April 27th- Field experience #18

Student with Special Needs

This would be our last visit to St. Mary's. We would show up a class period early again to see the special needs student. He started off the class talking about the weather. He would go off on several different tangents as he started to walk off around the gym. He would grab onto a jump rope lying in the corner of the equipment closet and bring it out to the middle of the court where a cone sat. He would give himself a few feet between the cone and try and lasso it as if he was a cowboy. Instead he would just end up whipping the jump rope into the cone trying to knock it over or hit it with as much force as possible. He would continue this mayhem for a little while before giving up and getting some water. There is no schedule or curriculum for him. He does not seem interested in doing anything else but what is on his mind. It also seems that he ultimately gets what he wants regardless of the situation.  There is no real concern for the students physical education teaching. I am unaware of his activities outside of school. He is overweight. It seems like a very bright student but really could use a physical activity to keep him active. It is almost like he should be integrated into his grade. I would've liked to have seen what he is like in a classroom setting or with his class in physical education. He only has his one guide to interact with. I hope they can get him active and interested in a sport or activity he likes.

April 24th- field experience #17

Other Areas: Taught in class
Today in class my partner and I taught our lesson on rolling. The classes previously have been going over multiple gymnastics skills. We decided to have a george in the jungle themed obstacle course which would give us time to post assess the students while they were still active in other stations. The class went pretty smoothly. We started it off with temple tag to warm them up. We gave them instructions on what we wanted to see on the forward roll and went through the rest of the stations with a capable classmate that could perform all the skills. Our host teacher helped spot the kids that went over the balance beam while I helped with the rope swing and injuries. My partner was doing the post assessing as the kids performed the forward roll down a decline mat. Things went pretty well most of the class except one student that continuously got hurt. We were able to complete everything we needed to do. The kids finished the class with a sweat and smiles on their faces. I got to give them high fives on their way out and finish up cleaning the gym. Overall I wouldn't change too much. We weren't able to figure out how to untangle some of the lines but things went well to say the least.

Field Experience April 20th - #16

Students with Special Needs
Today in field experience we went in a little earlier to watch one student with a very mild form of autism. His autism is hardly noticeable and is a very bright kid. As smart as he is he is not very active. He is overweight and not very active in this class period. He has a teacher that watches over him but doesn't know how to help him out in physical education. He is given choices of activities to participate in but does not have any ambition to do anything. It does not help that he is the only one in his class and doesn't have any other student interaction. I would like to have seen him have some more direction in this class so that he can be more physically active. I will probably see him again in one of the upcoming sessions and hope to see more on his attitude in this class. Maybe their will be more of a guided instruction the next time I see him again.

Field Experience April 18th #15

Reflection of Lesson
Today in class we spent our time going over scooping in lacrosse. This is a more advanced skill that not even I learned until close to 3rd or 4th grade. There was a wide variety of skills from a visual stand point. Some were able to scoop every time and some were able to just push the ball along tried with the head of their stick as they tried to scoop. The teacher started off the class with labeling the different parts of the stick. Head, shaft, neck. Showed how to grip it. He compared scooping to shoveling snow as an analogy which actually makes a lot of sense but is hard for kindergarten students to completely relate too. He asked them if they have ever shoveled and most of them said yes. He could have gone over the footing to scooping a little better. Many of the kids understood the arm motions but did not know the proper foot work. They would not approach the ball from the side but from behind making it more difficult. I would try and fix this and emphasize the scoop by saying that it needed to be done quickly in order to get the ball off the floor. I do feel like lacrosse can be incorporated into PE early but maybe not this early. Catching and throwing are important skills too but may be inconsistent but will require good scooping skills in order to get to that stage. It is good to see a new rising sport being incorporated into physical education.

Field Experience 14 - 4/3/2012

Assessments Of Student Learning
Today in class was another day of gymnastics. There were several more stations added to the previous courses. This time me and my partner would be assessing the forward roll down a decline mat. The course itself was Indiana Jones themed. Music from the movie Indiana Jones would be playing as kids quickly made their way through the course. We would have students come up to the mat and grab a bean bag ball. They would stand on top of the mat with the ball pinned between their chin and chest. This was so that kids remembered to tuck there head to avoid injury. Each student would perform the task three times. We would use a holystic rubric that we previously made to determine each child's performance. Many of the kids were pretty good at performing the skill. They would move on to the next task without any hesitation. There was only a select few students that were slightly intimidated and struggled performing the skill. The assessment will be put into an Excel spreadsheet. We now have some time off for easter break to get ahead on the curriculum project.

Field Experience - 3/30/2012

Curriculum and NYS standards

Today was another class with the Pre K group. I have come to realize that the Pre K class kids are only three or four years old at the most. They are just getting a hold of the skill themes we are learning in class. So I've been wondering this whole time when these kids are going to get started on an actual lesson. But then when I started thinking about it I realize how creative these kids are on their own and with just a little spark given by a teacher. I would like to see what classes were like before our experience started. With three or more older idolized people playing and directing the kids there is sometimes no need to have an organized lesson. Just by tossing out different types of balls, hoola hoops and bean bags kids incorporate skill themes by themselves. There are also ropes and mats that work on other skill themes that don't require objects. Kids find some form of a game or activity to play with you or another group of kids. As I look around I notice that all kids are active and moving with a smile on their face. There has been a few times where I wanted to help kids by giving them a few cues but for most of them they don't stick with them for more than two or three attempts. They then revert to their old ways. I think it it is too early for a specific curriculum to be implemented for kids so young. Most of it should be by feel. I hope to see how these progress within these next few weeks. 

Field Experience 3/30/2012

1. How is the classroom arranged and decorated
1. The classroom has big tables that has name tags for assigned seating. There are two more desks for the teachers and an open space for other activities. There are cubbies for the students stuff. The walls of the classroom are covered in many colors and posters along with decorations that the students have already made.
2. How does the classroom differ from the gymnasium as an educational setting?
1. These students are working on their numbers and counting still. So the teacher went over the amount of days of school that the kids have attended. The class reiterates the numbers over and over and over. This does not happen as much from the physical education standpoint. We do reiterate some skills from a physical standpoint but not as much from the mental side.
3. How would you describe the classroom atmosphere?
1. The classroom atmosphere gives off a positive feeling. There are a ton of pictures and bright colors. They even have some projects that they did themselves up on the wall.
4. What was the topic and structure of the portion of the lesson you observed?
1. The lesson we listened in to was mostly about counting. It was almost the last day of March and the teacher talked about the change in months. They also went over how to count by tens to one hundred. They also counted the amount of days that they have been in school in total.
5. How would you describe the language and literacy levels of the students?
1. The kids are in a Pre K class. They are at a developing level where they are just learning the basics to everything. The tenses of verbs are off occasionally along with the pronunciation of some of the numbers while counting.
6. How did the teacher engage the students in the lesson segment that you observed?
1. The teacher had the kids sit in a circle while she sat in a chair. She talked at a good level making sure that most of the kids were trying their best to pay attention.
7. How would you describe the social behaviors of students in this age group?
1. Most of the students were not used to having other people in the classroom and were distracted because of it. Many of them were just saying things out loud without raising their hand. When they were sent to their seats for the birthday cupcakes they all started to get a little out of control when we started talking about their penguin poster.
8. What did you learn from this observation that will help you teach this age group more effectively?
1. Having student teachers or observers leads to the kids becoming more rambunctious. Prepare the kids for having guests but also staying in control of themselves.
9. What other insights did you gain from this observation?

1. I got to see what the atmosphere of the classroom and how and elementary school teacher approaches their kids.