Based upon observations and interactions with the St. Mary’s students, describe what you have learned about young children? Provide examples of activities you felt were appropriate. Why? Were there activities that were not appropriate? Why?
I have learned so much about children. I have learned that all students are very different. I learned to communicate with different kids differently. Just one example being, some kids like to be joked around with, while there are others who have a much more serious attitude.
Another thing I learned about the students was that different age groups handle activities differently. The younger St. Mary’s students needed a much more of a structured environment. They cannot entertain themselves as long as the older kids can. When we gave the older students choices of what they wanted to do, they handled this much better.
Another thing I learned about young children was that you need to be very assertive with them. If they see a weakness in you taking control, they will walk all over you. It is important to set the tone on Day 1, of that when you are speaking everyone is looking at you and paying attention.
I learned how much young students love any kind of physical activity. I forgot what it was like to be that age and to love mostly any type of game or activity where I was running around. You don’t have to be the best athlete to enjoy playing these activities.
I have learned that children can be very clingy. They love to just grab on to you. Like being assertive, it is important to set the rules on keeping your hands to yourself on Day 1.
Mostly all of the activities we did at St. Mary’s were very appropriate. In last week’s Lab write up, I focused on some of the activities that were not appropriate, which were only a few. The activities that we brought were appropriate for a number of reasons. Most of them were controlled, well for the most part, as much as they could have been. Secondly, there was a ton of physical activity taking place. Students were constantly moving and running around. Thirdly, we provided a safe environment for our students. We didn’t do anything that would put their health in danger. And very importantly, we brought games to them that provided them with excitement and fun. We didn’t just bring them boring activities. We brought them creative games that they could enjoy.
Based upon your interactions with St. Mary’s PRE K program, describe your experience. How was this different from working with the older age students? Did you enjoy working with younger age children? Why or Why not?
The PRE K program experience was a very interesting experience. I have a little cousin who is about 4 years old and I spend a ton of time with her. So I thought my PRE K experience would be very easy and that I would know exactly what to do with them. But it was actually very challenging for me. All four and five year olds are different. They all like different things and are entertained by different things.
One thing I noticed that most of them all had in common was that they all loved attention. They were also saying things like, “Look at me” and “Watch what I can do”. They love hearing compliments. One little compliment makes them very happy and puts a big smile on their face.
I did enjoy working with the younger age children, but I think I enjoyed working with the older St. Mary’s students a little bit more. It was a good experience for me to work with these young children though. I had a hard time indentifying with these younger kids at times because they use their imagination so much. Using my imagination is not something I usually tend to do so this was a challenge for me. The older students didn’t do this as much, so it was a little easier for me to identify with them. Its not that I don’t like to use my imagination, it’s just that I need to get used to doing it, and I need more practice with it.
During your field experience, each of you worked with children in the cafeteria setting. Describe the fine motor activities you observed. Do you feel that working on fine motor activities is something we should work on in Physical Education.
Some of the fine motor activities I observed were fourth graders holding their cards in their hands while playing slap jack. Both of the kids I was watching were both right handed. However, one kid held his pile in his left hand so he could be quicker to slap with his right. The other student kept is pile in his right hand because it was more comfortable for him but this consequently made his slap slower because he had to slap with his left hand.
They younger students played less complicated games in the cafeteria. They used more of their imagination. They were building things like LEGO airplanes and holding them while flying them through the air. They were holding them like they were gold. They were holding these planes with two hands even though they could have easily been lifted with just one hand. In there imagination they were holding something very valuable.
It didn’t seem like the younger girls were very much into the LEGOS. It looked like they were just happy with putting together a puzzle. One of the puzzles seemed so easy to me and I thought they would complete it like 5 seconds. I forgot how challenging puzzles were when I was that young. A puzzle that I could have quickly done took them like ten minutes.
I do feel we should work on fine motor activities in Physical Education. These are like the fundamentals for more difficult things. If they don’t know how to do small things, like how to hold something correctly or how to do a small skill most efficiently they are going to struggle with the more complicated things. Fine Motor skills are like the building blocks for everything else.
Reflecting on your growth as a future teacher, what have you learned from this experience that has given you insight as to your individual “teaching style”. Has your teaching style emerged based upon your experience and interaction at St. Mary’s. If yes, in what way. If not, how else might this occur?
After teaching at St. Mary’s, I still don’t feel like I have a specific teaching style. I think it will develop over time as I continue to spend more time with kids like over the summer at the summer camp I work at. However, I do feel like I know a heck of a lot more how to teach children then I do before this experience. It is one thing to talk in class about the right things to do with students and this is helpful, but until you actually experience interaction with young children you can’t completely learn. Interacting with students had taught me so much about teaching.
I think one of the main things that this experience has taught me is that you have to be assertive. If you’re not assertive, you are not going to be a successful teacher. Children will disrespect you and not pay attention to you at all if you are not assertive and firm with them.
I have learned a couple good strategies with dealing with the students. One of the things I learned involved dealing with students that weren’t acting appropriately during the activities. If you just shout out to them while the game is going, “Hey, stop what your doing”, it may not work. I discovered through my experience that actually calling the kid over to you away from the game and looking them right in the eye and saying something works much better. I feel like you make a better connection with them when you have this straight forward interaction with them away from the game.
Another thing that definitely helped when dealing with students was getting on a knee and getting down to there level. This also made me feel like I was making a better connection with them. It probably seemed a lot less intimidating for them. I used this strategy a lot in the PRE K.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
St. Mary's Lab 5
1. Consider the activities/games that you have utilized so far during the past four labs. Were they appropriate for the students at St. Mary’s? Why or why not?
Mostly all of the activities/games that we have utilized have been appropriate for the students at St. Mary’s. The majority of all the activities we have done have been a success.
However, there was one game that my group actually ran that wasn’t a complete success. We were supposed to be assessing how the students threw. The game that was not a complete success that my group ran was called favorite food freeze tag. The game was not appropriate to fully assess the throw because there was nothing stopping the students from handing the ball off, or tossing it underhand to the next person. The activity needed a rule that made the students throw the ball overhand and from at least 10 feet away. So this was one game that was not completely appropriate for what we were trying to accomplish.
2. What might be some limitations to games or activities when using them in the process of assessing motor skills?
One limitation might be to narrow the game down so there are less people in a game so it is easy to see a certain individual which would make it easier to assess. Instead of having one big game, the teacher could narrow the class in half on each side of the gym to allow for two smaller games with less people. It will be easier for the teacher to assess in a less crowded environment.
Another specific limitation, for example, if playing a game of Handball, would be making at least 5 passes before shooting. This would make sure everyone on the team is getting involved and getting touches so the teacher could assess everyone. Another limitation involving this example, would be a rule that each individual on the team can only shoot once at the goal until everyone on the team has shot at least once. This would make sure everyone on the team was getting shots and it would allow the teacher to assess everyone’s shooting.
Another limitation would be the amount of time spent on a certain activity while assessing. If the teacher were assessing a student perform a skill while doing a certain activity, they can’t just continue to do the same activity while assessing everyone. Students will get bored if they are doing the same activity over and over. Teachers need to be creative and be able to do a lot of different activities while assessing the same skill.
Mostly all of the activities/games that we have utilized have been appropriate for the students at St. Mary’s. The majority of all the activities we have done have been a success.
However, there was one game that my group actually ran that wasn’t a complete success. We were supposed to be assessing how the students threw. The game that was not a complete success that my group ran was called favorite food freeze tag. The game was not appropriate to fully assess the throw because there was nothing stopping the students from handing the ball off, or tossing it underhand to the next person. The activity needed a rule that made the students throw the ball overhand and from at least 10 feet away. So this was one game that was not completely appropriate for what we were trying to accomplish.
2. What might be some limitations to games or activities when using them in the process of assessing motor skills?
One limitation might be to narrow the game down so there are less people in a game so it is easy to see a certain individual which would make it easier to assess. Instead of having one big game, the teacher could narrow the class in half on each side of the gym to allow for two smaller games with less people. It will be easier for the teacher to assess in a less crowded environment.
Another specific limitation, for example, if playing a game of Handball, would be making at least 5 passes before shooting. This would make sure everyone on the team is getting involved and getting touches so the teacher could assess everyone. Another limitation involving this example, would be a rule that each individual on the team can only shoot once at the goal until everyone on the team has shot at least once. This would make sure everyone on the team was getting shots and it would allow the teacher to assess everyone’s shooting.
Another limitation would be the amount of time spent on a certain activity while assessing. If the teacher were assessing a student perform a skill while doing a certain activity, they can’t just continue to do the same activity while assessing everyone. Students will get bored if they are doing the same activity over and over. Teachers need to be creative and be able to do a lot of different activities while assessing the same skill.
St. Mary's Lab 4
1. Reflecting on your experience so far at St Mary’s, what do you think have been some difficulties or challenges you have faced? Consider all areas – environment, children, etc.
One of the biggest challenges I have faced and my peers have faced has been getting the kids to listen and be well behaved. For me, I have experience working with kids at a summer camp, but it is still hard to get everyone’s attention and to get them to listen to me. A lot of them will be fooling around while the Cortland student is explaining the game. It is important to learn to be very firm with them.
Another challenge I have definitely faced has been getting the kids to stop hanging on me. The St. Mary’s students love to cling to Cortland students. I am someone who really likes to keep distance between myself and other people. It has been a big challenge for me to get the kids to stop clinging to me. At times it is frustrating to have kids constantly grabbing me. However, I have learned to deal with it and tell them to keep their personal space and to keep their hands to themselves.
2. What ideas/suggestions do you have to resolve the difficulties or challenges that you wrote about in #1?
A suggestion for the first difficulty about getting the kids to listen to you would be you have to start out being firm from day 1. You need to go in there and tell them that you are not going to tolerate unacceptable behavior. And then when you do see that unacceptable behavior there needs to be consequences. If the kids see that you can be taken advantage of they will walk all over you. You need to follow through on the consequences you explained in day 1 if kids are not listening.
As far as personal space goes, this also needs to be addressed on day 1. Tell kids it is very important to keep there hands to themselves. It will be easier to remind them not to touch people if you explained it on day 1. You can say remember what we talked about. However, if you never addressed the issue before it happens it will be harder to break the students’ habits.
One of the biggest challenges I have faced and my peers have faced has been getting the kids to listen and be well behaved. For me, I have experience working with kids at a summer camp, but it is still hard to get everyone’s attention and to get them to listen to me. A lot of them will be fooling around while the Cortland student is explaining the game. It is important to learn to be very firm with them.
Another challenge I have definitely faced has been getting the kids to stop hanging on me. The St. Mary’s students love to cling to Cortland students. I am someone who really likes to keep distance between myself and other people. It has been a big challenge for me to get the kids to stop clinging to me. At times it is frustrating to have kids constantly grabbing me. However, I have learned to deal with it and tell them to keep their personal space and to keep their hands to themselves.
2. What ideas/suggestions do you have to resolve the difficulties or challenges that you wrote about in #1?
A suggestion for the first difficulty about getting the kids to listen to you would be you have to start out being firm from day 1. You need to go in there and tell them that you are not going to tolerate unacceptable behavior. And then when you do see that unacceptable behavior there needs to be consequences. If the kids see that you can be taken advantage of they will walk all over you. You need to follow through on the consequences you explained in day 1 if kids are not listening.
As far as personal space goes, this also needs to be addressed on day 1. Tell kids it is very important to keep there hands to themselves. It will be easier to remind them not to touch people if you explained it on day 1. You can say remember what we talked about. However, if you never addressed the issue before it happens it will be harder to break the students’ habits.
St. Mary's Lab 3
1. Observe the St. Mary’s student(s) as they participate in the activities. Describe the variability of the movement patterns you observed. Be sure to note with whom you worked , what grade they were in, and any differences in age, gender, or ability.
I worked with the Pre K students. Our activity for the Pre K students was an obstacle course in which the students had to navigate through in order to get a chance to throw a ball at a target on the wall. I didn’t really see how gender made a difference throughout the activity. The boys and girls basically had the same ability throwing at the target and navigating through the hula hoops and polly spots. They boys and girls seemed equally excited and enthused throughout the activity.
One thing I especially noticed during this activity was that the Pre K students had trouble hopping on there none dominant leg. Even when I told them to hop on their other leg it always seemed like they would come down landing on two feet. Also, there were some kids who threw a lot better than others. It wasn’t gender related, but there were a few kids that threw with really good form and others who would step with the wrong foot when they would throw the ball at the target.
2. Describe “teaching strategies” that YOU used today towards connecting with the children. What were they? How did YOU use them? What was the effect? Were there any strategies that were more effective than others? If so, why?
One strategy that I used when working with the Pre K was getting down to there level. When I was explaining the directions to them, I noticed that I could more successfully get threw to them by getting down on my knees so I was the same height as them. Also, I noticed just saying directions did not work. When I demonstrated and explained at the same time, the students better understood the task I wanted them to perform.
Another thing that I did while explaining directions is that I made every student look right at me. Because if the students are not looking at the teacher who is explaining the activity how much of the activity can we really expect the student to understand? When I noticed the kids weren’t looking at me, I would raise my voice and say, “Eyes on me”!
3. After being at St. Mary’s for these past weeks and observing and working with the students, can you briefly describe an effective strategy (or strategies) that you used to capture the children’s attention and keep them on task for your activity.
Like I said in the previous question, getting down to their level definitely helps. It helps the students better understand the directions and it is also less intimidating for the students when you are there own height instead of being two feet taller than them.
Also, I have noticed that if the person who is running the game shows enthusiasm and excitement, it makes the whole game better. If the instructor of the game looks bored with it, the kids pick that up and then they themselves become less excited about the game. Overall, I think the Cortland students have done a great job of bringing enthusiasm to St. Mary’s school.
The last thing that I have noticed that is very important is to make sure you have everyone’s attention and to make sure no one is talking when you are explaining a game or activity. Some of the St. Mary’s students don’t even think to themselves, “If I am talking during the directions, I am not going to have any idea what is going on”. That’s why it is very important to make sure all the students are quiet and focused on you while you are explaining an activity.
I worked with the Pre K students. Our activity for the Pre K students was an obstacle course in which the students had to navigate through in order to get a chance to throw a ball at a target on the wall. I didn’t really see how gender made a difference throughout the activity. The boys and girls basically had the same ability throwing at the target and navigating through the hula hoops and polly spots. They boys and girls seemed equally excited and enthused throughout the activity.
One thing I especially noticed during this activity was that the Pre K students had trouble hopping on there none dominant leg. Even when I told them to hop on their other leg it always seemed like they would come down landing on two feet. Also, there were some kids who threw a lot better than others. It wasn’t gender related, but there were a few kids that threw with really good form and others who would step with the wrong foot when they would throw the ball at the target.
2. Describe “teaching strategies” that YOU used today towards connecting with the children. What were they? How did YOU use them? What was the effect? Were there any strategies that were more effective than others? If so, why?
One strategy that I used when working with the Pre K was getting down to there level. When I was explaining the directions to them, I noticed that I could more successfully get threw to them by getting down on my knees so I was the same height as them. Also, I noticed just saying directions did not work. When I demonstrated and explained at the same time, the students better understood the task I wanted them to perform.
Another thing that I did while explaining directions is that I made every student look right at me. Because if the students are not looking at the teacher who is explaining the activity how much of the activity can we really expect the student to understand? When I noticed the kids weren’t looking at me, I would raise my voice and say, “Eyes on me”!
3. After being at St. Mary’s for these past weeks and observing and working with the students, can you briefly describe an effective strategy (or strategies) that you used to capture the children’s attention and keep them on task for your activity.
Like I said in the previous question, getting down to their level definitely helps. It helps the students better understand the directions and it is also less intimidating for the students when you are there own height instead of being two feet taller than them.
Also, I have noticed that if the person who is running the game shows enthusiasm and excitement, it makes the whole game better. If the instructor of the game looks bored with it, the kids pick that up and then they themselves become less excited about the game. Overall, I think the Cortland students have done a great job of bringing enthusiasm to St. Mary’s school.
The last thing that I have noticed that is very important is to make sure you have everyone’s attention and to make sure no one is talking when you are explaining a game or activity. Some of the St. Mary’s students don’t even think to themselves, “If I am talking during the directions, I am not going to have any idea what is going on”. That’s why it is very important to make sure all the students are quiet and focused on you while you are explaining an activity.
St. Mary's Lab 2
1. Observe the St. Mary’s student(s) as they participate in the activities. Describe the variability of the movement patterns you observed in your students. Be sure to note with whom you worked, what grade they were in, and any differences in age, gender, or ability.
There was a lot of variability of the movement patterns I observed. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the majority of the students had an idea how to Run, Gallop, and Hop. I was especially surprised on the Gallop. Not that the students’ Gallops were perfect, but my expectations were very low for them to perform this skill. The majority of them actually looked like they new what they were doing.
Two students, in particular, that I observed were named X and Y. They were both six years old. They were both very good at the hop. X’s run was also pretty good. Y’s, however, could use some improvement on her running form. Her arms were not in opposition with her legs and her non support leg was not near her buttocks. For the Hop, both students did not swing their nonsupport leg in pendulum fashion to produce.
Additionally, I observed something interesting while watching the students play basketball. I observed that the smaller kids like to shoot from a long distance away from the basket even if the ball rarely goes in. They see the older kids shooting from behind the three point line and they try to shoot there as well even if they “airball” the shot 9 out of 10 times. There is a wide range of ability with basketball at St. Marys. The smaller kids would be better off working on there form from a shorter distance. I feel it is our job to encourage them to do this.
2. Describe the effective “teaching strategies” that you observed. What were they and on whom did you use them? How were they used? What was the effect? Were there any strategies that were more effective than others? If so, why?
I definitely learned a lot about “teaching strategies”. The simpler you keep things with the kids, the more successful the activity will be. Overloading the kids with directions does not work out. One of the problems I think with the game my group did called “Stinky Stew” was that it was too wordy. There were so many directions and the kids could never just play the game.
Also I learned that if you use your imagination with the kids they will buy into the game more. When we were plugging our noses around the stew they got more excited about the activity.
Another thing I learned about teaching is that you have to raise your voice and speak loudly. I noticed the Cortland students with quieter voices did not have as much control as the people who were speaking loudly and projecting their voice.
There was a lot of variability of the movement patterns I observed. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the majority of the students had an idea how to Run, Gallop, and Hop. I was especially surprised on the Gallop. Not that the students’ Gallops were perfect, but my expectations were very low for them to perform this skill. The majority of them actually looked like they new what they were doing.
Two students, in particular, that I observed were named X and Y. They were both six years old. They were both very good at the hop. X’s run was also pretty good. Y’s, however, could use some improvement on her running form. Her arms were not in opposition with her legs and her non support leg was not near her buttocks. For the Hop, both students did not swing their nonsupport leg in pendulum fashion to produce.
Additionally, I observed something interesting while watching the students play basketball. I observed that the smaller kids like to shoot from a long distance away from the basket even if the ball rarely goes in. They see the older kids shooting from behind the three point line and they try to shoot there as well even if they “airball” the shot 9 out of 10 times. There is a wide range of ability with basketball at St. Marys. The smaller kids would be better off working on there form from a shorter distance. I feel it is our job to encourage them to do this.
2. Describe the effective “teaching strategies” that you observed. What were they and on whom did you use them? How were they used? What was the effect? Were there any strategies that were more effective than others? If so, why?
I definitely learned a lot about “teaching strategies”. The simpler you keep things with the kids, the more successful the activity will be. Overloading the kids with directions does not work out. One of the problems I think with the game my group did called “Stinky Stew” was that it was too wordy. There were so many directions and the kids could never just play the game.
Also I learned that if you use your imagination with the kids they will buy into the game more. When we were plugging our noses around the stew they got more excited about the activity.
Another thing I learned about teaching is that you have to raise your voice and speak loudly. I noticed the Cortland students with quieter voices did not have as much control as the people who were speaking loudly and projecting their voice.
St. Mary's Lab 1
Observe the interaction between St. Mary’s students and your peers (Cortland students). Try to get an idea of the behaviors of the St. Mary’s students – Do they listen well? Do they remain on task? What do they attend to? What motivates them to play?
There are all kinds of different behaviors among all the St. Mary’s students. I dealt with mostly students that are in the age range of fourth grade. There were some students that listened very well and remained on task. However, there were others that I couldn’t even get them to tell me there name. These were two girls in the cafeteria who weren’t shy at all, but they just wanted to trick me and tell me names that were not their real names. I joked around with them at first, just playing along with it, but even when I got serious with them I couldn’t get them to tell me there real names.
There were some students who didn’t need any motivation to play. They enjoyed playing and I did not have to beg them to play at all. However, there was one student specifically his name was Luke, who I had made a good connection with him in the cafeteria and got to know him a little bit while playing different card games. I thought this kid is not going to need any motivation at all. However, when we got into the gymnasium in a big group he refused to participate. He said, “I hate tag games”.
Another observation I made was when I was in the gymnasium with the big group. I was surprised how poorly the students listened while we tried to explain the games to them. It was like they didn’t even think to themselves if I don’t hear the directions, I am not going to have any idea what going on. I felt like we really had to work hard to get them to listen to the directions for the game.
1. Based upon observation, what are the differences in motor behavior and social between the St. Mary’s students you observed? What differences did you observe between grade levels, gender, and ability? Do you think that grade level, gender, and ability have any influence on motor behavior?
Their were definitely differences among the St. Mary’s students I observed. First of all, socially it seemed like there were a lot more clingy boys than girls. During the tag games, it seemed like the girls were always trying to cling onto the Cortland students. I saw maybe one clingy boy, but I observed far more girls doing this.
I didn’t feel like there was a difference in ability regarding gender. I feel that their were some girls who were more motor developed that boys and the other way around as well. I felt age definitely played a factor in motor behavior. The older kids had a much easier time of reaching the hoop playing basketball than the younger ones. However, there are rare examples where a couple younger kids could shoot almost as good as the older ones.
2. Based upon your observation, what fine motor activities did you observe (describe these) when watching the St. Mary’s students? Were there differences between age? Gender? Ability?
Some of the fine motor activities I observed were fourth graders holding their cards in their hands while playing slap jack. Both of the kids I was watching were both right handed. However, one kid held his pile in his left hand so he could be quicker to slap with his right. The other student kept is pile in his right hand because it was more comfortable for him but this consequently made his slap slower because he had to slap with his left hand.
They younger students played less complicated games in the cafeteria. They used more of their imagination. They were building things like LEGO airplanes and holding them while flying them through the air. They were holding them like they were gold. They were holding these planes with two hands even though they could have easily been lifted with just one hand. In there imagination they were holding something very valuable.
It didn’t seem like the younger girls were very much into the LEGOS. It looked like they were just happy with putting together a puzzle. One of the puzzles seemed so easy to me and I thought they would complete it like 5 seconds. I forgot how challenging puzzles were when I was that young. A puzzle that I could have quickly done took them like ten minutes.
There are all kinds of different behaviors among all the St. Mary’s students. I dealt with mostly students that are in the age range of fourth grade. There were some students that listened very well and remained on task. However, there were others that I couldn’t even get them to tell me there name. These were two girls in the cafeteria who weren’t shy at all, but they just wanted to trick me and tell me names that were not their real names. I joked around with them at first, just playing along with it, but even when I got serious with them I couldn’t get them to tell me there real names.
There were some students who didn’t need any motivation to play. They enjoyed playing and I did not have to beg them to play at all. However, there was one student specifically his name was Luke, who I had made a good connection with him in the cafeteria and got to know him a little bit while playing different card games. I thought this kid is not going to need any motivation at all. However, when we got into the gymnasium in a big group he refused to participate. He said, “I hate tag games”.
Another observation I made was when I was in the gymnasium with the big group. I was surprised how poorly the students listened while we tried to explain the games to them. It was like they didn’t even think to themselves if I don’t hear the directions, I am not going to have any idea what going on. I felt like we really had to work hard to get them to listen to the directions for the game.
1. Based upon observation, what are the differences in motor behavior and social between the St. Mary’s students you observed? What differences did you observe between grade levels, gender, and ability? Do you think that grade level, gender, and ability have any influence on motor behavior?
Their were definitely differences among the St. Mary’s students I observed. First of all, socially it seemed like there were a lot more clingy boys than girls. During the tag games, it seemed like the girls were always trying to cling onto the Cortland students. I saw maybe one clingy boy, but I observed far more girls doing this.
I didn’t feel like there was a difference in ability regarding gender. I feel that their were some girls who were more motor developed that boys and the other way around as well. I felt age definitely played a factor in motor behavior. The older kids had a much easier time of reaching the hoop playing basketball than the younger ones. However, there are rare examples where a couple younger kids could shoot almost as good as the older ones.
2. Based upon your observation, what fine motor activities did you observe (describe these) when watching the St. Mary’s students? Were there differences between age? Gender? Ability?
Some of the fine motor activities I observed were fourth graders holding their cards in their hands while playing slap jack. Both of the kids I was watching were both right handed. However, one kid held his pile in his left hand so he could be quicker to slap with his right. The other student kept is pile in his right hand because it was more comfortable for him but this consequently made his slap slower because he had to slap with his left hand.
They younger students played less complicated games in the cafeteria. They used more of their imagination. They were building things like LEGO airplanes and holding them while flying them through the air. They were holding them like they were gold. They were holding these planes with two hands even though they could have easily been lifted with just one hand. In there imagination they were holding something very valuable.
It didn’t seem like the younger girls were very much into the LEGOS. It looked like they were just happy with putting together a puzzle. One of the puzzles seemed so easy to me and I thought they would complete it like 5 seconds. I forgot how challenging puzzles were when I was that young. A puzzle that I could have quickly done took them like ten minutes.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Dodgeball?
Is the game of Dodgeball appropriate for a Physical Education setting? I do think Dodgeball is an appropriate game for class. However, it must be played under the right circumstances. These circumstances are the following:
1. A responsible teacher- the teacher must be able to control the classroom to make sure that certain kids arent being bullied on. Bullying is one of the main arguments against dodgeball. Maybe the teacher could come up with the rule that you can only hit a person once in a five minute span. This would prevent a kid from throwing at a certain kid all game just to bully them.
2. Safety- There are now balls that are made that dont hurt when you get hit by them. They are like foam. These are the kind of balls that should be used. Also, there should be a rule to aim for the waste down to prevent someone from getting hit in the face. This rule would prevent a lot of injuries, however a person once in a while might still get hit in the face, that doesnt mean we should stop playing the game totally. There are injury risks involved with a lot of activities. That doesnt mean we should stop playing them totally. Our job is to prevent injuries to the best of our ability.
3. Staying Active- Another argument against dodgeball is that the people that actually need the most activity are the ones who are getting out of the game first and just sitting on the sideline getting minimal physical activity. The teacher should provide the students who are out with another quick physical activity so they can get back in the game. For example, 20 push ups or 20 sit ups or 20 jumping jacks.....something like that. Also, the game actually does have healthy benefits. If you play the game hard for 20 minutes, you could possibly be dripping sweat. Its a very intense game.
So yeah, i do think we should have dodgeball, but only under the right circumstances. Its a game that provides students with a lot of things that make them more well rounded students. It gives them practice throwing, catching, and dodging balls. Its also a game that provides great excercise. It should be a safe, fun, and an active game. The teacher is responsible for making the game appropriate or not.
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