4/9/14

Today during my visit to the middle school I was able to observe the 7th grade students playing volley-tennis for the first time in a round robin style tournament. The students all seemed to be really excited about the game and were very competitive with each other. However, this competition was not problematic; the students were able to still maintain sportsman like conduct.

4/8/2014

Today, in Mrs. Anderson's 8th grade physical education classes, I was able to observe two separate classes that both played volley-tennis. After the first class completed their game, the instructor asked the students if they enjoyed the game and would want to play it again. Some students eagerly said, "Yes!" while others were hesitant to say they enjoyed the activity. After the class left, Mrs. Anderson came up to me and said, "You just have to remember that you'll never make everyone happy". I felt that this sentiment could really be applied to the primary classroom. No matter how fun an activity is or how engaging a lesson is, not everyone will enjoy it. It is important to keep this in mind so that as a future classroom teacher, I can incorporate a variety of activities. This way, everyone will have the chance to really enjoy an activity.

4/2/14

Today during my time at Madison Middle School, the students were engaging in a game of soccer; boys versus girls. The student teacher participated in the game on the girls side, as they were one team member short. I thought the component of boys versus girls would add a lot of intensity to the game. It seemed as though the boys were more excited by this concept than their female counterparts. The guys quickly took a commanding lead and didn't let up. Some of the girls played intensely, but for the most part, they stayed back and acted more as observers than players. However, having the student teacher play for the girls team did add an element of intensity to the game as the boys of the class were eager to "show him up."

It was fun for me to see how well the students could work together in teams and how adaptable they were to having the teacher be so involved in their activity. I am hoping, after today's observation, that I can be an involved party when my future students are working on things while still facilitating a learning environment.

4/1/14

My visit to the middle school today was a very educational experience. I had the opportunity to visit with the classroom teacher about her educational experiences and ideologies regarding education. Mrs. Anderson recalled her first day of teaching middle school science and thinking to herself as the students came through the door, "What the heck did I get myself in to." She recounted the lesson planning her first year and the times she felt overwhelmed, as well as the immense amount of learning that took place.

Mrs. Anderson also discussed with me the skill every teacher must possess: the ability to act. Teachers must act like they are excited to be at school even on the days they would rather be elsewhere, they must act like they like all of the students, even those who challenge them daily, and they must act like the person they hope their students will become. Mrs. Anderson told me that there are days that she loves her job, days she wonders why she is a teacher, days where she comes to school and loves her job and leaves feeling differently, and days where she comes and isn't excited to be there, but by the end of the day, she leaves loving her job because of the people she works with and the students she teaches. By the end of our conversation, it was clear how passionate she was about her work and about making a positive impact in the lives of her students.

I left the middle school today with a renewed excitement for my upcoming career and an appreciation for the honest advice and conversation I had with Mrs. Anderson.

3/26/14

On March 26th, I was able to observe Mrs. Anderson's 8th grade physical education class. During my visit, the class was being instructed by the student teacher, Mr. Hertz. This allowed Mrs. Anderson to visit with me while the class was in session.

One of the topics that Mrs. Anderson and I discussed was assessment. We mainly discussed Mrs. Anderson's choices regarding assessment. Her students are not graded on their physical abilities but rather their preparedness and participation. She does administer physical fitness tests; however, these results are not the basis for her student's grades. Mrs. Anderson shared with me that she feels when it comes to athleticism some students "have it or they don't" and that she doesn't want to punish the students who don't even if they try their hardest.

Mrs. Anderson also told me that she makes a point to have positive interactions and create relationships with students who struggle with PE or have a poor attitude about the class. She expressed to me that these students usually have a negative mindset about physical activity so her hope is, through being a positive entity, she can create a positive association with her class for the students.

I felt that what Mrs. Anderson and I discussed could all be applied to a primary classroom, especially her ideas regarding student relationships. School can be challenging for some students, but if the teacher remains a positive aspect of their time at school, they have something to look forward to and enjoy about school.

3/25/14

Today I had the chance to observe two of Mrs. Anderson's 8th grade physical education classes that were being taught by Mr. Hertz, a DSU student teacher. The first class engaged in soccer drills and the game pom-pom-pull away. The second class participated in weight lifting activities.

During my visit, I was able to assist with setting up the cones for a soccer drill, with classroom management during weight training, and after class outside the locker room. During weight training, I assisted some of the students with form and after class I kept the students in their designated area until the bell rang. During this time, I was able to see the impact positive reinforcement can have on a student. I thanked a quiet boy for being so well behaved and he had a smile from ear to ear until the bell rang.

3/19/14

I had the chance to observe Mrs. Anderson's physical education class on March 19th. On this day, the regular classroom teacher and student teacher were both absent so I was able to watch the substitute teacher and the student teacher's university supervisor. The children were playing a game of big base when I got to the school.

The class was a different class than I have observed in the past and brought with them some different characteristics. For example, this group of students was much more competitive than the other classes I have seen. There were also a couple of students who liked to "show off" despite what that meant for their team. One of the rules of big base is that if the ball hits the ceiling, it is an automatic. Two boys would wind up and kick the ball, seemingly as hard as they could, every time it was their turn. Each time they were up, it was an automatic out for their team. Their teammates would comment in disapproval but it had no effect on the boys. Other than that minor behavior, the students were very respectful of the substitute and enjoyed having the university supervisor participating with them.

3/18/14

Today during my visit to the Middle School, I had the opportunity to observe the students during an atypical school day and school week. Firstly, the regular classroom teacher was absent, secondly, the students had pictures during class time, and thirdly, this week is a short week for the students due to conferences and the state basketball tournament. These changes to the regular routine were reflected in the behavior of the students. I tried to observe as many of the management strategies that I could as this will be a situation I will likely encounter as a future educator.I was also anxious to see how the teacher would handle some of the off the wall behaviors that I encountered.

The class began with a poll to determine what activity would be done for the day and the students decided they would play "Capture the Flag." After the class got the activity set up, the instructor blew his whistle and the game began. However, the game did not begin with much energy or enthusiasm. In fact, few students even attempted to capture the flag. This was remedied with teacher motivation (Come on guys, let's go! Pick up the pace! etc.). After the energy level of the students increased, so did the behavioral mishaps. In fact, one of the students ran to the other side of the gym to capture the flag screaming as a means of distracting the other team. He then dropped to the floor and rolled across the gym. In this instance, even the teacher had to laugh.

Overall, I found that when the students are feeling particularly distracted, it is important for the instructor to remain focused, keep the class focused, and roll with the punches.

3/4/14

Today when I arrived at the middle school, the student teacher, Mr. Hertz, informed me that Mrs. Anderson was gone for the day and that he would be not only the primary, but the only classroom instructor. He began class with some warm up laps and stretching and then the group moved to the weight room.

I was anxious to see how the students behaved without the watchful eye of their regular classroom teacher, especially considering they were in the weight room where their activities are individual and self paced. Things began well, however, after only a few minutes, students started claiming that they were done with their exercises for the day. It became clear to the instructor that the students were not completing the work that was assigned to them or were not performing their best. So, at the end of class, Mr. Hertz had the students do conditioning that consisted of push-ups, sit-ups, burpees, etc. Some of the students were "cheating" during the exercises so Mr. Hertz had me stand strategically in an area of the room that had multiple students struggling to stay on task. This proved to be an effective method.

It was interesting seeing how students behave when their classroom teacher is absent and it was educational to see how Mr. Hertz managed the class under those circumstances. Some of the methods he used can definitely be taken into classrooms when I student teach and substitute teach.

2/25/14

I enjoyed the opportunity to observe the student teacher teaching Mrs. Anderson's physical education class on Tuesday, February 25th. It was fun for me to see the student teacher employing classroom management strategies that I have been learning about in my classes. I enjoyed seeing this because I have always wondered how effective these methods would be in a real classroom setting. Two of the methods that were used that I have learned about in classroom management that seemed especially effective were the use of a student's name if they were off task or misbehaving in any way and proximity to a student. It was impressive to me that just by getting closer to a student their behavior changed.

Also, during my visit, I had the chance to talk to the student teacher, Mr. Hertz. I was able to ask him questions about the expectations of student teachers, what it is like teaching cooperatively with his coordinating teacher, and stepping into the role of the primary instructor of the class. I appreciated his insights and it eased some of my anxieties about my upcoming role as a student teacher.

I also observed some of the groups of friends in this new class and how these groups affected the overall climate of the classroom. There is a group of about five boys that frequently get off task and become a little problematic. At times, this derails the focus of the rest of the students. However, it is clear that the student teacher and regular classroom teacher are aware of this issue and minimize any issues quickly.

2/18/14

Again as I entered Mrs. Anderson's physical education class, I noticed a change. Mrs. Anderson was no longer the teacher in charge. In her place was a student teacher leading the class. This provided me with the opportunity to see what the next semester holds for me as a student teacher, as well as allowed me to converse with Mrs. Anderson to better understand her teaching philosophy and her class.

As Mr. Hertz led stretches and warm-ups, Mrs. Anderson visited with me about this new group of students. It was during this conversation that I learned that 8 of the students in that particular class were students with some form of special needs. Suddenly, the issues from last week became more understandable. Knowing this about the class allowed me to view the happenings of the class through a different lens. I became interested in seeing first hand how the instructor met the unique needs of each student in the group.

Some of the methods I found Mr. Hertz employing were modeling some of the exercises he wanted the students to do. I found that this method could easily be transferred to my own future classroom; modeling can be a powerful tool in determining behavior and in showing students your expectations. He also took time to talk with students who seemed to be struggling. This was another method I felt could easily be used in a primary classroom. Lastly, Mr. Hertz was very patient with his students. He maintained high expectations of them but these expectations were reasonable and attainable for the students to meet. I felt that this was an especially important aspect of the morning to take away with me. If my expectations for my future students are too high, they will become frustrated and I will, as well. If my expectations are too low, all involved parties may become bored. However, when expectations are high, yet attainable, results are visible.

2/11/14

I was able to revisit Mrs. Anderson's physical education class on February 18th. However, when I arrived, I immediately noticed that it was a new group of students. This turn of events had me excited to see how the dynamic of the class would change, what different personalities I would encounter, and whether or not this would change the teaching and management styles of Mrs. Anderson.

It was clear to me from the minute the class started that this class was much different than the previous class I observed. This group of students seemed a bit more challenging as many of them tended to push their boundaries by not exercising their hardest, waiting until the last second to follow instructions, and chatting just a bit too much. This change in the class culture also had an impact on the overall environment of the class. Mrs. Anderson had to do more reminding of what the expectations were and the students had to complete more conditioning for not meeting those expectations. The overall attitude of the teacher, however, did not change. Mrs. Anderson was still encouraging and motivating despite the fact that these students were a little less receptive.

One thing I took away from this visit that I plan to implement in my future classroom is that even if the attitude of my student's is poor, I should not let it negatively affect my own attitude. By the end of the class, it was clear that Mrs. Anderson's positive attitude had rubbed off on her students as the vast majority of them left her class with a smile.

2/4/14

On Tuesday, February 4th, I again had the opportunity to enter Mrs. Anderson's 8th grade physical education class. This trip was especially exciting because I was able to be more hands on and interact with the students more than I did during my first visit. The students were all so friendly and welcoming.

While I was there, the 8th graders learned a new game: Tchoukball. I was excited that I would get to see how Mrs. Anderson introduces a new activity and deals with any confusion/questions regarding the activity. I felt that many methods she employed in a PE setting could potentially be used in an elementary classroom setting. Mrs. Anderson began by introducing the activity and then going over the rules. She gave the students examples of what they could do during the game and also provided non examples so they would understand what things would not be tolerated. She asked the students if they had questions and then let them get started. Throughout the game, she would occasionally have the students congregate in the middle of the gym to go over a component of the activity that was being done incorrectly. She would check for understanding and then let the students get back to the competition. Also, during the activity she was flexible about some aspects of Tchoukball, as the students were just learning. At the end of the class, she discussed with the students some of the changes she would be making to the game during the next class period to make it more challenging and to limit the issues the class encountered during their first attempt.

I found multiple strategies from Mrs. Anderson's method of introducing a new activity that I can apply in my future classroom. I think it is important to fill the students in on exactly what will be occurring and then allow time for questions. I also liked that Mrs. Anderson would take a minute or two away from the activity time to address issues; although it seemed that time for the activity was lost, what the students were actually left with was more quality time to do the activity correctly. Another strategy she employed that I found beneficial was providing examples and non examples. I think it helps students have a better understanding of expectations if they know both what is acceptable and what is not. Lastly, I appreciated that she was flexible; she made it clear to the students that this was their first attempt at this skill so things may need to be changed. I think these are all things that could benefit me in my future classroom when I need to introduce a new activity or skill to my students.

1/28/14

     Today, I had the opportunity to sit in on Mrs. Anderson's 8th grade physical education class. It was a change of scene for me that I was very excited about. In the past, I have only had the opportunity to observe and participate in elementary school settings so I was anxious to see the cognitive, social, and emotional differences between the two environments. 

     I immediately noticed that the boys and girls are very segregated. During their warm up and during the their game of "Capture the Flag" they rarely acknowledged that the opposite sex was present. However, both genders were equally competitive and worked hard to win. 

     One of the reasons I was especially excited to be observing a physical education class was because of the classroom management skills it requires to keep that many active adolescents on task. One thing I especially appreciated that Mrs. Anderson did was clearly state her expectations for the classes behavior and performance. She also provided them with an incentive: if there warm up exercise was up to her standard, they would be able to play capture the flag. Between her expectations statement and her incentive, she had a group of students ready to work. If a student did not seem to be thoroughly engaged, Mrs. Anderson would call out an exercise (5 push-ups, 3 burpees, 10 jumping jacks, etc.) for the class to do immediately. This let the students know they were not meeting Mrs. Anderson's expectations and it was time to increase their effort. 

     I am looking forward to the weeks to come so I can observe more of Mrs. Anderson's teaching techniques and classroom management protocols, as well as to gain a better understanding of the development of students in the middle school. 

Madison Middle School

I will use this blog as a means of reflecting on my time spent at Madison Middle School in Madison, South Dakota. I will update this blog weekly with my experiences in the middle school.