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.