Monday, October 26, 2009

PE Hall of shame



As physical education has progressed so have the activities and games that are played in phys ed. class. Today's PE classes are taught in teaching the student as a wholeperson mind, body, spirit. these are the components that make up a educated person. Over the coarse of the development of Physical education certain games have earned a spot on the PE hall of shame. As you would guess dodge ball would be on top of most list. This is because in past PE teacher's have just rolled out 8 ounce rubber kick balls and said go nuts. In about 98% of the time in playing dodge ball some will most likely be injured of some kind of way. Or this can lead to bullying or ganging up on a less skilled player. If dodge ball is being played this way then I also think it belongs on the wall of shame, but if dodge ball is played correctly then it can be used to teach many aspects of physical education. With this being said variations need to be implemented to the old form of dodge ball, such as every player needs to throw with their non dominant hand. Another variation could be that the ball has to bounce the ball before it can strike someone. A very fun and interactive variation is to make a court half the players are inside the court and the other half are outside this court. The players on the outside receive mush balls and have to throw them at the players in the middle but the ball must bounce first. Once hit the person who threw the mush ball goes in and the person who got hit is now outside throwing. This variation keeps everyone involved at all times and keeps the traditionally chaotic game under control. With all the the variations that I have just mentioned students are still able to use there motor moments and develop their hand eye coordination. Before you play any form of dodge ball a class must prove to you that they are responsible and mature enough to participate in the activity. The first intance that a student shows that they are not responsible or mature enough ask them to sit aside while the students who can handle it play. The general age that students are usually ready for a game such as dodge ball is about middle school and high school. In closing I do agree that traditional dodge ball belongs in the PE hall of shame but I think with the right guidance and supervison this can be a great learning experience.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Super hero's swoop into action at St. Mary's


There were superman's to batman's and everyone in between, The kids of St. Mary's said "you college kids are too early for Halloween" Once they realized that we were just dressing up for fun, the kids embraced it and began engaging in conversation and sharing stories about there favorite super hero's. This was a great way to get the kids involved and interested in the day, prior to even picking up a ball or playing a game. In the days activities we were able to view the childrens progression of gross motor movements such as running, galloping and hopping. Activities R' Us incorporated running and galloping in our modified super hero tag game. A variation of the game was to lock elbows with a partner, now you and your partner had to work in unison to avoid getting tagged. Once tagged you were frozen in a flying position, balancing on one foot while your arms are straight out as if you were flying. To get back in the game some one who was untagged could bring you back by touching you on your foot and two arm's. The kids really enjoyed this game we played for a good 20 minutes wit the variations. The way the kids interact with you when you connect with them on there level is remarkable, for instance I hadn't spoken to this one particular boy yet but I noticed him looking at me continuously from the second he saw me. I went over and introduced my self his response was, "Daffney is my favorite" turns out Scoopy-Doo is his favorite show, and i had worn a Scooby-Doo shirt with all the mystery team on it. From then on Me and Micheal played together the rest of the day, he was talking to me as if we had been friends for ever, on the sole fact that i had his show on my T-shirt. Find ways to relate the children on their own personal level. This will develop stronger relationship between the teacher and the student, which in the end the student will benefit most!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

1st Lab at St.mary's

On Monday we had our first lab for Ped 201. The kids had a great time with all of us "college kids". The theme of the day was stability, we observed how the children and there gross and fine motor skills were developing. My group ACTIVITIES R' US designed a game called endless bucket. we incorporated task that dealt with stability. Some of the exercises that we put in the bucket were hop to the next bucket, leadp frog, balance a bean bag on your head, balance on one foot for as long as you can, and some other exercises that had stability involved in it. As soon as the kids got into the game they were having a blast. Even the kids who were a little hesitant about play had a awesome time, and had forgotten that they were thinking about not participating. Overall the students of St Mary's had a great day and i think the SUNY Cortland student had a better time, everyone seems to enjoy interacting with these kids!