As I was thinking about which reading to talk about, the "Habits of Practice" article stood out to me. Before reading this article, I had the idea that disciplinary literacy had to do with thinking, reading, and writing in the specific discipline. This is what we have been learning since the beginning of this course. The article brought in the idea that there should be habits of practice in other disciplines that do not involve the main subjects.
All of the students in our schools have a P.E class every week. The amount of times each week may vary, but they still have a set time to be active. In my eyes, P.E. was always used to learn how to play sports and help the kids remain active. However, the article made me realize that there is more to P.E then being able to learn how to kick a penalty in soccer. A quote that stood out to me was "In physical education, the primary goal is to get students to be thoughtful and deliberate movers" (pg 77). To me, this means that the students understand the specifics of the sports in order to stay physically active. So, if they end up liking a sport they can stick with it which will continue their process of being in shape and healthy.
There are standards for P.E, say whaaaat? Who would have thought that there are specific standards that students have to reach in gym class. This is something that we never talk about in any of our classes. I do not know about you, but I had no idea that there was such a thing as being "physically literate individual." Here is a quote that explains what it means according to the standards, "The national PE standards define a 'physically literate individual' as a person who 'has learned the skills necessary to participate in a variety of physical activities,' 'knows the implications and the benefits of involvement in various types of physical activities,' 'participates regularly in physical activity,' 'is physically active,' and 'values physical and its contributions to a healthful lifestyle" (pg 79). In other words, in order to be physically literate the student has to know the skills for all of the different activities that are taught in the class. They have to understand the benefits of being physically active and continue to be physically active. The last part of the quote is the most important for the students in our classrooms today because there is a big push for students to eat healthier and be active. However, if there is a push for this, how much time is each student given to be active in gym class and outside of gym class.
After reading this article, it raised some questions that I want to ask you all to think about.
1). In your placements now, how many days and for how long do your students have gym?
2). Do you think general ed teachers should be aware of the standards for PE?
3). Do you think more physically activity should be included in the classroom? Why or why not?
4). What should the ideal gym class look like?
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog post!!
At my placement we only have gym once a week for less than an hour. In my eyes, the standards for physical education don't even matter in CPS because they are not given nearly enough time to achieve them. I think that the teacher has the right to allow more physical activity in the classroom. If they have a rowdy group of kids in the middle or before a lesson, it could be a good idea to allow them to release some energy and then begin or continue your lesson. I do think that the schools should have gym way more often than they do. I think that gym classes should have different units with different skills or sports to be learned.
ReplyDeleteThanks Desirae for your comment. I definitely agree with you on the points you present. I especially agree with your statement of allowing studenta to move around before a lesson if they become rowdy. Great point.
DeleteGreat blog Tina! :D
ReplyDeleteMy 2nd graders have gym three times a week for about an hour. I had no idea that PE also has to be aligned with standards! I'm personally very passionate about creative movement coming from my dance background and I have been able to see how using movement in the classroom actively engages students while learning content. I have been trying to implement small bits of creative movement when I work with small groups and I find that my kids seem to enjoy it while they learn! I think it's important to have "brain breaks" were the kids can learn and create in a physical way that promotes their development.
Becca
Thanks Becca! I think your background in dance can help you create opportunities that will help students move around. I think it's great that you are already trying this strategy out with the kids in small groups. You have to keep me updated.
DeleteHey Tina!
ReplyDeleteSo like I mentioned in Darin's blog my kids only go to gym once a week and it seems to benefit them a lot as far as releasing bottled energy and being more focused during learning time.
Something that stood out to me in your post is, "In physical education, the primary goal is to get students to be thoughtful and deliberate movers." For me, this isn't so much about having the skills or knowledge to playing sports, but rather it is about being mindful of movement and how we can use physical literacy to support healthy lifestyles and growing bodies. My mentor teacher loves to take brain breaks and have students get up and move to support their cognitive and physical well-being. So it's a great idea!
Thanks Hallie! I like how you interpreted the quote. I am going to try to implement the brain breaks in my classroom now and see how the student react to it.
ReplyDeleteOur students only have P.E. once a week, and it's such a shame. They do have recess every day, but that's not P.E. I think I would like to have different physical activities throughout the day in my own classroom. Maybe some morning yoga. Before that though I need to get back to being active myself.
ReplyDeleteI think the ideal gym class would be similar to the ideal English or Science class. It would give students a lot of choice about what to do. All throughout school I dreaded playing sports in gym because of the pressure and my bad hand-eye coordination because of my eyesight. However, when I had to option to run around the track, go rock climbing, or do stuff in the weight room I enjoyed myself a lot more and did better. I think allowing students to choose would get them to love it more and get adults to take P.E. more seriously because they would see all that can be done with it.
Thanks Mae!! I agree with you that students should have the choice to choose what they want to do in gym. They will be more engaged in the activity when they have an option.
DeleteGreat job Tina! In my placement, they have gym once a week and it is the first thing they have that day. I personally think they should have gym more than that. Kids need time during the day to release their energy because behaving in at a desk all day is tough, even for me. I think that physical activity should be brought into the classroom more often. The school I am in is departmentalized and the last group is very rowdy. I always try to give them as much time to get settled because they need to get the jitters out. Otherwise, there us absolutely no productivity.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kim! I agree that the kids need time to settle down or a way to release their energy. They definitely do not feel motivated to do anything.
DeleteHi Tina!
ReplyDeleteIn my placement (Talman), the students go to P.E. 2-3 times a week for an hour. They go every Tuesday, Thursday, and every other Friday. I think it would be very beneficial for gen ed teachers to know and understand the P.E. standards. This way, they can try and incorporate it into their lessons, especially if the students don't get the opportunity to go to P.E. much during the week. Incorporating physical literacy ito the classroom could also be beneficial for the kinesthetic learners. If they are able to move around during a lesson, they might get more out of it and remember the content that was taught. I think the ideal gym class should encorporate a variety of activities (writing, playing games, team building) so that students who aren't good at the physical aspect of P.E. can still benefit from it.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteStudents attend PE for two hours a week at my school. PE teachers have a responsibility of getting students to become more physically fit. I don't think teachers should have to be burdened with the standards. They already have enough standards to worry about. But I do feel like physical movement within the classroom helps students focus more. Gym class should be fun and engaging without making children feel left out.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteStudents attend PE for two hours a week at my school. PE teachers have a responsibility of getting students to become more physically fit. I don't think teachers should have to be burdened with the standards. They already have enough standards to worry about. But I do feel like physical movement within the classroom helps students focus more. Gym class should be fun and engaging without making children feel left out.
Tina,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Whitney on this ! It's overwhelming for students to pass the physical part let alone incorporate standards that aren't meant for pe. Instead pe classes should provide kids with more support to help them be more healthy and pass the physical portion. Also gym should have a variety of options such as yoga, dance, boxing so that kids can try new things instead of just playing sports because not everyone is great at sports.