Pre-internship week numero uno!

I have fallen off the blogging train as you all could see, but I’m back and I feel refreshed and rejuvenated to deliver some rock solid blogs. For my pre-internship I am teaching a grade one class and my unit theme is fairy tales. Throughout my first week of pre-internship I have taught Physical Education, Health, Social Studies, English, and Math. I have had a lot of good learning experiences and amazing times with the kids. On Thursday night a leprechaun ransacked the classroom leaving little green footprints everywhere, overturning a desk, hanging shoes from the roof, and books all over the floor. On Friday morning the children were so excited that a leprechaun had visited and they did a scavenger hunt to find the pot of gold that the leprechaun had left for them. It was

Retrieved from Google Images

a pretty crazy day and all the children had so many ideas about leprechauns. For all of you that don’t know my class filled me in, Leprechauns eat lady bugs, wear tights and loafers, have very small feet but huge brains, and don’t marry anything but money. Speaking of marriage, I had my first proposal offered to me, by a grade one girl who thought I looked very pretty. Talk about awkward moment!

My lessons so far have all gone off pretty well other then a few management problems here and there, but all in all it has been a great time. You learn so much about life while in the schools and not just about teaching. Things I have learned other then about leprechauns is that Alexander is the best name for a prince, Rapunzel grew her hair out because she did not have a good hair dresser and didn’t want to do it herself, Wal-mart is the ONLY place to buy markers, and if a boy has long hair it means he is a girl in disguise. These are all lessons that I am sure I could not live without knowing. I can’t wait for the rest of my pre-internship to continue because I m having so much fun and learning so many new and extravagant things!

Retrieved from Google Images

My Phys. Ed lesson was based on parachute games and it was very fun. It was the first time that the students had used the parachute so they were excited to just make waves. We played some games with students switching spots, and going under the parachute like a mushroom cloud. We also bounced some balls on the parachute. The kids loved every bit of it and I have to admit I enjoyed it too. The sound of a child laughing is the best sound in the world!

Hope your all having a great time. Can’t wait to see all your bright smiley faces in April!

 

How young is too young?

Coming from an athletic family I have played sports all my life. I learned to skate at the same time I learned to walk. I have four other siblings and all of us started playing hockey when we were four. I now have a nephew who also started playing hockey when he was four. I never thought anything about this kind of thing until  started being taught (and looking into) child development. From past classes I have learned that children are not capable of playing or grasping the concepts of most sports competitively until they are at least nine, and often even later. I feel this is also what Brian is pushing when he teaches us to not teach actual sports, but the skills needed. Now my example is an extreme one but  it is something to ponder:

Retrieved from Google Images

My nephew started playing hockey when he was three. By the time he was four and a half he had decided he wanted to be a goalie (like many young children do). As he got older he stuck with his idea and never wanted to be any other position. Now my nephew watches sportscenter everyday, sometimes twice a day, and knows more hockey statistics and rules then most adults. He knows who scored when and how. He knows and understands rules and why they are put in place (he had a twenty minute argument with an adult about why the trapezoid behind the net is ridiculous. He was six!). He will be turning nine in March and still plays goalie. Unlike his goalie counterparts he uses all real equipment. He has goalie pads, a goalie chest protector, goalie skates, and a goalie helmet. (for those of you who do not know, most young goalies wear normal skates, normal helmets, and often road hockey pads). He plays AA hockey an age group above his own and has been asked to play AAA and summer hockey already. My point is not to brag about my nephew but to ask is this completely crazy? Is the fact that this child is playing goal at such a young age at what can be considered a high level wrong? I used to think it was not but I am starting to disagree with myself. I know he is not fully developed (not even close), so should he be playing at this level? My thoughts to say this is a good thing are also numerous. The fact that he has the ability to understand and play hockey at this high of a level so young must be a good sign for his development. I also think that if he can continue to grow and develop at this pace is that not a good thing?

Retrieved from Google images

If you are wondering my nephew does not play summer hockey because he is too interested in other sports. He plays football, soccer, and baseball in the summer (so burning out from hockey is probably not going to happen). He plays at a fairly high level in other sports as well, but not quite as high as his hockey skill.

So my questions to you are: how young is too young? When is it okay to put children into organized sports, especially AA and higher levels? If we wait to let children play organized sports, will it take them longer to develop in those sports? and if you have (or are going to have) kids, when do you allow them to compete in organized sports?

Can’t wait to hear your opinions. I’m sure they’re quite diverse!

Speed Stacking in Phys. Ed?

After class last Thursday we were posed a question. Can speed stacking (stacking and unstacking specialized cups) be used in a Physical Education class. Now obviously there are going to be different views on this, which is what makes it so interesting. Before I give my opinion I am going to touch on speed stacking in general. There are a few different types of speed stacking. You can do it individually, of either 3-3-3 style or 3-6-3 style (referring to the stacks you make), as a team making stacks at the same time each using a different hand, or in a relay fashion. Obviously in competitions these would be timed with the fastest time winning. Speed stacking is in fact considered a sport. Started in the 1980′s it took off in 2000 as a sport that children of all ages and abilities could do. Major tournaments are held annually around the world. For more information on speed stacking you can go to the speed stacking website. You will also notice on this website that they have a “teacher central” link. If you click on this link it will lead you to a some comments from teachers and a video about speed stacking and its uses in the classroom. For quick access I have put the video below. (your welcome)

speed stacking

Leading off of this video, the question is do I think it can be used in a Physical Education class. My answer is yes, if it is used correctly. Of course speed stacking is going to help improve fine motor skills, dexterity, focus, speed, reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and much more. This is all great and very important in a Phys. Ed. classroom. My only problem with this so far is that it does not raise the heart rate, which I think is a very important detail in Physical activity and Education. Of course their are ways to use speed stacking and raise the heart rate. Like you saw on the video if you watched it, the children are speed stacking all the way across the gym, hopping, skipping, and running to the next stack. They are also stacking while planking and stacking while doing push ups. This is impressive because it is getting them to use more then one skill at once, and it adds an element of fun to the exercises they are being asked to do. Another quality that I like about speed stacking is that it is something that children can measure their success and improvement. This does not mean it should be a competition in the classroom of who can get the fastest time. What I mean is that it can be something children practice and they keep track of their personal times and try to improve on them. Speed stacking is something that can be implemented into a Physical Education class without putting children on the spot. It could be a center or station in a set of mini activities. There are so many possibilities with speed stacking and all it takes are some cups (although the expensive speed stacking cups work the best). I also happened to find another video of educators in the United Kingdom using speed stacking in their Education programs and i thought it was kind of interesting. Take a look!

UK Speed Stacking

This interested me because they also used it in conjunction with other skillful movements and it worked great in their curriculum. They also mentioned how it is great for children with disabilities and disorders like autism. When you have an activity that literally anybody can do, it really helps to build the community and the relationship goal in your classroom. the only part of the video i did not like is that the teacher at the beginning was very conscious of the students times and made a group sit out because they were the slowest (Although the UK do weird things). I think speed stacking could be included into a Physical Education curriculum if you implemented it correctly. I also think it makes a great brain break or activity for children who are done early to go do. You can leave the cups at the back of the room and if they have free time they can go practice. It does not take up much room and can help them to develop many things that are difficult to teach otherwise. Overall my opinion is a firm Yes! I think the more ways we can find to try new things and teach our students in fun new ways that work are great. We need to keep bringing in new ideas and new things for them to try instead of the same old dodgeball and kickball. The other plus is that children really love speed stacking. It is quite addicting. If you have never done it you should try because it is a good time.

Let me know what you think about speed stacking and if you disagree with anything I said. (and if you feel up to it maybe challenge me in a speed stacking duel).

Backwards by Design?

I have been mulling over the thought of backwards by design for a while now. I have read it a couple times and I’m still not sure what to think. I really think it is something important to do, but it also feels like it is standardizing the classroom. If I look for the standards in the curriculum and then make an assessment to follow that, does that mean I am standardizing he curriculum and teaching to the test (or assessment)? I just feel as though if I plan my assessment before my lessons and activities I will cease to have interesting lessons because I will make the assessment first. I think it is easier to make inquiry and experiental typed lessons by making the lesson first and then the assessment. I realize the benefits of backwards design and I know it is important to have a goal of an end result before I start. With this said I cannot help but think that this eliminates teachable moments because you did not plan to assess that. I really like the idea of having assessment plans ready, but they should be flexible because the class has to be flexible in order to work. I think in order to plan backwards we should have an idea for an assessment, not necessarily a structured, ready to go assessment. I see the thought process. It is like a building. We must draw blueprints of what we want to end with before we start so that we know where we are going. Like a blue print, an assessment must be ready to change in case things change or fall apart. The classroom is a crazy place and we must always be ready for anything. If this means designing our lessons backwards then I agree with it. There are so many strengths and seemingly weaknesses to backwards by design. If anyone can help clear this dilemma for me please feel free. Share your thoughts and point out where my thoughts are off track because I seem to be struggling with grasping this concept as genuinely great.

Nature vs. Nurture

     I know this is still talk about physical activity and not physical education but I had to get other people’s opinions on the subject. In our EPE 310 class on Thursday our table got into a conversation about whether children can hit their peak, where it is no longer possible for them to get better at what they are doing. This lead to the conversation about whether athletic ability is something a child is born with, or whether it is developed. If you know me at all, you know that I like to argue and like to prove myself right if possible. So I decided that I would look up some articles on nature vs. nurture to try and prove my case. The problem was that everyone has differing opinions when it comes to this topic. I read an article about the importance of genetics in developing great athletes. I also found an article about the importance of developing a child’s talents, and the environment they are raised in. Now I firmly believe that it does not matter about the genetics that a child is born with. I could be born with the greatest athletic genes in the world, but if my parents did not want me to play sports or I had a poor lifestyle then those genes would not be developed. I think it is more important about the environment that you are raised in, and the influences on your life. These are the important factors in creating great athletes. Reggie Miller, the greatest three point shooter of all time, was born with leg deformities that did not allow him to walk. He overcame this to become a hall of fame NBA basketball player. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. If he had great genetic ability that probably would not have happened. It is because this happened that he became so great. These are just two examples of people who overcame poor circumstances to achieve the athletic status as some of the best of all time.

With regards to the conversation we had about children hitting their peaks.

Therewas a lot less on this topic. I am more looking for how others feel about this topic. I feel as though their are no such things as peaks (unless you are talking about age or injury). A student in grade three does not just hit a peak where they stop learning to read and have done as well as they possibly can. A football player in grade eleven has not hit his peak because he is not getting any better. To me that is a lack of motivation or proper coaching/teaching. Peaks, to me, do not exist. I believe that everyone has a similar chance of achieving the same things if they set their mind to it and have the resources and influences needed. I think instead of peaks, we have barriers, and it is the ability to overcome barriers that makes for great learning and amazing progress. Let me know what you think about these two controversial topics, and possibly help me win an argument!

The Mayo Jar

I recently read this and found it quite motivating. I know it doesn’t have that much to do with Physical education, but it is kind of interesting.  think this is very important for everyone to hear, and possibly use this in the future to teach what is important to your future students, friends, family, etc.

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,  when 24 hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and fills it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “YES”.

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – God, family,
children, health, friends, and favorite passions. Things, that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else — the small stuff.” he said.

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “There is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are
important to you…” he told them.

“So… pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Worship with your family. Play with your children. Take your partner out to dinner. Spend time with good friends. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap. Take care of the golf balls first — the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled and said, “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

living to be one hundred

I read this post today and thought it was very interesting. Some of it was new and some it was old, but I think all of it was important. I like to read what other people think I should do to live longer because usually all the ideas differ. I often look to see how exercise and staying fit is defined. In this post it is said that you should be active in some way, which I really liked. I also liked that it talked about emotions, stress, physical health, and social health. I think all of these are important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Read it if you want to live to be one hundred and maybe even older. Let me know what you think about the post, and what you think is the most important thing to living into your centennial years.

Living to be one hundred (after you click on the link, scroll down to the “health decisions” portion down the middle of the page. Click on 11 health habits that will help you live to be one hundred. All this work is necessary because technology was bullying me and would not allow me to link to the real page , just the home page.)

What drives us?

Today I watched a video from a radio show that talked about what drives us in society, and specifically what drives Tom Brady. As it is getting closer to the Super Bowl I thought this was kind of appropriate. It is somewhat long and boring unless you are quite interested in things like this, but the radio announcer does have a great voice so take a gander if time allows.

In this video they talk about how Tom Brady is driven. He may be a celebrity quarterback who has won three Super Bowl titles and is going for his fourth this February, has a supermodel wife and is one of the wealthiest athletes of all time; but something must still drive him. What some people do not know is that Tom Brady was chosen in the sixth round of the NFL entry draft, 199th overall. This means that every single team in the NFL had a chance to have Tom Brady. It also means that six other quarterbacks were chosen before Brady in that draft, none of whom are still playing, or even got to play at all. This is what Brady says drives him. The idea that everyone thought he was worthless, and nobody had faith in his abilities. It is stated that Brady probably had and still has the most “heart” in the NFL and one of the best work ethics. This is something that is rarely evaluated because it is difficult to measure, unlike arm strength and speed. This is what got me interested. Although this seems like it has nothing to do with education, it really does.

This radio show made me think of quite a few things about education. These include how to drive students to do better, and how to assess everything they do, not just the easy measurements. Of course I do not mean we should be knocking the students down so they try harder to prove us wrong, but that our expectations should actually show what we want. Everyone knows that people, especially children do up to expectations. If they are low, they do poorly, if they are high they do well. This means that in order to drive our students to do their best we must expect their best. We must also capitalize on the opportunities when students are feeling low or dejected by others to talk them into working harder to prove them wrong. I think it is a great skill to be able to come back from rejection or “defeat” and prove people wrong. To not stay on the ground when knocked down, but to get up and continue fighting and growing. If we can teach our students this, they will do much better in life.

The next part I took away was to assess and evaluate on more then the easy stuff. Yes we have learned that literacy and numeracy are easy to mark, but not always the best ways to mark. Should we be giving marks at all? How can we show to students that everything they do is important? How can we give credit for things like heart, effort, work ethic, and determination when it is not in the curriculum? These are all things I thought about when listening to this radio show. I’d like to hear your thoughts on these ideas, as well as what drives you in your life. Whether it be school, work, sports or anything else that you think needs drive. This could include getting up in the morning. I know for me, I am driven by people who think I am immature, too loud, dance/sing too much, or share my opinion too often. I am sorry if I offend you throughout my day, but I will not change who I am just to please others.

Other interesting draft places of athletes you may not have known before:

- Martin Brodeur  (winning-est goalie in NHL history) – passed over by twenty of thirty NHL teams

- Roger Staubach (One of the greatest QB’s in NFL history) – drafted in the tenth round (the draft doesn’t even go ten rounds anymore)

- Ryan Miller (US Olympic/NHL goaltender) – drafted 138th overall

- Nicklas Lidstrom – (Considered one of the greatest NHL defenseman of all-time) – drafted 53rd overall

- Mark Messier (Greatest NHL leader of all time) – passed over by every team, chosen in the 3rd round

- Patrick Roy (arguably the best NHL goalie ever) – Drafted in the 3rd round, 51st overall

There are obviously a lot more, but these are some stand outs for me. Let me know of any you know, I am always interested in these types of things.

 

What Counts as Physical Activity

Today I was sitting at home watching tennis and a commercial came on for Tim Horton’s. I’m sure lots of you have seen it, but in the commercial the employees are all talking about how they are exercising because it is a new year, and the male employee (no sexism intended I’m sure) says that hisexercise was standing on the bus. He says this is exercise because he was not sitting but standing. When probed that he wasn’t moving, therefore it doesn’t count, he responds with “Then how did I get here?”. This commercial always makes me laugh but today, for some strange reason, it made me think about exercise and how people view it differently.

For example, I think that i am exercising because I choose to walk ten minutes to school, instead of park at the school. I know it is only ten minutes and should not really count as exercise, but I like to pat myself on the back for it. I know other people in the past have told me that it doesn’t count as physical activity because my heart rate is not rising enough, and they get all technical on me. This raises an issue with me. I know that in today’s society we look at all the rules and need to define things as one or the other. Everything we do is put into binaries, which I think is ridiculous. I believe the fact that I am walking at all should be put into account and it should be considered a step in the right direction. This is the same thing for children. I think the importance of physical education is to inspire children to be active for life, and we will not do this by critiquing everything they do and telling them if they did enough. We need to start giving credit for small steps in the right direction, simply because even these small steps are rare. We as educators need to realize that not all students will be eager and engaged and want to jump right in to physical activity. Some will be quite scared of physical activity. I think with these children we need to try and inspire small victories until we reach our goals. Please, feel free to disagree with me, I would love to hear what you have to say about physical activity and the need for large steps in today’s obese society.

P.S. I got this picture off a healthy living website that has articles on things like stress, sleep, etc. It is a site with some good articles and some controversial articles so check it out and see what you think.

 

Heart warming physical fitness

I just watched an ESPN E:60 special that was absolutely amazing. It is about two brothers, one with cerebral palsy and one not. They wanted to spend more time together so one brother found a way to include his brother in physical fitness. Before I ruin it anymore here is the link, watch it before you read on or I will spoil it for you! ( the link on the website is called “Brotherly Bond”)

http://search.espn.go.com/e:60/videos/6

I am not going to lie, I cried like a baby through this entire video, and for the next fifteen minutes. It is truly amazing to see the bond that family and love has. The little boy is so accepting of his brother and so amazing at including him. He doesn’t even care about winning or even coming close, just as long as he is doing something with his brother. This is one of the most inspiring videos I have ever seen. I cannot even imagine how hard an iron man race like this would be, not to mention the ridiculous strain that is put on your body when pulling or pushing another child the same size as yourself. This touched me so much I am seriously shaking right now typing this. I hope you can all get as much inspiration and joy from this video as I did. Let me know what you think. If you are interested there are a lot of good E:60 videos so watch away.