So for this assignment I was to look at the Oregon Department Of Education’s website. We were to talk about high end learners and had a handful of lovely questions as a prompt. When you first think about “high end learners” in PE, you don’t really think too much about changing or modifying a lesson plan do you? Well guess what? High end learners need to be challenged in every subject, including PE.
We were assigned to read a few chapters of this handout specifically geared towards teaching high end learners. Sadly, there is NO specific section dedicated to physical education OR health. Not a good start Mr. Oregon Department of Education. You have art, social studies, reading, math, and much much more… but you don’t have anything regarding physical education? 20 points from Gryffindor! I will get on my soap box about THAT another time…. No big deal, I suppose I can just make due. (I’ll post about that issue!)
I loved the second section of this packet as it gives teachers a wide list of ways to stimulate students intellectually both high end and low end. (Answering the "How will this be useful question")
First thing the second section says is that we need to encourage students to think about subjects in more abstract and complex ways, to stimulate and encourage higher level thinking skills and to promote self-directed learning.
- I think this can be done in any subject, especially in PE!
- Studies show that physical activity can create new brain cells. That is, PE is the ONLY domain in our school system that can make more cells in our very own BRAINS! Isn’t that incredible? Can you imagine if all our children participated in enjoyable and challenging physical education classes? Can you imagine if they had a PE class like this EVERY DAY for 30 minutes? What about for an hour (the suggested daily amount for children)? Think of how our children would learn much more, while having fewer behavior problems in the classroom!
Its also mentioned in this section how to effectively run a class. The author mentions various elements of thought, which are incredibly important even for PE. Students need to know what skill they are learning, the teacher’s objectives, and more importantly why they are learning this particular skill. This also ties in with the author’s elements of reasoning. This discusses several important questions we as teachers must always address in our classes. The ones I think I really need to focus on for both PE and health include:
What are the fundamental goals and objectives of the lesson? And what is the question or problem at issue you are trying to answer or solve? (very important questions)
Always, ALWAYS have the answers to these in your lesson plan!
I also like this section because it talks about Bloom’s Taxonomy. We need to add both higher and lower levels of this taxonomy in our lesson plans too.
Every student in PE must participate, something the authors of the elements of reasoning also mention in this section. I love that “I don’t know” isn’t acceptable for an answer. “I don’t know” does not exist in PE (at least in MY PE classes). My reasoning for this is because I aspire to ask questions that help students apply and evaluate the concepts we learn. If you’re participating in a specific locomotor unit as an elementary student, you kinesthetically understand the changes in your body through movement. You are learning how your body can move, which is pretty cool! You have an answer, some kind of answer, any answer to how your body moves or how you feel when you transition into a different type of locomotor movement.
So when I ask you, my student about this concept, there doesn’t have to be a specific word or response that I’m looking for. I just want to hear what you think, what you feel, and how you can somehow relate this to your own life (sort of like the theory of constructivism).
My students will hypothesize in class. These can often be simple exercises which promote critical thinking skills. But there will never be an “I don’t know” for such a scenario.
So, what happens when a student’s response isn't a clear as you’d like? What if you have no idea what they're saying? What if you just want to challenge them a little to think more critically?
Our lovely authors take a stab at this, giving amazing examples of questions to ask. My favorites include:
| Could you illustrate what you mean? Could you give me an example? Do we need to consider another point of view? How does this relate to the problem/task? |
So what’s the point of me writing about all these theories and resources? Well I consider them to be effective and appropriate ways of reaching all of my students (especially including my “high end learners”). *** This is the response to question 3 of the first section (How appropriate are these theories and resources for all students?)***
PE is not just rolling out a ball or telling kids to run around for 30 minutes. PE is supposed to stimulate and challenge students to learn more about their own motor development and maturation while gaining the lifelong skills necessary to maintain a healthy life.
So YES, why not challenge them with various high and low end elements of Bloom’s Taxonomy? Why not ask them to figure out the questions or issues they are trying to solve in PE. Why not add some Socratic questioning in our basketball unit? Let’s promote high end learning for all students and ensure that regardless of their level, all students will succeed.
Stay turned for my 3rd response! Peace out girl scouts!
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