The PE Journal

Why didn't I do this years ago?

Over the years I have devised quizzes, questionnaires, and refection sheets for my students in an attempt to capture evidence of learning, but also to find out more of what is in their heads. We all know that some students are willing to answer questions during discussion time, while others avoid raising their hand. Is it because they don't know the answer, or are they just shy? It's hard to say.

Quizzes and tests are a risk because some students may interpret the question in a way that is different to why you asked it. Sometimes a student's literacy skills prevent them from answering accurately, or their writing is so poor it is difficult to understand what they have written.

The idea of interviewing all my students to uncover their knowledge and thoughts is of course out of the question as it would take far too long.

So I have come up with what I hope is a solution - the PE Journal. 



It works like this:

• It is simply an exercise book. One for each student in years 4-6. 
• I keep these books in a box in my store room and I bring them to PE class.
• I have a pencil case of pens that I bring with me for students to use.
• Students may be asked to write at the start, middle or end of a lesson.
• Writing time is minimal - 2-3 minutes so it does not encroach on activity time too much.
• Sometimes I ask students to write answers to specific questions, other times it may be an opinion.
• Sometimes students self asses themselves or their peers. Other times they reflect on their learning.
• Students can write in sentences, bullet points, construct a table, draw diagrams - it is their choice.
• I have a journal for every class too, which I use just like the students - to model journaling.

Rather than prescribe what topics I will have my students write about at the start of a unit, I leave it up to the moment in a lesson when something relevant occurs to inspire the writing topic. That way it is real and relevant. This journal is checked by me throughout the term and is extremely useful in capturing my students' thoughts, ideas, opinions, reflections and assessments in a journal format which allows personal expression in a private context.

I believe that expressing one's self on paper is cathartic and so the habit of journaling itself is a good one to establish. 

This journal will go home at the end of each semester so that parents can also get the insight I get with the PE Journal.

*          *          *          *          *          *

I would love to hear about other ways of capturing the learning, ideas and opinions of students that you or other teachers may use. Please add a comment below.

Phys Ed Vision Statement

For this post I simply want to share the vision statement I created to guide PE at my school - Queen of Apostles.

After seeing the TED talk by Simon Sinek and reading his book 'Start With Why', I got thinking about questions like:

Why Phys Ed?
Why do we have Phys Ed at my school?
Why should it remain as part of the curriculum?
Why should anyone think that Phys Ed is important?
Why should anyone believe that I am doing any good for my students?

I couldn't answer any of these easily without writing a long list of the things I do as part of the PE program. This list would be what Simon Sinek calls the 'what' of Phys Ed. But as he explains in his book, the organisations, companies, businesses, leaders and yes - schools, that have people believing, understanding and following what they do all start with 'why'. If you want people to believe in your purpose, as Simon explains, don't tell them 'what' you do, start with 'why' you do it.

So I put pen to paper and wrote down what I thought were the important elements that best explain 'why' I do what I do and 'why' my students, parents, and wider community should be a part of it.

So this is what I came up with:

Queen of Apostles Physical Education

Vision Statement: Why?

Enriching the lives of our students

by developing mind, body, spirit and community

through play.

Learn to do clever things with your mind, fun things with your body and good things with your heart with friends, family, in the community or on your own.

Mission Statement: How?

With sport and physical activity as its context, and by

celebrating individual differences, our mission is to

provide a variety of experiences through which its members

develop mental skills,

physical skills,

social skills and a

sense of community in a

safe and

stimulating environment.

What?:

PE lessons, Sport sessions, Morning fitness, Faction Carnivals, Clinics and other events, Interschool carnivals and Camp.

Core values:

Students will be given the opportunity to

1. inquire about, reflect upon and analyse aspects of their learning.
2. Iearn, practice and further develop physical skills that can then be applied to physical activities and sport.
3. develop and demonstrate empathy, understanding, patience, fairness, kindness and inclusivity.
4. Participate in and contribute towards whole school and community physical activity events.

 And with this I can now point to the big writing on the wall and say "This is why we have PE in our school. This is why it is important and should remain a focus for us. This is why you should join me and be a part of something that is valuable and worth working towards. The wording may take some tweaking in the months to come, but for now it gives me a direction. Everything I do will serve this vision.

See more at www.qoape.com


*          *          *          *          *          *
Do you have a mission statement?
Have you thought about why you are in your current job?
Does your organisation have it's members believing what it strives for?

I would love to hear your 'Whys'. Please comment below.

Little Effort, Huge Results

So I've got to tell you about our net games unit. For the first 5 weeks of term 1 our year 3-6 classes focused on volleyball, badminton and tennis. All these sports share similar concepts, strategies and skills.

Our badminton equipment is pretty good. I have collected it over the years and have enough stuff to fill out the undercover area with courts. Our volleyball nets and balls are adequate for what we need. We play throw/catch style modified volleyball games.

But for tennis, I was still using those waffle-style plastic bats. Have you ever used those? They are terrible. Rafal Nadal couldn't return a ball with one of those bats! Not only was it difficult for my students to play competently, but this equipment was not inspiring them to want to play.

So I had to do something. I had neglected tennis for many years. We used to have a tennis coach come in and take lessons for those who paid for it. So I took this as an excuse for pushing it to one side. But now that I have decided to teach a 'net games' unit, tennis is back on my radar, and I have discovered that equipment is a big factor.



I decided to purchase some decent racquets. They are not expensive, but short handled string racquets enable students much better control when they contact tennis balls.

Speaking of tennis balls, low compression tennis balls are my new favourite piece of sports gear. They move slower and bounce lower and are therefore much easier to control.

Along the way I discovered some teaching tips that were a bit help in correcting bad grip and technique, particularly with backhand strokes. These pictures show visuals I used to help students understand that the back of the racquet face is used for backhand strokes. The orange tape was helpful for students and their peers to self-correct and peer teach, as it makes it easy to see if students are keeping one edge on top for both forehands and backhands.

         

        

With this new armoury my students experienced great success in not only developing competency, but their interest as a result went through the roof. Students started bringing tennis racquets to school to play at recess and lunch. The courts were full at these breaks. It was great to see, and the lesson for me was to not dismiss the importance of having the right gear. For what was a little effort in ordering some new equipment, the results were huge.

The Evolution of 'Before-School-Fitness'

So here's what evolved at my school last year;

Leading up to my school cross country carnival, I organised 'lap-running' before school where students, teachers and parents were welcome to come along and walk/jog/run laps of our oval and basketball courts. At the completion of each lap students would get their 'lap card' checked by a yr 6 Faction Captain. Every lap earned a point towards our 'Bonus Points' shield at the cross country carnival. Students also received certificates at assemblies when they reached milestones of 50, 75 and 100 laps.

It is a good system that is easy to organise and gets kids exercising and into the spirit if inter-faction competition.

I wanted this lap running to continue throughout the year, and it was maintained.....for a while. 

You see, when students arrive early to school, they are allowed to play on the oval and climbing equipment, under the supervision of the before-school duty teacher. They can even get balls out of the equipment basket and play. And whilst I would continue to do laps with some students, over time the majority stopped running and began playing with others on the oval.

I was a disappointed.

The large number of lap runners had diminished.

Was the motivation lost?

Did I not push it hard enough?

Bit then I had one of those moments - "This is actually ok".

I spend a great deal of time in my role as PE teacher helping students explore a variety of physical activities in the hope that they discover what their interests are. I openly encourage my students to try new things and pursue the activities that they find most engaging for them.

If running laps does not float their boat - then so be it. 

If I cracked the whip and forced kids into running laps, or made running the only option before school - then the number of students exercising would fall dramatically. They wouldn't come down to the oval at all.

But rather, on any given day, when you arrive at Queen of Apostles School, you will see a large number of students who are active before the day begins. They are exercising, socialising, laughing, experimenting, exploring, climbing, kicking, chasing and yes....... some are still doing laps too.

Win-win!

To see what else happens in PE at Queen of Apostles School go to www.qoape.com. 

"It's Buzz Time"!

Hey teachers, what do you do straight after your basketball/soccer/netball game each week? Get in your car and drive home? No. Not straight away - you talk.

You get together with your team and reflect on what just happened. The good plays, the mistakes, the funny bits, what worked and what didn't. You share your perspective of the game, and learn from each other. 

I give my students the same opportunity. After a game or activity concludes, or even if it is just a break in play, I say to my students "It's Buzz Time".

They know what this means.

They turn to the person next to them or huddle with their team mates and talk about what just happened, and I stand back and let them go for it.

The resultant sound is like a hive of bees buzzing away.

'Buzz Time' enables:

• A chance for students to express themselves and be heard.
• A chance to listen to others and learn the art of taking turns to speak.
• Learning from others' mistakes and triumphs.
• Enjoyment through re-living the funny moments in a game. 

Following 'Buzz Time' I invite the students to tell the class what was discussed. The teachable material that comes from 'Buzz Time' is endless. It is a technique that I use regularly with all year levels at my school.

And it's not just for P.E. classes. Try it in all your other lessons. Sometimes students will steer a discussion in a direction you had never thought of, and this is when your students can become the teacher!

I Just Got Schooled!

Do you remember when your mum used to ask you at dinner time - "So dear, what did you learn at school today?"

Well....

I had my yr 6 students in their 'Net Games' unit rotating through 3 activities - badminton, volleyball and tennis. I had just minutes before (in the lesson brief) told them that if they want to create their own versions of each of the sports then they may (eg. throw and catch volleyball). I have been pushing the point repeatedly to all my classes that it is ok to change the rules and playing conditions to suit their abilities and preferences in regard to competitiveness level (eg. scoring points vs friendly rallies).

If it is 'fun and fair' - that beats 'sticking to the real rules'.

As I was walking toward the tennis group I noticed 4 pairs of students all standing on one tennis crt (we have three courts) and seemingly getting in each other's way.

And then I did it....I stuck my nose in!

"Hey kids - spread out! And move closer to your partner, and use the other court lines available".

They went quiet, and began to move, until one student spoke up - "But Mr. B we've invented a new game".

And I realised that I had fallen back into an old habit - fencing in my students to conform to the 'norm' of what tennis should be. If the kids weren't watching I would have punched myself in the face!

"Oh...Ok...What is it"?

They explained that they were playing 4 v 4 - defending their baseline with 4 balls active at any one time. The number of bounces didn't matter, they just had to defend their side of the court and hit the tennis balls back to try and get them past the other team. They were using tennis strokes, communicating to team mates, spreading out, defending space and aiming for space in their opponents court - everything that happens in real tennis!

Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant! 

This is exactly what I want from these kids - to be creative with rules, inclusive with class mates and to find ways of making a game suit them, rather than persisting with a set of rules and conditions that doesn't suit them.

So I encouraged them to continue, and in the lesson debrief I pointed out their triumph to the rest of the class. I also highlighted the mistake I made as the teacher.

I have no problems with pointing out my faults and vulnerabilities to my students. They must see that it is ok to make mistakes. This is how we learn - and I certainly learnt a valuable lesson that day.

Is 'Time and Distance' the 5th game category? - Exploring Game Sense in Athletics.

From the outset I would like to declare that this blog post is simply one long question, as stated in the title. I am curious as to how the #physed community will respond to this, but first some background to how this question came about:

So I've been applying my new-found interest, understanding and appreciation of 'Game Sense' in my teaching this year. I have been using the 'game' as the focus, starting sessions off with a game, rather than a stand alone warm up activity followed by a skill-drill. I can now see many sports and other physical activities can be categorised as 4 different game types - invasion games, target games, net/wall games and striking and fielding games. So far I have enjoyed the shift in emphasis and so have my students (see my previous blog: 7 Benefits of a 'Game Sense' approach.)

I attended the Game Sense conference organised by ACHPER WA in July which featured presenters Shane Pill (@pilly66) and Rick Baldock (@baldyr55), who are experienced practitioners in this field. While at the conference I asked myself "Where does athletics fit in with the 'Game Sense' approach?" How can the Game Sense approach be applied during the 'season' of athletics and carnival preparation? It is a time of year that all PE teachers go through. I don't know of any schools that don't run an athletics/sports carnival that features predominantly track and field events. I wanted to get away from the usual practice of putting carnival preparation before student's learning. I came to realise that for too long at this time of year I had become too focussed on getting the carnival ready that my students were most likely disengaged and missing the point about what they were doing in PE at this time and why.

I wanted to create lessons that continued on from the great learning experiences we had achieved so far this year, so I started looking deeper into what track and field could offer. Here are six lesson ideas I explored with different year groups at my school, Queen of Apostles (see also qoape.com)

Kindy and Pre-Primary - How can our arms help our legs go faster?
I wanted to illustrate the value of 'pumping the arms' for better running technique. Telling them isn't enough - I wanted these students to 'feel' why. Using a 25m stretch of track I asked them to run their fastest with their hands behind their back. Then they were asked to repeat this with their hands on their heads. Finally I had them sprint  with their arms 'pumping' beside their bodies. When asked which did they 'feel' like they were running fastest, the pumping-the-arms method was unanimous (except for the cheeky one who wanted to fly in the face of public opinion).

Year 1/2 - What is a race?
With these classes I wanted to break down the 'anatomy' of a race. I began with an illustration they will never forget. I challenged a student to a race. I got her up and I simply said "ready, set, go!" She ran one way and I ran another. Of course I threw up my hands in victory but the rest of the class sided with the student. "You ran the wrong way!" they yelled.  "You cheated!" An interesting discussion ensued regarding what is needed for a fair race, one in which we could really tell who was faster. The students came up with ideas like the racers had to start at the same line as each other, finish at the same line, run the same direction, move the same way (ie. skipping vs skipping, running backwards vs running backwards etc). Then the students were then set off in small groups and asked to create their own 'fair' races, making sure that the rules of the race were clear and enforced. More discussions followed as some groups had success while others need help with the concepts.

Yr 2 What is a field event?
Following the 'What is a race?' lesson the year 2 students were extended beyond this by exploring what is required for a field event - a competition to see who can propel an object the furthest. Similar to the previous lesson introduction I challenged a student to see who could throw a vortex the furthest. I did my best to bend the rules unfairly and again a discussion fleshed out about what was needed to make the competition fair. Suggestions such as throwing from the same line, throwing the same object, throwing with the same style were given. Three different throwing activities were set up for the students to try, paying attention to the 'rules' of the competition.

Yr 3/4 - Why a run up and why sideways?
These classes were given the chance to explore the effects of different body positions on sending an object for distance. With shotput, turbojav and vortex as the contexts, the students were first asked to throw these objects whilst only standing front on and only moving the throwing arm. I called this 'level 1'. Next the throws were repeated but the students could stand sideways and use their whole body to propel the object (level 2). Finally level 2 was repeated but this time with a run up (level 3). After 3-4 attempts at each level the students and I discussed what each level felt like using terms like balance, strength, force, momentum etc. The students agreed that although they had never thought about why they naturally turned their body side ways and used a run up, they now had an appreciation for it. I asked them to think about this when watching elite athletes of any sport in action on TV.

Yr 5/6 - Voice over of track and field events.
This idea was very simple and replaced the traditional 'athletics quiz' I used to administer. Students work in groups on track and field events, where they time, measure and record each others PBs. Each group had an iPad and the students took turns in recording a 'voice-over' for that event using the camera app. Students were asked to give a 60 second explanation of what type of event they were working at, what the rules of the event were, how the event is officiated, measured/timed etc, and what teaching points their were trying to include in their performances. As written tests rely on a student's literacy skills, this method allows all students to verbally demonstrate what they know and have learnt. Listening to a 60 second recording replaces marking a test and gives more insight into student understanding.

Yr 6 - Create a track and field event.
In this activity students worked in small groups to create a never-seen-before track/field event. They had full access to the sports shed (I know - I'm crazy right? The shed will never be the same). Their event needed to be original, however their invented activity needed to hold true to what track and field events were. We had to discuss the features of what made track and field unique to other sports - contestants had to compete at the exact same task and conditions as each other. Events were either a test of time or distance - who could propel an object the furthest, who could travel a course the fastest or who could repeat a set of tasks the quickest.

Again I tested students activities by finding loop holes in their instructions and rules - finding ways to cut corners or obtain an unfair advantage, and this would send the group back to redefining the parameters they placed on their contestants. It made for a very interesting and engaging series of lessons.


It also made me ask: Is 'Time and Distance' the 5th Game Category? Is this where athletics (track and field) cross country, orienteering, swimming, surf lifesaving, speed stacking etc can be contexts for teaching PE using the Game Sense approach? These are generally 'closed skill' type activities, but ask any swimming coach or marathon runner if there is any strategy involved in their sports and they'll reply with "how much time have you got?"

As an ongoing learner and practitioner to this approach to teaching PE I am happy for any comments and replies to help me with this question. It began as a desire to invigorate my PE lessons leading up to the school athletics carnivals, and the more I think about 'distance and time' activities the more I can see learning opportunities in PE.

Over to you.