Applying Bloom's Taxonomy to My Programs

I like Bloom's Taxonomy. I like structure and hierarchy. I like how in Bloom's it graduates from lower order thinking up to higher order thinking. I thought about how I could incorporate this into my programs. More specifically, how could I use it for my lesson/unit outcomes?

Depending on which version of Bloom's you look at on the internet, the order is usually:

Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation.

Sometimes I have seen it with Synthesis and Evaluation swapped around. Either way, it shows a progression from lower order or basic thinking up to more complex or higher order thinking.

So, to apply this to PE, I set about asking:

What do I want my students to:

Know, retell, recall, list.
Comprehend, understand, explain.
Apply, show understanding, demonstrate.
Analyse, compare, contrast, find similarities and differences.
Synthesise, create, develop, formulate, invent.
Evaluate, argue, assess, decide, judge.

An example from my year 5/6 field invasion games units is:

E - Evaluate field invasion games to determine which ones are best suited to their interests and personalities

C - Create modified rules to allow greater inclusion and fair games.

An - Analyze their own and their peers’ skill level

Ap - Apply skills and strategies to game play

C - Comprehend basic strategies and purpose to field invasion games

K - Know game rules and scoring systems

This gives me 6 big chunks to tackle in discussions and lesson design. As it is PE, a big portion of lesson time is devoted to game play and being active, so the application of skills and tactics is a big focus, but the other aspects are catered for also. Using Bloom's allows me to set up a blueprint of activities that includes simple discussion/teaching points, such as rules and scoring, right up to more complex thoughts such as determining which games are preferred by students in relation to their interests and abilities.

You can see more of how I apply Bloom's Taxonomy to my programs by going to www.qoape.com and clicking on the 'PE Lessons' tab.

Applying 'The Miracle Morning' by Hal Elrod

So I read  'The Miracle Morning' by Hal Elrod, and things haven't been the same since - they've been better.

For so long I have been trying to get more into my day by staying up late. I have tried to get some 'me time' into my day after the kids had gone to be. I tried to read, write, complete work, pursue hobbies, exercise etc all after 8.30pm. But it hasn't worked. The more I have read about willpower and scheduling, the more I've realised that my brain is cooked at the end of the day. My willpower is shot, and I am too tired to do anything creative.

Enter 'The Miracle Morning'. It's true about what they say - "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." The timing was right, I was ready to make a change.

Although I have never been a morning person, I am now. 

I have discovered the best part of the day is first thing in the morning. That's when my brain is at it's best. It seems that when you start the morning right, you set yourself up for a good day.

So what do I do now? I followed the advice from Hal Elrod and now take these steps (this is a brief rundown of how I start my day. I recommend reading the book to get more):

The day starts at 5am - I wake up to my alarm which is set in the bathroom, so I have to get out of bed to turn it off. I wash my face, rinse and put on a jumper (it's Winter here in Australia). I put on socks and thongs and head out to the living room with my 'morning bag'. It contains my journals, exercise books, iPad and laptop. I prepare it the night before. I also take a water bottle and drink it all to rehydrate.

Next comes about 10 - 15 minutes of silent meditation. Stillness and calm. Thoughts come and go but I don't pursue any of them. Just be.

Following this I read through positive affirmations I have written for myself. Sentences that say what I am doing with my life and why. Positive reinforcement that I am on the right track. I am doing good and I will continue to lead a fulfilling life.

Next I look at my visualisation board. I haven't used pictures, but rather key words and phrases that reinforce what I have and what I am chasing in this life. Some of these are related to health, family, professional goals and a lifestyle I see in my future.

Next up is about 15 minutes of stretching and exercise. At times I get back pain and so I am going about relieving this with yoga poses and stretches. I am gradually improving my core strength with push ups, sit ups, planks etc.

Next comes 20 minutes of reading (currently I am reading 'Grit' by Angela Duckworth). I find I am able to read quicker than at other times of the day, and absorb the ideas better too.

Finally I write. I mix it up each day. Some days I write a journal, sometimes a post for my school PE website, sometimes a blog post such as this. I write reflections , ideas, memories and anything else that is on my mind.

I have been following this routine now for four weeks. I haven't missed a day. I don't miss sleep ins, and I don't miss being in a rush every morning like I used to. I actually look forward to 5am. It is 'me time'. I take time for myself, to be calm, think positive, and look after my body, mind and soul.

I recommend you give it a try. The best way to add quality time to your day is to get up at 5am. Start your day right and the rest will follow.

Let Them Play - An Update

My last post was some time ago. I went through a phase of consistent blogging and tweeting and updating Facebook pages (Primary PE, Physed Ideas), but it wasn't sustainable. I am not a writer - I am a teacher, a busy one.

But aren't we all?

 I had to pull back from the 'posting' and get back to my number one priority which is teaching, which of course involves planning and delivering a PE program, and keeping up with the side role of sports coordinator which usually falls to the PE teacher.

In this time I have made some adjustments to my teaching. I last posted about the 'PE Journal' which was an exercise book each student in years 4-6 had to write in each lesson. Reflections, questions, diagrams and suggestions were scribed in the last 5 - 10 minutes of a lesson. While the benefits of developing the journaling habit are well documented, something seemed off to me.

These kids are sitting down.

Think like a child for a moment - they just wanna play!

I could tell from their faces and body language that their one PE session for the week had been diminished by an exercise that was becoming less effective by the week. After a while they lost the interest in writing their thoughts. While some students were fast writers, some were unfocussed, disinterested and wishing they were doing something else - like playing! After all, asking kids to sit on a basketball court, next to a bag of balls and asking them to write? This amounts to torture!

So I eased up on the writing, and instead have returned to the art of discussion time to get the insights, reflections, questions and feedback I wanted to generate. My lessons still have clear learning intentions that are communicated to the students, but I am being sure to maximise 'doing' time to keep them moving and learning.

I am in the process of developing some end of unit questionnaires which will be filled in by students in class time (with the cooperation of my supportive staff - I am lucky to have them!). These will serve to capture the thoughts and insights of those who slip through the discussion cracks.


What have you found when it comes to sit down tasks with your PE classes? What have you found to be sustainable and effective? Share your thoughts below and let's grow as teachers.

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.

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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


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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.