Getting The Butterflies Out

It has been an exciting weekend for me! We had our first Rugby game of the season on Saturday against Fredonia. We won the match 32-14. This is great because we graduated 9 to 11 seniors last year, and nobody in all of New York State Rugby is giving us any respect. Games like this make you feel amazing, and especially how well everything clicked on the first game of the season! The feeling of camaraderie you get from playing this sport is unequaled.  The photo is from last years State Championship game in RPI that we won. (I'm #21 with the white shorts in the middle) This season looks to be promising for us, and hopefully we can repeat as State Champions. Here is a link to check up on how we are doing: http://nysrugby.org/php/games/standingspick.php (We are Western Division II). We play Ithaca this Saturday at 1pm at the Rugby field, hopefully we get some more support!

Homework and Thoughts

Question #1: What is meant by the idea that teaching is a goal oriented activity?

Answer: According to the book, goal oriented teaching is when a process is meaningless unless it has a clear goal regarding what the student will learn. I take this to mean that every activity that is performed or every task that is assigned needs to be structured in a way that is easily understood, and broken down appropriately to allow for the learning to take place. Every action has a purpose.

Question #5: Why is the movement task-student response unit of analysis so important in Physical Education?

Answer: I feel that it is so important because it allows for you to view what the student is doing, and allows you to be able to manipulate and change their approach or offer corrective feedback to help them perform the task correctly. It allows you to see their actions as well as reactions to help formulate a way to help cause improvement. That is why it is so essential to Physical Education.

Question #7: What is the relationship between teaching functions and teaching skills? List two teaching functions teachers must perform, and describe two alternative behaviors teachers can choose to perform these functions.

Answer: Teaching functions are when you focus on the purpose of a teaching behavior rather than only on the specific behavior. Teaching skills I take to mean how effective you are at causing the learning to take place, and the different styles you use to do so. One teaching function that must be performed is having students understand the rules of a game. One way they could do this is by printing out hand copies of the rules, and passing them out. Another behavior that could be performed is demonstrating the game, talking and answering questions throughout the demonstration. Another teaching function that must be performed is having a student acquire a skill, for example, how to throw a ball. One behavior that could be done is to just simply throw the ball and have the students watch. Another behavior can be to slow down the throw, break it down so all steps are mentioned, while providing feedback and answering questions. Basically integrating the throw while explaining the skill would be the best way to go.

The text mentioned how every teacher will have their own teaching style based off their own ideas. I feel that my teaching style will be very controlled. I plan to break things down into the simplest form for the students, and allow them to progress and improve upon their skills. I am looking forward to the opportunity.

Teaching Reflection

So this is what it feels like to teach! Overall, I must say I feel like I have a lot to improve on. I did like how I offered corrective feedback during the lesson and allowed time for questions to be asked if necessary. However, it was hard to hear myself teaching, and I realized I should move around the class more versus staying stationary. It was great to teach though, I am looking forward to the next opportunity!

First Post

I have never tried blogging before, but now is time to give it a shot. This summer flew by so fast I couldn't even believe it. When I wasn't working at the Nursing Home, gettting in shape for Rugby Season, or hanging with friends and family, I spent most of my time trying to get out and help former coaches prepare for their seasons. I feel that even though I didn't have much experience this summer, it definitely helped me when it came to the first day of class. When I was told I would have to teach to the class, I was a little intimidated at first, but I quickly felt comfortable and that I did a fair job at teaching how to pass a Soccer ball. I am looking forward to the rest of the semester and working towards a future as a Physical Educator.