unitplan_jessiehampton.docx |
Before going out for PSII we were asked to create a unit plan for classes we were going to teach. It also included our vision of what an effective gym teacher would look like. After completing PSII I still stand by the fact that being hands on, having good organization, and keeping activities engaging are major parts of being effective in the gym but there are a few more that I would add now. One that is very important is having high classroom expectations and making sure to follow through every time. In high school students are much more likely to push the boundaries and without having firm expectations a class can quickly turn in a different direction. This was difficult for me because every week I had new students. So every week I had to continuously relay my expectations. Another aspect that I found to be helpful was to implement consistency in every lesson with different sports. So whether that was meeting in the same place for attendance, or doing the same type of warm up. This way if I had a students one week and then did not see them until three weeks later it was still consistent with what they previously. This helped build structure in a space that is much more open and free than a typical classroom.
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In PSI I generally planned one class at a time. I would have a general idea of what I was going to do throughout the unit but seldom written down in a concise format. I have found it very helpful in PSII to create a more structured unit plan for my classes. It gave me a better sense of what my goals were and also helped with my timing for my lessons. I would be able to see right away of lessons needed more activities rather than writting it out into a lesson plan and realizing later that I needed more content. I found it helpful to alter the way I wrote my lesson plans by highlighting the role of the students versus the role of the teacher. I found it gave me more room to state the activity, the questions I wanted to ask, and some assessments I could implement in the class. It is easier for me to see exactly what the students task is and all the other things that I need to be doing in that time frame.
For my last week in PSII the drama students had taken over the gym space in order to set up for their yearly show. This is a hard aspect of being a full time phys ed teacher. The gym is a communal space for the school so at short notice you can be kicked out and need to find something to do with your class. My last week was a good example of this. We had no access to the gym so we needed to find something to do with our classes. One class we were able to take to the rec plex to go shuffleboarding, where the other class was scheduled to play outdoor soccer. Hypothetically this is a good idea aside from the fact the weather is so unpredictable at the end of April. The first two days it was raining, snowing, and windy. This posed a problem for participation and engagement. For the second day I had prepared a soccer worksheet incase the weather was too unfavourable. This a variable that teachers need to consider when planning lessons, or being removed from certain areas.
Throughout this practicum I have become very familiar with the program of studies for PE especially at the high school level. Everyday I have to open the document to lesson plan and to find different outcomes for each class I teach. It has been imperative that I get comfortable with each outcome and find different ways to teach them being the sports I have taught had been predecided due to their modular based program. I have found the guide to implementation to be a life saver. Instead of having to scroll through all grades and all general learning outcomes, the guide to implementation breaks it up into the grade levels. This way I get one page with every outcome for the grade I am teaching. It has cut down the time selecting an outcome prior to starting my lessons. In PSII I was able to teach grade 9 health, the life learning choices outcome as well as the relationship choices outcome. Again I had to go to the program of studies right away to find out what the outcomes were that I need to meet over the two week time frame. Again I found the guide to implementation really helpful. Not only does it have the outcomes there but it has sample lesson plans. I was able to use and adapt different ideas to incorporate them into my lessons. From the program of studies there are many different links and resources to use which I found very helpful throughout my PSII experience.
I have had the wonderful experience of being in a module based phys.ed program. The bonus to this kind of program is the students get an opportunity to play many different sports and try different kinds of activities. Over my PSII I have been able to go into the community and be apart of curling, swimming, rock climbing, weight training and shuffleboard. It is really interesting to take students off school grounds and do something that most have never tried before. For both curling and weight training we used community facilities and taught the classes ourselves where for swimming, rock climbing, and shuffleboard we had
community members lead the classes. It is nice to see how the students get involved and participate when an expert in that area helps the school out. I took the students to the Calgary Climbing Center for two afternoons. The students were very involved and excited to learn something new and different. Going out in to the community offers the students an opportunity to try something new and hopefully get involved in something long term and out of high school. The other great thing about going out and trying different sport is it levels the playing field amongst the class. In high school there is a wide range of abilities that can suffer in your typical organized team sports. It is very easy to see who are the athletes versus those who struggle. Shuffleboard has been an activity that has evenedthe skill amongst the class. We would not have been able to teach this sport if we did not have the support of the community and shuffleboard assosciation in High River. They were able to come in and teach us how to play, how to score, and the etiquette behind the sport. During PSII I had the opportunity to sit in on parent teacher interviews as well as be involved with students that had emails sent home. I have had a few students that chose not to participate in phys.ed class or if they are involved they are unsafe and disruptive. With these students I have tried mulitple ways to try to consequence their actions with little or no change in their attitudes. It has come to a point where we needed to contact home to help rectify the issues. I feel that contacting home can be a positive outcome if parents are on board with the teacher but that is not always the case. Some parents will fight tooth and nail to back up their kids. Which I can understand but at the same point is a challenge because they are not in the class when they kids act up. On the flip side of the scenario most parents are supportive and try to come to a conclusion that benefits the class as well as the student. I think it is important keeping parents involved in what is going on at school. This way there is no surpirse when report cards and comments go home. Parents can be a great pillar of support for teachers if they are kept involved in their childs education. I also think it is important to let parents know when their kids do something great. This way it is not always negative news that is being conveyed back to them.
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Miss. HamptonLinking learning and instruction to KSA's Archives
May 2017
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