The New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are 1-1 going into the 3rd week against a tough Atlanta Falcons.





We squeaked out of our 1st game against the Buffalo bills, which we should have lost, and we looked terrible last week against the New York Jets, what is our problem?





It is the great, Thomas Brady, #12 on the field and #1 in our hearts? Is it is surgically repaired knee that isn't allowing him to push off and throw accurate passes? I do not know, but I really hope not.





We are plagued with injuries on the defensive side of the ball as well as the offensive side. Our defensive captain, Jarod Mayo is out with a knee injury which really hurts our defensive scheme. Wes Welker is also out with injury which eliminates a critical option for Tommy and lets the defense really focus on #81, Randy Moss.



You can find this picture at: www.sportsmonarch.com/.../2009/08/tom-brady.jpg

I am worried. I have been waiting for this football season since last year when #12 suffered his ACL injury and was sidelined for the entire year. I was waiting for last years season after we lost to the Giants in the Superbowl. So I have very high expectations for this year, and it hasn't started off as planned. Lets hope we can turn this around and gain some momentum this week against the Falcons.





Lets go Pats!

Current Event

BIG BABY MAKES BIG NEWS

A newborn baby in Kisaran, Indonesia drew big crowds of people who wanted to get a glimpse of the heaviest baby ever to be born in Indonesia. Named, Akbar, which means "Great" in Arabic, was born from a cesarean section weighing in at 19.2 pounds. He was born on September 21, 2009 and doctors say that his size is related to the amount of glucose in the uterus of his mother. His mom is a diabetic, so she has extremely high levels of glucose in her body. Both the baby and the mother are healthy and happy, after the 45 minute C-section.

You can see this picture at: http://news.bostonherald.com/news/international/asia_pacific/view/20090925giant_baby_draws_spectators_to_indonesian_hospital/

The only problem now is that his father is worried that he will not be able to afford to feed his son, because he will not stop eating. Even though that pressure is now placed upon him, he is still very happy that his family is healthy and happy!

Akbar is not the worlds heaviest baby, Guinness World Records list the heaviest baby at 23.75 pounds born in the United States in 1879.

A Teaching experience from this week

FLEXIBILITY

Why it is so important for Physical Educators to be flexible with their time, space, lessons, equipment, teaching strategies and bodies!

Being a second year physical education teacher, I have realized the importance of being a flexible teacher. Our classrooms (aka: the gymnasium) is widely used for a number of different things in our school. A few examples are assemblies, science projects, displaying science fair projects, and storage just to name a few. I understand the limited amount of space that we have to work with in our schools today, so it is very important to have back up lesson plans for different areas such as the outside field, cafeteria or library. As physical educators we need to be prepared for every circumstance, and we need to build our library of lessons as we go through the adaptive process every year.

A key strategy that I have developed is to record everything that I do. I have lessons for every possible situation. Being flexible means that if you are faced to leave your gym, and it is raining outside, you will know where to go and what to do. You will be prepared, and your lesson will still be effective for your students. There is no worst feeling than being unprepared. We have all been there and felt this awkward feeling, but instead of getting angry and upset, we need to learn from these happenings and use them for future plans.

Flexibility also occurs in other ways while being a teacher. I have over 400 students who all learn in their different specific ways, it is vitally important for myself to be a flexible teacher and instruct my classes in many different ways. I have all different types of learners ranging from visual learners, auditory learners, and "hands on" learners. To be an effective teacher I need to understand my students and be able to decide which is the best method to use so I can maximize my students learning potential.

You can find this picture at: www.nlm.gov/.../ency/imagepages/19391.htm

Lastly, I am doing a new project in my school called "The Selser Gold Rush". Every class gets 2 pedometers to wear everyday and then total the number of steps they achieve every week. Starting in Chicopee, MA, we are traveling through 14 different states and learning about them along the way. The teachers are also involved and we are wearing pedometers too. This past Friday I totaled 12, 700 steps. 2,000 steps=1 mile, so i tallied a little over 6.5 miles in one day. My point is that we need to be in good physical shape to teach effective PE classes. We are moving all day long, and providing quality examples for our students. Stretching is a key component to being healthy and active. I would recommend everyone to stretch every morning and every night, I guarantee your body will feel a lot better during your day to day routine!

A Knowledge Base for teaching Physical Education

During our readings in Instructional Models for Physical Education, By: Michael W. Metzler, there is some very important information discussed in chapter 3 that I believe will be essential for effective teachers.

I am focusing on the Knowledge Base for teaching PE. It is described as the information an effective PE teacher should know in order to successfully educate their students. Lee Shulman, in 1987, created a very popular knowledge base that has been most popular in teacher education programs. It has been accredited under the National Council on Accreditation for Teacher Education (NCATE). His knowledge base is widely used across the country by many physical educators, and there are seven categories of Shulman's knowledge base for teaching.

They are...

1. Content knowledge: Knowledge about the subject matter to be taught.

2. General pedagogical knowledge: Knowledge about teaching methods that pertain to all subjects and situations.

3. Pedagogical content knowledge: Knowledge about how to teach a subject or topic to specific groups of students in a specific context.

4. Curriculum knowledge: Knowledge about developmentally appropriate context and programs at each grade level.

5. Knowledge of educational contexts: Knowledge about the impact of context on instruction.

6. Knowledge of learners and their characteristics: Knowledge about human learning as it applies to teacher.

7. Knowledge of educational goals: Knowledge about the goals, purposes, and structure of our educational system.

(cited from Exhibit 3.1 in Instructional Models for Physical Education p. 52)

Furthermore, an effective teacher needs to understand the familiarity of 3 different levels within each category. They are: declarative, procedural, and conditional.

-Declarative knowledge: when a teacher can express verbally or in writing what they are going to teach.

-Procedural knowledge: when a teacher can actually apply before, during, and after instruction. The ability to carry out declarative knowledge.

-Conditional knowledge: when a teacher can understand when and why to make decisions that fit the specific context of the moment.

The Best to ever play becomes a Hall of Famer

When I was a little boy all I did was play basketball. Everyday at school during recess, when I came home in the drive way, and every weekend. I would live for the Sunday afternoon games on NBC when #23 took center stage. Michael Jordan was an idol to me. His combination of talent, competitiveness and that sheer willingness to win was so fun to watch. That was the difference between Mike and other players in the league, he just didn't want to beat you, he wanted to destroy you, to embarrass you in front of everyone that was watching. He was the greatest competitor of my childhood era and I wanted to be just like him.

You can see this picture at: www.posters57.com/images/Michael-Jordan.jpg

During time outs, or half time of his games, I would go out in the drive way and try to emulate his exact moves. I copied his shooting techniques, his dribbling moves, and I would also lower my hoop to 6 feet so I could try to do the same slam dunks. Unfortunately, the thing I copied the best about Michael, was sticking out my tongue, and the only thing that resulted from that was bloody teeth marks and lose of taste buds!

You can find this picture at: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/halloffame09/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=JordanSpeech-090914

I watched his induction into the Hall of Fame and it was the culmination of his career. All those memories came back to me as I watched him cry and embrace the honor. There will never be another Michael Jordan, and I am going to love to tell my children about him, just like my father told me about Larry "the Legend" Bird!

Pop Culture event

Are you ready to move on? Michael Jackson is gone, buried and is not coming back. He is the King of Pop and always will be. Everyone has their own way to remember Mr. Jackson, and mine is a good memory. I have his video thriller downloaded on my computer, and it is one of my all time favorites. As a memory of him, I am playing his songs for warm up activities and other games in my classes. It is so funny to watch my students try to do the moon walk, actually some are really good at it! His dancing and performing will go down as some of the greatest of all time, but now, I believe that it is time to move on.






www.broadwayworld.com/.../michael_jackson.jpg

At the end of Michael's career, it has been suspected that his doctor killed him with an overdose of pain medication. I believe that this is information for his family and friends to pursue and investigate, not you or I. I think we should let the man rest in peace, and even though he had many faults in his life, doesn't everyone?





I want to share the video with you, and hopefully you will remember him the same way I do!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtyJbIOZjS8

A Teaching experience from this week

PATIENCE.... PATIENCE..... and more... PATIENCE!!!

You can find this picture at: blog.myrichgirl.com/?p=232

At the beginning of the year, it is all about setting your routine. What students do from the beginning of class to the end. Keeping a set routine is very important to your students comfort level and understanding. During this time it can be very demanding on a teachers patience and energy, especially with the kindergarten. Understanding this is half of the battle at the beginning of the school year. Knowing what to expect makes your planning and strategies a little more easier. You have to realize that setting your routine is a process, it takes a few weeks for your students to get situated. For this to happen over time, you have to stay in a focused routine so students will become so familiar with your strategies that it will become second nature.

For example, the beginning of every class, the classroom teacher walks them down to the gym, and they know to stop at the door and be in a straight and quiet line. I approach them from the gym and then give them my greeting: "Good morning/Good afternoon boys and girls!" They respond by saying, "Good morning/Good afternoon Mr. Wickles/Mr. W!" From there I step aside and they walk in a quiet and straight line and sit down on the middle line. I then take attendance, do my introduction for the class and we are off. 1st through 5th grades already have it down because of last year, but I am still working with my Kindergarten classes.

You can find this picture at: thenonconsumeradvocate.wordpress.com


I then proceed with my warm up activity, practice activity, application activity and finish with a closing discussion. Staying with this routine eliminates students asking questions about what we are going to do and also keeps them focused and engaged with quick transitions from the start to the end.

But wow, the setting of your routine can be very demanding. Students want to start playing a game right away, before practicing specific skills that they will be using, so it is a continuous explanation to them that we need to practice these skills before we use them. My patience has grown dramatically over the past year, and my understanding for elementary students have also increased as well, which has made it a lot easier planning and instructing my lessons!

The Importance of ALT-PE

What is ALT-PE? It is the Academic Learning Time in Physical Education. During Phys. Ed. classes it is extremely important to engage your students in at least 80% of developmentally appropriate activities where they can find success. My goal as a physical educator is to employ my students in these type of activities where they can integrate with their classmates to enhance their skill level, communication and cooperation with others. I am building their confidence and participation intensity by practicing specific movements and social behaviors where they will learn how to contribute in physical activity in a respectful manner.

You can find this picture at: flickr.com/photos/22177648@NO6/2358397464

As a physical education teacher at the elementary level, I strive on my students energy and enjoyment while they participate in my class. I want my students to have fun and really take pleasure during my lessons. To be an effective teacher, I combine the locomotor and manipulative movements that students are developing at this level and create amusing and goal setting activities where they can apply the skills that they have learned and practiced.

You can find this picture at: www.twoheartsdesign.com/.../sports/index.html

Lastly, it is not only significant for your students to be engaged in these activities, but it is also very noteworthy for your principle and vice principle to see that you are creating these lessons and maximizing the students academic potential. When you are being evaluated during the year, your principle will be looking for these specific details.

Hi my name is Nick Wickles and I am a second year physical education teacher at Selser School in Chicopee, Massachusetts. I graduated from Keene State College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education Teaching Certification. I am now entering my first year as a graduate student here at Springfield College attending half-time with a goal to graduate in the spring of 2013.

Why Springfield?

I chose SC simply because of its incomparable reputation. I currently teach elementary physical education and I knew that I would receive the best possible instruction from their physical education department. I am very confident that my studies here will result in becoming a highly effective teacher!

My definition of an effective physical education teacher:

A person who is a superb role model for their students. As a teacher, I believe that my most effective skill is leading by example. Respect, teamwork, sportsmanship, honesty and kindness are all valued characteristics that I promote every day. I believe an effective P.E. teacher plans properly so their students participate in appropriate age and skill level activities. My goal, trying to be an effective teacher, is for every one of my students to find success during class. I want them to leave my class feeling proud and confident because they worked hard and had fun!

My Real Life experiences....

I am starting my second year as a physical education teacher at Selser Elementary School in Chicopee, MA. I teach K-5 with a total of 400 students and am very involved with my school participating in organizations and participating at events and fundraisers.

I coached a middle school boys basketball team in Keene, New Hampshire when I was finishing my undergraduate degree.

I am now refereeing high school soccer games in the Hampshire and Franklin counties and will be officiating basketball this winter.

During the summer I coach at the Western Mass. Basketball Camp at Amherst College.

What research topic/area am I interested in?

I am still in thought about my research topic that I would like to pursue.

Expectations for Advanced Instructional Strategies?

That I will learn and acquire many valuable methods of teaching with the intention of applying them immediately with my students.