CBE Physical Education Workshop
The two areas I was most interested in were the use of Social Media as it's related to physical education, and wrestling. Now I haven't programmed any wrestling for a variety of reasons, though combative units seen in elementary settings can do very well (this was more of a personal interest, though many new applicable ideas came of this!).
Social Media with +Mark Bylsma
I had the privilege of first meeting Mark at an Elementary Phys Ed Workshop last year in his previous role with the CBE as the Physical and Health Education Learning Leader at the CBE's downtown office. Mark's roles have since changed but he is an advocate for PE, Health and general wellness in all aspects of education so it was nice to see him leading a workshop for PE teachers.
The primary focus of this discussion was on the use of Twitter for Phys Ed teachers. I can tell you first hand that getting involved in Twitter on a professional level has made me a much more effective teacher! Through Twitter I've had the opportunity to meet and 'chat' with many Phys Ed teachers from across the world (literally!!).
I won't get into details of Twitter, suffice to say, that if you're not on it already ... it is a worthwhile investment. Today was a great opportunity to meet many Phys Ed teachers making the leap into the world of Twitter and I don't think they will be disappointed. Mark did a fantastic job giving an introduction to this great resource and I think we'll see many new tweeps within the #yycbepe community!
Wrestling
I've 'taken' wrestling in high school, but the hour and a bit I spent on the wrestling mats of Woodman School, I got worked! At the moment I can't see us offering a combatives unit at our school (this is a unit that can start off with thumb wrestling) for various reasons, other than the age of our students (many elementary schools have been very successful). That being said, it was a very informative session. Aside from learning a variety of exciting and dynamic warms ups, I learned that I have to work on my flexibility! I give credit to the dedication many wrestlers have for their sport! I was able to walk away from this session with many applicable ideas relating to fun and dynamic warm-ups that I believe our students will enjoy.
Impromptu Assessment PD
Not too long ago I had sent an email looking to collaborate on our FitKIDS initiative at our school. Being the only Phys Ed teacher in our school sometimes makes it difficult to know if what we are doing measures up. It was great to see so many schools offering a similar program, getting kids active prior to learning or during learning. What came of this email strand was an invite to participate in an impromptu workshop to look at assessment practices at different schools and how they relate to the new report card and to one another.
It was fantastic! Nearly ten elementary phys ed teachers all discussing how our formative assessment would support our report card writing! We could have easily spoke for hours on how to best support our teaching with all the ideas that everyone had to share. Already plans are in the works to meet on a monthly basis to discuss assessment, modules and ways to improve our teaching practice.
Going Forward
I believe we offer a great Phys Ed program at PHS. What I'm after however are ways improve what we offer by making it better, more challenging and more academic for our students. I can't take credit for the phrase, 'gym is dead, the new phys ed' (that goes to +Nathan Horne) but I do believe in this. Phys ed is more than dodgeball and floor hockey, though both have their place. By attending workshops like these I believe that the ideas shared will create positive phys ed experiences for our students and, hopefully, a love for physical activity as they grow.
As always, thanks for reading!
-CFM
No comments:
Post a Comment