Week 4

I can't believe it's all over.  I can't believe it's all beginning.  The last week of practicum flew by, as I suspected it would.  It was surreal saying goodbye to Westwood, I'll miss the staff and students for sure.  I'm sure I'll be seeing them again soon though.  I'm thinking that your first practicum is one you will never forget.  In four short weeks the whole Midtown crews seems to have woven themselves into the fabric of Westwood and I can't imagine a better experience.  Although I had a great time teaching all month, I am actually really looking forward to getting back to class, seeing all of you guys and approaching what we're being taught with a whole new perspective.  See you all tomorrow!!

PS.  Here are some photos of the new assessment rubric I helped put in place with my AT - I went a litle craft- and star-crazy.

outside bulletin board

Westwood all-stars

STARS expectations

                                                    

      Rate of Perceived Exertion Thermometer                                       

How NOT to teach Phys Ed

http://www.cbc.ca/revenuegroup/mr-d.html

Week 3

Week 3 is over and one word comes to mind - EXHAUSTED.

I'm not sure why, but I am definitely feeling it this week... even though it was a short one.  I guess the go-go-go is really catching up with me.  Speaking of catching up, it was SO nice going out to Daiva's show with everyone from Midtown.  It was really nice talking/ranting with my fellow Midtowners about our similar experiences.  It's so nice, and frankly unsurprising, to hear how well it's going for everyone - we really lucked out this year with our group.. we're amazing!
                                                                                                         






Pictured: Daiva and her accordion and Mack
and his sweet dance moves.

Now on to the school stuff...

My week went really well.  I finally got the new assessment piece finished and up in the gym and it looks great - it took a chunk out of the class to explain, but I think it'll be a good thing.  I'm finding it very difficult to ensure everyone is engaged while I'm teaching volleyball.  The basic skills just aren't there for the majority of the kids which makes it really difficult to do anything.  When we do play games, we're lucky to get rallys that go for 3 hits or more and I find myself feeling really badly, particularly for the kids who love volleyball.  I want to do some more fun drill and games, but it's hard for 2 reasons - the first being the varied skill level, and the second being that we only have one net and with up to 35 students in some of our classes, it's really hard to find drills that get everyone involved.

The flow of the class feels great.  Although I still have some disruptive behaviour, I have realized that the trick is really to get them sitting down and wait for them to be quiet - no matter how long that takes.  Firstly, it helps you assert yourself and show them that you won't tolerate any disrespectful behaviour in the class and secondly, it's nice to have a voice at the end of the day.  That may seems like it came off a little harsh but the reality of being a 5'3", female phys ed teacher really hits you when you're in a class full of 35 screaming pre-teens who half the time are taller and louder than you are.

Assessment in the gym is another issue that I find myself dwelling on often.  It is hard not to assess based on skill, but that's not what PE is about to me.  I am working on a few checklists for assessment and have to constantly remind myself that the mark goes deeper than whether or not they can volley, bump or serve.

I was also fortunate during week 3 to have the help of a science teacher in working with a program called Microsoft Publisher - I became totally addicted to it!  My associate teacher and I have gone label-crazy in the gym and everything is now SUPER organized.  The science teacher who helped me out with the program said a very interesting thing.  When I thanked her for her help, she responded with "No problem, I can tell that you are someone who will pass on this knowledge, so I can feel happy knowing it is going to good use".  Knowledge is power.  Teach a man to fish... etc.  Insert inspiration quote here but seriously, it's true.  It got me thinking even more about the importance of using your co-workers for their wealth of knowledge but not just that - the importance of spreading your own.  We all become teachers and coaches to pass on what we know to future generations, but it is equally as important to share this knowledge with the educators of today.

Thus far, this placement has been an amazing experience.  In 3 short weeks, I feel like I have held true to my teaching philosophy, but I have learned so much from a classroom management standpoint that will undoubtedly be incredibly valuable throughout my career.  I am very interested to see how all I have learned and developed into over the last three weeks will transition into a smaller classroom where I don't have a whistle!

Han

Week 2

  Amongst all of the hustle bustle of week 2, getting settled into the school and finding a groove I seem to have forgotten to post an entry - so here it is.  Week 2 was amazing.  I started to really feel like I was hitting my stride and things were going really well in the classroom.  As I expected, classroom management in the gym would be the main learning point.  My technique seems to be working well, which I am very happy about.  I am very fortunate to be in the placement I am in, with the AT I have and at this exact moment in her professional life.  She is currently restructuring her whole perspective on being a phys ed teacher and her program in general.  It is so amazing to be part of that experience with her.  I have learned so much and it has been wonderful to see passion being reignited in her.  After having attended a conference on the first Friday of practicum, she was excited to get back in the classroom and implement some of the things she had learned.  She told me that she couldn't sleep at night that's how excited she was about it - it was amazing to see.  We are now working on a new assessment piece that I will be designing and putting up in the gym to remind students (and teachers alike) that the gym is still a classroom - stay posted for pictures!

Week 1

 
  Well it certainly was a whirlwind of a week.  My first two official days at practicum were spent sharing the gym with other classes.  The floor of the gym that we're usually in was being resurfaced, so we moved in with the other Phys Ed teacher.  At least 60 kids running around each class - needless to say, it was a little crazy at times.  For each class we had, we played a game called four corners.  Basically, as one of the Phys Ed teachers explained it to me, Four Corners is a way of getting around the ban of dodgeball.  They are able to justify it because in addition to throwing balls at the other team and hitting them to sit out - yes it was elimination - they set up four pylons at each corner of the gym with balls balancing on top.  The "object" of the game is to hit the balls down on your opponents side before they knock yours down, although kids were still going for the head shots most of the time.  I'm not too sure how I feel about this activity - at least about it being played for 2 days straight... On the one hand, some classes were having a blast and were totally engaged and cheering for their teammates to go on which was amazing to watch, but on the other hand, some kids were basically begging to get hit with the ball so that they could sit out - and that's not what a Phys Ed class looks like, or sounds like to me.

  We finally got to move back into our gym on Wednesday which meant that I could start teaching the lessons I had prepared weeks ago (I was super keen on creating a great Volleyball unit with tons of TGfUs).  I was surprised to feel extremely nervous for my first lesson.  I've coached kids at various levels my whole life, but this felt different and I was definitely nervous.  My first lesson went alright.  I thought that the toughest part for me would be my voice - or lack thereof - but it was actually the transition between drills and activities.  I completely took for granted that the kids would understand when I said get a partner and sit of line x.  Well that was learning experience #1 - break it down completely, and when you feel like you've done that, break it down some more.

  As the week progressed, I started to settle in and get to now the students and my style of teaching more.  The true test and learning for me was Friday when my teacher was away.  My first lesson went really well.  It was with the Behaviour/LD/MID class and they loved it, as did their teachers who come for support.  I felt really good about my lesson and my teaching after that point... but then came 6C.  That was rough.  I spent more time disciplining than I did teaching them how to do a bump.  I ended up having to sit them down and have them sit in silence for a good 5 minutes because I couldn't take it anymore.  I felt really bad about having to do that and it totally goes against my teaching method and philosophy but at the same time, it was good to find out that I have that in me if the need be.  7B in the afternoon with 35 kids hopped up on god knows what they ate wasn't much better.  Same thing - less action, more discipline.  I was happy to end of the day with a good lesson and more control over the classroom management.

  I learned more in that one day that I have in a long time.  And more than that, I was able to bond with a few of the teachers as they sensed my frustration and offered me great advice - one teacher even had a talk with 6C and some of the students came up to me and apologized afterwards for their (mis)behaviour.    Friday taught me two valuable things.  The first is how hard it must be to be a supply teacher, and the second being how important it is to set the ground rules with your class from the start once you have your own class.

  Despite my trying day Friday, I am eager to get back into the class tomorrow!

Most Meaningful Takeaways for the Week
1 - BREAK IT DOWN
2 - Set ground rules and REPEAT
3 - Use all of the supports you can around you
4 - Make classroom management a non-factor otherwise you won't be doing much teaching at all