Brydie Pye

Fall 2015

Tiger Pride Reflection Week 4

Overview
On Monday October 5th I taught eighteen second graders at Cleveland Elementary. The lesson
was focused on practicing how to catch objects. The students previously learned skills were
skipping, galloping, teamwork, underhand throwing. The equipment required was 20 hula hoops
and 20 soft balls. The students used the blacktop.
Student learning outcomes
My psychomotor learning outcome:
SWBAT run and freeze at a high level of intensity. SWBAT underhand and overhand throw a
ball, as well as catching it. SWBAT throw a ball to themselves and catch it while clapping when
the ball is in the air.
My cognitive learning outcome:
SBWAT understand the COTS for catching and be able to relay them back to me if randomly
asked.
Health-related fitness outcome:
SWBAT see the benefits of exercising and how fun it can be.
The students were able to run and freeze at a high level of intensity. From watching the main
activity it was clear to see that some of the students were able to perform the skill of throwing
and catching, but some werent as coordinated and had trouble catching the ball. They didnt
reach the whole psychomotor outcome because I didnt end up getting to the second activity
which included overhand throwing. They definitely had fun in the instant activity which means
that they met the health related- fitness outcome; they saw the benefits of exercising and how fun
it can be. I think they also enjoyed the main activity of throwing and catching the equipment
while standing in the hula hoop. They seemed to stay entertained for a long period of time as the
total amount of time the students had in activity for the whole class was 885 seconds. The
students didnt meet the cognitive learning outcome. This is because I didnt ask the students
what the COTS were during the activity as I wasnt even able to address the COTS at the
beginning of the activity; the students were too excited and went straight into it.
To better meet my SLOs I should have told the students to stay seated and give them a proper
demonstration and delivery of the COTS for catching and throwing the ball. I think this would
have definitely helped with me being able to do the Cognitive learning outcome of asking the
students what the COTS were. This would have also helped with the psychomotor learning
outcome because the students would understand the concept more and maybe be better at
performing it.
Creating a Quality Learning Environment

Brydie Pye
Fall 2015

I met the criteria of developing the participants motor skills. The simple skills of running and
stopping were developed in the instant activity game of statue. More of their motor skills were
developed in the main activity where they had to throw the ball up in the air, maybe clap, and
then they had to catch it, while remaining standing in the same hula hoop. I also met the criteria
of providing maximum practice time. I did this by having the equipment ready to go for the
students to start the activity straight away. The students also didnt have to get into groups, which
usually takes up a lot of the time. I think I met the criteria of having the lesson be
developmentally appropriate. The students are 2nd grade so they are able to throw a ball up high.
Some may not be able to throw a ball to a location that is far away from them and opposite them,
but this activity is simply throwing the ball up straight above their head. I think I met the criteria
of the lesson providing the potential to improve participants cognitive and affective skills.
Students had to think about how they could throw the ball up high but also straight so they could
catch it while still standing in their hula hoop. The students were in different hula hoops but they
still had the opportunity to talk to and support the people surrounding them. I still think I need to
work on providing more opportunities for students to develop their affective skills.
The students spent 885 seconds in activity, which was around 56 percent of the lesson time. They
spent 150 seconds in instruction, which was around 9 percent of the lesson time. And they spent
525 seconds in management time which was around 33 percent of the lesson time.
To decrease the amount of management time I need to give the students only one warning and
then send them to the cafeteria because I give out several warnings and this just contributes to
more management time. I think the students spent a lot of time in activity so its difficult to think
of something to improve, but I think getting the students organized quicker would help in
improving the amount of activity time. It took over three minutes to get the students into the
instant activity because they werent listening and I was trying to get them to form a straight line.
Some students werent cooperating and that is when I need to tell them go to the cafeteria. I think
more time needed to be spent in instruction. To improve the amount of time in instruction I need
to simply give more instructions and not let the students start the activity before I give the
instructions.
I dont know if I could say that the students got to have an opportunity to practice at a high level
because they werent in a game type situation where they could use their skills automatically.
The students werent at that level yet so it would be silly to put them in a pressured situation.
Some of the students started counting the amount of times they could catch the ball in a row. I
think this made it more of a competition which gave the students a goal.
I got the students to start with throwing the ball up straight above them and catching it for a
period of time while standing in the hula hoop, and then I introduced the students to throwing the
ball up and clapping before they caught it. This was difficult for some students, but achievable
for others. To improve the skill development of others I could get the students to do other type of
activities while the ball is up in the air like spinning around, or tricky skills like throwing the ball
up from underneath their legs, or attempting juggling, so students focus on needing to catch the
ball in order to perform the skill.
Strength and Weaknesses in Pedagogical skill set
In the instant activity the students were spread out along the blacktop. I walked along one side of
the court and sometimes in between the students. I didnt move to all areas of the teaching space

Brydie Pye
Fall 2015

during the activity. In the main activity I walked around the perimeter and I also walked inside
the perimeter observing the students. I was able to do this because they werent running around.
They were set up in a hula hoop. I moved in a lot of the teaching space because the students were
spread out in a square shape so it was easy to observe a few students and then move a little bit
and be observing another student close to them.
I didnt explain COTS at the start of the main activity, which was a big mistake. I said one or two
sentences and then the students ran straight to the hula hoops. This meant that during the activity
I had to tell a lot of the students the COTS. This wasnt too difficult as throwing and catching
doesnt include a lot of instruction. It is more on focusing on what youre doing. But I should
have said them at the beginning of the activity to make it clearer on how to do the task.
For the instant activity I chose the curator person first and then told her to go far away across
the court for the game, and then I delivered the instructions in front of the rest of the class. I gave
her a quick description to check she knew the game, but I should have had her there while I was
giving the directions to the rest of the class because when the game started she didnt turn around
much to catch the people out which was the point of the game. I only managed a few sentences
before the students started the main activity. I told them that they were going to have their own
hula hoops and be throwing the ball to themselves, but I didnt get as far to tell them that they
need to stay in their own hula hoop to practice the skill. The students stood in their hula hoop but
they didnt focus on throwing the ball up straight above them because they didnt think they had
to stay in the hula hoop. The instructions for the instant activity werent fast because the students
werent sure of the game when originally they said they were so I had to go over them. All the
students were in front of me when I gave the short instructions for the main activity.
YesIprovidedalotoffeedbacktothestudentsinthemainactivity.Itwasmainlyindividual
feedback.AsIwaswalkingaroundobservingthestudentsthrowingtheballsintotheairand
catchingthemIwouldsaygoodjoborIwouldmakethempausesoIcouldgivethemhelpful
feedbackabouttheskilllikekeepingtheireyesontheballorneedingtothrowtheballnotas
high.Ialsogavefeedbacktooneofthestudentsaboutbeingthecuratorintheinstantactivity.
I provided a little demonstration to the first person being the curator in the instant activity,
about turning backwards and seeing who moved. I didnt give a demonstration for the main
activity because I didnt have time, but I gave demonstrations to the students during the min
activity when I saw students were unsure or they were doing it wrong. I gave a demonstration to
a student when I started to explain the clapping before catching the ball exercise. The students I
was talking to were able to see and hear the demonstrations, and they were clear and
understandable. My students didnt assist me. The students improved at the skill after I gave
them the demonstration, but they still would drop the ball a few times. A demonstration
definitely would have been helpful at the beginning of the activity so I didnt need to go round
the class and demonstrate to a lot of different individuals. I didnt use the whole-part-whole
method so I think breaking the demos into whole-part-whole might improve my use of
demonstrations, as it makes it clearer for students.
The students didnt need equipment for the instant activity, so I didnt need to go get anything.
The equipment was all set up for the main activity as I had set it up earlier which really helped in

Brydie Pye
Fall 2015

not disrupting the learning environment. It saved time and didnt give the students time to get
bored and misbehave. I sent one student to the cafeteria because he wasnt doing anything I said
even though the rest of the class was doing it. When students were standing there talking I
moved their hula hoop away from their friend or group of friends so they wouldnt be able to talk
to them. I think my teaching showed enthusiasm. I cheered on the students when they were doing
the statues game for the instant activity, and I interacted with a lot of the students when I was
walking around the court observing the students in the main activity. I would say good job to
them or use other encouraging words like Nearly there.
Three teaching skills I did well were moving around the classroom, providing feedback to the
students, and giving the students the maximum time to improve their skills. Three teaching skills
I would like to work on are giving clearer instructions, being more authoritative towards the
students, and making sure all instructions and demonstrations are done before the students start
the activity.
Recommendations for next session
To improve the weaknesses in my pedagogical skill set I could deliver the more exciting part of
the activity at the end of the instructions so I am able to get all my instructions and
demonstrations delivered before the students start the activity. I should also be louder and more
confident in order to improve my weakness of not being as authoritative as I should be. To give
clearer instructions I need to make the instructions appropriate for the grade level, and only say
the most important parts. Next week I think the content should be underhand passing to another
person so the students can practice their throwing skills, and especially their catching skills
which I think some students need to work on a lot, and throwing for accuracy. The psychomotor
learning outcome should be: SWBAT underhand throw to a partner and be able to catch the ball
coming back to them, and SWBAT underhand throw a ball at an object (focusing on their
accuracy). The cognitive learning outcome should be: SWBAT know the correct COTS of
underhand throwing and be able to perform them. They should also be able to identify the main
points of underhand throwing and catching. The health-related skills should be: SWBAT enjoy
working with a partner and seeing the benefits of exercise when people are there to motivate you.
To achieve these outcomes I will give a good demonstration of what underhand throwing looks
like, as well as catching, and give clear instructions. I will put the students into pairs and tell
them how encouraging each other is important.