Improving Communication With Learners!

As a future physical education teacher one of the most important things to take into consideration is the level of communication I will have with my students, especially in task preparation. 

There are many things a teacher can do to improve communication when presenting their students with a new task and I will be discussing some of them. 

Listed below are key things one can do to improve such communication:

1. Sequence the presentation in logical order

[This will make it easier for students of any age to learn a task from simplest to most complex]

2. Get the attention of the learner 

[One effective way to do this is to personalize the presentation and draw on the personal experiences of the students]

3. Give examples, Improve clarity, and Repeat things that are difficult to understand 

[All of these things will immensely increase the understanding of your lesson]

4. Check for Understanding

[This is key especially for younger children but should be done for all ages]

5. Choose a way to communicate that is effective

[Verbal communication, media tools, demonstrations]

6. GIVE GOOD CUES

[They must be accurate, brief & critical to the skill, also appropriate to the learners skill level & age to ensure maximum benefits]

Another thing a teacher must do is develop lesson content appropriate for their students. Teachers can use a progression of tasks to develop content that makes it possible for the learners to go from one level or learning to another. There are three different content moves that establish progression & represent the way a teacher develops lesson content. They are as follows:

The first part of the process of developing lesson content is using Extension Tasks.

These are tasks that change the complexity of difficulty of the prior task. 

Next, Refining Tasks which are the qualitative aspect of the extension task.

Lastly, Application Tasks or Assessment Tasks. They are the competitive, self-testing, or performance based tasks. 

When talking about Open versus Closed skills the established progression should differ. I say this because Closed skills can be practiced by reducing the complexity & difficulty while Open skills require gradually increasing difficulty to their practice. Closed skills are also practiced primarily in the conditions in which you use the skill while Open skills are not.

Below are examples of extension tasks for closed & open skills!

An example for an extension column of a closed skill such as a forward roll would be:

1. Perform down a large incline

2. Perform the roll down a small incline

3. Perform the roll on a flat surface

4. Perform the roll up an incline mat

Here is an extension column of an open skill such as a soccer header:

1. Perform the header sitting on your bottom

2. Perform the header on your knees with a forward motion

3. Perform the header on your feet

4. Perform the header walking forward

Teaching Jump Rope Skills - Jedi Style!

My Lab B lesson was to teach my classmates a partner jump rope skill of side-to-side, alternating jumping.

I went in to the lesson knowing that it would be hard to explain the task but once I taught the cues and showed a demonstration they would grasp it and love it! I told all of my students that they were Padawans and I was their Jedi Master! They each had a light saber in either their left of right hand and if they were successful in completing this task, they would become Jedi's as well!! 

Some things I felt that I did very well while teaching this lesson were that I was clear and direct with what I asked of my students. They knew exactly what to do and exactly what I expected of them through out the lesson. Another thing I did well was give feedback to my students. I talked to each student and gave them individual feedback at least once throughout the duration of the lesson. Other things I felt I did well were challenging my students, checking for full understanding, keeping them interested with a good hook and closing, and providing sufficient visual aids. I also gave them help and tips to get started in learning the task if they were having trouble. (Shown Below)

Even though I felt very comfortable teaching my lesson this week, there is ALWAYS room for improvement! Some things I could have done better in this lesson were give a more in depth demonstration, such as from a different angle. I also could have incorporated music. Even though everyone's spirits were already high and they were highly involved, music always gives an extra boost to the class! Originally I had planned to play a song while the students were partnered up, practicing the drill. But because of time restraints and not having time to run to the mp3 player, I was not able to play the music. Another thing I can work on too is shortening the instructions and getting into the activity as soon as possible! 

Overall everything I am doing for 255 while teaching these labs is making me an overall better teacher. Observing how I instruct will not only improve my teaching abilities but also highly impact and improve student learning! Observing myself as an instructor allows me to make changes to the things that I do wrong or want to improve. It also allows me to see what is most effective for my students. Most importantly by improving my teaching strategies I let my students get the most beneficial lesson possible. 

This weeks lesson ended with thumbs up and smiles all around, which is the best part about my future career. If we're all having fun and the students are learning the best they can, then I must be doing my job! 

   

Please watch the video below! It is my entire Lab B lesson!

By clicking here you can view my time coding form. 

This form shows just how I used my time for this lesson!

Click here to view my Lab B Checklist!!

More Jump Rope Action!

To end the week we worked our way into the second group of Lab B lessons and all of the teacher candidates did wonderful! As I am finishing up my final preparations to teach on Monday I am taking everything into consideration! I have finished my visual aids, rules and cues posters, and they are being shown below: 

I am very excited to teach the 'Two in One Rope - Side-by-Side Alternating'  jump rope skill!! When making my visual aids I wanted to keep it short and simple considering the skill itself sounds very complicated. It is not an easy task to do but I plan on using progressions to help the students learn the skill as easily as possible. Next week I will be posting pictures and video of my lesson! 

Preparing for Lab B - Jump Rope Style!

These past few days of class have been preparation time for our Lab B teaching experience!

I am very excited about my next time to teach because I can feel myself learning and growing as a future Physical Education teacher. 

We have been doing multiple drills to 'spice' up our daily routines and one specific drill is the SHOTGUN!

Professor Yang chooses two teacher candidates to perform each different block in a lesson plan. For example, one group introduces the task then another demonstrates it. Then a different group says the safety statements while another group provides feedback, and so on. The drill gets you to think quickly and get creative which is always fun to do!

 In this next week to come I will be finishing my preparations for my Lab B lesson of partner jump rope skills and teaching the skill to my classmates! I'm looking forward to it and I can not wait to share my experiences next week on my blog with video, pictures, etc.