'Teaching is an act.'
This statement shocked me when I heard it, only to soon realise that it is exactly what I do every time I step in front of a class. I have to speak a particular way and I have to have a strong presence. This is what I HAVE to do. Otherwise, I would be eaten alive. Though I have an 'outgoing' personality, I realised that I don't always want to be strong, or speak with conviction. But as a teacher, during a class, I have to. I have to demand students attention with my presence. I have to speak with conviction or the class will fall in a heap. It's strange to think that I will be performing for my entire career, but if I believe what it is that I am teaching then the job is much simpler.
Tuesday 16 April 2013
Learning through feedback
The concept of feedback is very familiar in the sporting and teaching environment. Without it, students and athletes do not learn and therefore can not improve. Feedback for a skill can come in many forms, all of which are valuable sources of information and therefore can become learning experiences. These include internal and external feedback. How the skill feels or how it looks.
As a coach or teacher it is important to remember that feedback needs to be constructive. This is used as a motivational tool. It should motivate students and athletes to strive for more rather than give up.
Therefore the timing of feedback is important.
One thing that I learnt from a lecturer was to always finish a session with a skill that the athlete deems as 'good enough to finish on'. Never should you finish on feedback because there is no time to practice and implement the feedback immediately, therefore it is pointless and lost. By ending on a skill that is deemed good enough, an athlete will walk away from the session feeling positive. Therefore motivation is high. Rather than a feeling of negativity and failure. Never end on this!
As a coach or teacher it is important to remember that feedback needs to be constructive. This is used as a motivational tool. It should motivate students and athletes to strive for more rather than give up.
Therefore the timing of feedback is important.
One thing that I learnt from a lecturer was to always finish a session with a skill that the athlete deems as 'good enough to finish on'. Never should you finish on feedback because there is no time to practice and implement the feedback immediately, therefore it is pointless and lost. By ending on a skill that is deemed good enough, an athlete will walk away from the session feeling positive. Therefore motivation is high. Rather than a feeling of negativity and failure. Never end on this!
How to train?
The concepts and principles of training are what we, as coaches and PE teachers, use to plan, sequence and teach training sessions and classes. These principles have been identified as important to the learning and progression of skills and fitness. They are:
Strength, strength endurance, aerobic endurance, speed, speed endurance, power, mobility, agility and flexibility.
All of these, when planned correctly and well contribute to a perfect training plan. However, as a teacher, there is one aspect that is vital but not on this list. And that is FUN!
If we do not make these sessions, lessons and learning experiences fun, then students will not be interested. They will not be motivated. They will not try their best and therefore the lesson is lost. So while these principles are key, especially in elite coaching and training environments, we as PE teachers need to remember that 'elite' is not what our students are. They are there for fun, to learn some new skills and hopefully to find something that they enjoy!!
Strength, strength endurance, aerobic endurance, speed, speed endurance, power, mobility, agility and flexibility.
All of these, when planned correctly and well contribute to a perfect training plan. However, as a teacher, there is one aspect that is vital but not on this list. And that is FUN!
If we do not make these sessions, lessons and learning experiences fun, then students will not be interested. They will not be motivated. They will not try their best and therefore the lesson is lost. So while these principles are key, especially in elite coaching and training environments, we as PE teachers need to remember that 'elite' is not what our students are. They are there for fun, to learn some new skills and hopefully to find something that they enjoy!!
Monday 15 April 2013
The media
I read the following quote today about a performance review, it got me to thinking about how this concept has the ability to make or break anyone, particularly those in the public eye.
"For one performance review, I received a report that bore little resemblance to my own appraisal. So incongruent was its assessment of the quality of my work that I thought I had been sent the wrong review. As I glanced through the error-strewn missive, I was astonished by the ability of the author to conjure such a fictional narrative from so poorly informed points of history: innuendo, gossip, circumstantial evidence, gross inaccuracies, simple untruths and other cosmic distortions littered the document. I was confronted by invective masquerading as objective assessment. I stared at the offending document more in amazement than disbelief, but worried about how I might begin to extract myself from this hornet’s nest. I was gripped by a sense of impending doom, as if I were about to be hauled off to the Tower and my head impaled on a spike". - Richard Hill
So how can this make or break a career? Well, unfortunately the media is a powerful source of information and distribution. And this is the main source of information for most of the public. Also, unfortunately, many people blindly follow what they read in the media. They recall the information that they hear and they take this word as truth. This is not always the case. The media are not always an accurate source of information. The media will generally only know small amounts of information or truth and from there they build their story. Therefore, we can not believe everything we read.
References:
Hill, R., http://keithlyons.me/personalising-performance-observations, viewed 16/4/2013
"For one performance review, I received a report that bore little resemblance to my own appraisal. So incongruent was its assessment of the quality of my work that I thought I had been sent the wrong review. As I glanced through the error-strewn missive, I was astonished by the ability of the author to conjure such a fictional narrative from so poorly informed points of history: innuendo, gossip, circumstantial evidence, gross inaccuracies, simple untruths and other cosmic distortions littered the document. I was confronted by invective masquerading as objective assessment. I stared at the offending document more in amazement than disbelief, but worried about how I might begin to extract myself from this hornet’s nest. I was gripped by a sense of impending doom, as if I were about to be hauled off to the Tower and my head impaled on a spike". - Richard Hill
So how can this make or break a career? Well, unfortunately the media is a powerful source of information and distribution. And this is the main source of information for most of the public. Also, unfortunately, many people blindly follow what they read in the media. They recall the information that they hear and they take this word as truth. This is not always the case. The media are not always an accurate source of information. The media will generally only know small amounts of information or truth and from there they build their story. Therefore, we can not believe everything we read.
References:
Hill, R., http://keithlyons.me/personalising-performance-observations, viewed 16/4/2013
I'm getting there!!!
As I continue through this journey I am becoming increasingly excited about the prospect of being a teacher. It is now under 2 months until I will sit my final exam and be ready (everything going to plan of course)!
As I sit and reflect on the last 3 and a half years I think about how much I have grown. As a person, as a learner and as a teacher.
All of these experiences will assist me in becoming the best teacher I can be and in doing what I love. It's interesting to think of all the nerves, the moments I have felt scared and the feeling of triumph when you leave a classroom knowing how great that lesson was. That your students learnt something, were interested and engaged and enjoyed your lesson. That is one of the best feelings. And it is that feeling that makes me confident that I have chosen the correct carrer path.
I now only have 3 days of professional experience remaining. Three days left to prepare myself for the start of my career. After that, the next time I stand in front of a class it will be me and only me. There will be no back up, no mentor teacher, no safety net. It will be me. For that, I can not wait!
If I can pass on this passion, this excitement that I have for Health and Physical Education then I believe I can make a difference. I can make a difference to my students. Not only at school but for the rest of their lives.
As I sit and reflect on the last 3 and a half years I think about how much I have grown. As a person, as a learner and as a teacher.
All of these experiences will assist me in becoming the best teacher I can be and in doing what I love. It's interesting to think of all the nerves, the moments I have felt scared and the feeling of triumph when you leave a classroom knowing how great that lesson was. That your students learnt something, were interested and engaged and enjoyed your lesson. That is one of the best feelings. And it is that feeling that makes me confident that I have chosen the correct carrer path.
I now only have 3 days of professional experience remaining. Three days left to prepare myself for the start of my career. After that, the next time I stand in front of a class it will be me and only me. There will be no back up, no mentor teacher, no safety net. It will be me. For that, I can not wait!
If I can pass on this passion, this excitement that I have for Health and Physical Education then I believe I can make a difference. I can make a difference to my students. Not only at school but for the rest of their lives.
Participation - the most important thing!
As I continue through this unit and continue with my professional experience in a school something has struck me. Why do we put such an emphasis on winning when participation is the most important part of physical activity?
I understand the excitement and competitiveness of sport. I understand the thrill of winning. But it would seem that this thrill has overtaken the important aspect of participation.
In the school environment I teach a range of students. From the competitive to those who couldn't care less. The highly talented to those who have never played sport in their lives. The struggle with this is involvement. Making a game or activity challenging enough for those who want it to be more competitive yet simple enough for those who struggle.
The other challenge is trying to convince those who are highly capable and competitive that the physical education classroom is about participation. I know this feeling. I was a highly competitive student in PE. I continue to be highly competitive. And this is something that I often pull myself up on.
To give constructive feedback to all students to assist with improvement is vital to a student's learning. This applies for all students. Not just those who struggle or those who are talented.
However, as a teacher, I need to remind both myself and my students that the main reason we are here, in the PE environment is for participation. That is why a 'participation mark' makes up 30% of their final grade. That is why we are Health and PE teachers. To assist students in becoming healthy. To help them find physical activity enjoyable and to find something that they can continue as a life long activity.
I understand the excitement and competitiveness of sport. I understand the thrill of winning. But it would seem that this thrill has overtaken the important aspect of participation.
In the school environment I teach a range of students. From the competitive to those who couldn't care less. The highly talented to those who have never played sport in their lives. The struggle with this is involvement. Making a game or activity challenging enough for those who want it to be more competitive yet simple enough for those who struggle.
The other challenge is trying to convince those who are highly capable and competitive that the physical education classroom is about participation. I know this feeling. I was a highly competitive student in PE. I continue to be highly competitive. And this is something that I often pull myself up on.
To give constructive feedback to all students to assist with improvement is vital to a student's learning. This applies for all students. Not just those who struggle or those who are talented.
However, as a teacher, I need to remind both myself and my students that the main reason we are here, in the PE environment is for participation. That is why a 'participation mark' makes up 30% of their final grade. That is why we are Health and PE teachers. To assist students in becoming healthy. To help them find physical activity enjoyable and to find something that they can continue as a life long activity.
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