Last Hoorah

Today was great, we spent our time working and playing with the pre-k students. I was given a game to bring to the students and play with them, I couldn't believe how much they enjoyed it. The game consisted of four animals and a cup like object that asked the students questions. For example it would say "which one of these animals has a long trunk? or which one of these animals is orange?" The student would then place it over the animal and if correct be given a new question. The students waited patently and took turns playing this game and helping each other out. It took a long time but eventually they became board with this and moved on to something else. The immaginations of these young children never stop amazing me, with little cardboard boxes painted like brick walls I helped a student build a house and garage for the toy truck he was playing with, which he sage gaurded for the remainder of the class. Next to me a boy scrambled to collect as many fake coins as he could for his cash register. My time working at St. Mary's with these students has been great and I am thankful for this opportunity, it has been a lot of fun and I know it is going to help me tramendusly down the road.

Takeing it in

Today my group was assigned to straightening up the closet, since its late in the semester that has already been done. Instead of being board and standing around we decided that we would go around the school and take a look at all the other groups. In a given day we are given a specific group of kids who we interact with and fallow around for the day. Today was different, I enjoyed going into the rooms where other groups were working because it allowed me to observe some teaching styles of my peers. I felt that by seeing the way others were interacting with the students not only helped me assess how I interact with them it also gave me some fresh new ideas to try in the future. Although I didn't spend a whole lot of time with my group teaching today I feel that this has been one of the most valuable days in terms of learning to teach.

Skill Development

In today's lab we worked with the students on developing motor skills. We used the game "sharks and Minnows" as a tool to teach movements such as the gallop, run, and hop. By using games we are able to teach students different skills and movements in a fun and challenging situation. To students learning can sometimes be boring, by using games we are able to capture their attention and keep them on task. Although we are doing the majority of the teaching, the students at St. Marry's are doing a great job in showing us what it takes to become successful.

Teaching and Learning

Today we played a game in which the students picked an activity card out of a hoola hoop and acted it out. On the cards were animals and a sentence telling the students how they were to move around. This activity was a lot of fun for everyone. The students enjoyed doing silly movements and we all enjoyed participating. This was a good strategy to teach students balance and help them discover new ways to move. Not only was this a good activity for the students to be active it also helped them work on their reading skills. I loved watching the way students would interpret their instructions and go about their task. They have such great imaginations and they are not afraid to be silly and creative. It is rewarding to see the students have so much fun with the activities that we bring in for them.

More Fun at St. Marry's

Today at St. Marry's was a lot of fun. The theme for the day was circus and we worked on the overhand throwing and catch. Most of the students seem to be at the elementary stage in their development of throwing and catching. Some of the students I worked with surprised my with their ability to catch. I challenged them by throwing some tough passes at them and for the most part they were able to pull them in. They challenged me at as well by throwing balls back to me at the same time to see how I would react, they thought that was funny. When it came time for free play two students taught me how to make houses out of hoola hoops. I guess they didn't trust me much because my job was only to hold the hoops as they constructed their houses. Today was a lot of fun, not only was I able to help them practice catching and throwing, they were able to teach me a thing or to as well.

"PE Hall of Shame"

While many people consider games such as kickball or dodge ball to be hall of shame games, I must say that I don't completely agree. I feel that if Physical educators are proactive in their teaching methods any game can be beneficial in creating physically educated individuals. simple modifications to rules and objectives can be made to any game to ensure its appropriateness. Dodge ball for example was a game I really enjoyed playing while I was growing up. Looking at the game from an educators perspective there are some definite flaws. Participation as in any game can be difficult to deal with. A simple solution to this problem is simply make the game optional, provide students with additional activities if they choose to do so. Elimination is also a big concern for many educators, my suggestion is to apply various modifications to that as well. One idea I came up with is for students who are hit to go and join the opposite team. The objective would then be for one team to get every player on their side. Although some games may be better suited for physical education classes, I feel that we as educators should never be to quick to dismiss any.