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;