APEM Mini Conference!

I was able to attend the APEM Mini Conference on October 9th in Park Center. First I listened to Judy Rink's opening speech in which she spoke a lot about accountability in physical education. I also attended her other session on effective ways for teaching physical education. Just by listening to her talk, I learned all kinds of different ways in which to make physical education better. It is amazing how simple little things can make PE more fun and in the end more valuable for the students. My favorite lecture was the Polar Technology lecture where I learned more about assessment. They talked a lot about utilizing heart rate monitors and how they help assess students. It was mainly geared towards improving cardiovascular fitness, but they can be used in other ways as well. This lecture also had to a little bit with accountability as well. By assessing the students with the heart rate monitors for the mile run, there was data that showed how much the students improved from the fall to the spring. I really like how the heart rate monitors can be used to assess students in PE. It is something that I would love to use once I get out in the field to help students work at their full potential individually. Once you have a good idea of a students physical ability, it is easier as a teacher to help that student improve individually. Students can also figure out where they are physically in certain areas and work on those areas that need improvement. It is easy to tell students to job for the first 15 minutes of class, but how can you make your students work to their fullest potential and WANT to be physically active outside of class?

Pick It Up...

Lab B was the ultimate Frisbee lab where everyone taught a different part of ultimate Frisbee. I taught the pick up, pivot, and pass technique. It was easier to get everything I wanted to get in and have a good amount of activity time with more time to teach. I had the students start out by just pivoting and passing with the backhand throw and then moved on to the forehand and overhand throw. Once they mastered that, I started a new activity where they got into groups of three and had one person as a defender. It was easier for the students to see why having good pivots were important in the game of ultimate Frisbee. This lab was longer and had a little bit more involved in the teaching, but I found it much easier then teaching the first and even the second time. I was able to use what I have learned throughout the semester to make my lesson more organized and more effective then the past two times I taught in class. I have a transcript showing everything I said during the lesson, a time coding sheet that breaks up the lesson into different parts, and a feedback analysis sheet showing who I gave feedback to and if it was positive or negative.

Click here to listen to my lesson!!