Lab 5 was very interesting for us because it was the first time we have been outside. Usually we are in the gym but for lab 5 we were outside and downstairs where the children eat and play with board games. It was more difficult to teach and maintain the children's attention outside, rather than in the gym, because it is a new environment and has more distractions. Despite these new last minute challenges it was a great experience and practice for when we have to think on our toes when we become teachers ourselves.
This weeks lab was very interesting. The theme of the lab was Easter. This theme was a very creative combination with the skills observed which was the overhand throw and catch. My group and I were assigned to special projects for the first time. We put together posters, hung them up, and towards the end of our time at St. Mary's we lead the whole group in a game, song, and cheer. One thing I noticed is that the children really like when you bring in props for the games that they can take home or that you wear even if it makes you look silly.
The theme for Lab 3 was dinosaur train which allowed us to be creative with our activities and things we brought in. My group worked with the Pre-K which was different for me but very fun and full of great experience. We read dinosaur books to them and brought in pictures of dinosaurs for them to color in. The children really liked the books and pictures, allowing us to keep their attention, which was a big relief for me. We also had Blaze as our guest appearance and the children instantly fell in love with him, running up to him and holding his hand. Blaze coming in was good, but one challenge we met was getting the children motivated to do the activites instead of just clinging to Blaze. Luckily Blaze helped out and participated in the activities which motivated the other children to go along and participate as well.
There are three critical issues that face children in the US today. These issues are a rising in childhood obesity, in school and community violence among youth, and the psychosocial effects of early puberty. Fortunately we have developed goals through the concept of "Developmental Physical Education" to try and face these issues. Some of these goals are to teach our youth how to move, how to lead a healthy and active life, how to learn through movements, become fit, and become active learners. Through these goals we are trying to develop the whole child, but there are 3 main factors that can explain the relationships that lead to the development of the whole child. These factors are the biology of the individual, conditions of the learning environment, and the requirements of the movement task.
To help us develop the whole child we have to understand the concepts of individual appropriateness and group appropriateness. Individual appropriateness is based on the individuals levels of fitness, cognitive development and affective growth. Group appropriateness is influenced by age and grade level, it is second to individual appropriateness and ranges from general to specific movements. Each person is different and is at their own level of life, once we understand these two concepts it will enables to connect and understand what the individual needs and we can formulate those needs into group activities.
To develop an appropriate plan you have to consider the fundamental movement skills which include locomotion and manipulation. Some Locomotion skills are walking, running, and leaping. Some Manipulation skills are throwing, kicking, and volleying. Not only do you have to consider the fundamental movement skills but you should also consider the patterns of stability when developing an appropriate plan. These patterns can be observed as axial, static and dynamic movements. Examples of axial movements would be bending and twisting, and static/dynamic movements would be rolling and upright balances.
Once we consider the fundamental movements skills and patters of stability we will be able to develop a plan appropriate for the individual as well as the group. By doing so, we will be able to not only reach our goals, but also face the issues faced by children in America thus developing the whole child or physical fitness, which is both health and performance related.
I, and I am sure I'm not alone, from time to time ask myself "what I am doing with my life"? My experiences at St. Mary's have been reassuring me that I am in the right field. I love what I do and what PE has to offer. I love working with the kids, interacting, playing games, and/or figuring out puzzles with them. The more I lead activities the more confident I become in my teaching skills. I believe that I am getting through to the kids and they have a full understanding of the activities I do with them, and of course having FUN along the way. At lab we have been experiencing a lot of different behaviors from the kids. There are kids who love the activities you come up with. They listen well, participate, and are always ready to play another game. Some other kids want to play other games or don't want to play at all. All these different experiences have helped me grow as a future teacher, and are enabling me to be more diverse, and be on my toes ready to go all the time.
Dodgeball is a game that everyone encounters sometime in their life. There are many different creative ways to play dodgeball that can be used in a physical education classroom setting. Dodgeball can be used to enhance a students running, throwing, catching, and awareness abilities. It can also be used to enhance students' strategy and planning skills. Although dodgeball has great aspects and benefits, it is banned from the physical education classroom.
Dodgeball can be seen as a violent game because at any given moment someone can throw the ball and hit another student in the head, face or other parts of the body that can cause pain. Dodgeball also gives students an opportunity to team up against another student who may not be as skilled as the others. This is very belittling to a student and can have a negative impact on a students view of physical education, exercise, and self esteem.
Fortunately as physical education teachers we have the opportunity to change the rules of games such as dodgeball and make it an appropriate game for physical education class. For example instead of the original rule of if you are hit or someone catches the ball you throw you are out, now you once you are "out" you are only out of the court (which is usually the size of a volley ball court) and now have the opportunity to walk around the sides of the court, but not behind the opposing team, and hit someone on the opposing side. Once you hit that person you are now back in the game and now they have to do the same in order to get back in.
This version of dodgeball allows for continuous play so there is no sitting around. There is also no bad feelings because now you have the chance to get back into the game and help your team no matter how many times you get knocked out of the court.
(please enjoy this funny clip on dodgeball in america)
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Lab this week was a great experience for me. We played a lot of different variations of tag games with the kids. This experience gave each of us a chance to actually lead the class and have a teaching role. This required all of us to keep the attention of the kids and think on our feet. I was really reliefed when I was able to capture the attention of the kids and they actually listend to me!! What I felt was very interesting was how hard each kid played in every game because they wanted to win so bad. No matter what it was they were running at 100% giving it there all. This brought me back to when I was a little kid and all I wanted to do was win no matter what game it was.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
My first day at lab I was nervous at first because we were thrown right into interacting with the kids and I didnt know what reactions I would get from them. I quickly jumped into a group and started putting together puzzles and playing games such as basketball and football. I got a good reaction from the kids, thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and left St. Marys looking forward to the next time we go back.
The theme for Lab 3 was 
