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