What?: My topic for Lab B was Table Tennis. I started the lab with an instant activity to help warm up the students legs and shoulders. Having limber legs and shoulders are essential when playing table tennis. After the instant activity I began demonstrating how to bounce the ping pong ball on the racquet with control. This is only step one to my progression of table tennis, because like anything else it is important to build from the bottom up. The next demonstration was very similar except it involved a rotation of the wrist in order to alternate hitting the ball from forehand to backhand. I thought the number twenty was an appropriate number to challenge the students because not many students selected the highly skilled section. The progression continued to progress as I demonstrated the four important cues and how to properly hit the ball against the wall on a single bounce while maintaining control. For the most part, the students were able to grasp the concept and if they had some difficulties then I was there to give some positive and constructive feedback. The fourth demonstration allowed the students to hit the ball off the table and against the wall and this began to pose a threat to the low skilled students. To their credit, the tables that were being used did have a dead spot in the middle of the table but it was good to see them giving a good effort. The last activity was teamwork oriented and allowed the students to partner up and hit the ball back and forth along the table and challenge themselves to see how many volleys they could complete. Even though Lab B was fifteen minutes long, it did feel like it ran a lot smoother then Lab A. I thought that my eye contact and confidence was significantly better but can definitely still improve.
Gut: During Lab A I was incredibly nervous and jittery even though it was only one minute long. My words were jumbled, I repeated "guys", and overall I felt very unprepared to teach my peers. Lab B did not pose as much of threat to me because I knew that I could talk in front of my peers as long as I relax and have fun with the activity. Also the more time that we spent in the classroom going over all of the worksheets and learning how to write a lesson plan made it much easier to do. The lesson plan provided me with a perfect guideline and solid expectations. I was more worried with the students enjoying the lesson rather than the presentation. It is easy to lose the attention of students when you are progressing step by step and that is why I tried to keep the students active for the majority of the time. My comfort level continues to grow the more that I am in front of my peers.
So What?: The main purpose of my lesson plan was to establish the basics and make sure that all of the students understood the importance of control. I knew that the students would be able to handle the tasks that I provided for them because of the Pre-assessment chart. The fact that every student has participated in table tennis made it very easy to run my lesson. I had a general idea for my time management that correlated with each activity but I adjusted them with the class on the fly. Once I noticed that all of the students were grasping the concepts and understood the cues clearly I knew it was time to move on to the next demonstration. I thought that I did a good job of keeping my students active for the majority of the time and interested in the topic. Another thing that I thought that I did well was giving constructive and positive feedback. I tried to avoid being general and tried to give my students specifics so that they could adjust appropriately in order to gain some more knowledge of the sport. I could definitely come up with some more challenging objectives for the more advanced students when Lab C approaches.
Now What?: At the conclusion of Lab B I felt relieved and somewhat satisfied. I know that it was not my best work but I am confident that I will continue to positively progress. I thought that the best aspect of my lab was my ability to distinguish between the low and high skilled students and give positive and constructive feedback. I need to stop using the term "guys" when I teach, it is a tough habit to break but I am determined to avoid saying it during Lab C. The ability to watch my Lab B multiple times has opened my eyes and showed me some minor flaws that I can adjust for next time. I thought that my organization was pretty good for being in the gym but the ability to teach on the racquet ball courts will make Lab C easier. I am looking forward to reviewing my TA assessment and preparing a better lesson for Lab C.
This is me encouraging my students to make contact at the highest point of their reach.
Anthony
ReplyDeleteI felt that you did a real good job with your Lab. You had great build up activities, and a way to make them more challenging for the students who were high skilled and easier for the lower skilled challenges. The only recommendation i could give you is when giving feedback work on giving better feedback. When you had to correct someone you just told them what they were doing wrong and how to fix it, instead start off with what they are doing good and then correct what they are doing wrong.
Anthony,
ReplyDeleteI thought that your teaching went well. I could tell that you had great knowledge on table tennis. With your feedback I thought you gave alot of group feedback rather than individualized. More individualized feedback will give better instruction.