Landon Mitchell - Week 2 Blog 1/14-1/18

 1.     This week at Reavis I was able to assist my cooperating teachers with the lessons that they were teaching to their students. In my first hour class, freshmen PE, they are swimming and we went over the progression of freestyle and backstroke. The cooperating teacher as well as the other freshman PE teacher would explain the task for the students to perform and I would assist with any necessary alterations to their stroke. With my background in swimming I was able to discuss a lot of my swimming skills and knowledge so the freshman could learn easily. Some of the students caught on rather quickly to the concepts we are teaching and others struggled. I focused on the struggling students so that they could progress just as fast as the higher level or higher skilled students. During my prep I would watch my cooperating teacher teach a lesson on basketball to his second hour class, to further my knowledge and help assist him in third hour sports. During the third hour sports class Ecolab reading teacher and I went over the acronym BEEF. This acronym is a very common saying for teaching proper technique of how to shoot a basketball. The B Stands for balance the first E stands for elbow, the second E stands for elevation, and the F stands for follow through. I was able to take the lead at the very end of class and asked the students if they could recite back what the acronym that we used that day. I also wanted them to recite back what each letter means so that they could further their understanding and enhance their knowledge base on how to shoot a basketball. During my fourth hour class be quite bringing teacher took the lead on how t during my fourth hour class be quite bringing teacher took the lead on how to perform each left to be done that day and I was able to help students with technique problems or references to the correct lifting technique. Many of the students have a hard time staying on task because they had been in strength and conditioning before and it is the same class over and over again. I was informed by my cooperating teacher that all students were given a choice of what PE class they would like to be in next semester and they all chose strength and conditioning. After I was told about this information I did not feel so bad for the students that complain about lifting the same lifts every day. I was tired a little bit more about the grading book and attendance policies and procedures through a software system called power school and power teacher pro. I was assisted in taking attendance and grading students. This is very helpful in fitness class sixth and seventh hour. The attendance procedures and grading procedures are a little different than my first three classes because in fitness class students are required to bring a heart rate strap that a heart rate monitor will be attached during the class to see their heart rates on the monitors in the fitness center. The software system for the fitness center is polar company that does our reminders as well as fitness oriented equipment. The monitors in the fitness center show each students' heart rate box and how many minutes they run or use a machine and their target heart rate zone. Students are graded by having their PE uniform, heart rate strap, and how many minutes they achieve in there a target heart rate zone. Each day there is a target minute number on the board for all the students to achieve. In the last two days the students had to achieve 21 and 22 minutes in your target heart rate zone. We allow for the students to achieve this goal within a 33 minute time. It is highly advised that they obtain their target heart rate zone of 140 or higher for their time to add up. With a 33 minute time limit, this allows plenty of time for the students to achieve their goal for each day. If they do not achieve the time standard goal on the board they will be deducted five points.  For example we had two students that worked for the last five minutes of class and were confused why they did not achieve full credit for that day. We explain to them that they did not get the target goal for that day and therefore points were deducted from their grade. They achieved 15 minutes and 19 minutes in their target heart rate zones. They also did not realize the first 10 minutes of class they did not get their heart rate up high enough for the Polar system to start counting. 

2.     I learned a little this week about how to add a student into the class on Power teacher pro or power school. Those two software sites help the teachers communicate with the students and allow the students to see their attendance and grades in real time. In PE we mark down how many no dresses each student has due to the PE policy. Each student is not allow to exceed more than 5 no dresses in a single semester. If they get a 6th no dress they have failed PE. I also learned how to call down to the deans office if I am in any need with a disruptive student. I also learned what to do in an active shooter situation as well as what to do during a fire drill and so forth. Many of my questions this week were mostly about the students and how I can help them in any way. 


3.     I hope to learn some new practices of helping with classroom management. I have been going to other PE classes to see how other teacher interact with their students and putting my personality twist on it to make the students trust me a little more. I know the first week some students tried to push the envelope a little but to see if I would back down. But i did learn that humor and talking to the kids helps instead of yelling and taking off points. I feel that I have built up respect with my students and they understand my expectations. PE can be a fun place but if is miserable to a student they will try everything to keep it miserable. I hope to learn how to reach every student in some way to show them that PE is a great class to learn new things about sports, working out, fitness, or any health related activity to better their mental and physical well being. 

19.A.4b Participate daily in moderate to vigorous physical activity while performing movement patterns in a variety of activities.
Freshmen PE: Students will perform swimming skills and technique to further their knowledge during their 6 week unit. 

20.A.4a Interpret the effects of exercise/physical activity on the level of health-related and skill-related fitness.

Students will achieve the daily goal set in fitness class within a single class period.