Thursday, 6 August 2015
Thursday, 23 July 2015
July 20, 2015
Starr - Perspective as Parent and Resource Teacher
Keenan is her son. She told us about how someone who is a teacher and has a child with Autism experiences the current system. Keenan has had physiotherapy and occupational therapy. She expressed the importance of diet. Dr. Jacqueline Legace wrote a book about it. Dr. Legace was in pain from Arthritis. Starr noticed that Keenan had very little eye contact and attention span, and so she tried removing Gluten from the diet, and from then on, he was able to look Starr in the eye, and answer her. There have been many experiments on the subject and now it is known that diet effects short term memory, mood, and many other things.
Starr uses sensory stimulation devices to help keep him calm. She also emphasized the importance of peer tutoring.She suggests: respect differences, always have an open mind, never stop believing.
Jasmin- Inuit Games Day!
To the Inuit People, examining anything, requires examining all aspects of it, so Physical Ed. is not just about people's physical activity, it is about emotional well being as well. She has two students going to the Innuit Cultural Games in Greenland. Rick Mercer was a guest at the Arctic winter games.The Older students (who are sometimes unruly) will look after the young children at the games, and they thrive. They have individual and team winners, and do an awards ceremony the next day.
There is a two foot high kick. There is also a one foot high kick, and both girls and boys are equally involved in it. The Alaskan High kick is also a fun kick. They have "Bone and Stick" is the hitting a bone that hangs on a thread from the ceiling. The One hand Reach is another game, where they hit a bone hanging from a thread, but it is from the ground. The Knuckle hop- is when they get into pushup position and they use their knuckles to hop. I don't think I will forget this, but I want to capture it in my blog;
Airplane is a really difficult, but fun activity in which a student lays out flat and three people lift the person up.
Jeanette looked at the Gross Motor component
They did a lot of research into how to improve fine motor skills.
Take Action Breaks! Animal Walks or Silly Walks
Have Fun Teaching is a great website for
Go noodle
Using a Dobber may help students to write without needing a good pencil grip. She got some cut up pieces of wood and she used them to put on a line to help develop fine motor.
To Develop a pincer grasp you can use an eye dropper and have them drop water onto a piece of Lego.
You can work your way to smaller objects. There are cars that can be attached to markers and then they can hold the car to mark with the marker.
HandWriting Without Tears has some pointing and Tracing things.
Tena- She has the Sunshine Room
Children misbehave when they are
bored
unable to do the work
or are attention seeking.
Tena said that we need movement breaks to give people that chance. She uses the popsickle sticks to choose the movement break. She can either add new ones or throw out those that they don't like.
Dance and Yoga are great activities.
Internet Fun is a list of websites that is a list GoNoodle, The Learning Station, Brain Breaks, Cosmic Kids Yoga, ABCs
Sonia- Movement Breaks
Scheduled, Frequent, Powerful and predicatble
Movement meals and Movement snacks
Sonia found an image that shows how much more engaged the brain after a twenty minute walk. She listed many reasons why we do Movement Breaks. It benefits students with Autism, intellectual disabilities, etc. Funtervals was a Master's Program at Queen's University- It is a great movement break that can be done from a chair. Here is the link;
Funtervals (Queen's University)
Joy- Will have a proposal that she will take to the Principal about the Snoezlin Room. She says that her school has both the money to do it and the need for it. I sure hope that she gets it! It is perfect for Sensory Motor Development.
Keenan is her son. She told us about how someone who is a teacher and has a child with Autism experiences the current system. Keenan has had physiotherapy and occupational therapy. She expressed the importance of diet. Dr. Jacqueline Legace wrote a book about it. Dr. Legace was in pain from Arthritis. Starr noticed that Keenan had very little eye contact and attention span, and so she tried removing Gluten from the diet, and from then on, he was able to look Starr in the eye, and answer her. There have been many experiments on the subject and now it is known that diet effects short term memory, mood, and many other things.
Starr uses sensory stimulation devices to help keep him calm. She also emphasized the importance of peer tutoring.She suggests: respect differences, always have an open mind, never stop believing.
Jasmin- Inuit Games Day!
To the Inuit People, examining anything, requires examining all aspects of it, so Physical Ed. is not just about people's physical activity, it is about emotional well being as well. She has two students going to the Innuit Cultural Games in Greenland. Rick Mercer was a guest at the Arctic winter games.The Older students (who are sometimes unruly) will look after the young children at the games, and they thrive. They have individual and team winners, and do an awards ceremony the next day.
There is a two foot high kick. There is also a one foot high kick, and both girls and boys are equally involved in it. The Alaskan High kick is also a fun kick. They have "Bone and Stick" is the hitting a bone that hangs on a thread from the ceiling. The One hand Reach is another game, where they hit a bone hanging from a thread, but it is from the ground. The Knuckle hop- is when they get into pushup position and they use their knuckles to hop. I don't think I will forget this, but I want to capture it in my blog;
Airplane is a really difficult, but fun activity in which a student lays out flat and three people lift the person up.
Jeanette looked at the Gross Motor component
They did a lot of research into how to improve fine motor skills.
Take Action Breaks! Animal Walks or Silly Walks
Have Fun Teaching is a great website for
Go noodle
Using a Dobber may help students to write without needing a good pencil grip. She got some cut up pieces of wood and she used them to put on a line to help develop fine motor.
To Develop a pincer grasp you can use an eye dropper and have them drop water onto a piece of Lego.
You can work your way to smaller objects. There are cars that can be attached to markers and then they can hold the car to mark with the marker.
HandWriting Without Tears has some pointing and Tracing things.
Tena- She has the Sunshine Room
Children misbehave when they are
bored
unable to do the work
or are attention seeking.
Tena said that we need movement breaks to give people that chance. She uses the popsickle sticks to choose the movement break. She can either add new ones or throw out those that they don't like.
Dance and Yoga are great activities.
Internet Fun is a list of websites that is a list GoNoodle, The Learning Station, Brain Breaks, Cosmic Kids Yoga, ABCs
Sonia- Movement Breaks
Scheduled, Frequent, Powerful and predicatble
Movement meals and Movement snacks
Sonia found an image that shows how much more engaged the brain after a twenty minute walk. She listed many reasons why we do Movement Breaks. It benefits students with Autism, intellectual disabilities, etc. Funtervals was a Master's Program at Queen's University- It is a great movement break that can be done from a chair. Here is the link;
Funtervals (Queen's University)
Joy- Will have a proposal that she will take to the Principal about the Snoezlin Room. She says that her school has both the money to do it and the need for it. I sure hope that she gets it! It is perfect for Sensory Motor Development.
Sensory Motor Integration
July 9, 2015
We learned about the way that people integrate their senses and interpret them.
This is a great breakdown of how we integrate our senses;
This means that we don't react to our environment until we have sensed something, then interpreted what we have experienced and references it with past experiences and it only organizes the process once the brain has decided what we should do about it. The final step is to actually react to the stimulus. There can be a breakdown at any point of the process. In an assistive technology course we did a task analysis of the writing process which has all of these processes involved plus a whole lot more. It truly helps a lot in teaching struggling students, when you have a proper appreciation of the difficulty. I think that I am far more sensitive to the students now than I was before. This complexity should be taught in the B.ED. Program. I worked hard to keep students on task and to ensure that they were given an opportunity to write, but I did not place a high priority on other ways of expressing their thoughts. I did not put a high enough priority on the need to move, when I was in the classroom. Now I want to get a chance to get into an L.C. And really put all of these new discoveries to good use.
The things that I have learned in my Assistive Tech. course really
complement what I am learning in this course. For example, I am learning about how we can use everyday items to make assistive technology in the other class. We have looked at things like glue dobbers as something that someone can use to help them to write, if they find the pincher grasp to be too awkward. Here are a few things that people have found that might be helpful.
The color dividers can be a color overlay. The scoop can be used to help a non-verbal student answer questions, and the enlarged numbers are great for students who have visual impairment. These items can be used to practice skills, and they help to make the integration of all other parts of the sensory motor integration process less of a conscious effort. There is so much more to learn.
We learned about the way that people integrate their senses and interpret them.
This is a great breakdown of how we integrate our senses;
This means that we don't react to our environment until we have sensed something, then interpreted what we have experienced and references it with past experiences and it only organizes the process once the brain has decided what we should do about it. The final step is to actually react to the stimulus. There can be a breakdown at any point of the process. In an assistive technology course we did a task analysis of the writing process which has all of these processes involved plus a whole lot more. It truly helps a lot in teaching struggling students, when you have a proper appreciation of the difficulty. I think that I am far more sensitive to the students now than I was before. This complexity should be taught in the B.ED. Program. I worked hard to keep students on task and to ensure that they were given an opportunity to write, but I did not place a high priority on other ways of expressing their thoughts. I did not put a high enough priority on the need to move, when I was in the classroom. Now I want to get a chance to get into an L.C. And really put all of these new discoveries to good use.
The things that I have learned in my Assistive Tech. course really
complement what I am learning in this course. For example, I am learning about how we can use everyday items to make assistive technology in the other class. We have looked at things like glue dobbers as something that someone can use to help them to write, if they find the pincher grasp to be too awkward. Here are a few things that people have found that might be helpful.
The color dividers can be a color overlay. The scoop can be used to help a non-verbal student answer questions, and the enlarged numbers are great for students who have visual impairment. These items can be used to practice skills, and they help to make the integration of all other parts of the sensory motor integration process less of a conscious effort. There is so much more to learn.
Tuesday, 21 July 2015
July 21 Journal
Maggie- Funtervals-
Maggie's idea is that there is no excuse to not get students active regardless of Phys. ed. time. Only 5% of our children are getting enough exercise each day. Children need at least 60 minutes of exercise each day. Use index cards and have the students try to do each card before the song is done. Funtervals have alot of ideas for parents about how to get children to walk. Physical Activity can improve cognitive, social and physical health. It prevents children from getting into drugs and alcohol.
Funtervals are intervals. Work--rest---work---rest.- It allows us to sustain our energy longer.
Popcorn was a really great movement break, and it repeats if they need more. Then the SMILE kids can tutor students who are learning new things.
Natalie- What did you play? Where did you play? Did you feel Safe? These are thought provoking.Silken Laumann says that children need to learn how to play without all of the organization. Natalie is showing us the idea of a Natural Playground, she will present it to her Home and School. Natural Playgrounds are going to be popular again later. There is a lot of red tape that prevents the implementation of this movement. They can make ti-pis, or climbing structure with wood and rope. They can even have a mud kitchen, which would be a very fun place to play. A picnic table would make a great place to play, when it had real stumps and real wooden tables with very little metal. "Nature Deficit Disorder" is what someone called our overprotective society.
Eleanor- Is a Resource Teacher. Keys to Success With "at Risk" Students
At risk students are level one or below. Poverty and the At Risk Student Eric Jensen spoke about poverty and the "At risk" students. They deal with a lot of stress. She feels much less comfortable with physical activity. There are a ;lot of barriers to children who don't have a lot of money, because there will be less opportunity to do sports outside of school and the sports model can be harmful to them. They are less likely to be in extra-curricular activity. She said Plan-Do-Reflect is the best way to approach teaching. Kate said it is important to teach nutrition and how it connects to our lives. We can do breakfast program, and they are inclusive. They teach nutrition and how to prepare healthy meals. We need to find physical activities that get students who don't interact in the school. Doing yoga, Dance, and wrestling.
For teaching mental health- There is the therapy dog, We need to have all three, physical, mental, and nutritional health need to be all done together as part of one program.
Kate spoke about integrating Physical Curriculum in the Core French program. It is difficult for a lot of students. All students are in the program, but many have problems with language, but many students are losing interest. So, Kate is thinking of making her French class more of a Phys. Ed. She will teach the children how to use sports language, and then she will do a lot of physical activity, and even end the year with a Cirque Du Soleil. www.pegames.org is a website that is very good.
She does miming, telling the word, and then letting them say it. Reading and Writing come long after that. She had us try the games, she put posters up on the walls, and then she had us follow the directions on the posters. I was very engaged. I wanted to speak, but didn't have the words.
Dave said this is about Inspiring people, and exploring the world. Dave showed us a video of people who had spinal chord injuries and they explored the Antarctic. There is tandem bicycling, and one pair has both a sighted and non-sighted person in the team. Brigadoon is an organization that has a lot of good programs. Paddle All also does a lot of adapted programming. Digital Explorers features people who are explorers, such as, Sarah Outen. Sarah is circumnavigating the globe. So following someone like her is a great way to integrate many different subjects. Participaction is a great resource as well. Greener is a website that Dave highly recommends.Iwas completely unaware of all of those programs except for Participaction (but just because it was on T.V.)
"A For Adventure" is the group that goes on the radio and talks about Nova Scotia. Dave has a website called Night of Adventure. I will have to check it out. I bet this type of physical activity will be able to engage a lot of students that don't enjoy the sport aspect of Phys. Ed. There are a number of students who fit into that category, either because they feel like they are not suited for it, they don't like locker rooms, they have had bad experiences with the way in which athletes have treated them in the past, etc. But some of those people would gladly do a survival camp in -15 degrees Celsius weather. The days that keep the more traditional athletic type inside might be the days that make these adventurous people just hit their stride. I love how enthusiastic Dave was for offering this opportunity, and I have the feeling that he would love to take students out and let them experience nature, like they never have before!
We have come to the end of the course, and I want to leave you with this video, that shows the possibilities for a large group of students with diverse needs. I think it is inspiring, and I hope that it will inspire you as well.
Maggie's idea is that there is no excuse to not get students active regardless of Phys. ed. time. Only 5% of our children are getting enough exercise each day. Children need at least 60 minutes of exercise each day. Use index cards and have the students try to do each card before the song is done. Funtervals have alot of ideas for parents about how to get children to walk. Physical Activity can improve cognitive, social and physical health. It prevents children from getting into drugs and alcohol.
Funtervals are intervals. Work--rest---work---rest.- It allows us to sustain our energy longer.
Popcorn was a really great movement break, and it repeats if they need more. Then the SMILE kids can tutor students who are learning new things.
Natalie- What did you play? Where did you play? Did you feel Safe? These are thought provoking.Silken Laumann says that children need to learn how to play without all of the organization. Natalie is showing us the idea of a Natural Playground, she will present it to her Home and School. Natural Playgrounds are going to be popular again later. There is a lot of red tape that prevents the implementation of this movement. They can make ti-pis, or climbing structure with wood and rope. They can even have a mud kitchen, which would be a very fun place to play. A picnic table would make a great place to play, when it had real stumps and real wooden tables with very little metal. "Nature Deficit Disorder" is what someone called our overprotective society.
Eleanor- Is a Resource Teacher. Keys to Success With "at Risk" Students
At risk students are level one or below. Poverty and the At Risk Student Eric Jensen spoke about poverty and the "At risk" students. They deal with a lot of stress. She feels much less comfortable with physical activity. There are a ;lot of barriers to children who don't have a lot of money, because there will be less opportunity to do sports outside of school and the sports model can be harmful to them. They are less likely to be in extra-curricular activity. She said Plan-Do-Reflect is the best way to approach teaching. Kate said it is important to teach nutrition and how it connects to our lives. We can do breakfast program, and they are inclusive. They teach nutrition and how to prepare healthy meals. We need to find physical activities that get students who don't interact in the school. Doing yoga, Dance, and wrestling.
For teaching mental health- There is the therapy dog, We need to have all three, physical, mental, and nutritional health need to be all done together as part of one program.
Kate spoke about integrating Physical Curriculum in the Core French program. It is difficult for a lot of students. All students are in the program, but many have problems with language, but many students are losing interest. So, Kate is thinking of making her French class more of a Phys. Ed. She will teach the children how to use sports language, and then she will do a lot of physical activity, and even end the year with a Cirque Du Soleil. www.pegames.org is a website that is very good.
She does miming, telling the word, and then letting them say it. Reading and Writing come long after that. She had us try the games, she put posters up on the walls, and then she had us follow the directions on the posters. I was very engaged. I wanted to speak, but didn't have the words.
Dave said this is about Inspiring people, and exploring the world. Dave showed us a video of people who had spinal chord injuries and they explored the Antarctic. There is tandem bicycling, and one pair has both a sighted and non-sighted person in the team. Brigadoon is an organization that has a lot of good programs. Paddle All also does a lot of adapted programming. Digital Explorers features people who are explorers, such as, Sarah Outen. Sarah is circumnavigating the globe. So following someone like her is a great way to integrate many different subjects. Participaction is a great resource as well. Greener is a website that Dave highly recommends.Iwas completely unaware of all of those programs except for Participaction (but just because it was on T.V.)
"A For Adventure" is the group that goes on the radio and talks about Nova Scotia. Dave has a website called Night of Adventure. I will have to check it out. I bet this type of physical activity will be able to engage a lot of students that don't enjoy the sport aspect of Phys. Ed. There are a number of students who fit into that category, either because they feel like they are not suited for it, they don't like locker rooms, they have had bad experiences with the way in which athletes have treated them in the past, etc. But some of those people would gladly do a survival camp in -15 degrees Celsius weather. The days that keep the more traditional athletic type inside might be the days that make these adventurous people just hit their stride. I love how enthusiastic Dave was for offering this opportunity, and I have the feeling that he would love to take students out and let them experience nature, like they never have before!
We have come to the end of the course, and I want to leave you with this video, that shows the possibilities for a large group of students with diverse needs. I think it is inspiring, and I hope that it will inspire you as well.
Monday, 20 July 2015
Summer Institute Jult 10, 2015
2015 Summer Institute (Summer Conference)
Ann Vibert introduced the topic. Today I am going to think about how the larger themes apply to an Adapted Physical education.
I loved Dr. Greg MacKinnon's story about the child who wanted to show him a game and assumed that he had never seen a computer before because he got the wrong key or button in the game. I thought of how we may sometimes make wrong assumptions about our students when we see their misconceptions. It is important to ensure that we get the facts about the children's perspective before we make a decision for them.
Dr. Micheal Corbett spoke about how There are notions of constructive knowledge vs. structural knowledge. These two theories need to be balanced. In the constructive side there is a cultural influence to this, and I would argue it is in the structural side as well. The space in between is improvisational. Wolfensberger's studies were about students with severe intellectual disabilities. There was a Theory that they would be affected by the social norms, and they would also affect people who had not been labeled as disabled.
Dr. Corbett asked why the classrooms have not changed much in the past 50 years. He suggested that it may be a "safety" or comfort thing. He believes that we actually want to foster an independence of thought. Constructing our own "melody" of improvisation. He uses "improvisation" as a metaphor. The term is about creativity. Bullying is a part of "improvisation". In order to improvise, we need to be in a position of power. Human capital is that we are all assets and the more we pour into education the better our society will be. In Finland, they will proudly say they are in a "welfare state" and they feel empowered by it. Unlike here. Foucault said, "the market does not regulate the state, the state regulates the market." When we look at our government regulation we see that measurement is considered the way to ensure success. I feel as if I buy into that in many ways. Dr. Corbett argues that we are too regulated by "big government." This its into the rural education in the following way;
There are both signs of rural decline and also rural successes. Many think the solution is to empty rural areas and move to urban areas. In 2013, the Education report was positive. He noted that if the government sends us a message about our schools being "broken" then public opinion polls will reflect that line of thinking.
The money we put into the system, the better our system can perform, and he argues that Nova Scotia is doing quite well, at 9% below the average for Canada. He argues that the small rural schools work. I agree that see small schools work and we need to keep money going into these schools. This goes along with what we learned in class. He encourages us to think radical thoughts and to improvise to look for better more creative ways to teach.
Johanne Syms, was an administrator who built the school. She was well qualified to talk about Inclusion. She had a brother with Cerebral Palsy and she and her sister are both gay. She spoke about LGBTQ. The "t" stands for transgendered which is when we don't feel as if our gender matches the gender typically attributed to our sex. The"q" she mentioned has been thought of as part of "queer" culture.
There is a lot of gender policing. We unknowingly send gender messages about. What is accepted as "normal". Suicide rates go up for people who are gay. A large survey of Trans youth showed that 83% of the time lived in the felt gender. This showed they lived healthier lives during those times. Students in the LGBTQ students are among our most vulnerable. She believes that teachers do not feel comfortable "coming out" publicly.
I wonder what types of adaptations need to be made to help support our LGBTQ population in Phys. Ed. Are the GSAs really given power in our schools? It helps to have the Principal as a part of the group and they have a seat on the student council. All groups in the school was given a chance to get an award for their group. Each group was given a chance to choose what the award would be. This is inclusion. Perhaps a GSA Olympics would be a way to make the Phys. Ed connection. At only five years old a child born male, identified as a girl. The Principal immediately labeled the child "transgendered". The child became more anxious and more resistant with parents and staff. The child wanted to be dressed in a dress at the Christmas concert. The family left the school and moved to a different community. The power of gender roles is more strong than we realize. We need to be more sensitive about this topic. The Vital Statistics Act has been amended to change the way that names are written on Report cards. It still requires a male/ female designation and it still requires a letter from an outside agent (Doctor or Councellor, etc.) The gender roles are also becoming a more important factor in sports. There was a child who identified as a boy was eventually allowed to go into a boys changing room. She showed that this issue is not just for LGBTQ students, but also for any student. As I become tired of sitting, I wonder if we should make movement, not the break but the activity, and make sitting the break. Radical, I know, much like the thinking that is taking place here about gender roles.
Johanne Syms encouraged us to show as much compassion and support for all as possible. She finished with a poetic reminder that it that compassion that we will remember and carry with us.
The panel in the afternoon, spoke about turning the system upside down. They are trying to get Medical professionals to work directly in the schools so we don't have to wait for our students to be seen. There was a lot of resistance and fear about these changes. We need to find a way to communicate. We also have to have a system for information sharing given confidentiality components. Cultural considerations must be made. We must collaborate.
Collaboration must be goal oriented and a schedule is essential. Planning for a collaborative meeting comes from preparing the parents so they understand and feel less anxious. It takes courage to be reflective and make changes in how we do things.
They impressed upon us how important collaboration is in our system.
A question was asked about why schools plus only services students with the highest needs. Rola said it actually offers programs for all of the school community. It is hard to get students serviced in some areas because of rural areas not having the same resources.
Brenda mentioned how a lot of the decisions made about how the school day looks can be about the bus schedule. It isn't always about the students. She also mentioned that not everyone has had medical procedures done, but everyone has gone to school, so we all come with a notion of what schools should look like.
Ann Vibert introduced the topic. Today I am going to think about how the larger themes apply to an Adapted Physical education.
I loved Dr. Greg MacKinnon's story about the child who wanted to show him a game and assumed that he had never seen a computer before because he got the wrong key or button in the game. I thought of how we may sometimes make wrong assumptions about our students when we see their misconceptions. It is important to ensure that we get the facts about the children's perspective before we make a decision for them.
Dr. Micheal Corbett spoke about how There are notions of constructive knowledge vs. structural knowledge. These two theories need to be balanced. In the constructive side there is a cultural influence to this, and I would argue it is in the structural side as well. The space in between is improvisational. Wolfensberger's studies were about students with severe intellectual disabilities. There was a Theory that they would be affected by the social norms, and they would also affect people who had not been labeled as disabled.
Dr. Corbett asked why the classrooms have not changed much in the past 50 years. He suggested that it may be a "safety" or comfort thing. He believes that we actually want to foster an independence of thought. Constructing our own "melody" of improvisation. He uses "improvisation" as a metaphor. The term is about creativity. Bullying is a part of "improvisation". In order to improvise, we need to be in a position of power. Human capital is that we are all assets and the more we pour into education the better our society will be. In Finland, they will proudly say they are in a "welfare state" and they feel empowered by it. Unlike here. Foucault said, "the market does not regulate the state, the state regulates the market." When we look at our government regulation we see that measurement is considered the way to ensure success. I feel as if I buy into that in many ways. Dr. Corbett argues that we are too regulated by "big government." This its into the rural education in the following way;
There are both signs of rural decline and also rural successes. Many think the solution is to empty rural areas and move to urban areas. In 2013, the Education report was positive. He noted that if the government sends us a message about our schools being "broken" then public opinion polls will reflect that line of thinking.
The money we put into the system, the better our system can perform, and he argues that Nova Scotia is doing quite well, at 9% below the average for Canada. He argues that the small rural schools work. I agree that see small schools work and we need to keep money going into these schools. This goes along with what we learned in class. He encourages us to think radical thoughts and to improvise to look for better more creative ways to teach.
Johanne Syms, was an administrator who built the school. She was well qualified to talk about Inclusion. She had a brother with Cerebral Palsy and she and her sister are both gay. She spoke about LGBTQ. The "t" stands for transgendered which is when we don't feel as if our gender matches the gender typically attributed to our sex. The"q" she mentioned has been thought of as part of "queer" culture.
There is a lot of gender policing. We unknowingly send gender messages about. What is accepted as "normal". Suicide rates go up for people who are gay. A large survey of Trans youth showed that 83% of the time lived in the felt gender. This showed they lived healthier lives during those times. Students in the LGBTQ students are among our most vulnerable. She believes that teachers do not feel comfortable "coming out" publicly.
I wonder what types of adaptations need to be made to help support our LGBTQ population in Phys. Ed. Are the GSAs really given power in our schools? It helps to have the Principal as a part of the group and they have a seat on the student council. All groups in the school was given a chance to get an award for their group. Each group was given a chance to choose what the award would be. This is inclusion. Perhaps a GSA Olympics would be a way to make the Phys. Ed connection. At only five years old a child born male, identified as a girl. The Principal immediately labeled the child "transgendered". The child became more anxious and more resistant with parents and staff. The child wanted to be dressed in a dress at the Christmas concert. The family left the school and moved to a different community. The power of gender roles is more strong than we realize. We need to be more sensitive about this topic. The Vital Statistics Act has been amended to change the way that names are written on Report cards. It still requires a male/ female designation and it still requires a letter from an outside agent (Doctor or Councellor, etc.) The gender roles are also becoming a more important factor in sports. There was a child who identified as a boy was eventually allowed to go into a boys changing room. She showed that this issue is not just for LGBTQ students, but also for any student. As I become tired of sitting, I wonder if we should make movement, not the break but the activity, and make sitting the break. Radical, I know, much like the thinking that is taking place here about gender roles.
Johanne Syms encouraged us to show as much compassion and support for all as possible. She finished with a poetic reminder that it that compassion that we will remember and carry with us.
The panel in the afternoon, spoke about turning the system upside down. They are trying to get Medical professionals to work directly in the schools so we don't have to wait for our students to be seen. There was a lot of resistance and fear about these changes. We need to find a way to communicate. We also have to have a system for information sharing given confidentiality components. Cultural considerations must be made. We must collaborate.
Collaboration must be goal oriented and a schedule is essential. Planning for a collaborative meeting comes from preparing the parents so they understand and feel less anxious. It takes courage to be reflective and make changes in how we do things.
They impressed upon us how important collaboration is in our system.
A question was asked about why schools plus only services students with the highest needs. Rola said it actually offers programs for all of the school community. It is hard to get students serviced in some areas because of rural areas not having the same resources.
Brenda mentioned how a lot of the decisions made about how the school day looks can be about the bus schedule. It isn't always about the students. She also mentioned that not everyone has had medical procedures done, but everyone has gone to school, so we all come with a notion of what schools should look like.
July 8- Educ 5053- journal
SMILE- "It's not what the Staff can do for the students but what the students can do for the staff."--- unknown.
We watched a video about the SMILE program. Ohio State did an adapted Phys. Ed. Program that was attached to a course in the 1960s, but only Acadia has a good program that is not attached to a course. The video showed how much good can be done for students with disabilities.
We discussed a few resources for body breaks; Minds Up, Gonoodle and Brain gym. I have seen Gonoodle before, but not the others. I will check them out.
When we returned to a whole class discussion, we talked about how the rushed Lunch hour has affected the students' behaviour. When students play first and then they eat, it prevents them from either rushing to eat so they can play or dilly dallying so they don't have to go outside.
http://www.pbisworld.com
Https://pbis_world is a great Resource to use to help guide educators about how we may best teach the skills that are required to help students with a variety of different learning needs. Joy had mentioned that she wishes that we had heard of this resource before. I was thinking about how the very explicit directions make good sense if they are not seen as the only answers. The extremely diverse needs that can be found in our schools can not be reduced to the short list that is in the site. It may be good to become familiar with the site as long as we continue to tirelessly search for solutions that are best for the given individual
http://www.pecentral.org
Health and Physical Education/ PE Central is a journal that has many resources and articles that are good for teaching Adaptive Physical education. I looked at some of the lessons that were listed by popularity. One of ideas was very useful. It was a portfolio that required each student to record their physical activities and collect a block for every 30 minute block of physical activity. They then used handout pyramid that they had to fill. I love how motivating this would be for students who need a visual/ tangible reward.
In Canada, the Phys. Ed. Teacher often wants and needs to be included in team meetings, but rarely are included. I believe that the Learning Center teachers should be including them. We have to be the student's advocates, so we need to ensure that EPAs get training.
The webinar host was a Classroom, para-education and a Special Ed teacher. She said, "Sports are becoming more common for students with Disabilities." Students are given many opportunities that would have never happened years ago. With more peer involvement we see more eye contact from students with Autism. IDEA has classified a group of disabilities, as an identifiable disability. Every child with an identified disability is required to get Physical Education. The IEP goals are only included if they are different from the General Phys. Ed class.
The least restrictive setting is the setting that is the best setting for the individual student. It can land anywhere on the continuum from completely with the general Phys. Ed. Class to a completely segregated setting. Inclusion means that there is a small percentage of students with special needs. Within the classroom can every student participate without modification? Then once we have decided this, we can look at assessment. I feel that the assessment should be planned first in order to plan the instruction, as part of a backward design model.
Upon reflecting on my day, I had a good discussion with my wife, (who is also a teacher) about Inclusion. We talked about how it is the training that is lacking, not the technology, teachers' good intentions or staff support. Part of that training should be about creating authentic lessons that the students will actually use in adulthood. These musings are about inclusion in general, but they are also practical in Phys. Ed.
We watched a video about the SMILE program. Ohio State did an adapted Phys. Ed. Program that was attached to a course in the 1960s, but only Acadia has a good program that is not attached to a course. The video showed how much good can be done for students with disabilities.
We discussed a few resources for body breaks; Minds Up, Gonoodle and Brain gym. I have seen Gonoodle before, but not the others. I will check them out.
When we returned to a whole class discussion, we talked about how the rushed Lunch hour has affected the students' behaviour. When students play first and then they eat, it prevents them from either rushing to eat so they can play or dilly dallying so they don't have to go outside.
http://www.pbisworld.com
Https://pbis_world is a great Resource to use to help guide educators about how we may best teach the skills that are required to help students with a variety of different learning needs. Joy had mentioned that she wishes that we had heard of this resource before. I was thinking about how the very explicit directions make good sense if they are not seen as the only answers. The extremely diverse needs that can be found in our schools can not be reduced to the short list that is in the site. It may be good to become familiar with the site as long as we continue to tirelessly search for solutions that are best for the given individual
http://www.pecentral.org
Health and Physical Education/ PE Central is a journal that has many resources and articles that are good for teaching Adaptive Physical education. I looked at some of the lessons that were listed by popularity. One of ideas was very useful. It was a portfolio that required each student to record their physical activities and collect a block for every 30 minute block of physical activity. They then used handout pyramid that they had to fill. I love how motivating this would be for students who need a visual/ tangible reward.
In Canada, the Phys. Ed. Teacher often wants and needs to be included in team meetings, but rarely are included. I believe that the Learning Center teachers should be including them. We have to be the student's advocates, so we need to ensure that EPAs get training.
The webinar host was a Classroom, para-education and a Special Ed teacher. She said, "Sports are becoming more common for students with Disabilities." Students are given many opportunities that would have never happened years ago. With more peer involvement we see more eye contact from students with Autism. IDEA has classified a group of disabilities, as an identifiable disability. Every child with an identified disability is required to get Physical Education. The IEP goals are only included if they are different from the General Phys. Ed class.
The least restrictive setting is the setting that is the best setting for the individual student. It can land anywhere on the continuum from completely with the general Phys. Ed. Class to a completely segregated setting. Inclusion means that there is a small percentage of students with special needs. Within the classroom can every student participate without modification? Then once we have decided this, we can look at assessment. I feel that the assessment should be planned first in order to plan the instruction, as part of a backward design model.
Upon reflecting on my day, I had a good discussion with my wife, (who is also a teacher) about Inclusion. We talked about how it is the training that is lacking, not the technology, teachers' good intentions or staff support. Part of that training should be about creating authentic lessons that the students will actually use in adulthood. These musings are about inclusion in general, but they are also practical in Phys. Ed.
Saturday, 18 July 2015
July 15, 2015- Presentations
Eleanor and Starr- Self Reflective Learning
This is about teaching students how to go from dependent to independent. To shift students toward independence, we need to avoid forcing our own way of doing teaching. Students are trained to set goals in this model. Part of this model is to know yourself as a learner. This means that we need to get students in touch with their type of intelligence. (Think of Multiple Intelligences). We must plan ahead to teach students that there are multiple intelligences, and to teach them how to set goals. Give them many ways to reflect their learning. Giving more choice to students is better.
"Weiner tag"- There is one tagger, and if he or she catches someone, the person who got caught must lay down and proudly announce "I am a weiner and I need two buns." When to people who have not been caught lay down on either side of that person, then she or he is freed.
Joy- Sportfolios in Physical Education
Assessment- the act of making a judgement about something.
Sportfolios are student-centered and
self-managed. You could have a process- which shows their growth in some way, or product portfolio. I think this is a great way to ensure that our students form an appreciation for fitness.
The portfolios could have sections according to student outcomes, such as IEP goals, Essential Skills, Thinking Skills, Social Skills, Emotional Intelligence, and Goal Planning
"I am a knife, fork, spoon, spatula" Singing activity
For students who like rules...they may like to create a game, and the student gets to make the rules. This is a more engaging way to teach it. Students can be given self reflection rubrics or checklists. This presentation fit perfectly with Starr and Eleanor's presentation.
Natalie- Physical Literacy
Physical
Literacy
Assessment
Youth
These skills are essential, and yet Reading and Writing is our priority as a system. I loved how you totally live the physical lifestyle.
Sonya, Maggie, Tena- Motor Activity Training Program
Dr. Hayden was the Canadian person who was a part of starting it in the 1960s. It is for 8 years and older.
I loved that children used a scooter to do a human bowling game.
Matp
Principles
1. 7 basic Motor Skills
Mobility
Dexterity
Striking
Kicking
Manual Wheelchair
2. Non-competitive- It is for fun not competition . They get participation .
3. Age appropriate
4. Functional Abilities
Related to interests and abilities
5. Focus: Use What's There. Use what is in your community.
Jeanette and Jasmine: Task Analysis
The skills are being broken down, so that there is not a pass fail system.. Rubrics help, but they don't necessarily tell us what we need to do next to serve the students better. With task analysis, it can be used for everyone, but you may only activities that work on very small tasks at a time.
Sun Salutations was a yoga pose. They used a polar bear to show Inuit students yoga poses.
Dave- PEBS; Positive Effective Behaviour Support
Rsepect for Self, Others. Learning and the Environment
Have you Filled a Bucket Today? Is a program that gets people to fill invisible buckets with kindness.
Defining- Means defining the priority of the concern
Teaching- Consequences or Effect- Giving a type of consequence to the student and then reflect on how well they worked.
An Independence Board is a board with envelopes on it and there would be a name on each card, and then you would use the board to let students out of the room, etc. This is to promote Inclusive Physical Education
This is about teaching students how to go from dependent to independent. To shift students toward independence, we need to avoid forcing our own way of doing teaching. Students are trained to set goals in this model. Part of this model is to know yourself as a learner. This means that we need to get students in touch with their type of intelligence. (Think of Multiple Intelligences). We must plan ahead to teach students that there are multiple intelligences, and to teach them how to set goals. Give them many ways to reflect their learning. Giving more choice to students is better.
"Weiner tag"- There is one tagger, and if he or she catches someone, the person who got caught must lay down and proudly announce "I am a weiner and I need two buns." When to people who have not been caught lay down on either side of that person, then she or he is freed.
Joy- Sportfolios in Physical Education
Assessment- the act of making a judgement about something.
Sportfolios are student-centered and
self-managed. You could have a process- which shows their growth in some way, or product portfolio. I think this is a great way to ensure that our students form an appreciation for fitness.
The portfolios could have sections according to student outcomes, such as IEP goals, Essential Skills, Thinking Skills, Social Skills, Emotional Intelligence, and Goal Planning
"I am a knife, fork, spoon, spatula" Singing activity
For students who like rules...they may like to create a game, and the student gets to make the rules. This is a more engaging way to teach it. Students can be given self reflection rubrics or checklists. This presentation fit perfectly with Starr and Eleanor's presentation.
Natalie- Physical Literacy
Physical
Literacy
Assessment
Youth
These skills are essential, and yet Reading and Writing is our priority as a system. I loved how you totally live the physical lifestyle.
Sonya, Maggie, Tena- Motor Activity Training Program
Dr. Hayden was the Canadian person who was a part of starting it in the 1960s. It is for 8 years and older.
I loved that children used a scooter to do a human bowling game.
Matp
Principles
1. 7 basic Motor Skills
Mobility
Dexterity
Striking
Kicking
Manual Wheelchair
2. Non-competitive- It is for fun not competition . They get participation .
3. Age appropriate
4. Functional Abilities
Related to interests and abilities
5. Focus: Use What's There. Use what is in your community.
Jeanette and Jasmine: Task Analysis
The skills are being broken down, so that there is not a pass fail system.. Rubrics help, but they don't necessarily tell us what we need to do next to serve the students better. With task analysis, it can be used for everyone, but you may only activities that work on very small tasks at a time.
Sun Salutations was a yoga pose. They used a polar bear to show Inuit students yoga poses.
Dave- PEBS; Positive Effective Behaviour Support
Rsepect for Self, Others. Learning and the Environment
Have you Filled a Bucket Today? Is a program that gets people to fill invisible buckets with kindness.
Defining- Means defining the priority of the concern
Teaching- Consequences or Effect- Giving a type of consequence to the student and then reflect on how well they worked.
An Independence Board is a board with envelopes on it and there would be a name on each card, and then you would use the board to let students out of the room, etc. This is to promote Inclusive Physical Education
July 14, 2015
The old P.E.program was teaching sports. The new P.E. program is about skills.
There is a new idea, called Sparks (by Dr. John Ratey) that students who did heartrate training before there toughest classes, will improve learning. This is because exercise stimulates our neural-pathways and then it creates new pathways. This should help with curriculum and behaviour. They say that Science research has shown that this program works. It is not truly cardiovascular training unless the activity is moderate to intensive for twenty minutes, but it still may help give students a helpful mind break and then they can shake the sillies out.
http://www.shapeamerica.org/
http://www.pecentral.org/adapted/adaptedwhatis.html
http://incfit.org/node/83
We need to have a good justification for why we put students in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). You must consider what they are doing in the General curriculum and the IEP, as well. We may take a punch ball to practice dribbling skills during a basketball unit, for example. I loved the idea of using a string and a paper towel roll, to make a string bowling game. Another good activity was using foam hurdles, to snow plow crumpled up paper. They used hockey sticks through the foam hurdle to make it accessible for a student with a wheelchair.
"Wishy Washy" is an activity in which the students try to move soap suds that are hanging above them, and they get to see themselves on T.V. by using a Playstation. A die and a number mat can be used, such that a student can touch the number on the mat corresponding to the number on the die.
In the Gym, students had sleds that they used to collect toys from the floor, which involves leaning and hand-eye coordination. This was a Christmas event.
Using felt circle on the wall, students used bean bags, wrapped in velcro. The students had to attach the bean bag on the felt circle.
They used a tunnel to help keep one of the students focused. A student created a kickball course. You can even put a sock and shoe on the end of a stick, that looks like a broomstick, so that children in a wheelchair can kick a ball with the rest of the class.
Homemade catapults are great for giving students a chance to pull back the lever, and to learn when to release it.
Hula hoops can be used as a tic tac toe. A ramp can be used if it is necessary. You throw a ball into the hoops.
Using flotation device and then removing it, is a good way to teach students about buoyancy.
Using a ping pong table and ball, and blowing it back and forth is a great way to give more students a chance to play.
Change my direction is one in which a child tilts their head and then the person pushing them would steer them in that direction. It can be adapted so that they answer questions by point their heads in the right direction.
Bubble wrap is a great one for sensory development, and for developing jumping ability, as well.
Whipple balls and ping pong balls can be sent back and forth across a mat.
Power Soccer is soccer adapted for people with wheelchairs. Sometimes just putting a cardboard box over the foot petals and use that to kick an object around.
A parachute can be used to make a sensory course. It can be used by everyone.
Click a Clue can be done as a scavenger hunt, using a phone to take a picture of what they have found. Geo-cashing is another good activity.
There is a new idea, called Sparks (by Dr. John Ratey) that students who did heartrate training before there toughest classes, will improve learning. This is because exercise stimulates our neural-pathways and then it creates new pathways. This should help with curriculum and behaviour. They say that Science research has shown that this program works. It is not truly cardiovascular training unless the activity is moderate to intensive for twenty minutes, but it still may help give students a helpful mind break and then they can shake the sillies out.
I tell people that going for a run is like taking a little bit of Prozac and a little bit of Ritalin because, like the drugs, exercise elevates these neurotransmitters. Exercise balances neurotransmitters – along with the rest of the neurochemicals in the brain. Keeping your brain in balance can change your life.” Dr. John Ratey, author of SPARK and co-founder of Sparking Life
This program is not meant for short 5 minute body breaks, although there is a reason for those as well.
Here are some helpful resources:http://www.shapeamerica.org/
http://www.pecentral.org/adapted/adaptedwhatis.html
http://incfit.org/node/83
We need to have a good justification for why we put students in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). You must consider what they are doing in the General curriculum and the IEP, as well. We may take a punch ball to practice dribbling skills during a basketball unit, for example. I loved the idea of using a string and a paper towel roll, to make a string bowling game. Another good activity was using foam hurdles, to snow plow crumpled up paper. They used hockey sticks through the foam hurdle to make it accessible for a student with a wheelchair.
"Wishy Washy" is an activity in which the students try to move soap suds that are hanging above them, and they get to see themselves on T.V. by using a Playstation. A die and a number mat can be used, such that a student can touch the number on the mat corresponding to the number on the die.
In the Gym, students had sleds that they used to collect toys from the floor, which involves leaning and hand-eye coordination. This was a Christmas event.
Using felt circle on the wall, students used bean bags, wrapped in velcro. The students had to attach the bean bag on the felt circle.
They used a tunnel to help keep one of the students focused. A student created a kickball course. You can even put a sock and shoe on the end of a stick, that looks like a broomstick, so that children in a wheelchair can kick a ball with the rest of the class.
Homemade catapults are great for giving students a chance to pull back the lever, and to learn when to release it.
Hula hoops can be used as a tic tac toe. A ramp can be used if it is necessary. You throw a ball into the hoops.
Using flotation device and then removing it, is a good way to teach students about buoyancy.
Using a ping pong table and ball, and blowing it back and forth is a great way to give more students a chance to play.
Change my direction is one in which a child tilts their head and then the person pushing them would steer them in that direction. It can be adapted so that they answer questions by point their heads in the right direction.
Bubble wrap is a great one for sensory development, and for developing jumping ability, as well.
Whipple balls and ping pong balls can be sent back and forth across a mat.
Power Soccer is soccer adapted for people with wheelchairs. Sometimes just putting a cardboard box over the foot petals and use that to kick an object around.
A parachute can be used to make a sensory course. It can be used by everyone.
Click a Clue can be done as a scavenger hunt, using a phone to take a picture of what they have found. Geo-cashing is another good activity.
Friday, 17 July 2015
July 17,
Grant is a Phys. Ed. teacher in AVRSB. He had some awesome games that can be played by anyone, and he shared it with us. Here are a few of them.
I loved the icebreaker game! It was great for building observation skills, and it gets people moving and anyone can do it. The idea of teaching the skill is the new philosophy of teaching phys. ed.
Grant used a pylon as a tee. I think this is a great adaptation. For one thing it is thicker and more colorful than a tee. This may help students who are visually impaired or who have trouble with hand-eye co-ordination. Danish Long Ball is the best game for teaching hitting. It is much easier than soccer baseball.
Then Goal ball- Using blindfolds, we try to score on each other, using a ball with a bell inside. It is very intimidating, not being able to know what is around us. Roxanne uses trust walks and things to warm the students up to the idea.
Sit Volleyball is just like regular volleyball, but one butt cheek has to always be on the ground.and the net is lowered.
Bocci ball- Rolling down two balls. The target ball and the other ball. You can score the ball that is closest to the target ball. He assesses angles, speeds, do they know which color they are going for, etc.
We were so lucky to have A phys. Ed.Teacher who had so many useful activities that could be done in many places.
He will even get students to dance and he video tapes people, so that they don't have to perform in front of their peers.This is a great way to reduce anxiety for the students.
He uses Coach's Eye, and it breaks down an activity into its constituent skills. It actually requires that you take a video of a subject, and it analyzes it! Here is the link, https://www.coachseye.com/.
You just have to watch the video of how it is used!
Here are my kids, doing a little inventive playing...
I loved the icebreaker game! It was great for building observation skills, and it gets people moving and anyone can do it. The idea of teaching the skill is the new philosophy of teaching phys. ed.
Grant used a pylon as a tee. I think this is a great adaptation. For one thing it is thicker and more colorful than a tee. This may help students who are visually impaired or who have trouble with hand-eye co-ordination. Danish Long Ball is the best game for teaching hitting. It is much easier than soccer baseball.
Then Goal ball- Using blindfolds, we try to score on each other, using a ball with a bell inside. It is very intimidating, not being able to know what is around us. Roxanne uses trust walks and things to warm the students up to the idea.
Sit Volleyball is just like regular volleyball, but one butt cheek has to always be on the ground.and the net is lowered.
Bocci ball- Rolling down two balls. The target ball and the other ball. You can score the ball that is closest to the target ball. He assesses angles, speeds, do they know which color they are going for, etc.
We were so lucky to have A phys. Ed.Teacher who had so many useful activities that could be done in many places.
He will even get students to dance and he video tapes people, so that they don't have to perform in front of their peers.This is a great way to reduce anxiety for the students.
He uses Coach's Eye, and it breaks down an activity into its constituent skills. It actually requires that you take a video of a subject, and it analyzes it! Here is the link, https://www.coachseye.com/.
You just have to watch the video of how it is used!
Here are my kids, doing a little inventive playing...
Thursday, 16 July 2015
July 16- Presentations
Kate- Health Related Fitness
We assess fitness to help students to become more fit. This should be formative assessment. Fitness tests must be modified when needed. This is a good start toward having fair treatment. I like that Kate said we need to model fitness for our students.
Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy- It has assessments that can be used.
Sport-fit- It can be used to get students to input results from physical tests, and now it gives them an idea of what type of activities they may be suited to later in life. This opens their minds to new activities, so they aren't just thinking "hockey." I like when we can expand their minds, just like students often like one type of book, They also often like just one type of physical activity.
General Philosophical Approach-
Humanism- Don Hellison believed in the Humanistic approach. Emphasizes the development of self-concept.
Behaviourism- How can you get them to behave the way you want them to behave.
Eclectic Approach- Combines both approaches.
I think that I aim for an Eclectic Approach, but I swing between the humanistic and behaviorist approaches. I have been learning more about attachment theory, and Ross Green's Reciprocal Behavior Approach, which I believe falls more on the side of a Humanistic style of teaching. Try the video above in order to see to what I am referring.
Direct Style- The teacher makes most of the decisions. This is good for teaching students functioning at the severe/profound level
Indirect Style- This approach gets the learner to take an active role in the learning process through problem solving, experimentation, and self-discovery.
Command Style- Decisions are made prominently by the teacher concerning the lesson content, organization of the learning environment, and acceptable standards of performance.
I think that there is a time for each style, but it is best do avoid the Command style, because it takes away the child's opportunity to think for his/herself. I have seen this cartoon in other blogs before, but it is so fitting that I just had to include it. This is an example of command style, or at least it points out what is wrong with command style. It is funny, though, how there is such peer pressure about having control over a classroom, that it is easy to get caught up in the hype. I think this cartoon is a good reminder for us all.
Task Style - requires the instructor to develop a series of tasks that progressively lead to the achievement of an instructional objective. Students complete tasks that are made for them. This requires the teacher to break down each task and to clearly articulate what constitutes the completion of the task. I imagine this would work best if the cards took the student through a progression of skills, but I am having trouble to picture exactly what this may look like. Would it be those cards that show students a pose to copy, and then the poses would become more difficult? Would they have a few step by step instructions? How do you prevent students from competing with each other?
Adaptations to Instruction and Curriculum-
Ways of Modifying
Making a, "Design your helmet day", is Joy's idea. It is a way of including a student who must wear a helmet, without making them feel as if they have been picked out. I love this idea!
Varying the size of the equipment, the rules or the timing of the game, using peer models, using more physical space, using protective equipment, etc. are all great ways that we can adapt games. We talked about ambulation variation (changing the mode of motility), and how a simple change of how students get around can make a game accessible for one student when it wasn't before. There were a great many things that can be done to help a student who was slower, or had trouble with balance, or needed more guidance to help him or her follow directions, etc. Here are a few activities that have been adapted to be accessible to all students.
We assess fitness to help students to become more fit. This should be formative assessment. Fitness tests must be modified when needed. This is a good start toward having fair treatment. I like that Kate said we need to model fitness for our students.
Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy- It has assessments that can be used.
Sport-fit- It can be used to get students to input results from physical tests, and now it gives them an idea of what type of activities they may be suited to later in life. This opens their minds to new activities, so they aren't just thinking "hockey." I like when we can expand their minds, just like students often like one type of book, They also often like just one type of physical activity.
Are beep tests adaptable? They adapt the distance, and make changes to the course as needed."Free their minds and their bodies will follow."
General Philosophical Approach-
Humanism- Don Hellison believed in the Humanistic approach. Emphasizes the development of self-concept.
Behaviourism- How can you get them to behave the way you want them to behave.
Eclectic Approach- Combines both approaches.
Direct Style- The teacher makes most of the decisions. This is good for teaching students functioning at the severe/profound level
Indirect Style- This approach gets the learner to take an active role in the learning process through problem solving, experimentation, and self-discovery.
Command Style- Decisions are made prominently by the teacher concerning the lesson content, organization of the learning environment, and acceptable standards of performance.
I think that there is a time for each style, but it is best do avoid the Command style, because it takes away the child's opportunity to think for his/herself. I have seen this cartoon in other blogs before, but it is so fitting that I just had to include it. This is an example of command style, or at least it points out what is wrong with command style. It is funny, though, how there is such peer pressure about having control over a classroom, that it is easy to get caught up in the hype. I think this cartoon is a good reminder for us all.
Task Style - requires the instructor to develop a series of tasks that progressively lead to the achievement of an instructional objective. Students complete tasks that are made for them. This requires the teacher to break down each task and to clearly articulate what constitutes the completion of the task. I imagine this would work best if the cards took the student through a progression of skills, but I am having trouble to picture exactly what this may look like. Would it be those cards that show students a pose to copy, and then the poses would become more difficult? Would they have a few step by step instructions? How do you prevent students from competing with each other?
Adaptations to Instruction and Curriculum-
Ways of Modifying
Making a, "Design your helmet day", is Joy's idea. It is a way of including a student who must wear a helmet, without making them feel as if they have been picked out. I love this idea!
Varying the size of the equipment, the rules or the timing of the game, using peer models, using more physical space, using protective equipment, etc. are all great ways that we can adapt games. We talked about ambulation variation (changing the mode of motility), and how a simple change of how students get around can make a game accessible for one student when it wasn't before. There were a great many things that can be done to help a student who was slower, or had trouble with balance, or needed more guidance to help him or her follow directions, etc. Here are a few activities that have been adapted to be accessible to all students.
Tuesday, 14 July 2015
July 7, 2015- the Meet and Greet
July 7, 2015
The Meet and Greet activity was a great way for us to begin getting our minds focused on our experiences with children with Special Needs. We thought a bit about all of the different activities that were on our BINGO cards. For example, Goal Ball. I hadn't heard of it, but one of my classmates explained it to me. I love the idea of this game! It sounds like it would be great for visually impaired students. I was wondering if it could be adapted for the Deaf. I thought of those small balls that flash. Perhaps everyone could wear a blindfold except for a deaf student. I feel like it would be less enjoyable for the deaf student if it was done this way.
We talked a bit about the progression of the educational philosophy in the area of Adaptive Physical Education. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the focus was on "Fixing" students. Students with Disabilities were either excused from activities, or outright excluded. Then Educators became more focused on the student with a Disability, but they were still thought of as lesser people who needed to be given separate programs from General society. This led to an attempt to offer better support, so people became more focused on how our supports are doing to actually help students who need adaptations. The final stage that I hope we can say we are currently using as the model is called the "Empowerment and Self- Determination Paradigm." This approach focuses on working with the students to ensure that the student is self regulating, and learning the skills that are required to become more independent.
The Webinar host was Martin Block a specialist who is a Professor who works with the Special Olympics. He was answering the question "Does Inclusion really work?" Are students benefitting from general education? He says, "Inclusion works." Peer tutors helped students with disabilities to continue to be active and more social. Teacher assistance can be trained to facilitate students with disabilities in GPE. Even severely disabled children can be helped.
Martin Block noted that some people may ask,"Will inclusion have a negative effect on students without disabilities?" He did an experiment using two groups and tested their basketball skills. Their was no negative effect on students without disabilities even while including students with disabilities. This study may have been scrutinized because there was a lot of support by adults that are involved. They did another experiment with no support and it still had no negative effect.
Block also considered, "What about the students' attitudes towards peers with disabilities? Block found no negative effect there either. General PE teachers can do a good job of including students with disabilities. Coaches of sports often have a good attitude toward students with disabilities, but they lack confidence. I feel like even Learning Center teachers could use more training on how to best support students with Disabilities. I realize that the needs are very diverse, and this is why it is important that we take team approach to teaching students with Special Needs. For example, it is important that Resource and LC Teachers work closely with the Autism Specialists, APSEA, and Behavioural Specialists, etc.
Check out the jmac video, about a student with autism who was included in a basketball game.
Mainly it is the training that has suffered. We do not train teachers enough to adapt for students with disabilities.
Often students with disabilities were often not socializing with students without disabilities. They weren't often given much to do. What level of inclusion may be beneficial? There must be more study done in this case.
We need to train teachers and even to train peers to ensure that students will be included effectively.
The Meet and Greet activity was a great way for us to begin getting our minds focused on our experiences with children with Special Needs. We thought a bit about all of the different activities that were on our BINGO cards. For example, Goal Ball. I hadn't heard of it, but one of my classmates explained it to me. I love the idea of this game! It sounds like it would be great for visually impaired students. I was wondering if it could be adapted for the Deaf. I thought of those small balls that flash. Perhaps everyone could wear a blindfold except for a deaf student. I feel like it would be less enjoyable for the deaf student if it was done this way.
We talked a bit about the progression of the educational philosophy in the area of Adaptive Physical Education. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the focus was on "Fixing" students. Students with Disabilities were either excused from activities, or outright excluded. Then Educators became more focused on the student with a Disability, but they were still thought of as lesser people who needed to be given separate programs from General society. This led to an attempt to offer better support, so people became more focused on how our supports are doing to actually help students who need adaptations. The final stage that I hope we can say we are currently using as the model is called the "Empowerment and Self- Determination Paradigm." This approach focuses on working with the students to ensure that the student is self regulating, and learning the skills that are required to become more independent.
The Webinar host was Martin Block a specialist who is a Professor who works with the Special Olympics. He was answering the question "Does Inclusion really work?" Are students benefitting from general education? He says, "Inclusion works." Peer tutors helped students with disabilities to continue to be active and more social. Teacher assistance can be trained to facilitate students with disabilities in GPE. Even severely disabled children can be helped.
Martin Block noted that some people may ask,"Will inclusion have a negative effect on students without disabilities?" He did an experiment using two groups and tested their basketball skills. Their was no negative effect on students without disabilities even while including students with disabilities. This study may have been scrutinized because there was a lot of support by adults that are involved. They did another experiment with no support and it still had no negative effect.
Block also considered, "What about the students' attitudes towards peers with disabilities? Block found no negative effect there either. General PE teachers can do a good job of including students with disabilities. Coaches of sports often have a good attitude toward students with disabilities, but they lack confidence. I feel like even Learning Center teachers could use more training on how to best support students with Disabilities. I realize that the needs are very diverse, and this is why it is important that we take team approach to teaching students with Special Needs. For example, it is important that Resource and LC Teachers work closely with the Autism Specialists, APSEA, and Behavioural Specialists, etc.
Check out the jmac video, about a student with autism who was included in a basketball game.
Mainly it is the training that has suffered. We do not train teachers enough to adapt for students with disabilities.
Often students with disabilities were often not socializing with students without disabilities. They weren't often given much to do. What level of inclusion may be beneficial? There must be more study done in this case.
We need to train teachers and even to train peers to ensure that students will be included effectively.
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