My Last Blog!

It is a great feeling that this semester is coming to an end because of all the hard work and time that was dedicated from all of us. This semester really was a challenge balancing my teaching, refereeing and classes. I had to effectively utilize my time management and stay on a strict schedule to ensure that I stayed on top of my game for all of my priorities. I am so excited about this winter vacation because I can finally let loose and enjoy some free time. This is such a great time of the year because everyone is so excited and joyful during the holidays. I love going out and partying during this time of the year, because everyone is in a good mood because everyone is looking forward to Christmas. I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season, and also a happy and safe new year! Lastly, I will like to thank everyone for all of your hard efforts and your part of my learning in this class!

-Nick

Will Indy go undefeated?

The Indianapolis Colts are still undefeated this season under the reigns of Peyton Manning. They have squeezed out many close games this year against many formidable opponents, including Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. We actually kind of gave that game to them, with some coaching blunders from the "best coach" in the NFL. But nobody is perfect... does that mean that Indy will lose this year..........YES!

You can find this picture at: www.patriots.com

They are going to receive their first loss of the year in the AFC championship against... yes, you know.... theeeee New England Patriots! Come on Tommy, I hope your wife is taking care of the baby and letting you sleep. I would actually like to see Tom reside at a local 5 star hotel and not be distracted from the baby and her. Personally, I think Giselle needs to let Tom be on his own from here on out into the playoffs, to let him focus and get his head in the zone. He cannot put himself in the position of sleepless nights and fatigue in his mental game, because that is his strongest attribute to the team. Come on Tommy, lets get some momentum today against the Buffalo Bills going into the end of the season for the playoffs!

Teaching Presentation

I am very excited to present my lesson to everyone this week on the last day of class. I take a quick tour of my gymnasium so everyone can see my "classroom" at Selser School! Everyone last week did such a great job and it gave me great ideas to use in my presentation. I really have enjoyed my first semester here at Springfield College. I have met so many great people and created many friendships. I really enjoyed class and learned so much from everyone and their presentations. I have used many of the new strategies that I learned this semester and have created a more effective lesson that I taught to my students. Thank you Dr. Lorenzo for your efforts in creating such an effective class and your creation in the projects that we have presented. I want to wish everyone a happy holiday season, and celebrate this New Years Eve because we all deserve it with all of our hard work!

Nick's view from the Couch

Hello sports fans and welcome to this weeks blog of my recap of sporting events that are too important NOT to talk about!

First up, I would like to congratulate the Dallas Cowboys on their huge upset over the previously undefeated New Orleans Saints. I must say Dallas did play well, and Tony Romo had a productive game for his inconsistent self. I think Romo played to his potential last night, but when I watch the Cowboys I am never certain of the performance I will see from him. He is very up and down, and on any given Sunday, he could throw 4 touchdowns, or 4 interceptions.... you never know. Dallas played very well, but New Orleans definitely didn't play their best game. Drew Brees did not look good at all, very inaccurate and not looking like the Drew Brees I watched against the Pats. Drew Brees, just the opposite of Tony Romo is very consistent. He has played very well all season, and last night he played very poorly.

You can find this picture at: http://www.espn.com/

Next lets move onto a different subject in College Football. The past two seasons we have been incredibly spoiled with the competition that has identified collegiate football. I strongly believe that we have witnessed the best college football player in NCAA history. His name is Tim Tebow, and was, in my mind, the greatest college football player to ever play. His desire, maturity, leadership, faith, and competitiveness really put a stamp on the game. He has been the college football poster boy for the last few years, and really became a great role model for all the younger fans. I will surely miss watching him, and really hope he can improve his game to be an NFL quarterback.

You can find this picture at: www.espn.com

2009 coming to an end!

January 1, 2010 is upon us! Celebrating a new year, and all of the great times, memories and accomplishments. 2009 was a great year with many new beginnings. I started the second year of my new job, I started graduate school at Springfield College, I became a soccer referee and also a basketball official. I am looking forward to a new year and many new challenges that I will face. It is incredible how fast time really flies by. It seemed like this year went by so fast, and everyone needs to remember to enjoy the ride, because once we get to our destination, it will all be over! You can find this picture at: www.elektroaddict.com

2009 WAS A GREAT YEAR, BUT 2010 WILL BE EVEN BETTER!

The Power of Mental Imagery

You can find this picture at: www.eruptingmind.com

In my opinion, I believe that mental imagery is one of the most important parts of a performers success. The ability of a person to see themselves performing a skill, and then executing it exactly how they imagined, is a very powerful skill. Lets take the golf swing for example, before you take that swing, stand behind the ball, and close your eyes. Picture yourself from a birds eye view and watch yourself produce a nice and fluid swing. Watch your arms and what they are doing in the back swing, and then how you come down and contact the ball with the follow through. This cognitive tactic is extremely effective while performing different types of motor skills. This a very important skill to practice and use as a physical educator. I have used this skill in my classes this week as I teach new discrete skills and the students take time before and after in mental imagery watching themselves perform. The students find it to be very effective and enjoy participating in the activities.

Nick's view from the Couch

The New England Patriots (10-6) are going into this Sundays game on a 2 game losing streak. The Carolina Panthers are coming to Gillette Stadium for a much needed win for the Pats. The simple fact that the Patriots are not playing well, and need to step it up for a much needed win coming down to the end of the regular season. Being a die hard Patriots fan it is very hard for me to watch my teams mediocre play this season. Tom Brady is now a little beat up and may not be 100%. He is not playing like the old Tom Brady of the super bowl seasons. He has stated that he needs to play better, and I'm not sure we will see that this season. I think that his knee surgery and minor injuries this year have slowed Tom down, but I also believe that he will be back next season, and look like his old 1997 self!

You can find this picture at www.patriots.com

Tiger taking hiatus from Golf

After much soul searching, Tiger Woods is taking an indefinite leave of absence from professional golf. He has apologized to the PGA tour and all of his sponsors for his mistakes and the embarrassment he has caused all of them. He states that he wants to completely focus on his family and the personal healing that needs to happen in the privacy of their home. Will Tiger and his wife stay together or will she file for a divorce? Kobe and his wife stayed together, and they remain together still to this day. This will be interesting to see what Elin will do, and where will she go if she decides to leave. Rumors are surfacing that she has purchased property back in her home country of Sweden. Will she take the kids? Find picture at: www.tigerwoods.com

One thing that upsets me now after the fact, after everyone knows that he has cheated on his wife, with multiple women, is the idea that he is so sorry for his mistakes and now asks for every ones respect when he now has to deal with this private matter. It is almost like he is trying to get people to feel sorry for him, that he was caught and now has to put his family through this awful time. In my personal opinion, I believe Tiger is a sociopath, and he doesn't really care much about anyone except himself. If he really loved his wife and children, he wouldn't put them through this, or even think about it. I think Tigers mind frame when he is on the course, being unstoppable, untouchable, the best.... carries off the course of play and into real life, because he didn't put much effort into keeping these women private, with text messages and emails directly from his account and cell phones. I will miss watching Tiger during his leave, and will look forward to seeing him return after he handles his business.

The importance of maintaining your routine

During this time of the year, it is crazy with different holiday events and programs that are going on in school. The students are practicing for the holiday concert and are very excited about Christmas and winter vacation. We also have a lot of time off in November and December, just having thanksgiving and now winter vacation in two weeks. The students still need to continue to learn and work hard during these exciting times. For this to best be possible it is vitally important that the teachers keep their regular routine during the day. Even though the kids will be taken out of class for special events and activities, we need to keep it as normal as possible. The excitement can bring certain behavior issues from students who are normally on their best behavior. We need to remember that they are young children, who get very excited about the thoughts of Santa and presents. Just think back when you were a small child, and how excited you were when the holidays came around. We need to plan in our schedule how we are going to incorporate the holiday season into our lessons and make sure that you are being respectful to all religions, beliefs and customs. This is a beautiful time of the year to spread joy and be cheerful. Lets make it a great holiday season for not only our family but also our students when they are in school!
This picture can be found at: www.poofcat.com/christmas.html

1st week of Officiating

This was the first weekend of officiating Suburban basketball games for the 2009-2010 season. I first had to complete my floor training on Friday night as I refereed 3 games in a row. I learned so much from the other officials that were there, as they helped me during time outs and the halftimes. After my first game I became much more comfortable and it started to come more naturally to me. So on Saturday I was ready for my first paying games. I did 2 games in Granby with my father, who is also a referee. They went really well and we had a lot of fun with the kids. Today I did 2 games with my uncle in Amherst, and I learned a lot from him who is a veteran referee who does High School games. This a perfect side job for me during the different seasons, but I can tell you that refereeing soccer is much, much easier than basketball! I am slowly learning the proper mechanics and hope that by the end of this season, I will have had plenty of experience and have great confidence to do High School games next year. I still have a lot to learn but I hope to learn quick and be a good and fair official!

You can find this picture at http://www.callitinc.com/

Nick's view from the Couch

The New England Patriots have now fallen on the road in Miami and fall to 7-5. Tom Brady and the Patriots offense could not come back late in the 4th quarter for the win. The Colts and Saints move to 12-0 and remain undefeated. Brady jogged to the locker room after his 58 yard touchdown pass to Randy Moss and it was later reported that it was an arm injury. He already was coming into the game with a swollen finger that was black and blue. The Patriots now can only do one thing to justify these loses. The New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts need to go undefeated into the playoffs, then the Patriots will beat the Colts in the AFC championship game, then beat the undefeated New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl! Only this sequence of games and wins will make this a successful season! I still strongly believe that they can win the big one if they get stronger on defense and Brady steps his game into All Star mode!

You can find these pictures at: www.patriots.com

Tiger apologizes to media for personal indiscretions

The Tiger Woods car accident has grown from a mysterious late night crash in his driveway, to public confessions of personal indiscretions. Tiger apologized for his "personal sins" and hoped that the public will grant his privacy on this family matter. It is evident that Tiger has cheated on his wife, Elin Nordegran, who is a former Swedish model. It has been reported that she has started to renegotiate her prenuptial agreement, and her payout is huge. There have been rumors ranging that the payout is close to 80 million dollars, if she decided to file for a divorce.

You can find this picture at: www.examiner.com

I have to give credit to Tiger at least for admitting his wrong doings. He could have tried to hide his problems but he came out to the public and apologized. I hope that Tiger and his family can work this out, and they do not damage their relationship with their daughter. I am extremely disappointed in Tiger, because he is a popular role model for many young people. Hopefully Tiger can learn from this and be a better person in the future.

Armor & Minutemen off to rough start

You can find this picture at: www.masslive.com

The new NBA development league team, "The Springfield Armor," brings excitement early to the city of Springfield, but has started off to an 0-2 losing streak. I am going to see a game because a former Hampshire League All Star is on the team and there is also many talented players that are in this league trying to make the NBA. They are fun games to watch and I think more people should take advantage of this high level of basketball that is being played in the city. The MassMutual Center is great arena and a fun atmosphere to have a great time at the game.

The Umass Minutemen (2-4) have started off on a rocky road with big loses from teams including the number 2 ranked team in the nation, Michigan State. Coach Derek Kellogge is in a rebuilding stage of his coaching career at Umass, and hopefully he will be over with it soon! This is a test of Kellogges character and coaching strategies that will either prevail him into the coaching world, or greatly hurt his reputation and pride. I am routing for him because I can remember how great of a leader he was when he played point guard for Umass back in the 90's. I hope he can bring the "glory days" back to Umass basketball in the near future!

Personal & Social Responsibility Model

I think that this is my second favorite instructional model presented by Metzler. As an elementary PE teacher, my favorite model is the Peer Teaching "I teach you, then you teach me". This model is very similar in many ways. As Meaghan and I described, the first domain priority that we agreed upon is the affective domain in the Peer Teaching Model. It is the same for the Personal and Social Responsibility Model, which enforces students to individually take part and "hold their own" with respecting and cooperating with others. These two instructional models are very diverse and are highly recommended for only effective teachers who clearly understand how to implement the model successfully. They can both be highly successful at the elementary level as well as the middle and high school as well. I really like this model because we are now focusing on teaching our students how to be respectful and cooperative individuals. We teach them what they need to do to successfully communicate with each other at an efficient way. As teachers, we are now focusing on how the affective and cognitive domains more so than the psychomotor. I really enjoy teaching these lessons because we are developing our students to be successful students! I am very excited about Lewis' and Virginia's presentation on Tuesday! Good luck !

Monday Night Football

The New England Patriots take part for the second time this year in the second highest anticipated game of the season. This Monday night the (7-3) New England Patriots take on the Undefeated (10-0) New Orleans Saints! New England is coming off a blow out over the New York Jets (yes kyle!) and now they are going to face their hardest challenge of the year so far. The Saints are playing incredible football, on pace to break the touchdown record set by Mr. Thomas Brady a few years ago. Drew Brees has come into his own, and now is ranked the 3rd best quarterback in the NFL. The best is a toss up between Brady and Manning, you know where my vote goes. This is going to be a great game, but I do have a few concerns. I am worried strictly on our defense and the ability to keep up with the Saints high powered offense. When we played the Colts, and lost at the end, our defense was tanked. Very fatigued because of the inability to substitute players. We are still banged up and have key members benched because of injuries. You can find this picture at: www.patriots.com

But there is one thing that we do have. That is Tommy Brady.

#12 on the field, #1 in our hearts.

I feel very fortunate to have him on our side, and I have complete trust in him. He will take us back to the promised land, and we will win another super bowl under his reign this year!

Are you ready for some football?

The Mysterious Tiger Woods Car Accident

Over the weekend, Mr. Tiger Woods received some press, off the golf course. The superstar golfer, who is ranked #1 in the world, is usually a superb role model for our younger generation. Very rarely, if ever, will you see Tiger in the news for "mysterious" and "awkward" happenings. While Tiger is on the golf course he sometimes seems immortal and "unbeatable" to his competition as well to all of his viewers. This weekend proved otherwise for Mr. Woods as he was involved in a one car, one person accident in front of his house at 2:30am. Many questions come to mind of what he was doing and where he was going. Rumors have started that he was caught cheating on his wife and then left the house in a fury. Maybe, but Tiger is not telling anyone the private matters that place inside his home. We know that he hit a neighbors tree and a fire hydrant next to his house. He was found unconscious in his car by his wife, who had to break the back window of the SUV with one of his golf clubs because he was locked in. As police and ambulance arrived on the scene, he was found going in and out of consciousness in the road, with cuts and blood on his lips. You can find this picture at: www.examiner.com

So what really happened that night with Tiger and his wife? Maybe they got into an argument and it escalated to him leaving the house very upset, and accidentally losing control of his car. Who knows what happened, but it really isn't any of our business. If this happened to you or me, we wouldn't be investigating the scene and trying to find all the gossip, we would be supportive and let the police and detectives do their job. I hope the best for Tiger and his family, and hope that he can fully recover from his injuries.

Not always a "Merry" holiday season...

As educators we need to remember that not everyone has a cheerful holiday season. Many families do not celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving because they either do not have a family tradition, or they do not have the money to buy the turkey and the other food. As teachers we need to be sensitive to every ones feelings and beliefs, so we need to be neutral as possible, even though the holiday season is very important to us. I really enjoy the holiday season and setting up the house with all the decorations and the tree, but a lot of students do not. Many students also do not receive presents during Christmas, and they have a bad experience during the holiday time. Students in class talk about what they are asking for and the presents that they are going to get, and some students don't say anything because they already know that they are not getting anything. These students can sometimes start unusual behavior problems and start acting out in class. But worst of all, some students don't have a family to even be with during the holiday season. This is going back to knowing your students. Are your students in foster care? Are your students homeless? These are the challenges that teachers are having more and more during these tough economic times of the recession.

Thanksgiving Break!

This week at school we only have Monday and Tuesday of teaching then the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving Break. In my classes I am going to start the introduction to my nutrition lessons and start to talk about the different food groups. I am going to discuss the food that we eat during our Thanksgiving meal and how they are either healthy or unhealthy for our bodies. An example of this will go something like this: What is the main course in our Thanksgiving meal? Student: Turkey! Teacher: That's right, what food group is turkey in? Meat and beans. What does turkey give our bodies? Protein! I will discuss how it is important to eat balanced meals with vegetables, grains, and dairy. Thanksgiving is a great example of eating a balanced meal because of all the different types of food that is served.

You can find this picture at: www.theholidayspot.com

We are now getting into the holiday season! After Thanksgiving it will be the first week in December and then we have winter break at the end of the month. The school year is absolutely flying by for me. With graduate work to complete as well as lesson plans, my busy schedule has made the time fly by. Christmas is always a very pleasant time to spend with friends and family and I am once again looking forward very much to the holidays!

Nick's view from the Couch

Lets first start off with the 4th and 2 call from Belicheck last week. Personally, I thought he was going to go for it right away. That's the kind of coach he is. He makes the risky calls, almost some would call it being cocky. Belicheck went for the win and they came up short. If they made the first down he would be sitting on the top of his thrown in the sports world. Their defense was gassed and he showed with that call that he has 100 percent confidence in his offense when he calls on them. Usually Brady and company come through on those plays, but that is why they play the game. I'm watching the Jets game right now and the Pats looked good in the first half but are slowing down a little bit now. Welker is playing fantastic and Moss has another touchdown for his 5th consecutive game. You can find this picture at: www.newenglandpatriots.com

Now lets talk about the Boston Celtics. They started off on fire playing very well and now they have cooled off tremendously. I think they are shooting too many three's. This might be a sign of age as we are one of the oldest starting fives in the league. Rasheed Wallace is taking way too many threes. Even though he is playing good basketball by playing excellent defense and rebounding, he is hurting us more then helping on the offensive end. I know it is still very early in the season, but I hope we stay healthy and start making some from behind the arc!

You can find this picture at: http://www.bostonceltics.com/

The Peer Teaching Model

Peer Teaching




I Teach You, Then You Teach Me



This extremely effective teaching model is my favorite model presented by Metzler (2005). As an elementary physical educator, I really love the objectives and overall goals of this highly social method of learning. Students are provided the opportunity to teach one of their classmates a new skill during the lesson. The students are divided into pairs (dyads) and one first takes place as a tutor, and the other is the learner.


-Teachers teach the Tutors, then the Tutors teach the Learners.

You can find this picture at: www.uogoelph.ca

The task presentation from the Teacher to the Tutor is very important during the informing process. Teachers need to inform the Tutors on how to be effective teachers. They need to completely understand the key performance cues and the task structure. They need to be good communicators when they are providing the cues and giving feedback, and they need to be sensitive to the learners abilities and needs.


The learners also need to understand how to be effective learners. They need to understand how to accept feedback from their peers, and how to be good listeners and respectful to the tutors. They also need to make sure they understand the key performance cues and perform them so they need to ask the tutors questions when they don't understand.

Domain Priorities

• Learner

1.Psychomotor

2. Cognitive

3. Affective

• Tutor

1. Cognitive

2. Affective

3. Psychomotor

Social Learning at its Best!

Patriots vs Colts in Sunday Night Football!

It is predicted to have the highest ratings of the regular season, as two titans collide in Indianapolis on Sunday night. The 6-2 New England Patriots are coming into Indy playing well and look in sync. The 8-0 Indianapolis Colts are undefeated so far but this will be their biggest challenge yet. The colts have been struggling of late as they are plagued with injuries on defense. They pulled out some tight games with a little luck on a missed field goal. New England knows that his team is for real, and when Peyton Manning is throwing that football, they better be ready. The Patriots defense is beaten up as well. Merriweather is out at safety which brings some concern to head coach Bill Belicheck. Manning is having an MVP type season and has been terrific with his arm strength and accuracy coming off a year of nagging injuries. Indianapolis knows what kind of team we have though, and they have seen #12 beat them before. Tom Brady is looking more and more like his old self lately and I believe that he is going to have a huge game this weekend!

You can find this picture at: www.patriots.com

It's time for their first lose of the season!

"King" James wants 23 retired

Lebron James, #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers, is going to change his number next season in honor of the Hall of Famer Micheal Jordan. Lebron is doing this as a tribute to Jordan, since he was enshrined into the hall this year. Micheal Jordan has been Lebron's favorite player since Lebron was a little boy. Lebron tried to emulate Jordan and his moves as he grew up playing the game, and it is why he wears the number today. I think that it is more then a tribute to Jordan that Lebron is trying to achieve here. I think it goes deeper and darker then the simply tribute that Michael is the best ever. Ever.... until Lebron takes that title, at least in Lebrons eyes. I think that Lebron is changing his number to separate himself from Jordan. To create his own identity because everyone associates #23 to Jordan, not to Lebron. It is also a marketing tactic that will help Lebron sell more merchandise. Lebron doesn't want to share his number with the best player in the world, and he wants every other player in the league to retire it as well. He is doing this all for the simply fact that one day, once he is retired and in the Hall of Fame, he wants his number retired by the league, and be known as the best to ever play, even better than Jordan.

You can find this picture at: http://www.cox.net/

Using the "Capture the Bean Bag" Game

During my lessons this week I have chosen the game that we played during Rose, Steve, and Hai's presentation of the Cooperative model. I have never seen that game before and I thought it would be very engaging to my students. I know that after we were done playing we were all breathing very heavy and also sweating, two great signs that we should see after our students participate in our activities. I am very excited to introduce this activity to my students and see how they react to the challenges. I think they will pick up the offensive strategy quickly and be successful with getting the bean bag out of the cones. This will be a terrific starter activity to get my students moving and excited about participating in physical activity with their classmates.

You can find this picture at: www.robbinssports.com

I really enjoyed their presentation last week and had fun participating in their different activities. The partner tag game was very fun, and an excellent cardiovascular workout for both partners. It is a great way to practice safe moving especially for my elementary students while moving closely around their classmates.

The Sport Education Model

This weeks presentation of the Sport Education Model, by Kyle and Tom, is very exciting to learn about and participate in. From legitimate sources, I have heard that we are using the sport of basketball to enhance our learning of the model. In real life, I have participated in many different positions in the concept of sport and competition. First, I played sports all through out my childhood, so I have been a performer for the first part of my young life. Second, I coached a boys middle school basketball team, so I took charge of a team, and lead them to wins, as well as many loses! Third, I am currently a HS soccer and basketball referee. I officiate matches and games to make sure that both teams are equally assessed and play by the rules. I enjoy all three positions and I think that this model will teach students all of the aspects of the sporting world.

This picture can be found at: www.crap.senate.gov/services/sports.cfm

I love that this model increases student motivation to try new positions and understand different concepts of teamwork and sportsmanship. This model touches into all three domains in a very significant way by bringing everything together. This structured model is a difficult way of instruction that should only be used by a teacher who clearly understands how to use it. I am very excited to participate in the activity on Tuesday because I know the infamous Tom and Kyle will create a fantastic activity!

Lastly, I am eager to hear Kyle and Tom's opinions on how to modify this model to the elementary level. I understand that this innovative structure is best matched for middle school or high school students with clear motivational capabilities. I have some ideas, and will like to see if they agree with them during our question and answer period after the lesson!

You can see this picture at:

www.danville-va.gov

Cooperative Learning Articles

This weeks readings on the two cooperative learning articles were very interesting. I am really looking forward to Rose's, Steve's, and Hai's presentation this week. The cooperative learning model is a great model for me because it is very accessible at the elementary level. I use parts and pieces of the model everyday in my instruction without even planning on it. I am a teacher who strongly believes that students at the elementary level need to learn how to interact and socialize with their classmates in a respectful and cooperative manner. It is extremely important to emphasis the communication techniques so that they understand why and how to use them. It is very significant that my students practice and use respectful manners to their classmates and other teachers. The Affective domain is strongly emphasised during this model and the ability to teach and practice teamwork along side a psychomotor skill is highly effective.

You can find this picture at: www.hent.org

There is nothing more enjoyable for me as a teacher to see my students interacting with each other in a kind and friendly fashion while enjoying themselves very much. To see my students showing respect and kindness to each other, while helping each other out is exactly what I am looking for during my lessons. I really hate when a student feels outcasted from a class when their classmates are cruel or disrespectful because that pushes them away from interacting and being physically active. The cooperative learning model will be utilized nicely during my upcoming units!

Swine Flu Vaccine Limited

Only 1 in 3 who want the H1N1 swine flu vaccine can find it. This information coming from a national poll, is proving that the shot to protect against the swine flu is not readily available. Manufacturing delays have cut the supply short which is leaving 2/3 of American people waiting. This fact is true to even the people who are targeted to being at high risk, and who should be the first to get the vaccination. The shot has been available for about a month in the United States, but because of the manufacturing delays people are worried about the virus.
This man in San Pablo, California waited in line for a free vaccination shot of the H1N1 swine flu at a vaccination clinic. This picture can be found at: www.msnbc.msn.com


Good news is around the corner, when the availability is going to increase over the next couple of weeks. Currently, there are 38 million doses available, and an increase of 11 million is coming next week, with another 8 million the week after.

A terrific PSIS presentation!

I especially enjoyed our class this past week because we were fortunate enough to take part in a terrific presentation. Miss Michelle Bongiovanni came into our class and was kind enough to share her own personally devised Personalized Sports Instruction System (PSIS) for her golf unit. She shared her workbook that she passed out to all of her students and explained how she instructs and progresses through the activities.

You can find this picture at: www.ocgolfcourse.com

I really enjoyed her activities and I thought that she created engaging and enjoyable tasks that her students would be motivated to participate in. They were developmentally appropriate and goal oriented which created a lively atmosphere in our class when we started to begin the work book. I remember saying during class, "I wish I had this lesson in high school or middle school", because I probably would be a better putter today if I learned when I was younger. Overall, I could relate the high school level workbook to my elementary classes. I know I would have to make significant changes in the workbook and directions, but I can picture how I could use the PSI model in my classes!

Staying Healthy this season!

Now in November, we are starting to enter the infectious cold and flu season. Being a teacher and interacting with students, I am being extra cautious about spreading germs. Especially now, with the new swine flu that has emerged into our school systems. Unfortunately this means a lot less of high fives and hugs when I see students in the halls and cafeteria. I also have started to wash my hands more frequently, and more thoroughly. Many of our students at school have left this week with symptoms of the swine flu and the nurses office is swarmed every day. An elementary school closed down for one week last month because there was a 20% absent rate from illness.

You can find this picture at: www.dsimple.wordpress.com

Differences between the cold-swine flu-seasonal flu

Cold

-no fever, mucus producing cough, slight body aches, sneezing, symptoms develop over a few days, no headache, sore throat

Swine flu

-fever is usually present 101 degrees, dry cough, severe body aches, no stuffy nose, chills, tiredness, no sneezing, rapid onset of symptoms, headache

Seasonal flu

-fever is common, dry cough, moderate body aches, runny nose, chills, tiredness and lack of energy, sneezing, few days to develop, headache, sore throat

Prevention tips

-cough and sneeze in your elbow

-wash hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds

-use hand sanitizer

-avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth

-stay home if you are sick to avoid contaminating others

The new and improved Boston Celtics!

Welcome to the 2009-2010 NBA Season! I cannot believe it is already time for basketball this Fall, the year is absolutely flying by. Entering November we are continuing a fantastic sport season coming down to the end of the NFL season, and beginning the NBA. My Boston Celtics look really good this year with, in my opinion, the most talented team in the league. Our bench is incredible with the additions of Rasheed Wallace and Marques Daniels tagging up with our deadly shooter in Eddie House.

Our starting five is scary:

C: Kendrik Perkins

F: Kevin Garnett

F: Paul Pierce

G: Ray Allen

G: Rajon Rondo

Bench:

F: Rasheed Wallace

G/F: Marques Daniels

C: Shelden Williams

G: Eddie House

G: Tony Allen

F: Glen Davis

Many of the experts have high hopes for this years team, and are ranking them the best team in the league over the defending champions, the Los Angelas Lakers. I have high expectations as well, and anything but another NBA championship will be a failure with the talent and coaching we have! Go Green, but before them, go Pats!

Is there still baseball being played right now? I don't even know who's playing in the world series....

These two pictures can be found at: www.bostonceltics.com

Happy Halloween

Halloween is always a very fun and exciting time for our students. Just think back when you were a little boy or girl and how excited you were to go trick or treating! This past week I have spent a little time at the beginning of my classes during my introduction about SAFETY during Halloween night on Saturday. This is a good way to incorporate exercise into Halloween when they go door to door with their parents.

We discussed how to be safe, especially when it gets dark and their are many people walking on the sidewalks. My students were very good answering my questions about staying close to their parents or grown up who they are with, and not eating any candy that is open or damaged in any way. I felt that this was important to discuss so when they were out with their friends and family they hopefully remember what we talked about in class.

You can find this picture at: www.no-off.com/smoke.htm

I also think it is important because every year I read about something bad that has happened to a child. In the past, I remember reading about a local child who was hit and killed by a car. Another was when a child bit into a candy and there was a razor blade jammed inside it, cutting their mouth.

You can find this picture at: http://www.balorioles.mlblogs.com/

We also need to remember to be safe ourselves this Halloween! Tonight I am attending a costume party at one of my friends house. He just bought a house and completely gutted the entire inside, leaving it bare with no furniture. He is bringing in a DJ and strobe lights, finishing it off with a smoke machine! This should be a great time, but remember, there will be many children out tonight, so we need to be especially careful on the roads. I am going to be "Iron Man" and my costume is incredible!

Mini Tossing Golf

This past week was the end of my tossing unit with my 5th, 4th, and 3rd grades. I wanted to evaluate their tossing skills with a fun application game at the end of the unit. I combined the underhand toss with the game of golf inside my gymnasium. A couple days this past week we had beautiful weather, so I was able to take my classes outside and create an even larger tossing golf course.



I had the students choose their own partners, which worked well, because they paired up with their classmates who had similar skill levels in the toss. This created a welcoming learning environment, and the students were very excited to start the game. As the students walked in, I had the directions set up on my white board that I wheel around my gym. They found a partner and sat on the middle line which was in the middle of the course. I then gave them a tour of the course and where the holes were and in what order they were going to play them in. I wrote the number of the hole and an arrow giving the direction it was in so it was easy to follow.



You can find this picture at: www.the-office.com/Bedtime-Story/mousenap.htm

Once the students understood how to play the game, I passed out a score card. This is where I incorporated math into my lesson. The students kept track of their scores and counted how many tosses it took them to make it inside the hula hoop. At the end of the game, after every group played all 9 holes, I had them tally up their individual scores, then their team scores.



I used the score cards as an assessment tool. The student who had the lowest score, had the highest proficiency in the underhand toss. I also used my observational techniques to assess the students as well. All of my students in all three grades really enjoyed this game. They were on their own and participated well with each other.



I taught toward the affective domain by explaining that the game of golf is a game of respect. Each group had to wait until the group ahead of them finished the hole. I also explained how important it was to not distract the other groups when they were tossing so they could completely focus on the attempt.



Mini Tossing Golf was a big hit! I am definitely going to use it next year!

Personal System for Instruction

I am very excited about this weeks presentation of the PSI model. I am looking forward to learning about the ways of instruction that I will be able to use in my classes. I like the main focus of this model, which is: Students progress as fast as they can or as slowly as they need. This motto really creates a calm and warm learning environment. Students are not pressured to learn a new skill in a timely manner. Eliminating the factor of time, ensures students to relax but to stay focused because the teacher has a high interaction with their students during this type of instruction.



You can find this picture at: www.usw.edu/208899.ihtml

Goals of the PSI Model:


-Increased individualized instruction


-Student progress at own pace


-Encourages independent learning


-Increased teacher to student interaction



The main advantage of this model is the ability to teach to specific students with specific needs, rather than the entire class, which has many needs. This works very well, because as we know, every student has different physical and learning abilities. As a teacher, being able to specifically reach these certain needs with the appropriate teaching strategy will increase the academic learning time during class.



Units that will work well in the PSI model:


-Individual sports (ex: golf, tennis)


-Team sports (ex: basketball, soccer)


-Dances (ex: square dance)


-personal fitness programs/goals (ex: activity log)



Domain Priorities:


-first: Psychomotor


-second: Cognitive


-third: Affective



This effective, 1 on 1, teaching strategy can only be used with classes that are independent, mature and able to follow directions. Once again, it is very important to understand your students are how they learn. If you tried this model with a class who cannot stay focused and needs your attention all of the time, this might not be the best instructional model to use.

Peer Teaching

"I teach you, you teach Me!"



Peer teaching can be a powerful teaching skill that is used in the gym. It gives the students a great responsibility and "more power" during class. It is very important that the teachers always set clear expectations for the tutors (students who will be doing the teaching). Teaching the tutors how to be "effective teachers" is a critical role in this process. The tutors need to understand how to "teach" the other students, so they will be successful.

This picture can be found at: http://www.thirteen.org/

Once the tutors understand their role, then the learners need to properly do their job as well. The learners need to take this strategy very seriously, because it can be easy to get silly while working with your peers. A very important part of this process is always assessing both the tutors and learners. This will remind both parties that this is an important role they are participating in and they need to pay attention.

This picture can be found at: www.law.umkc.edu

When you are creating partners for this teaching strategy it is OK to pair a highly skilled student with a low skilled student. This gives both students a chance to learn from each other, and become better listeners and cooperative students. When the tutors and learners switch roles, you do not have to change the learning activity because both parties already know what to expect. Now, they lower skilled student will be able to "follow" the higher skilled students lead, even though they are not exactly confident with their skills.

Peer teaching a very structured learning environment with students having specific roles and duties. Monitoring students to stay on task will be very important, and using your assessment will define the students expectations and keep them focused through out the lesson.

Current Event

2- 14 year old Southwick boys, 1 behind the wheel, fatally injured in car accident.




A sad story from this past weekend leaves 2 Southwick boys dead. The boys took a parents car and was involved in a car accident 3 miles from home. Both of the boys were ejected from the car, and pronounced dead at the scene. The other car was being driven by a girl who was hit head on by the boys. The girl was rushed to Baystate Medical Center and was recently released. The accident took place at 9:30 pm, when the boys were driving in the dark.

This photo can be found at: www.masslive.com

This sad story can be a learning experience for all young teens who never think about the consequences before they act. At this age, children think that they are "invincible" and that nothing bad will happen to them. This is a stage that people go through in their young lives, where they are brave, and willing to go to extremes to impress their friends. Teenagers everywhere should really think before they act, and understand what can happen if something goes wrong. Too many times you hear of awful things like this happening, and then you think about their parents. How terrible they must feel and now how to live with this grief for the rest of their lives.

Children need to realize that automobiles are dangerous weapons, and if not used properly, or not been trained properly, they could be deadly. This is a definite example of how something can go terribly wrong, and as we all know, accidents happen. What teenagers need to start to realize, is that accidents can happen to them as well.

Target Heart Rate Zone

When your students are participating in your class, do they enter their target heart rate zone?

-The first thing that you need to do is find your maximum heart rate (MHR) by subtracting your age from 220. Example: I am 25 years old, so I would do : 220-25: 195

So my Maximum Heart Rate is 195 beats per minute.

Next multiply your maximum heart rate by .60 to get your lower end of your target heart rate zone. Example: 195 x .60= 117

You can find this picture at: www.davita.com/UploadesImages/ExerciseArticle-310.jpg

So my lower end of my target heart rate zone is: 117 beats per minute.

Next multiply your maximum heart rate by .90 to get the upper end of your target heart rate zone. Example: 195 x .90= 176 beats per minute.

So my upper end of my target heart rate zone is 176 beats per minute.

You can find this picture at: www.myhealth.centrahealth.com

Taking this information I now know what my Target Heart Rate is: 117-176 beats per minute.

For myself to burn calories and benefit from exercise, I need to maintain my heart rate between 117-176 beats per minute. If I am able to achieve this, I will gain maximum health benefits from my exercise.

This is a lesson that I am doing in my fitness unit this week with my 5th graders. They will be able to calculate their target heart rate, and then after exercise, we will take our pulse, and see if we have been participating in our target heart rate zone. They will be able to understand if they are working hard enough to burn calories, or if they need to start giving a better effort during activities to increase their heart rates.

The Target Heart Rate Zone lesson will tie nicely into my cardiovascular endurance lesson when I have my students record their data in their activity logs. This important characteristic of an effective teacher is known as scaffolding!

Rays of Hope Walk

This past weekend, I participated in the Rays of Hope Walk at Forest Park in Springfield. This is a walk to raise money for breast cancer through Baystate Medical Center. This is my second year walking in support of a teacher who had breast cancer at my school. It is a great event, where all of the Selser teachers gather around our colleague who is currently in remission. This is truly a school-building, support group that encourages breast cancer patients and women who are in remission to be strong and have a positive outlook.

Before the walk in the morning we all gathered together for a big breakfast and then traveled to Forest Park for the walk. You can choose how long you would like to walk because they have two routes designated for all the participants. I chose the 2 mile walk, but some others chose to do the 5 mile. After the walk, we all gathered at my teachers church in East Longmeadow and had a pot luck lunch. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we not only raised money for the breast cancer foundation, but we also exercised as well!

You can find these pictures at: www.baystatehealth.org/Baystate/raysofhope

Teaching Teamwork in my Tossing Unit

I am now entering the manipulative unit of the toss for my K-2nd grades and the underhand throw for my 3rd-5th grades. During this unit students will learn the proper techniques of the toss and underhand throw by using the key points. They will also continue to practice the catch, that they have learned during the last unit. Students first start out by tossing a bean bag up in the air and catching it with two hands, then progressively once students start to become comfortable and are ready to move on, they will toss the bean bag into a hula hoop. Continuing with the developmentally appropriate progression, they will start to toss a bean bag back and forth with a partner, then lastly they will toss/underhand throw in a star passing game.

You can find this picture at: www.eteamz.com/CalgaryTitans.com


This is when I introduce the important of teamwork. I define teamwork by: A cooperative effort by the members of a group to achieve a common goal. I have a display in my gym of the Boston Celtics when they won the NBA Championship a couple of years ago. I explain how they all worked individually for the entire team and that is why they were so successful. I then relate sports teams to individual classes in our school. I explain and give examples that their class is very similar to a sports team because they are a group who needs to do their individual best so their class is successful. They need to focus about what they are doing and give their own best effort, so there class is successful.









When they are placed in partners and then in groups of 5, I explain and demonstrate the importance of communication and respect with their classmates. Being good listeners and discussing techniques, instead of ignoring and not listening, or disagreeing and being rude to their classmates. During our class discussion at the end, we discuss ways that they displayed good teamwork and then we also discuss ways that we need to improve so we can be more successful in group situations!

You can find this picture at: http://www.cyber-nation.com/

My "After School" Job in the Fall

I am currently a Connecticut Valley Soccer Officials Association (CVSOA) member. This is my first year refereeing Junior Varsity boys and girls soccer matches. During my first year, I am expected to become competent with the National Federation of State High School Association rules and expectations. I am not allowed to referee a varsity match until I have been evaluated which will take place at the beginning of next season. I have played varsity soccer four years at Smith Academy High School, located in Hatfield, MA. It was pretty easy for me to become familiar with all of the specific rules and regulations that I have to uphold during each match. Now, with much experience so far this season, refereeing 15 matches so far, I feel very confident with my understanding and ruling. Most matches take place after school at 4 pm, so it is a perfect seasonal job that I enjoy doing because it is some extra spending money and good exercise running up and down the field!

You can find this picture at: www.tujsc.netspeed.com.au/Referees/Index.html

I am also currently taking classes for officiating high school girls and boys basketball games. Every Wednesday night at Dean Technical High School, I attend classes held by the IAABO #31, for learning the rules of officiating basketball games. I also played varsity basketball all four years at Smith Academy as well, so I have a pretty good general understanding of the rules. I have found that officiating basketball is going to be much more difficult than soccer, because of the many specific and diverse rules relating to possession of live ball and dead ball, as well as player and team possessions. I am looking forward to starting the games this winter and carrying over my seasonal job from the fall.

Officiating soccer and basketball for the next few years will be good experience for me at the high school level, because when I finish my masters degree here at Springfield, I will be looking for a coaching position at the junior varsity or varsity level in basketball!

Local Current Event

Pumpkin Fest 2009

Keene, New Hampshire


I attended Keene State College for my undergraduate degree in Physical Education Teacher Certification. During my studies there, I was lucky enough to attend a very special event that brings Keene much publicity and business. It is the annual Keene Pumpkin Fest, which took place this weekend. People travel to the small city and bring a pumpkin to place in the center of town. Many people carve their pumpkins and decorate them to show off during the festival. All of the local schools enter pumpkins that students decorate during art classes. The college also participates in this enormous event by allowing students to gather on the quad and carve pumpkins with friends and then place on the stands that are set up in the center of Keene. This is a very special event that has "put Keene on the map" and draws a lot of attention from all over New England. Many people travel from surrounding states to enjoy the sites of this Halloween characterized event.

This picture can be found at: http://www.choochicoos.com/

This event has brought so much attention to the city that local businesses, stores and hotels have thrived off of this single weekend from all of the travel. Keene also holds the Guinness World Record for the amount of pumpkins in one place. It is really a great experience to bring family or friends and enjoy good food and a great atmosphere during this Fall season!

Planning for Effective Instruction

During this weeks readings, I have found the information describing the necessary planning for effective instruction to be extremely critical to our success as teachers. I have always understood the importance of preparation since I was a young adult. One of my biggest fears is being unprepared for something important in my life. It is a terrible feeling knowing that you have a higher chance of failure because you did not properly prepare. I learned early in school, first in athletics, being "in-shape" for the start of whatever sport season I was getting into. I learned to prepare by running and training in the off season to be ready for the beginning of the season, and ready to give my best effort in practice. I carried that over in the classroom, to properly study for my exams, and be prepared to do my best on the assessment. You are always at a disadvantage when you come into a season out of shape, or going into a test without studying first. It is the same in the field of teaching, if you do not properly prepare for your instruction, you are not only putting yourself at a disadvantage, but also your students as well. Teachers have a very large responsibility, which is to prepare all of their students for the next level. Not only some of the students, but every single student that is taking their class. This is an incredible, sometime over-whelming, responsibility which places an enormous amount of pressure on the teacher. This pressure can be reduced greatly and calmed when a teacher understands how to effectively plan for a unit and lesson.

This is the most difficult part of teaching. Once you have all your planning properly accomplished, teaching is the easy part. All effective teachers have a specific detailed standard based curriculum that is designed for the their students age and skill level. Their planning ties the context, learning goals, learning activities, classroom management, and assessment within the specific model that they have chosen to engage their students in.

The first and most important aspect of effective planning is knowing your students. To be able to properly plan to maximize your students potential, you need to understand their specific needs, personalities, disabilities, and preferred learning processes. After you understand their general learning behaviors, you can then plan the specific instructional model and teaching strategies for high student learning!