Making A Difference With Physical Education: Teaching Jump Rope Skills

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!