ZUMBA!!

Lab D crept up quickly! We're already at the end of the semester. When I look back on each lab I can proudly say I've improved little by little each time. My speaking has improved, organization, as well as visual aids. Although I have improved on some things, there is still a long road ahead. Even seasoned teachers have room for improvement every day. I am very thankful to have had this experience with our 255 class. We have learned a lot together and had a lot of fun. I'm excited and nervous for my Lab D!  
Students will learn a few Zumba moves as well as a brief history of Zumba. The students will also be asked to complete a small assignment and attend a Zumba class or event.

Pleased with Polo

After the anticipation of how much lab C really counts for, I think I did well once I got into teaching. I was very nervous and stressed out before this lab because it is longer and used a different skill that most people are not familiar with. I looked up rules of Polo, a brief history, and passing techniques. I decided that I wanted some fake horses for the students to ride on while passing the foam ball to each other.

Some positive things I did was the organization with the cards for partners. I made index cards with numbers on them. I had 1-4 with blue maker, and 1-4 with red marker. 1's paired up with 1's, 2's with 2's and so on. When the students paired up I had them work on a slow smooth pass to a partner while standing without their "horse". Once students got that down, which happens so fast in our class compared to how it will happen when we're teaching high school or grade school students. Once this pass was done well we moved on to back hand passing. The progressions start at forehand passes on the right side, and moved up to back hand passing and a neck pass or tail pass.

One thing I wish I did more was manage my time so the students could play a full field game longer. I could cut off some time from our passing progressions and get more into game play.I think my feedback in this lesson was better than my previous lessons. I used the cue's "slow and smooth" while talking to the students in class. I can still work on my volume and also make my visual aids larger. They seem so big when I'm in my apartment but then I get to a gym and they're not so huge any more! I am pleased with this lesson and the way I taught it and am exited (and a bit nervous) to move on to Lab D!

Partner Jumping Reaction

Every day teaching gets easier and easier. With practice I think I am becoming more clear and effective with my teaching. I taught 2 partners in 1 rope and 2 partners in one rope alternating partners. This skill was pretty easy, yet hard to explain. I was pleased with my visual aids I used for this lesson. They were pretty cute and would be great to be used at an elementary school level. I think a common theme within our class is the size of posters. We all have great visuals but some of us need to make them a bit bigger, myself included.

Teaching the class partner skills was fun! I was amazed with how many things you can do with a jump rope. Having each of us teach multiple lessons using jump ropes and almost every skill is different than the one before keeps people interested in the lesson. Part one of my lesson was pretty simple and I think I demonstrated it clearly and effectively.  I demonstrated it without the rope just jumping with a partner then had the students break up with their assigned partner (that I used with the numbered cards). Once students seemed comfortable with that skill I called them back in to work on 2 in 1 alternating partners. This skill seems hard at first but after I demonstrated it in slow motion I think the students got it. This skill is good to have the students go out and work on things themselves.




My voice is at a good level and my confidence is high. I think I could work on demonstrating more. Once without the rope slow motion, once with a rope slow motion, ten the full motion of jump rope at live speed so students know what they should be doing. Also my positioning in the classroom gets off a few times. I rarely but sometimes had students behind me while I was watching other students.

Overall I think the lesson went well. I could work on using more congruent feedback with the students. Also I notice give feedback to those who are closest to me usually. I have to work on giving everyone positive feedback that correlates with the cues given in the beginning of class.

Tentative Plan for lab C- POLO

This lab I was assigned Polo. I plan to give a brief history of polo (hook), and show the students the various passes that can be used in polo. I will also review defensive rules and regulation. Once students are comfortable with all passing skills while on the move at different speeds, we will play a mini polo game!

Feel free to view my lesson plan and task progression sheets for this lesson.

Lab B2

Here you can see my tentative lesson plan for Lab B2 which I will teach on Friday, March 11th. 

256 Prep

After sitting through our seminar for 256 (Field Experience) I'm both nervous and excited. This really is the semester that tests if you are in a major you belong in. There is no more messing around and just squeaking by. As we work every day, every move we make is towards our professional career. The fact that this is all real now makes me a bit nervous. I have so many assignments, deadlines, and things to keep track of between activity classes, scheduling events for club lacrosse, 201 TAing, and taking 255, it gets a little stressful. For all those who come after me, my advice to you is keep on top of things early.

Write our your schedule for each class from their syllabus and keep important dates in mind. I am at the point in the semester where everything is catching up to me- crunch time! No matter what I always get my work done, but year after year I don't organize properly. That is one thing I'm learning bit by bit each year which will help me become a successful teacher. Time management and organization are key to success!
Even with all these assignments I still try to get active and stay fit. In fact, I even get less stressed after playing lacrosse, broomball, or swimming. Balance is they key, and I'm still figuring it all out.

Jolly Jumpers!!

For lab B1 I taught two different jumping skills. I Worked on the Scissor Jump and the Side Straddle Jump. Overall I think the lesson went pretty well. I was enthusiastic, happy to be there, and pretty vocal. I believe I could have worked on having a better demonstration for the class. Possibly demonstrate numerous times to make sure they understood what was going on. I used scaffolding for each of these jumps. for the Scissor jump I used the movement of a lung to help lead into the jumping skill. For the side straddle I introduced the movement first as a jumping jack, then added the rope. Using things that students are familiar with can help them become more comfortable in working on that specific skill.

Another thing I could work on is my visual aids. Once put in a large gym they seem much smaller. I needed them to be bigger so when I had my students spread throughout the gym they could see the cues clearly.
Some things I believe I did well was try to address most of the students. I used a lot of names and gave feedback. One downfall of that part of my lesson was repeating the same people, and not being specific enough in their feedback. I usually said "good job", or "Keep it up" instead of "I like the way you're light on your feet with writs tight." Also some of my feedback was negative. For instance when addressing Josh once I corrected his arm form without first giving him a positive comment. To see an exact transcript of my lesson click here. With the students in our 255 class doing that isn't a huge deal, but in practicing for real live teaching I must be able to give a positive before critiquing a student. To see further detail in how I was giving feedback, please see the feedback analysis form.