Leap Year Lab! 2/29

The lab this week was uneventful because due to the unfortunate weather there were hardly any students there. This made the group significantly easier to manage however it did present us with a small problem. It seems that when more students are around, the group is more likely to participate in games. Unfortunately once one student would decide against participating in the activity the rest seemed to follow quickly. Because of this none of our games ultimately ended up lasting very long however that’s not to say they weren’t successful at all or that they wouldn’t be more successful in a different setting. When there is a group that’s entirely to large or to small for an activity that is when it becomes our job as educators to think on our feet and some times stray away from our lesson plans in order to run a more successful Phys. Ed. Environment.

The Great Debate

The great deabate in class was very successful. I enjoyed my role on the board because it allowed me to see all 3 points of view without having to fully commit to one single idea. All three groups did a great job presenting and offered supporting evidence to state their case however the lifetime sports group and the skills group clearly had more domintant arguments than the stick skills group but not for lack of effort. I think that the stick skills group had a wonderful presentation however the bottom line is that teaching only hockey lacrosse and field hockey in a PE setting would not be logical in creating a physically educated person. Over all it appears to me that getting kids to participate in skill oriented sports and lifetime sports seems like the right way to teach physical education however why not try to draw from all three groups? I think because there are so many types of movements out there, and  there are so many applications for every movement the only way we can proceed as educators is to try to make or students as physically versitile as possible. I believe that I came from a good physical education program because when I was in school I learned how to encorperate all 3 areas of sport into my PE time at some point.

Lab 1

Last week we had our first lab at St. Mary's School. It was a terrific experience. It was very hands on and we were able to work with the students on playing games, coloring and preforming various other activities. The TA's gave us a tour around the building and showed us all of the equipment that we have access to. The after school program looks to be a wonderful experience for the children of St. Mary's as well as a great experience for Cortland PE students. During our time there the students were able to play basketball, volleyball soccer and jump rope as well as play games involving a giant parachute, participate in relay races and play a few different kinds of tag. I am excited for the opportunity to go back and see what there is for me to learn from the students and faculty over at St. Mary's.

Post 2

Over the summers I work with kids between the ages of 5 and 18 coaching a summer league swim team. This experience has been a good one for me because I enjoy teaching kids at many different levels how to improve their stroke techniques. The team has grown to 230 boys and girls and can be found on facebook at New Paltz Seahawks Swim Team.

Post 1

I have never blogged before but am optimistic to start.