Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Lab Reflection


So the last lab has come to an end, and I am left to reflect on what I have learned from teaching at Saint Mary's. I think back to the very first lab and how incredibly nervous I was to teach my game to the students. This feeling steadily lessened as each lab flew by, and now I find that I am much more informed of the many skills that are necessary to become a quality physical educator. Coming into this course I wasn't sure what to expect, but I did come out with many value lessoned learned. I still have a lot of learning and work to do, but I now know what type of teacher I am striving to become. I love sports, and coming into physical education that is all I focused on. I have learned that there is so much more than just teaching sport skills, that a huge portion of teaching is not just the material, but the teacher themselves. Educators must give value to their lessons, a task which is difficult in physical education. Many teachers are met with critism from co workers, students, and parents. Those who do not see the importance in being physically educated. We must give reasons, have proof to back up the importance of fitness, and stand up for what we believe is important. In the classroom we must keep students excited, keep them guessing, and have a mysterious way of teaching. Teach through the physical, understand developmental stages to help in knowing how to break down skills. What I have learned in this course is just the tip of the iceburg, but I am happy to have a base knowledge that I can continue to expand.

Super Lab 6


Lab 6

This lab made a great ending to our visits to Saint Mary's. From the moment our class walked into the gym in costume it was easy to notice how excited the students were. My group and I were Pre K this week, and since the lighting in the classrooms were being fixed the class was relocated to the cafetria. We weren't able to use everything we came with, but still I thought our time with the group was well spent. Each student was given their own cape to decorate, and what each student came up with was awesome to see. Some students drew flowers, stars, their family or their own super hero. It was great to see how much the students liked the craft, and I had a lot of fun helping and talking to some of the children. When beginning our gym games, we started off with a simple super hero tag game to release some of the students energy. We then gathered them together, went over a few rules, and began games with the parachute. The Pre K seemed to love making waves, playing popcorn and especially playing shark. It was hysterical watching how they reacted to air conditioner, which was my favorite game they played. This week was a success, and I think our class did great. Everyone was very involved in getting into costume, and being excited about each activity. This was a great way to end at Saint Mary's.

Harry Harlow Rhesus Monkeys



In this study, Harlow used two groups of baby rhesus monkeys that were removed from their mothers. They were put into individual cages, each one containing both a terrycloth mother and a wire mother. One group had a wire mother that provided milk and a terrycloth mother did not, the other group had the reverse. Harlow found that the monkeys clung to the terrycloth mother whether or not in provided them with food. This shows the need for comfort when a baby is developing, having either a mother or father figure that they can find comfort with is healthy.
The study also showed that monkeys fed by both wire and terrycloth mothers gained the same amount of weight. But, those with wire mothers had trouble digesting the milk and suffered from diarrhea more frequently. Harlow explained this result as an lack of comfort that caused psychological stress on the monkeys.
This proves that love and comfort are vital to childhood development. Deprivation can lead to long term issues including profound psychological stress, emotional distress, and could even lead to death. Once the vital stage from birth to six months comes and goes, and there is no comfort present, the problems associated are nearly impossible to fix even if comfort is presented later on. This same type of development is showed in humans as well. Like rhesus monkeys, young children are attached to their mother or care giver. The only way these infants will go out and discover the world is if they have the support and comfort from these figures. For this reason, comfort is essential to the development of infants, because only with this support can children venture on their own to develop their fine and gross motor skills.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Buzz Lightyear Flies into Lab 5


Lab 5

Our class was outside for this weeks lab, which shook things up just a bit. Being outside seemed to make the students more hyper, and there are obviously more distractions. How warm it is, the wind velocity, rain, sun, all of these elements of weather can affect a lesson. With this said, when teaching lessons outside I must be prepared for these variables by having alternative games, and patience. When watching the gymnasium group teach their games, it seemed at first that the students did not understand and were not focus on the games. But, once more instruction was given, and more time to perform the tasks, the students seemed to settle into the activities. Another important skill to have is the ability to change up the classic schoolyard games. Learn to alter games like kickball, dodgeball, and baseball into more active games that keep students moving. Small, creative changes can make games much more enjoyable and exhilarating for the class. With all said and done, I think this lab went quite well. Our class was met with some challenges, and everyone still stayed focused, and made the best of each situation. This lab was a valuable learning experience because it was our first time teaching outside. The students were very active, and a lot of fun. As we played kickball I found myself laughing to myself at how funny the students were being. I really enjoyed myself, and it was nice to be outside for a change. I was very happy to see that almost every student participated this week, and each of them seemed more willing to participate. Promising the class that they would play kickball or mat ball after we finished our games seemed appealing to them. I had fun this week, the students cracked me up, and I was glad to have things switched up. Everyone did well and learned quite a bit this week.