Well, we made it! Lab D is now complete for almost all of us. This lab was the most difficult one of them all. In Lab C was easier because it was less time and we worked with a partner or in a small group. For both Lab C and D the topics were pretty unfamiliar to everyone. It was important for us to learn as much as we could about our topic in a short time. For my Lab D, I found this to be pretty difficult. I think if I had gained more knowledge on the topic the lab would have gone a little smoother. Nonetheless, I'm happy with all my Labs because I can see a lot of growth from the start to finish.
My C9 was missing a lot of key components. This was disappointing because I've been doing very well on the C9s so far this semester. The key points I did include were: starting the lesson with an instant activity, introduction, signal for attention, safety statement, and had visual aids. One of the big mistakes I made was not having a clear objective for my lesson. My objective in mind was too general and because of this I couldn't give effective feedback to my students. I found it difficult to give any kind of specific feedback because they were doing several different activities. The most I could say was "good job" or "way to be active." There was no variation. Feedback is very important because it either let's the students know what they need to work on or what they should continue to do. I also believe having a good deal of knowledge on the topic makes it easier to give feedback. I definitely could have learned a little more about Exergaming and the Kinect system. The other points I was missing were the intratask variation and checking for understanding. With the Kinect system it takes time to change the levels. One thing I could have done was given a survey of who has used the Kinect before and put them together in a group. They could have started at a higher level for a more challenging experience while people who have never played with a Kinect could have played at the lower, more basic levels. I also didn't do very well checking for understanding. I really didn't have anything to check for because there were different cues for each station. I should have gone over the cues at the end of the lesson to make sure they were teaching them to each other. The biggest fault that showed up on my C9 form was my weakness in language. I said "guys" way too much!!! I wanted to kick myself after every time I used the word guys. It is a very hard habit to get rid of but as teachers we need to make sure we are addressing the WHOLE class, not just the "guys."
Time Coding 1 & Time Coding 2
My time coding form looked like this:
Management - 28%
Activity - 46%
Instruction - 24%
Waiting - 2%
My management time was not very good in this Lab. I chose to do stations and it turns out stations take a lot of managing so this may have not been the best move on my part. Using the Kinect system also effected my management time because the steps required to get to each game can be lengthy. I almost reached the suggested activity time which is good. Even though I did hit the suggested instruction time of under 30% I believe I could have done more instructing or demonstrating. The only game I really demonstrated was the Just Dance game. I had enough time to demo the other two games but it slipped my mind when the time came. Sometimes it is hard to have students always active but it is important that as teachers we learn to organize our class so the students get the maximum activity time possible.
My C10 form looked like this:
Practice - 56%
Lecture/Demonstration - 25%
Management - 23%
Unfortunately, I did not hit the target times. My management time seemed to be the biggest issue in Lab D and that is because of the stations I had set up. Although I had all my stations set up it took more time than I expected for the students to get to their stations and start playing the games. My activity time was also a lot lower than it should be because my management time was so high. For the future I need to keep in mind how long stations take to set up and make it easy to transition from one station to the next. My lecture/demo time was only 10% off but can still be improved. I think the time I used was necessary though because the students needed to learn how to set up the Kinect system. Overall, I just need to do a better job managing my time.
Just by quickly glancing at my SOFIT form I can see two things. The student activity was either standing or active and the lesson context was either management or fitness. Just how I stated earlier, a lot of my lesson was managing because of the stations. I tried my best to have everything set up before the lesson started but because I had three stations I still had a lot of managing to do. In the future I think I would want to stay away from stations with the Kinect system because students are standing around a little too much. Dr. B suggested a great idea of having one station where students were doing another fitness activity without the Kinect system. This way students would have been very active and there would be less managing going on. The students also would have been able to see my objective clearer of learning how to exercise in alternative ways. From this form I also determined at the beginning of my lesson there was a lot of standing going on because there were several things I had to go over before the lesson started.
Overall my C12 form was scored on the higher side. I had the highest scores in my enthusiasm level, gestures/body language, and confidence and poise. My management of the environment and instruction clarity could be improved. Rachel pointed out that I didn't explain every game so for a while her and Andrew were standing. This is something I definitely could have avoided by demonstrating how to play every game. I should have also planned where each student was going to go because not everyone got a chance at each station. Originally I had planned to do this but since some students were having more fun at some of the stations I thought they should choose. This probably wasn't the best idea. It added to my management time and decreased the time students could have been active playing a game.
My C13 form was missing a lot of key components. Some of the things I was missing include: statement of expectation for the lesson, instructional points, opportunity for clarification and feedback. These are all very important things that I should have included in my lesson. As far as appearance, smile, and poise I think I did well. I always feel very confident with my appearance and presence going into lab. I also believe my voice has been one of my strong points all semester. Since my class is so small it has been easy to get them engaged and enthusiastic about the lesson but I did not have such luck this time around. Some students really loved the lesson but other students I couldn't get them motivated. In the future I need to clarify my instructional objective better. I did not do a good job with this. I think the students learned a little about the Kinect but I don't think they fully understood the benefits of the Kinect. I also wish I had more time or took the time to explain other Exergaming systems.
Check out my Lab D Lesson Plan and Lab D video as well!
Pilaties Homework:
1. What is Pilates?
Pilates is a system of exercises using special apparatus, designed to improve physical strength, flexibility, and posture, and enhance mental awareness
2. What is the main focus on Pilates and how does that help anxiety?
Some of the main focuses of Pilates are centering, control, flow, breath, precision, and concentration. All of these things can help with anxiety. Learning how to breathe properly and controlling your body are very important to helping anxiety.
3. What are benefits to Pilates?
Some benefits to Pilaties are: body awareness, stronger core, more lean muscles, and body control.
4.Would you take another class?
Yes I would take another Pilates class. I found it to be very relaxing.
5.Why do we focus on quality over quantity in Pilates?
"A few well-designed movements, properly performed in a balanced sequence, are worth hours of doing sloppy calisthenics or forced contortion." Joseph Pilates. Doing a few reps of exercises with correct form are better than doing multiple reps with imperfect form.
Liz excellent lab D. You had great energy and your activities we great! Good job reflecting on what you can improve on. You definitely learned a lot about your self as a teacher and grown very much throughout the semester. Exergaming is a great tool in physical education and you definitely showed the class how useful it can be!
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