Week 7 Landon Mitchell

Week 7:

The week started out on Tuesday due to no school on Monday for Presidents Day. The week went by quick since the freshmen class that I teach began a new unit in the main gym. We are teaching the students badminton. Also, since the freshmen are out of the swimming unit we are implementing heart rate monitors to all students. This is a great tool to use in PE for assessing student cardiovascular fitness and effort level during specific activities. The Polar heart rate monitors that we use at school allow you to see the heart rates of every student in the class in real time. This week we went over the correct way to wear the heart rate strap and how to troubleshoot them if need be. Many of the students understood the process and were fascinated by the technology. Since the freshmen class is a combined we discussed that we should go over serving first and master serving. After serving then go over the rules for doubles play and we let the students play a practice round of rallying back and forth to understand how the birdie flies through the air. Students were exposed to a fitness Wednesday with all other PE classes. With Wednesdays being a late start students only perform 25 min of physical activity in PE. With the heart rate monitors being used for not only my freshmen class but also my sports class, we can help students improve physical fitness and cardiovascular endurance. We have started to use the heart rate monitors in my sports class. We finished up the CPR and fitnessgram unit and moved onto volleyball. The first day we went over simple rules and I let the students play a scrimmage game to assess their skills. Throughout the week I applied more skills in bumping, setting, and serving. The students are eager to play games and we will be separating the kids up into teams and plat a volleyball tournament next week. Strength and Conditioning was similar to last week, students are increasing in weight from the ones that are turning in work outs.  I have noticed that many of the students either took this class to lift weights or they were put into this class because they were not able to get in a class they requested. It can be difficult to motivate students that do not want to be there. (3I)  I had my second observation this week. I spoke with Todd about my instruction and he gave me great feedback on my lesson planning and my instruction. I hope I am able to apply his feedback to both areas to become a better teacher.

I have been speaking with my cooperating teacher about different techniques and skills to advise students in trouble. I have been talking with both of them about certain situations what they have done and what happened after the fact. They told me that with the experience and advice of other instructors you become your own teacher. They philosophy you create may change slightly but your morals stay the same with how you want to improve the knowledge of physical education and the importance of physical activity to benefit healthy personal goals.(2A)  The promotion of a physical life can help students in many different facets of life. This element can be an easy thing to instruct but for that message to reach every student is the difficult part.

Next week I will be continuing the lessons in badminton and volleyball. I look forward to increasing my teaching skills in a net game and applying the skills to other activities (6A). I will be having my third observation at Reavis, I have had a conversation with Todd about things to improve and things I need to keep applying to ensure that my lessons are reaching all students (6H). This week we have set a good foundation for my classes and I cannot wait to see how advanced the students will become at a multi-movement sport such as volleyball or badminton.

Week 6 Landon Mitchell

Week 6:

Week 6 was another full week of school at Reavis High School. With the constant instability with the weather and missed school days, it is nice to get on a full schedule. This was the last week for freshmen swimming. The students were assessed on their skills and took a written test. They all did well and showed improvement from the very beginning of the class. During sports class this week we finished up the fitnessgram tests. The tests that I administered were the sit and reach, pacer, curl up, and push up test. These tests show the level of strength, endurance, and flexibility. Each test also targets a specific muscle region. My cooperating teacher teaches a sport class before me so I follow his lead on certain activities because he sets up the testing areas. This is something that I also did in fitness class. My other cooperating teacher has two fitness classes pearlier in the week and we were in the crossfire room going over CPR. The CPR course is just an overview of how to do proper compressions and rescue breaths, it is not a certificate course. We also went over choking victim, AED, and heart attack or cardiac arrest. This week in fitness i felt very comfortable teaching the skills because I have been a certified lifeguard since I was 16 years old. 6N) Uses modeling, explanation, practice, and feedback to teach students to monitor and apply comprehension strategies independently, appropriate to the content learning; During the classes I did not use a video from American Red Cross. I could fully teach the content and see how the students responded when I reviewed. At the end of the week I proctored a CPR/AED test that the Reavis PE department created. The students were given plenty of time to take the quiz and some had questions afterwards for understanding. I did have a difficult time in my last hour of the day. I have a student that is an ELL, some of the verbiage and wording in the test were confusing. She speaks Arabic, the language translation from Arabic to English sometimes does not translate directly. She got confused on some of the questions and answers. I did not have access to an interrupter, lucky I had another student that was a student leader who could translate any confusing words for the struggling student. I found this situation difficult at first but you must adapt to the best of your ability. I looked back to the grade book where I can see any IEP or 504 students and in her file, she does not require a translator but certain verbiage or wordage need to be explained more for understanding. I have encountered students that do not understand certain things I teach due to experience but when you must translate to another language this can be difficult. I am glad I was given this opportunity because then I will be able to adjust my instruction for other students in the future. 

1A. Understands the spectrum of student diversity (e.g., race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, special education, gifted, English language learners (ELL), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity) and the assets that each student brings to learning across the curriculum; 

I learned from my cooperating teachers that there are certain places that you must stay in PE due to locker room safety. I told my sports class that on fitness Wednesday we will be in the main gym instead of the north gym. I was supposed to be in the north gym all week. This is for the student’s safety, overcrowding in certain areas, and gym availability. Reavis does not have a field house so it is difficult to get gym space. But I as able to learn that if I ask around and find out what gym is open during certain classes I can move my strength and conditioning class around. We normally are in the weight room, I asked my cooperating teacher what he thought of switching up the work out and going to the cross fit gym. I could ask around and they cross fit gym was open, the students performed a circuit work out instead of lifting in the weight room that day. I really enjoyed the work out and I think the students liked the change of pace. 

4I) Creates a safe and healthy environment that maximizes student learning; 

With this upcoming week, the freshmen will be out of the pool environment and in the main gym. This means that we have two freshmen classes in the main gym at a single time. Normally we would have 10 + kids out of the pool due to religious reasons, medical, menstrual cycle, or they forgot their swim suits. The gym will be packed with freshmen and we are teaching them badminton, I love the game of badminton but this will be a challenge. I have been communicating with my cooperating teachers about what they have done in the past and they are not worried about the transition for me. They have seen me teach and they fully support my teaching style and they have given me nothing but good remarks back, or feedback to learn from. 

8A) Understands schools as organizations within the larger community context; 

8G) Understands the various models of co-teaching and the procedures for implementing them across the curriculum; 

Week 5

Week five February 4 to February 8, 2019.During week five and finally call my stride in teaching at Reavis high school. This was a full week of classes with the students. I was able to teach a full week of classes without any interruption or alteration to my lesson plans. I was informed we can go that we were doing a lockdown for the school. The lockdown drill was given to us and we can go on the specific day we are going to perform the lockdown drill but the hour of the day we are on aware to make sure that we were ready in a matter what happens. During this time I was in the north gym with two teachers, that happen to be my cooperating teachers. Once they administered the drill we pulled all the students into The locker rooms for safekeeping. Me and the cooperating teachers were in the men’s locker room and we locked the women’s locker room and made sure our student leaders keep the students quiet and safe. I felt that we were able to get the students to to a safe location efficiently. After the drill it had commenced we went on with our daily routine. This week many of my classes I was performing the fitness gram test. This test is performed once per semester to see the progression and physical fitness of each student that participates in physical education class. The four tests that are part of the fitness gram are the sit and reach, push-up test, curl up test, and the pacer test. I was able to administer all these test to all of my classes but I will have to run more test for make up students that were either absent or on a school children. My cooperating teachers gave me full control of the classes with a little bit of suggestions of what they would do in certain situations. I double check with my cooperating teacher to make sure I am still running his class within the unit and not deviating from any plans.
I learned this week that Reavis high school assesses their students in the pool by going over all five strokes but allowing the students to pick three of the five to finally be assessed. They must choose freestyle and then either breaststroke, backstroke, elementary backstroke, or sidestroke. I was able to learn video tape placement. I taped my first lesson in the pool and found that organizing and doing a test run with your equipment is very helpful. I communicated with my cooperating teacher in that class and they were very helpful with suggestions since they went through the EdTPA last semester
I hope to learn in the next week how to communicate with other instructors, and communicate with parents via email. I have been talking with the wind my pretty teacher about certain students that do not address or our lowered attendance and he communicates with the parents via email. I want to learn what his approach is on the communication and how often he needs to communicate with parents for certain instances. I also want to learn more about the school and possible opportunities within the school even if teaching is not the initial path. I’ve spoken with some instructors about what they do and how they’re able to accomplish certain certificates or training for that specific position.
7F.  Uses effective questioning techniques and stimulates discussion in different ways for specific instructional purposes. This particular teaching professional standard occurred to me this week when I gave a lesson and students were not able to understand my delivery. So I had to think very quickly on how to rephrase the question for students to understand.
As we get closer to our assessment I will be judging in assessing each student my class on how to perform certain skills for their swimming test. I was given the rubric that Reavis assesses their students and had my student leaders write out each individual student in that class so that when we assess next week I can assess with efficiency. 8C.  Understands measurement theory and assessment-related issues, such as validity, reliability, bias, and scoring.

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Landon Mitchell Week 4, 1/28-2/1

Week four- Landon MitichellThis week started off with a bump in the road as snow hit the area and getting work was a little more difficult than usual. Students were in and out of school due to field trips, Scheduling some new classes, the two days of cold of snow, and basic illness. This week was the hardest week to grade students due to absences. At Reavis high school each absence counts as 10 points off. Students can make up those points during the rain. At the end of the day, and that is offered Monday-Friday. But with many students missing one to three days of school in a three-day School week, it can be difficult to assess the students. This week I could teach CPR and AED to my sports class because Reavis does a basic CPR and AED course that goes over basic skills to sustain a life until EMS arrives. At the end of the week I could give the students a quiz that was previously created by the PE department. Most of the kids did well with only having three days of the five days of school. In my freshman PE class, we went over skills such as freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and students learned elementary backstroke. The go teacher and I went over the skills for the remainder of the unit to ensure that all students will be taught all skills for the swimming unit exam. My cooperating teacher was not present on Tuesday, I was able to take the lead on not only my class but his class so meaning multiple widths of freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. The substitute teacher was another physical education teacher and she could let me lead the entire class. At the end of the class. Students could play volleyball and keep score on their own. This gave me some time to speak with the other instructor about presentation skills that she goes over in her classes. She informed me of some students that she had in her health class the semester prior and some backstory to help me understand how to instruct some of my difficult students. In fitness class the students could run all the way up to 23 minutes and or target heart rate zones. Students are required to bring the heart rate strap’s every single day as we attach a polar heart rate monitor to their strap and as a class see their heart rate in real time on the TVs in the fitness center. Many of the students did not like the increase of time but at the end of the. Every single one of them achieved 23 minutes and your target heart rate zone or more. I could go over my plan for the fitness gram schedule for the next two weeks. Today, Friday, I was observed by my College supervisor. He was escorted down by campus security to the north gym before my class. Started. He could talk with my cooperating teacher for a small amount of time before I met them both. During the lesson, I reviewed form breaks for the sit and reach test and went over How flexibility can prevent injury. When we transition into the fitness center I allow the students to pick a machine and start their cardio-based fitness to achieve 20 minutes in their target heart rate zones. Students were called alphabetically 2x2 to perform the sit and reach test for their fitness gram model. I could give students feedback on form breaks, proper technique, and suggestions on how to become more flexible. Some of the students have a hard time with flexibility, they had a big difference between the right and left sit and reach test. I could suggest simple strategies to even out their flexibility between a right and left hamstring to prevent injury. Do you sit and reach test can be difficult to assess on every student because some students are more flexible, have shorter legs and longer arms, have longer legs and shorter arms, or do you not have any simple coordination between arms and legs. Some of the students did not understand the form breaks as they were performing the sit and reach test. Overall, we could get through every student that was in attendance in class and almost all students achieve their 20 minutes in her target heart rate zone. At the end of the class period my college supervisor went over something that Trinity is looking for in the observations. He gave me great feed back and I look forward to hearing  the full report shortly. He was able to meet up with some buddies that he coached with or worked with in the past and it was good to see that many teachers/coaches still communicate.I hope to be like that someday.  Today was a difficult day to assess all students because all sophomores were required to go to the auditorium during their PE class. To pick their junior year first semester classes. This altered the number of students in the classroom all day long.  Today my cooperating teachers were asking me if I was prepared for my lesson and offered any help if I need any during the day to make sure I am fully prepared and ready to present my lesson to my college supervisor. They were very helpful and any suggestions whether it came from words of wisdom, suggestions they have seen, or even words of encouragement to help me with my lesson plan delivery. I did adventure to the duplication room which is the student copy room and could communicate with the duplication room supervisor and she said if there’s anything I need please do not hesitate to ask.This week I didn’t counter a little mishap in my class with a student that did not want to perform or demonstrate CPR and AED. This was more of a power struggle because this student is a senior and has been through the course many times and sees no benefit to practice CPR when they are ready know what to do. I merely suggested that if they knew what to do it should be a breeze and that they could demonstrate to other students that do not understand CPR and AED. The student did not take my suggestion lately and started to talk back in front of the entire class. At that moment, I decided that making a scene in front of the entire class was not the appropriate thing to do. I pulled the student side at the end of the class period to see what was going on in their mind and why they were acting out. They did not want to speak with me the remainder of the day and I informed my cooperating teacher and they suggested that they have had run-ins with their students performing tasks that they do not seem worthy. The student will be defiant and ask out in front of everyone to receive attention. My cooperating teacher suggested that let the two days go by and talk with the individual student on Friday, but the student was not in attendance at school today. I also had a tough situation with a student that was dealing with things going on at home. This was in my weight training class and I could see that she was physically upset. I allowed her to cool off in the weight room while the other students left but I asked her to list at least three of the five designate a list for that day she was happy that I was understanding to the situation and she gladly lifted her three lives.In the next upcoming week and I planned to speak with some of the newer teachers that were hired in the past few years to discuss how their ad TPA evaluations, task one, task to, and task three went. I personally am struggling with writing down my ideas on a piece of paper. I have a hard time with making sense in my writings. These could take place in my lesson plans, or as we begin the task one part of our ad TPA I know I struggle with the writing portion. I want to speak with them on how to strengthen my writing skills for my ad TPA, I have more confidence and my delivery method with speaking with students and performing or demonstrating the lesson but had difficulty with my writing skills. Where is my experiences so far, I want to take a step back and see where the student is coming from with the decisions that they make instead of keeping my mindset the same. Some students may see this about me with the dress code procedures that all physical education has adopted. But I have noticed that I am more strict than other PE teachers and I and looked upon by the students as the harsh teacher. Not that I am going to give into my Students but I want to have a meaningful conversation with them and let them choose a path A or bath B. I have noticed that if I give them the option of least resistance they usually fall into line that is good for them and it builds respect for me and for them.

One of the Illinois professional teaching standards that I have come across this week was performance indicators 1I. this standard state the competent teacher anticipates and adjust for common misunderstandings of the disciplines that impede learning. this is where I must take a step back and see from the eyes the student how my teaching approach is in any subject. If I allow myself to step back I become a better communicator with the students and this will allow less disciplinary actions such as my pick up with my student in sports class about performing CPR and AED. Another Illinois professional teaching standard would be 4E, A competent teacher understands how to integrate technology into classroom instruction. Even though the polar heart rate monitors have already been implemented into the classroom for fitness class. I can pull in music that aligns with heart rhythms that are 140 bpm which then allows students to move along to the beat, which then students will increase their heart rate to 140 bpm or higher and they will achieve a heart rate zone that qualifies them time to earn points towards their daily goal. I think standard 7H, a competent teacher communicates with and challenges students in a supportive manner and provide students with constructive feedback. In my strength and conditioning class there are many students that are “along for the ride quote. They want to skate on by their senior year and not do anything but receive full credit every day. Motivating the students can be difficult but sometimes motivation and incentive can help students achieve A goal that you have set for them and they will exceed their expectations of their personal goals.