Walking into lab A for the first time was a nerve racking experience. I did not feel comfortable speaking in front of my peers and was worried that I would exclude some of the minor details. I ended up not even introducing myself but was aware of it as soon as I finished. My eye contact was not great and I could have slowed myself down at times. Even though my instructions were clear and direct, I could have been a little bit louder. Another key point that I think that I could have done a better job with was encouraging the students and being involved with the activity rather than simply sitting back and watching the students participate. My activity was good in the aspect that all of the students were involved with maximal repetitions and no one was sitting out.
Gut
The biggest concern of mine coming into this lab was that I was going to stumble over my words and have difficulty speaking in front of the class. I was relieved instantly when I found out that the class was going to split in half. I was concerned that my activity was not going to be good enough and that the TA's would not approve of what I wanted to teach. I soon realized that I was over-thinking the entire thing and that I just needed to go out in front of the class and do my thing. The first time around teaching I was petrified but for the second time I performed my lab A I felt much more comfortable and it got easier as I went along. I think my conclusion of the second attempt at lab A was my best in regards to public speaking.
So What?
I was speaking with my hands too much and saying "um" and this is distracting and shows a lack of professionalism. I need to become more comfortable speaking in front of my peers and maintain eye contact. I know that this will come with practice and preparation. I thought that I succeeded with my instant activities though because the students were all active for the entire time.
Now What?
For the next lab, I know that I must speak louder, slower, and maintain eye contact. I will be drawing up index cards and reviewing my lesson several times out loud to myself will help a lot. I need to know that I am in control of the class and the students want to learn and that it is my job to educate them.
WHAT? During Lab 1 I was assigned to teach about a triathlon. I believe that during the lab the students learned a few things. If they didn’t already know what a triathlon was, they learned that it is a three part race consisting of swimming, biking and running. During both days of the lab I had the students perform tasks that were examples of skills used during a triathlon. One of those tasks was running, the other bicycling and the other was superman abs to simulate the motion of swimming. One of the more challenging tasks was not saying “guys” while teaching. The second time we did the lab I cut down on using guys and used alternatives like class and everyone. GUT? I feel that the students learned as much as they could have within the 5 minute period. Overall I thought the lab went well, however the only thing that I feel went wrong was saying “guys”. However in the second go around of the lab I managed to only say “guys” once or twice. My students agreed with me and told me that my lab went well and I did happen to say guys in the second lab but made a conscious effort not to say it. SO WHAT? My students learned what a triathlon consists of. They also learned a few fun facts about triathlons. My part in this was introducing the students to the skills needed to complete a triathlon. I had the students do the skills I chose because in relation to a triathlon those were the most accurate skills that would be used in a triathlon. I learned that I need to be more fluent when talking to the students. If I am smoother with my words then students will better understand what I am trying to say. If the students don’t understand what I am saying they will look at me with a blank stare and think “what is he talking about”. In making decisions I learned the quicker the better. I should always have a plan and keep it quick and to the point. NOW WHAT? During these two days of teaching I have learned many things. I have learned that when speaking to the class to be smooth, fluent and loud. Also, I learned to try to not say guys when addressing the class and use alternatives like everyone and class. I think that it could only help me to be more active with the class and be a little more involved instead of just standing there and watching. I wouldn’t know what to improve on without the help of my classmates. After each lab they would tell me what I did good and what I could improve on and it is a big help!
In this picture I am explaining to the class what we are doing for the day!
Preparing to blow my whistle to start the activity
WHAT
For the last couple of years I have been a head coach of various sports, so heading into Lab A I had a general idea of how I needed to act as a teacher. One of the skills I brought from that was how to speak so that everyone can hear me and understand what I’m expecting of them. When I coached I only coached a team of males, so I used the word “guys” on multiple occasions. I even caught my self saying it and then said guys again the next sentence.
GUT
When I first got the activity I had to do (orienteering) I was excited, I never heard of it before so it was interesting researching it and figuring out a way to make a fun activity for my class to warm up with. The first time I taught I came up with a game that was fun, but took to long to explain so I corrected my mistake the 2nd time and got the game going right away. While I was teaching both the first and second time, I felt that I was doing a good job projecting my voice so that everyone could hear me with out a problem, and I had couple people come up to me afterwards and complement me on that exact thing. Although I spoke very well I was a little upset with my self, especially after the second time going. I have the horrible habit of saying guys. For example “Ok guys bring it in” “alright guys”, “do you guys understand”. This is not ok and I need to change it immediately. The first time I taught I caught my self saying it a couple times but brushed it off. The second time I taught I said it about 5 times in one sentence. I started off good and then I slipped up said it once, shook it off and then I caught my self saying it again. I was embarrassed, but laughed at my mistake, as you can see in the video, and even bring attention to it (which I know I shouldn’t). Then the very next sentence after, I say guys again, at that point there was nothing to do but laugh and move on. Afterwards I was angry at my self, I made the mistake more than once, and also pretty embarrassed. Calling a class guys is not ok, especially if there is a female in that class. It excludes the females of the class because they are not guys, so they could feel that whatever I said, or have to say, doesn’t matter to them. PE is about the inclusion of everyone, using guys excludes some and is that is simply not ok .
SO WHAT
I don’t know why I use the term guys when there is clearly a mixed group of females and males. It could be a nervous habit, or just part of my every day vocabulary that I need to change. Calling the class guys is not a good thing at all.
NOW WHAT
I don’t feel like there is many ways to fix me saying guys other then for me to expand my vocabulary and practice it in every aspect of my life, not just in the classroom. I could make a swear jar like thing and every time I say “guys” put a dollar in. Or instead of saying guys I need to say things like ladies and gentleman, class, everyone, boys and girls, or students.
What?The Activity that I was given for Lab A was Aerobic Kickboxing. The instant activity that I related to the main activity is called Ninja. How the activity started was getting all the student's foot together, then eventually they would all jump off and each would have a turn to jump/tag the person that is next to them. The person who is getting tagged can dodge from their tagger by jumping away from him/her, and then can jump again to tag their opponent. It's almost like a game of knock out. I gave them a visual that they were in ancient japan and before each student had to tag their opponent, they had to say their name + sama (Master in Japanese). And while they were playing, I played a traditional Japanese song to set the mood. The focus of this game in a way to simulate Aerobic Kickboxing was that it involved explosion with the whole body to attack one target. One big cardinal rule I broke in this game was that I set the rules where if the students got tagged, they were out.
GutI'm always excited to teach something to students especially if it's something I believe the students would enjoy very much but what I tend to do is lose a part of my professionalism. I got the students to be excited and enjoy the game, and get their heart rates up, but I broke some more cardinal rules. For the 1st Lab A, I didn't give out a safety statement, I said "guys" and a signal for attention. The second activity, I did my safety statement and gave a signal for attention but I forgot to say my own name and my rules were a bit too long to explain. I also made sure I said "class" in the beginning, but from then on I said guys again. So overall, I feel that I got the energy, the creativity, the thing is I feel I need to balance it with my professionalism.
SoWhat?The reason why it's bad to create a game where students get out is because it gets them inactive, causes boredom, and makes them more likely to be disinterested for the main activity. I have to remind myself to not say "guys" in a class anymore because it is disrespectful and in a way it excludes the girls/women in class. With my name, call for attention and safety statement, I should create an order to go by, that way I would less likely forget and it'll become a good habit.
NowWhat?Next time, I'll figure out a way to create either a point system or if someone is out, for someone else to save them so they can get back in the game rather than getting out for the whole game. I would also practice for this whole semester to not say guys, inside and outside of class. I would also rehearse myself to do the activity but to emphasize the order from saying hello to my "class" to my "name" to explaining the game to "safety statement" to "calling for attention".
I'm in the middle watching my class have fun
This is me bringing up the instant activity game called Ninja
When I picked my topic for Lab A I was a little nervous
about having to come up with an Instant activity that related to my topic.
After some meditation I remembered that I had taken a self-defense class and I
felt a lot better. My first crack at Lab A I thought went smoothly but still
had a couple bumps in the road. One mistake that I had was that I used the phrase
“Um” frequently. I knew that it was something that I was doing but it was kind
of hard to break that habit. My first instant activity, even though it was
related to the topic, took too long to explain so it wasn’t so “instant”. My
second lab A I felt more confident about the task at hand. My instant activity
was good and got the heart rate up and the students involved right away. I did
feel that I was speaking too fast and might have lost some of my students, so
that is something that I would have to work on for Lab B.
Gut
I felt that my second time doing lab A went much better because
I knew what I needed to do better and I definitely felt that I accomplished that.
My instant activity, even though it was just a simple tag game, related more to
my topic of Self-defense. I felt that I had more confidence going into this as well.
I had a lot more eye contact with my students and just all-around felt good. I
still feel like I could have done better but practice makes perfect. Also, the feedbacks
from the TAs and Dr. B and my peers really did have an impact on how I did and
how I will be.
So What?
I know that practice makes perfect so I’m not going to beat
myself up too much for the mistakes that I made. We are all learning and this
may be some of our first times doing something like this. I know that with more
experiences like this I will get better as a student teacher and an instructor
when I get a job. The cool thing about this job is that it is very fun and innovative
so we can do so much things with it that I know that I will get better.
Now What?
For next I have to be more prepared for the Lab. I was prepared
for Lab A but maybe not as prepared as I should have been. Speaking slower, and
using the phrase “um” was a big part of my criticism and now that I know what
to work on I can just get better form here.
Showing the students my signal for Attention which is "If you can hear me Clap once, If you can hear me Clap twice."
Watch my video of me teaching Lab A for the second time
When I first learned what we would be doing for Lab A I was
nervous. I felt that I wouldn’t be able to get my information across as quickly
I wanted and get the students moving. For both days I focused on being short
and to the point so the students could get straight to the activity and moving.
I feel I did a good job on doing that. What I need to work on is addressing the
students as a whole and not just the “guys”. It’s not fair to any of the
females in the class. The second day I did a much better job with using
gender-neutral terms.
GUT
I was nervous, because at first I couldn’t think of any
instant activities that would relate to badminton. Especially not using any
equipment. Once I found a few ideas I was able to get more confident on my
teaching. The first day of teaching was the most nerve racking. I wasn’t sure
how the instant activity would go and if it really would relate to my unit. On
the second day of teaching most of the nerves had calmed down and I was ready
to teach. I was much more focused on what I had to go over and spoke up much
better also.
SO WHAT
Since I was a little nervous I kept playing with my hands
and moving a lot when I was talking. I need to work on this because the
students can get distracted by my movements not pay attention to what messages
I am trying to get across. On the positive side I had instant activities that
the students enjoyed doing. This resulted in them being even more interested on
what they were going to be learning in that class.
NOW WHAT
These two days of teaching I have learned a lot. Now, when I
have to teach the next time I know what I need to do because the help of my peers. I know
that I need to speak louder, move around and communicate with the students more
when they are in their instant activity. Also I need to speak to the class as a
whole and not say “guys”. I can not wait to teach again, and show my self that i am only getting better
Explaining how the rules to the instant activity
Watch my video of me teaching Lab A for the second time
What?
When I first
found out what I was going to do for Lab A, I was a little bit stumped on how I
was going to relate an instant activity to golf. During the first time teaching
lab A my activity didnt really have any benefits for golf. I had to reevaluate
what my instant activity was going to be the second time because I needed to be
more specific to what part of golf I wanted to focus on. I decided to focus in
on the weight transfer between feet while hitting the ball. I was also very
nervous the first time teaching but calmed down alot the second
time. Gut
I felt
as if my second time doing lab A went alot better than the first time because it
was more directed to golf and had components that would have helped the students
become better golfers. I tried thinking to hard about what my first activity
was going to be because I tried to teach about golf in general instead of a
certain part of golf. I was also more preparred the second time because I
really thought about what I was going to say and when I was going to say it.
That made me more calm and confident. So What?
It is very important to
remember that not everything can be taught in one day or in one week. Things
need to be learned in small pieces many times because if there is no building
blocks for what you are teaching then you cant advance and get more complex.
Also, if I am not preparred then it is very hard to be confident because I am
always trying to think of what to say next instead of knowing what to say
next. Now
What?
Next time when I am just starting to introduce a topic
or am doing an instant activity I will remeber to keep it simple and specific.
I will also practice my lesson more whether it is using friends /family as my
class or even just a fake class in the mirror.
Me
explaining to the class what to do as an instant activity for the
day!!
Watch the video of the
second time I taught lab A!!
What: I found it difficult to come up with an instant activity that had to do with cycling. I ended up playing a game called "cars on the road" that I normally played with the younger kids at summer camp. I saw this game as a good way to keep the heart rate up and simulate cycling. My two mistakes in my first lab were saying "guys" instead of "class" or "students", and forgetting to state a safety statement. My second lab A I felt way more confident about. I made sure I didn't say "guys" but still forgot to say a safety statement. I know that I need to focus on this category for my next lab. Even though my second lab was just a tag game, I related it to cycling and gave the students good feedback and I corrected them if they were doing the exercise wrong.
Gut: I felt that I had everything that I wanted to say planned out, but then when I started teaching I skipped some key features like my safety statement and forgetting to set boundaries in my second lab. Although I forgot some key statements, I still felt like I was engaged with the students and provided good feedback.
So What: Having the students run worked on cardiovascular endurance and having them do jumping jacks and bicycle kicks when the students were tagged worked on muscular strength and endurance. I used these two exercises because they relate to the unit of cycling in the aspect of riding a bike (bicycle kicks) and pumping up a tire (jumping jacks). In my next lab, I will work more on teaching the students something that they don't know already and will keep them engaged on the topic.
Now What: Now that I have had feedback from my peers, I will be able to work on my weak points and make sure that I meet all the requirements for the lab. I now know not to say "guys" anymore, and that a safety statement is very important, as well as setting boundaries so the activity stays contained. I will also work on speaking more clearly with confidence.
Demonstrating to the class on how to do a proper bicycle kick
This is the video from my 2nd Lab A, playing Cycling Fitness Tag!
WHAT:
The first day I taught lab A, I came into the class very nervous about how I was going to do and nervous that I would leave something out of my lesson plan. As I began to teach, I did a good job at following exactly what was required for Lab A. Unfortunately, I forgot the most important part about teaching. As I was focused mainly on the requirements for the class, I forgot to encourage the students. After I started the instant activity, I basically stood there and watched while the class took part in the activity. I was so caught up in focusing on what was required for the lab, that I left out what really matters in teaching a lesson in phys. ed. The night before the next day of teaching, I thought a lot more about focusing on the students and their activity and not just staying strict to the plan. When I taught for the second time, I felt much more relaxed, my mind was clear and I feel I gave great feedback to the students while they participated in my instant activity. I was much more confident with my teaching on the second day and felt I did a much better job and giving the class feedback and motivating them during an activity.
GUT:
When I came in the first day to teach lab I was very nervous. This was the first time that I was going to teach a group of people. I was so caught up in making sure that I didn't leave any of the requirements like saying my name, not having a good enough instant activity, or explaining my activity well enough that I forgot about focusing on the real aspects of teaching. The closer and closer it got to being my turn to teach, I got more and more nervous. I kept thinking that my activity wasn't going to be good enough or that people were not going to like my ideas or think that I was unprepared. As my turn came, I began to talk really fast and tried to go down the list of things that I had to make sure to include in my lesson. I got a chance to calm down when my instant activity was going on and during my conclusion to the lab I was much more relaxed. I realized that there was really nothing to be embarrassed or afraid of. The second day I came in much more confident, I felt that I spoke much more clearer and that my lesson went a lot smoother. Now everything is going to get easier and easier from here.
SO WHAT:
Giving feedback to students and motivating them with compliments is great for building the confidence of students in the class. When a student hears that they are doing a good job, it motivates them to want to continue to get praised and participate. This is something that is very important to do during a lesson because it keeps students wanting to come back. As stated in the text, "Teachers will motivate students in different ways." (Rink, 2010, P18). This is very important because there really is no specific way to motivate students. Every teacher has a different way that they give students confidence. It doesn't matter what style you use, it matters that you give the students the motivation to want to keep coming back and get better. I need to realize this and discover which way of giving motivation suits me best. As for being nervous, that is just something that comes when doing new things, the more and more I continue to practice, the more comfortable I will become.
NOW WHAT:
For my next lab I am going to come into it much more confident, I am going to forget about being embarrassed and become a great teacher. I am going to give the students the feedback they need and help them improve in skills. My goals for next lab are to relax and come into the lab confident in what I do. Also, i'm going to get involved with the lesson by motivating the students and not be the teacher that stands off to the side. Confidence is going to be a tough thing to improve but I believe that over time I can eliminate the factor of being nervous. I look forward to looking over the things I need to work on and come into Lab B prepared and ready to make a difference.
Here I am giving the class an introduction to the Yoga
unit and explaining the instant activity for the day.
Its important to give students feedback while they are doing an
activity. By giving compliments when they do something well,
WHAT: The first day I taught lab A I felt that I could have came into it a little more planned than I did. While I was home trying to plan out what I was going to do I think that I was trying to plan too much so I stopped and thought of an activity that was fun and easy to do to get everyone's heart rate going. Over all I think that I planned out a pretty good activity the first day but I could've made it a little longer than it was. Also I didn't sleep very loud or too clear. The next day I felt that I improved quite a bit although I still wasn't as loud as I want to be I think I gave clear and easy instructions for my activity. I was definitely more comfortable on day 2 with my classmates which made it a lot easier to be myself.
Gut: Going into lab A the first day I could feel my whole body shaking. I was definitely very nervous for many reasons. I didn't want to forget anything like saying my name or saying my signal for attention. I was nervous that I wouldn't say the directions for my activity right, and also I was afraid of what everyone was going to think of what I chose. I didn't give myself the confidence that I should've. I was also too quiet, being quiet is a hard flaw for me to break. I'm not really sure why I am more of a quiet reserved teacher, but I'm guessing it's because I get embarrassed very easily and when people judge me it makes me very nervous. The second day of lab A I was still a little nervous but once I got going I was fine I still need to be a lot louder but now that I got more comfortable with everyone I think that it's getting easier.
So What: Being nervous and quiet is one of the biggest things I need to overcome. I know that I am just beginning and that I will eventually over come this problem but then I will come across another problem that I will have to over come. " You never stop growing as a teacher. There is always more to learn and more to do. As soon as you think you have it figured out, you will have an experience that let's you know you have not." (Rink, 2010, P19) I need to keep this in mind and know that I'm am going to have my flaws but I need to over come those and look forward to letting myself figure out the next problem.
Now What: For my next lab I am going to make sure I set goals, plan my lesson thoroughly , and come into it feeling confident. The goals that I would set for next lab is being loud and try to make sure my voice isn't so shaky. I'm going to make sure that I don't say the word "guys" and start using saying more of "class" or "boy's and girl's". While I'm thinking about my next lesson plan I'm going to make sure I take down a lot of different notes so I can make sure my lesson is planned as well as I can plan it. I know that being confident in myself is going to be the toughest part for me, but I know if I act like I'm not confident others will see that and that doesn't make me the best teacher that I can be. I am going to use lab A to help me better prepare myself for future assignments and hope that I can achieve everything that I hope to!
Me teaching my activity on the second day!
Watching the partners try to relay race with a piece of paper between them.
What?- When I found out that I had to come up with an instant activity and teach it to the class, I kind of started to freak out a little. How was I supposed to come up with an instant activity all on my own about climbing. The thought of me teaching to my fellow classmates was quite nerve racking. I may know everyone's name but I don't really know them that well. The first time around I was so nervous that I was thinking so hard that I started to forget things I needed to say. Eventually once I got through, I was just relieved that it was over with. The second time around I felt like it went smoother. I was more prepared and went at a slower pace. One thing I felt that I did well both times was why the students were doing the instant activity I had them perform.
Gut?- The first time around for Lab A, I thought I just did ok. I don't want to be just ok; I want to be great. The second time around I felt good about it. So, I might have done better but I still need to do better. The thing I believe I did well was explaining why the students were doing what they were doing. If the students don't know why they are doing an activity for something, they might not have interest in it and might not do the activity. The first time around I was over thinking and stumbles on my words a bit. I need to speak clearly for my students. The second time around I forgot to mention my signal for attention. If I don't have a signal for attention then the students won't know when to stop their activity.
So What?- I need to get over this nervousness I get when being in front of others because I'm going to be in front of children everyday for my career. A teacher should not be nervous when teaching to his or her class. The class would have difficulty learning. The class needs to be able to hear and understand the teacher, or else they will never learn. Confidence is key for this success. Confidence is what I need to gain for my next lab and keep it for the rest of my teaching career.
Now What?- Now that I know that I just need to calm down and relax, I should do better. The slower I go, the easier it will be for me to remember everything on my plans and I will be able to speak clearer. My confidence level needs to definitely increase, for me to become a better over all teacher. How I teach is very important, but the way the students learn is more important. It's all about how the students learn.
Try and use your hands to help direct students on where to go or
how to do something when explaining directions.
Here is a video of my 2nd Lab A, teaching an instant activity for climbing. Enjoy!
What: For both times I taught the instant activity I made a few errors. The first time I felt like I was very nervous because it was an activity I wasn't to familiar with so I was rushing to get through things and you could see I was nervous with where I was looking and my breathing. Then the second time around I wanted to focus more on trying not to say guys and controlling my breathing, but I forgot to do my safety statement and forgot to give out my command for attention right away. This made me a little nervous again so I started to say guys again and from me doing that and not really paying attention to the rest of the class, the other girls just didn't participate in the activity.
Gut: My first lesson I knew I was going to be a little nervous because I wasn't to familiar with a few of my classmates in my group so I didn't want to mess up to bad. Also, I was nervous because I had to associate my instant activity to ballroom dancing which I had a tough time with because I never had to do it before.
My second time teaching it I was a little more comfortable, but looking back at the video I made a lot of errors and I am actually disappointed at myself for doing those mistakes. I know I could do a lot better, but I let my nerves take over and I need to not let that happen.
So What: I need to learn more on how to control my nerves because it affected my breathing and where I was looking. It could make the class think that I have no idea what is going on and that I wasn't fully prepared. Confidence is key because if I look confident the students will want to do the activities more and enjoy them a lot more. Also, I need to have a good hook because the first time around I had one and I associated ballroom dancing with family parties or just a party in general. I wanted them to know that what they learn here they will be able to use outside of the class. It had them more engaged to actually learn it from then on out.
Now What: Now I got another time practicing teaching a little bit so I am hoping I learn from my mistakes. I think next time I will show more confidence because I know my class a little better and I will prepare myself a lot more so I don't look as if I am thinking about my next move all the time. I will definitely practice either in the gym or in a mirror or even in front of a friend of mine just so I build up confidence and I have a mental game plan on how I want to run my class. Also, I will try my hardest to not say guys as much in my everyday speech because it is not recognizing the girls in my class.
Here I am explaining to my class how to do the instant activity.
1.) "What" When I was told I had to teach the class an instant warm up my first reaction was nervousness. I am a very outspoken and outgoing student so I don't know why I felt this way. The first day teaching and second day teaching were night and day to me. The first time I taught I was very a bit scared. I mumbled my directions, talked fast and rushed the whole lesson. The second time teaching I felt a lot more relaxed and more comfortable with my classmates, and I believe I slowed everything down and made my lesson a lot more respectable than the first.
2.) "Gut" After the first lesson I was very frustrated with myself. I thought I was going to show up to class and just do everything perfect. When it was time for me to teach I started to talk very fast and stutter. That was embarrassing to me because I wasn't really that comfortable with my classmates and I didn't want anyone to judge me. I knew I was going fast, but I was at the point where I just wanted to get it over with. The second lesson was very different for me though. After the first lesson I felt a new connection with my classmates. We were all joking around and laughing, and I came to realize that I wasn't the only one doing this. My second lesson went a lot smoother and I taught the class a lot slower and in rhythm. The only thing I forgot to do was mention my name.
3.) "So What" I need to just take a deep breath before the next time I teach and tell myself that I am going to be doing this for a career. I have to slow down and give clear directions, otherwise the students wont understand me and the lesson will be hard to get through. If I am giving unclear directions and mumbling it shows the students that I am not confident. Confidence is very important in the development of a teacher and my goal for the next teaching lessons is to have full confidence in myself.
4.) "Now What" Now I need to take the next lesson a little more serious. I kind of just went through the motions with the last lesson. I think I need to practice at night in front of a mirror, or to my friends outside the class. If I do this it will be a lot easier for me to teach in class rather than to just go through the motions. I need to go into the classroom thinking I am the best teacher and showing the confidence that I have.
Simply getting comfortable and laughing with your classmates makes the lesson a lot easier to teach
WHAT :For the first lab of 255 my Instant Activity was "Hiking.” To gain an understanding of what hiking was, I researched some local parks to check out what it was like to be on a trail. I learned many new things that I applied in my instant activity. For example, hiking uses many different muscle groups in the human body. In my first Lab A, I had the students break up into three different groups. In each group they worked on different exercises. On my whistle the students switched to the next station. The goal in mind was to build a foundation to actually go on hiking trails. I thought I did a nice job having full participation of the students in the activity. One thing I could have done better would be to participate in the activity. I should still be monitoring what is happening, but still setting a good example. In my second Lab A, I brought the idea of going on a nature walk through different exercises. I went over the rules of the trail and had different parts of the body being worked on. Safety was one of the main focuses of the activity. On the trail we did not want anyone going too close to the edge. To make this idea come alive, I used the red line as a boundary. To make this activity even better, I should have broken the class up into two straight lines, and stood in the middle and guided. By doing that, I could have given correction to those who needed it, and I would also have had a better perspective of how the class room was doing. Both ideas were meant to introduce the physical, literate, and fun side of hiking.
In this photo I am introducing the theme for the day . We started off with a hook . " During a hike dose one burn carbohydrates , proteins or fats ?"
GUT
During this lab I felt really nervous. I had no clue what to expect. Being an athlete I can usually get into a zone where I focus on nothing but the task in front of me. That was not the case in this lab. One of the main things I did was get very quiet. I kept telling myself "be louder, project your voice." That was one of the things that was throwing me off. I thought the students did great, but I could tell they wanted more from me. Each and every time I had to lay out one hundred and ten percent. I had to act as if this was the first time I was teaching this lesson. I believe that the more I put into the lesson, the more the students will get out of it. In the actual lesson of Lab A (the first time ) I accidentally said "guys " I felt terrible. Being a female I should know better. During Lab A the second time I was about to say it again, but caught myself, so I turned it into "everyone." I felt really proud of myself that I made the correction. I want to further the progress of the students and that starts with respect. I believe that respect is a huge aspect in professionalism. And a main part of respect is maintaining inclusion of all the students. Accidentally saying "guys" to a classroom of mixed gender is unethical. It is the simple concept of knowing right from wrong. That is one thing I do not want to make the mistake of again. I want to keep striving towards the goal of professionalism.
This is a video of Lab A (2) . Our instant activity was an "Physical Fitness Nature Hike"
SO WHAT?
When designing this instant activity I had the theory of "the learning experience must be appropriate for the experiential level of all students" (Rink 2010, page 11). While doing the "Physical Fitness Nature Hike" students of all levels could benefit. The varsity football player could work more on his form and perfecting the skill. While a student who is experiencing these motor skills for the first time can progress and understand what they are. In a bigger area the students could spread out more and take the skill at their own pace. Each student should be able to set an individual goal and then obtain it. My goal as a physical educator is to successfully provide an opportunity for each student to achieve a goal of their own. In each instant activity I know I will have to be creative to challenge those who would like to advance, yet reach to those who would like an introduction. I want to draw in each student with a hook, to get their minds excited for what is to come. During the activity I want to teach the students so what they can take something away from the lesson. To conclude the day, I hope to review and hear back from the students. That way I can get feedback and apply it to the next lesson.
NOW WHAT ?
This lab was a huge stepping stone for me. I learned a lot about myself. My strengths and weakness were very evident. I know now what to prepare for my next teaching lab. One of the things I will do is practice what I am going to say. I am also going to learn to project my voice across the room for all to hear. Another thing I am going to do is write out a script. From there I can make little cues in my head of what I would like to say rather than thinking about all the little details, I will focus on the bigger picture of the lesson. Even from Lab A to Lab corrections were made. And I am able to reflect on all the different styles of teaching that I saw and weave them into my own style.
What: On the first day of teaching Lab A I was very prepared. I picked out a game that I knew was going to be successful. I brought in a great prop that you will see below. I used Bowling Pin Blaze as a signal for attention to bring it in when I held him up and blew my whistle. On the second day of teaching Lab A I didn't feel as nervous. I feel the class had a lot of fun with the game. I had to adapt the environment to make the activity successful.
Gut: I felt both nervous and excited the first day of teaching Lab A. I felt nervous that I was going to forget something that I was being assessed on. But, I managed to remember everything. On the second day I felt more confident in my teaching but less confident in the game I had planned. After a few adjustments everything went smoothly.
So What: I think that it is very important to not seem nervous in front of a class. No matter what is going on inside my head I have to act confident in my teaching. Students will see if I act nervous and question my confidence in the subject area. In order to act professional I must be confident and not act nervous. "Many teaching outcomes are the result of not only what is taught (content), but how it is taught (process)." (Rink, 19)
Now What: I am going to relax more when I am teaching. I am confident in my teaching skills. I need to do what I do best and have fun with the kids instead of always worrying. Next lab I am going to come extra prepared and write and rehearse a script for my lesson.
My topic was Pilates; I have to
admit when I first drew the paper I was nervous, because I didn't know much
about Pilates. But after doing some research I was a lot more comfortable and
confident about what I would be teaching. Going into my first attempt at Lab A
I had a plan, but I didn't execute the plan as well as I could have, I left out
some information and that led to a weak connection between my activity and my
topic. My first activity was an up-tempo running activity to get the students
moving and get their heart rate up but I didn't connect it well enough to
Pilates. My second attempt was a lot better; I delivered interesting information
and changed up my activity to incorporate some different moves that resembled
Pilates. The activity got the students moving and it also connected to my
topic, it was brought together with good information and that's why I think it
was successful.
GUT
I felt that Lab A, as a whole, was
successful by the second go around. My first attempt was a good experience, it
was valuable to get in front of my peers and direct them as a group. It did not
go the way I had planned and it served as a good lesson for my second attempt.
I felt that I could have done more with my first attempt and that motivated me
to improve myself and my performance. I came back more prepared and did a lot
better, I connected the activity better and I gave some more useful
information. I came away from my second attempt feeling confident about the
activity that I prepared and the information that I delivered to the students.
SO WHAT?
The information that I brought to the
students in the second day was crucial, without it I would have been unable to
bring everything together and keep the students interested in continuing with
the activity. I know that they were more interested the second time because
they engaged more and they were more capable of answering questions and talking
about the topic by the time the activity was over.
NOW WHAT?
It is my goal from here on out to do as
much research as possible on what I am teaching leading up to the actual
lesson. Knowing more about the topic will be a tremendous help when coming up
with activities and give me more confidence when in front of the class. With
this knowledge I won’t have to worry about remembering a script because I will
know the information that I am teaching and it will be readily accessible. This
makes it better for not only me but the students that I will be teaching; they
will have a knowledgeable teacher that they are getting their information from
and they will be able to dig deeper and continue on with the activity even
after class is over.
Here I am demonstrating one of the moves that the students needed to perform during the activity.
This is a video of me teaching my class during Lab A.
WHAT? My activity for Lab A was Inline Skating. Not knowing much about this activity, I looked up some activities that related to inline skating to use as an instant activity. During my first time teaching, I had the students perform an Indian run and have them shout out as they ran past the line "passing on your right", or "passing on your left" depending on which side they were on. My theory behind this activity, was to get their heart rates up by running around the gym. This activity was also to stimulate a rule in inline skating, which is to shout out as you are passing another skater "on your right/left", as a safety concern in the sport. But, the problem was that I did not explain to my students how this warm-up activity related to inline skating. During my second time teaching, I changed up the instant activity by putting them in three groups and had them do different exercises to get their heart rate up. Before starting, I explained how these activities related to our topic of inline skating. Also during the first time teaching I did not introduce the unit that we were working on until the end of the warm-up. Then when I taught the second time I introduced the unit in the very beginning of class, so that the students knew what we were going to be focusing on.
GUT! After my first lab I felt pretty okay with myself, but not totally satisfied. I believe that I did a great job with getting the students heart rates up, but did not do a good job with explaining why we did the Indian run activity. Yes the activity got the students moving and heart rates up, but it was just a simple activity of running around in a circle. Therefore I feel like I was not creative enough and should have added something to the run to make it more interesting and fun for my students. After my lesson when I realized that I did not make the connection of the warm-up activity to the unit, it made me feel forgetful since I had planned to make the connection but did not. Without the connection, the students did not get much out of the warm-up other than getting warmed up and ready to start the class. If I had made the connection, they might have taken the warm-up more seriously and actually learned something out of it. And since I did not introduce the unit in the beginning of class, the students really had no idea as to where we were going with the lesson. During my second time teaching, I did make a connection between the instant activity and the unit. I made sure that I explained why we were doing these activities by relating them to inline skating. After doing so, I felt like my students got a lot more out of the warm up than the first time around, they got their heart rates up and were able to relate the 3 exercises to inline skating. Being able to make that connection is a very important aspect of physical education since they are learning something rather than just focusing on the Psychomotor domain. Also during the second time teaching since I made sure I introduced the unit before starting the warm-up, the students were more aware as to what was going on, and kept them focused during the warm-up.
SO WHAT? Making sure that I explained the connection between the warm-up and unit is very important because without that connection, students do not know why they are doing the activity, they might just think "oh this is another boring warm-up that the teacher is making us do". And as a physical educator we want our students to be involved and be learning something from everything we do instead of just getting exercise. Introducing the topic in the beginning of class is very crucial because they will hopefully get interested about the topic and want to stay involved. Without doing so, they might just run through the motions, and may not be interested since they do not know what is going to come next.
NOW WHAT? After learning from my mistakes, next time before I present my lesson to the class, I will make sure that I practice either in front of a mirror, or in front of a group of people to be better prepared and not be forgetful. Also this will help me be more confident in front of the class, and have more confidence. Having more confidence and have practiced more will make it a better environment for myself and the class, because the little things of the lesson will come to me with not having to think much about it. For instance, before the first time teaching I practiced in front of friends and felt somewhat confident but still a bit nervous. One thing I did forget while teaching the second time was to introduce myself and explain safety rules before starting the activity. If I had practiced more for the second time teaching, I may have not forgotten these important points. So now I know for Lab B, that I need to practice more before presenting, make sure introduce the topic in the beginning of the lesson, and be sure to explain to my students the connection between the instant activity and the unit so that they stay interested and want to learn more. Learning is a very, very major point of physical education, therefore I must remember to make the connection next time I teach.
Here I am with my students, explaining to them what my expectations are for them, by the end of this class.
Here is the video of myself teaching the class. Lab A "2".
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