Reflection #14: P.E. Class Observation

Transitions are particularly important in the classroom, especially so in physical education classes when the students are being much more active and there is a lot more potential for being off-task in a physical way. The teacher began each class with the students sitting on their assigned colored shape. She shared with them the class schedule for that day. This is a great way to get the entire class on the same page as far as what to expect. Next they had a 10 minute warm-up where they could participate in jump rope, hula hoops, running, or going for a bathroom break. This is something they did every day in P.E. class so it was routine and prepared students for the subsequent activities. The teacher blew a whistle to signal the ending of warm-up and they returned to their spots on the floor. The main activity was explained, not only in how it was conducted but how it will help them build teamwork, cooperation, and specifically within physical fitness. This stood out to me because I think it is a great idea for students to be aware of what the learning targets are prior to the activity.

P.E. is a unique program area within the school because the teacher is responsible for teaching across all grade levels. The way that Lakeview’s physical education program works is that the teacher uses the same activity for all of her classes in the day, modifying the difficulty and how she conducts the activity to fit the grade level. In the 1st grade class, the teacher had to leave additional time for going over the very basics of safety precautions, questions and comments from her students, and assisting them in forming their teams. In contrast, the 5th grade class already had a larger background knowledge and needed to only be told briefly about safety measures. The 5th graders were also able to form teams quickly and without assistance.

I would like to ask the teacher about the challenges she faces with modifying an activity to fit different grade levels and how she begins the process of doing so in her lesson planning. It would also be useful to see how she assesses her students’ progress and helps those who are struggling with a particular knowledge area or activity. Lastly, I would ask the teacher if she had any suggestions for incorporating low-level kinesthetic activity into the regular classroom.