Magic Moments

In the last couple of years I have formed a new habit - capturing magic moments that occur at our sports carnivals. By magic moments I mean those "Wow!" and "Yes!" moments when a student or group of students do something that makes you proud. Sport has the ability to bring out the best in all of us - whether we are the champions or we finish last. All along the continuum there is the potential for amazing, magic moments that make all the effort of putting together a sporting event worthwhile.

Let me give you an example:

At my recent athletics carnival I was taking a moment to watch he end of a year 3 boys 400m race. It was taking place in the middle of the day, and after many events already it was understandable that some students were struggling to find the energy to finish with a jog. One boy in particular was lagging well behind the others. Our 400m races are not compulsory, so I was already proud that so many kids volunteered to have a go, and do their bit for their faction.

But what happened next blew me away.

This boy was walking down the straight. Slowly. All those who had finished the race noticed him and began to cheer him on, as did all the spectators. The cheering built up, as more and more people began to notice that 'one of ours' needed support. Then - two of his friends who had finished already, ran back up the track to meet him. They put their arms around his shoulders and jogged him to the finish line to an enormous applause.

Wow!

This is a magic moment. And it did not come from a medal winner or champion - it came from last place!

It stirs emotions in me as I write this. So proud. Sports carnivals provide the opportunity for these acts to be seen and felt. And there were countless other moments throughout the two days of events.

I now keep a notebook in my pocket on carnival days so I can write down when these moments occur, because I share them with the audience at presentation time. I point out individuals who demonstrate the values that we strive for at our carnivals - creativity, excellence, resilience and respect. I also ask my staff to keep an eye out for these magic moments too. Just being alert to these makes them more noticeable.

I encourage you to do the same. Keep an eye out for those magic moments and celebrate them.

My Blue Hat

This is not a reference to the 6 hats of thinking by Edward de Bono, but rather a method I use in the classroom to help my teaching.

I am a PE teacher, but on Thursdays I am in a year 4 classroom, while the regular teacher occupies an IT role at our school (@Kalinda_Knight). Like all classrooms it has it's challenges, the most noticeable for me being the constant demand for your attention. Sometimes the demand is legitimate, with students needing assistance or asking a question. The demand is constant, and it can be difficult to speak to student A when students B, C and D are pressing you with their own needs. Sometimes you just need a solid 30 seconds or 1 minute with a student so you can slow down and address a problem, or explain a concept.

Enter the blue hat. It is a bright blue cap that I had at home and brought to school to experiment with. I explained to the class that when the cap is on my head, it means do not disturb. It means I am working with someone else and it is THEIR time with me. I need to spend a moment with this student uninterrupted. When I am finished with the student, the cap comes off and you can raise your hand or approach me with your needs.

It is explained to the class that while I am occupied with the blue cap on, students are encouraged to attempt to solve their own issues themselves. Independence and initiative will hopefully be one of the outcomes of this method. I find that too often students use my brain to solve the simplest issues, rather than their own. Hopefully the blue cap will foster an environment of problem solving and resilience.

So far it has worked well. The students have accepted that when the blue cap is on, a classmate has my attention. They accept this because they know that their time to have my attention will come shortly. The uninterrupted time with students, even if just for a minute has been valuable and rewarding. I can take the time to check for understanding, and draw out ideas and thoughts from my students, particularly the quiet and compliant ones in my class.

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.