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?