Week 11 Reflection

Last week, I worked on incorporating more students to utilize critical thinking. I felt that I was able to do so through Socratic questioning through a variety of ways. At the end of the week, we started playing capture the flag with four teams in which each team had a hula hoop with 5 bean bags in it. They had one guard and they were only able to protect their area. With that being said, we had three rounds in which they needed to count their bean bags and then tell me how much they had, exchange the guard, and then begin play again. At the end of the session, I had the students do some math in which they then needed to add up how many bean bags they had at the end of their session. Students were able to do this quickly and for the older classes I had them multiply, it was a quick way to incorporate some interdisciplinary subjects. Students were quick to understand the game and have a lot of fun. I was able to ask them also how they strategized when playing with their team. Most of them utilized each other, using teamwork, some of them sacrificed for each other. This concept through a catch and running game, students were able to incorporate some critical thinking strategies.

            As I discuss my ideas with my cooperating teacher, we continually work together to try to incorporate more interdisciplinary work, as well as teamwork. Students here at Mill are rough with one another and it is our goal to give them a positive setting to which they can cooperatively play with one another with some type of self-directed learning. In these games, where students tend to cheat at times, the other student calls them out. If they have a disagreement then they do rock, paper, scissors to see the results. For the most part, the students will own up to what they did incorrectly and continue the game. This type of honesty works well and students can monitor themselves which helps with cooperative learning.

            Next week, it is my goal to help with the well-being of our students. We have a safety assessment that we are assessing next week without first and second graders. This safety video will encompass how students are to work together, how to be safe with in the gymnasium, and how to utilize some of the equipment properly. Students are assessed based on their understanding and their cooperation during the video. I feel that this is one of the areas in which will help students in their well-being. Secondly, my goal is to again emphasize honesty. Throughout my time here at Mill, I continually work with students to be honest with one another. I hope to learn a new technique to help with their well-being of working together. This weekend my goal is to find an article that helps with honesty and cooperative play and perhaps learn a new strategy to aid the students in their well-being while participating in this positive-safe environment. 

    

For me respecting school boundaries are vital. For the most part, when we role model to the students on how to act, it demonstrates to them that they must follow the lead as well. Students continually look at their teachers to make sure their behavior is present and followed so much that they are watching to see if we make a mistake so that they can say well this teacher did this before. I have seen it with students here and at the high school level. If anything, I feel that I am extremely consistent with students and my expectations for them as well as the school’s expectations. When discussing things with students, I make sure that I come down to their level, but am away from them enough so make sure they have enough space which demonstrates my professionalism from them.

            While working with other colleagues, I tend to stay to myself especially when gossip is arising. I keep my distance and tend not to bring up extra information, but rather just discussing PE or some type of curriculum with others. I keep my professionalism when conversing with others, be willing to help them if they need additional help with students, and be a listening ear when they may feel the need to try to understand an alternative approach to their students.

            While talking with families, I always have my facts straight before talking with them and have any additional information they may need readily available in case they may ask for it. Students are my priority and I wanted to make sure the parents understand that I am here to make sure their student is safe and that they can talk to me with any concern they may have. When talking with parents, I am sure to present myself professionally, utilize terminology that is not PE jargon, and I always ask if there is anything else that I can do to help their student. For the most part, I feel that my professionalism is always displayed no matter where I am. I try to stay confident with what I am doing and be a professional role model for my students. 

      

       For the most part, PE is an area that if any negligence or any lawsuits stems from a lot are from physical education. My goal in PE is to keep my gymnasium safe for all students, which means I do a safety check almost daily making sure there is noting protruding out of the walls, doors are secured, not miscellaneous items on the floor, no chairs I the corners or anything else that can inhibit my students from being safe. As reminders I usually have students tie their shoes so that they don’t fall and we always remember to be safe while running with our eyes up and in front of us. I think that for PE that demonstrates professional conduct and knowing what legal directives I can prevent from occurring in my gymnasium. 

       Since we are a special, we do have an adaptive physical educator who does come in every once in a while. However, this is something I do need to discuss more with my cooperating teacher. With all my activities, I am always trying to adapt it to those particular students. However, I do have some wonderful aides who have been working with these students for a long time. These aides quickly adapt the activity to fit their needs, but I also suggest some ideas that can help the student. For example, with my team building activities as I discussed last week, I had the student who didn’t want to be blindfolded a chance to work with a peer she trusted. The activity was still complete and the concept was trusted that she still achieve a similar outcome as if she was doing the activity the way it was intended. This week with capture the flag or with the soccer unit I did, I found that pairing the student with another person made a big difference. Having a partner they worked together as a team which I feel not only help the student with their self-esteem, but also gave the other student the ability to make sure that they could achieve the highest quality of the activity. For next week, I am going to discuss with Mr. Quaid, what other options I have with these students and how he may also suggest altering the activity to make sure all students have the ability to achieve success. But thus far, I aim to make sure my activities can be adapted in some way so the students is progressively achieving more success.  

     

      Social injustice is seen a lot throughout elementary. I find that students are constantly thinking that things are unfair or that their peers have an advantage. For me teaching students cooperative play is my goal. I teach them that at times some people in life are not always going to follow the rules, but it is their role to continue to do so and teach the others to be like them as well. For some students, they do really try to help others and for some students they care, but others they don’t. I constantly encourage my students to be fair and when I have the opportunity to talk with them about it, then we present it in a positive way to work nicely with our peers. 

      

One word that describes this week: Inspiring