of the issue that we debated in class were lifetime fitness. long handled implements, and a combination of the two.  All three sides had compelling arguments, but the overall decision by the "Board of Education" was to combine all three.  It was really nice to see everyone in the the class get involved with the debate because it showed that all of us, as teacher candidates, are passionate about our future careers.

Monday, October 25, 2010

St. Mary's Super Heroes Saving the World One Leap at a Time

At At. Mary's on Super Hero day, the kids were able to use jumping, hopping, and leaping skills  The group activity went well and the kids were able to learn the difference between the three movements.  My game was a task card warm up game, with a super hero twist.  The kids loved the cards, but had trouble reading them so I had to alter the game to help them along.  The kids were really good at jumping and hopping, but leaping was hard for the kids to grasp.  Overall the lab was really successful, and I felt confident as a physical educator. 

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Synthetic Ice!

http://www.globalsyntheticice.com/gsidefault.aspx

Global Synthetic Ice is a material that can be used in ice hockey games to skate on.  The material does not require water to be frozen over it, but is ready for people to skate on it as it is.  The ice is usable for figure skaters, hockey players, and even leisure skate.  I like the idea that people everywhere can play hockey, but at the same time, playing hockey with out ice will be weird. 

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

St. Mary's Pirates off to a sailing start

Our second week at St. Mary's went awesome!! The kids really enjoyed the pirate theme and a lot of teachers in the class dressed up and this made the kids ready to get involved right from the start. The starting games got the kids used to running, jumping, skipping, and hopping. After that the kids were able to go color, play in the gym, or play a game led by another group. I feel like the kids had a good time, and while some didn't want to be physically active, a lot went along with the pirate theme and got involved with the games. I also got a taste of what it is like trying to get the attention of 15 little kids. If you have their attention for more than 1 minute straight, you are lucky so you need to get the directions out fast and clearly. I had a blast this week and can't wait for next time!

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1Q9i0It8fiR57WG6lu1RogQyViYg8bij5dU7LqSQLp50

Hall of Shame Games become Hall of Fame Games

Games that were played in Old PE became hall of shame games after they were evaluated. Old PE games such as line soccer, Simon says, and dodge ball focused on eliminating weaker kids, and limited playing time for all students. The games in chapters 3, 18, and 19 are very different from the hall of shame games. The games in the book focus on loco motor movements, movement skills, creativity, and fun. The Hall of shame games are more concerned with winning, high skill levels, and sometimes exercise as punishment. The hall of shame games embarrass kids through early elimination. being targeted as weak, and through the choosing of teams.
If I were to teach dodge ball, I would alter it so that the kids aim the balls at balls balancing on comes on the end lines. This prevents people from ganging up on weaker kids. This game would match all the standards because it would maintain a high level of physical activity, provide a safe environment, help the kids learn strategies, increase participation, and instill value in physical activity.
I am personally glad that people have realized that dodge ball is humiliating for kids and that it needs to be changed to fit the new PE system.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Most Popular youth sports in america

I think it is interesting that almost every sport on this list is a lifetime activity sport, as a Physical Educator I would like to gear my curriculum towards lifetime sports, and less towards team sports that are hard to keep up with at an older age.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/99949-popular-youth-sports/

Thursday, September 16, 2010

More on Kids with sticks

http://home.comcast.net/~magister11/090116-NMSSOC/090116-NMSSOC-1921.jpg


http://media.fans.nhl.com/_13-month-old-baby-playing-hockey/video/1060466/111820.html

Introducing Sticks to Young Children

When I first heard of introducing sticks (hockey, lacrosse, etc.) I was convinced that it was a bad idea.  After giving it some more thought though, I changed my mind.  I think if young kids are introduced to using sticks earlier, their skills may develop faster.  If a young child learns stick control along with learning other basic motor skills, he or she will adapt quicker to stick games.  A child obviously doesn't need to person drills, but just get used to holding and using the stick.  Kids will love it because it is an activity they're not usually exposed to.  Safety is a big issue for kids with sticks.  If a child is playing with a stick, he or she should wear plenty of padding, and be made aware of safety concerns.  I think introducing kids to sticks at an early age can be very beneficial. 

First Day at St. Mary's


This is a picture of me helping Susan how to throw up the helicopter leaves.

Monday was my first day of going to St. Mary's school and being with the kids.  I had such a good time there!! I loved being able to interact with the kids and see how much all of their skill levels varied.  One girl I played with had a little trouble even rolling a ball!  When I went outside I taught a group of pre-k girls how to throw helicopter leaves up into the air and watch them fall down.  They really liked it, and Susan actually brought a bunch home to show her mom.  It was cool to be able to show her how to do a basic skill.  I can't wait to go back in two weeks!!

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1xHgTssTCAEOU1h03WuQzX2CjbDJqwdR9wsq0whLeXLo

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Video games: a good source of physical activity

I think that using video games as a source of physical activity is a great idea.  A good example would be for an elderly person going through rehab.  A video game will help them focus on having fun, and not even realize that they are being physically active or working on improving skills.  Small children will also like using video games for physical activity because they won't even realize that they are up and moving.  Kids will love playing a game and being physically active at the same time.  Also, if a child is playing the bicycle course game, and has a good time, he or she may be interested in learning how to ride a real bike, or pick up mountain biking as a hobby. 

Importance of Fundamental Skills

Fundamental movements are necessary for overall good physical activity.  Loco motor, manipulation, and stability skills are most important because they create the foundation for all physical activity.  Loco motor skills include walking, running, leaping, jumping, and hopping.  Manipulation skills include ball-rolling, throwing, kicking, etc.  Stability skills include bending, twisting, and turning.  These are the most basic forms of movement and when put with other fundamental skills, create physical activity.  Without these skills, a child will not be able to live a healthy and active life.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Why development of fundamental Movements are important.

The development of fundamental movements are important to help with the overall development of Physical Activity.  Without fundamental movements, kids won't be able to learn other, more complex skills, and therefore will not be able to live healthy lifestyles.  If a child is taught how to hop, he or she will be more inclined to skip, and then run, and then maybe a more complex skill such as long jump.  All those activities started with the basic movement of hopping.  I can't wait to get into the teaching environment and watch kids learn skills, and add on to those skills until they can do complex activities. 

Monday, August 30, 2010

1st day of class

I heard that Dr. Yang was technology based, but I am surprised at how quickly he is having us set up accounts and blogs and such.  I think that it will be a lot of work to keep up on everything, but they are all good networking sites, and will hopefully pay off in the end.