An effective education program must have certain criteria in order to be successful. These criteria include a well-designed and implemented curriculum, effective assessment practices to evaluate student learning, and cost effectiveness in the district. These are the components of triangulation. In order for a program to be successful in a health and physical education setting different domains of learning must be met and addressed. Students should be evaluated in all three cognitive domains in order for them to receive a complete education.
A well-designed and implemented health and physical education curriculum should be designed in such a way that students are educated on a broad range of topics that are appropriate for the age group or level of skill attainment for the group. This must include topics and skills that challenge and educate in all three of the domains of learning including the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of learning.
Effective assessment practices are designed in order to evaluate student learning. In the health education setting this form of assessment are more traditional and have normally included tests and papers. In the classroom setting it is a little easier for this type of assessment to occur. In the physical education setting it takes a little more effort from the teacher and students in order for student learning to be evaluated. Students should be evaluated in all three domains of learning including the cognitive, affective and psychomotor. In order to accomplish these students may be evaluated through the use of assignments in or outside of the classroom with homework or projects for the cognitive domain. The learning in the affective and psychomotor can be completed through the use of teacher checklists or skill tests.
As with most other things in life an effective education program must be worth the time and money. If the assessments that are being completed in the classroom are found to be either ineffective in evaluating student learning or simply take too much of the educators time or school districts money than the program must be reevaluated.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Snapnet.org
The grade book software that I found and think will work for my curriculum is a program called snapnet.org. This software is very easy to sign up for and there is a free version on the internet. I downloaded the program and singed up for the service. The program allows you to set up the classes that you have by period, so depending on your schedule you can put your classes according to it. After setting up your classes it allows you to enter the names of each student into a data base and then enter assignments for each of your students. The software is very user friendly and allows educators to access their grade book from any where that they have internet access. I think that this can be very helpful for educators and improve how they assess their students.
Reference:
Snapnet.org
Reference:
Snapnet.org
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Marzano's Teachings
I think that it is important for all physical and health education teachers to understand that they must take a lot of time to work to develop their curriculum and corresponding assessment plan. The education department must allow the teachers the opportunity to do this so that they have the ability to effectively assess their student’s learning and performance in the classroom.
Learning that feedback is critical to showing students that you care about them and want them to succeed if it is used correctly. Feedback must reinforce positive actions and encourage students to perform better in the classroom. With the use of positive feedback students will develop a sense of empowerment and understand that they are in control of how they perform. Using the fear of failure and the thrill of working towards success I believe that students will perform well in schools. Formative and Summative assessment are forms of assessment that should be combined and used in every subject that a student is a part of.
I think the most interesting point that I learned from Marzano’s teachings was the fact that the standards are crippling educators freedom in the classroom. Yes I think that standards are great and provide guidance for instruction I also feel that they are at times very over bearing on both students and teachers.
Learning that feedback is critical to showing students that you care about them and want them to succeed if it is used correctly. Feedback must reinforce positive actions and encourage students to perform better in the classroom. With the use of positive feedback students will develop a sense of empowerment and understand that they are in control of how they perform. Using the fear of failure and the thrill of working towards success I believe that students will perform well in schools. Formative and Summative assessment are forms of assessment that should be combined and used in every subject that a student is a part of.
I think the most interesting point that I learned from Marzano’s teachings was the fact that the standards are crippling educators freedom in the classroom. Yes I think that standards are great and provide guidance for instruction I also feel that they are at times very over bearing on both students and teachers.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Group Work
Table 1: Forms to Use in Working with Teams
Forms When Used Objective
Team Assignment First Day of Class Get students together
Team Rules First Day of Class Establish rules and Protocols
Contract First Week of Class Group establishes a contract that they will be held accountable to
Accountability First Week of Class Don’t slack off in a group if you don’t perform you will fail
Team Assignments End of the 1st week Give students certain assignments do perform so every member of the group has a purpose
Team Member Assessment Middle of Assignment and End of Assignment Assess the performance and contributions of other group members
Group evaluation Middle and End of Semester Teammates will write about what worked and what did not
This table will be used for students in grades 10-12 and will consist of them coming together as a team, understanding how an efficient team performs, develop a contract that they will need to uphold in order to pass, and team and individual assessments of themselves and others performance. In my opinion students must understand that in our society many times people must work together in order to complete a task. Developing these skills in a classroom within a group of students will prepare students for their real-world experiences in their professional field. Forming students into group members should be done by both the students and the instructor. To many times students will work with their friends or people that they are familiar with in some cases this works out and people can work well with one another in other situations friends take advantage of one another and slack off. This table displays a contract and the fact that students will be held accountable for their actions will force them to either sink or swim. The grade of the students will be different that that of the group’s final project. The project should be factored in but each student should show equal contribution and the students reflections should reflect this in their work.
Forms When Used Objective
Team Assignment First Day of Class Get students together
Team Rules First Day of Class Establish rules and Protocols
Contract First Week of Class Group establishes a contract that they will be held accountable to
Accountability First Week of Class Don’t slack off in a group if you don’t perform you will fail
Team Assignments End of the 1st week Give students certain assignments do perform so every member of the group has a purpose
Team Member Assessment Middle of Assignment and End of Assignment Assess the performance and contributions of other group members
Group evaluation Middle and End of Semester Teammates will write about what worked and what did not
This table will be used for students in grades 10-12 and will consist of them coming together as a team, understanding how an efficient team performs, develop a contract that they will need to uphold in order to pass, and team and individual assessments of themselves and others performance. In my opinion students must understand that in our society many times people must work together in order to complete a task. Developing these skills in a classroom within a group of students will prepare students for their real-world experiences in their professional field. Forming students into group members should be done by both the students and the instructor. To many times students will work with their friends or people that they are familiar with in some cases this works out and people can work well with one another in other situations friends take advantage of one another and slack off. This table displays a contract and the fact that students will be held accountable for their actions will force them to either sink or swim. The grade of the students will be different that that of the group’s final project. The project should be factored in but each student should show equal contribution and the students reflections should reflect this in their work.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Numbers or Letters What does it Mean?
Dear Principal X,
My son and daughter attend your elementary school. Dominick is in the third grade and Ashley is in the second. When my paper came home on Friday of last week I read a very interesting article in the Tribune that discussed the way the students are being graded in school. I find this number system to be confusing and promotes a different set of standards for students. I am very concerned that the students are being told that as long as they show up to class and complete their work then they will receive a passing grade or better. I think that the numbers are confusing and when every other school system in America uses the letter grading system than so should we. Please help me to understand why our school district chooses to use this style of grading. I look forward to hearing from you than k you for your time.
Sincerely,
Mike
Dear Mike,
First of all I want to thank you for sending me this letter and showing such a passion for your children’s education. I think that it is very important that parents be come involved in the schooling of their children as the opportunities increase student learning and bonding experiences between children and parents. To address your concerns about the grading system that we use I think it is important to understand that the numbering system is put in place to evaluate individual student performance against the standards that have been set fourth through the state of Illinois. These numbers allow us as educators to evaluate student performance and not performance compared to other students. The number grading system is beginning to gain popularity in other school districts because of its evaluation of students grades against performance. We believe that students that receive letter grades often simply compare their grades with other students and do not understand how they have performed against the standards. Thank you for your concern and I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Sincerely,
Principal X
My son and daughter attend your elementary school. Dominick is in the third grade and Ashley is in the second. When my paper came home on Friday of last week I read a very interesting article in the Tribune that discussed the way the students are being graded in school. I find this number system to be confusing and promotes a different set of standards for students. I am very concerned that the students are being told that as long as they show up to class and complete their work then they will receive a passing grade or better. I think that the numbers are confusing and when every other school system in America uses the letter grading system than so should we. Please help me to understand why our school district chooses to use this style of grading. I look forward to hearing from you than k you for your time.
Sincerely,
Mike
Dear Mike,
First of all I want to thank you for sending me this letter and showing such a passion for your children’s education. I think that it is very important that parents be come involved in the schooling of their children as the opportunities increase student learning and bonding experiences between children and parents. To address your concerns about the grading system that we use I think it is important to understand that the numbering system is put in place to evaluate individual student performance against the standards that have been set fourth through the state of Illinois. These numbers allow us as educators to evaluate student performance and not performance compared to other students. The number grading system is beginning to gain popularity in other school districts because of its evaluation of students grades against performance. We believe that students that receive letter grades often simply compare their grades with other students and do not understand how they have performed against the standards. Thank you for your concern and I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Sincerely,
Principal X
Monday, June 1, 2009
Student Reaction
The topic of my blog discussion today is going to focus on student reactions to grades based on two different grading systems of Criterion referenced which will focus on the Angoff Method for determining cutoff scores and the other method is a Normed referenced system which includes the topics of scoring on a curve or the distribution method of grading.
First I think that it is important to understand that all students are concerned with their grades and how they are performing in class. In my experience it is the students that are not performing well in school either act out or display the behavior of not caring as a defense mechanism they blame teachers for not liking them or they blame others even develop low self esteem and believe that they are not intellectually gifted. While not all of these issues can be solved with one easy step, explaining to students how they are going to be assessed in the classroom and the type of grading system they will be under will help them to understand the workings of the class and what is expected of them.
Criterion referenced grading and the Angoff Method for determining cutoff scores is a system of grading that uses a set of scores or a certain percentage that a student must score on the test in order to pass the exam. For example a student may take a test and have to score a 70 percent or higher on the test in order to pass the test. I find that this method of testing although needed in areas of certification such as teaching certifications and doctors licensing should be held to this style of testing. However I think that this kind of testing should be kept out of the classroom and used sparingly with students in the normal education setting.
Normed Referenced grading includes grading on a curve. Grading on a curve involves the use of the entire classes grades and how they are scored from the top of the class to the bottom. The scores are then analyzed by the teacher to see where the majority of the students scored on the test. This is a way to help students receive more points on a test if the course material is rather difficult. I think that this form of testing has a place in the classroom but should be used sparingly.
Referrences
intl-ehp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/refs/30/4/362
www.ipacweb.org/conf/08/baylessa.pdf
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_curve_grading
www.ehow.com/how_2096952_grade-k12-students-curve.html
First I think that it is important to understand that all students are concerned with their grades and how they are performing in class. In my experience it is the students that are not performing well in school either act out or display the behavior of not caring as a defense mechanism they blame teachers for not liking them or they blame others even develop low self esteem and believe that they are not intellectually gifted. While not all of these issues can be solved with one easy step, explaining to students how they are going to be assessed in the classroom and the type of grading system they will be under will help them to understand the workings of the class and what is expected of them.
Criterion referenced grading and the Angoff Method for determining cutoff scores is a system of grading that uses a set of scores or a certain percentage that a student must score on the test in order to pass the exam. For example a student may take a test and have to score a 70 percent or higher on the test in order to pass the test. I find that this method of testing although needed in areas of certification such as teaching certifications and doctors licensing should be held to this style of testing. However I think that this kind of testing should be kept out of the classroom and used sparingly with students in the normal education setting.
Normed Referenced grading includes grading on a curve. Grading on a curve involves the use of the entire classes grades and how they are scored from the top of the class to the bottom. The scores are then analyzed by the teacher to see where the majority of the students scored on the test. This is a way to help students receive more points on a test if the course material is rather difficult. I think that this form of testing has a place in the classroom but should be used sparingly.
Referrences
intl-ehp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/refs/30/4/362
www.ipacweb.org/conf/08/baylessa.pdf
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_curve_grading
www.ehow.com/how_2096952_grade-k12-students-curve.html
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Quiz
Directions:
This article is about the possible benefits of weight lifting in teens. Many people still believe that weight lifting can be harmful for young adults, this is simply not true. This article Specialized Body Building Advice For Teens found online at http://ezproxy.ithaca.edu:2054/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=6537339&site=ehost-live provides teens with some possible benefits of weight lifting and ten commandments for following safe weight lifting techniques. The reading should take students about eight to ten minutes.
Directions: Circle the best available answer
1) Why did medical experts once fear weight lifting by teens?
A) The use of Steroids
B) Damage to the growth plates and bones
C) Damage to major organs in the body
2) Participation in Weight Lifting can provide many benefits including....
A) Improvement in Strength
B) Improvement of Self Confidence
C) Improvement in Appearance
D) All of the Above
3) Weight Lifting can improve bone density in teens up to....
A) 1-2 percent
B) 3-4 percent
C) 5-6 percent
D) None of the above
4) The only teens that benefit from weight lifting include
A) Athletes
B) Non-athletes
C) Males
D) Females
E) All of the above
5) If females lift weights they will become
A) Big and Bulky
B) Lose their female features
C) Become more like a man
D) None of the above
6) A proper warm up routine includes
A) Lifting heavy weight
B) Light cardio vascular workout for 5-10 minutes
C) Stretching
D) Both A and C
E) Both B and C
7) Learning Proper technique is important to....
A) Prevent injury
B) Promote proper muscle development
C) All of the Above
D) None of the above
8) Weight Training
A) Improves balance
B) Improves flexibility
C) Decreases strength
9) Recovery time is important to...
A) Allow muscles to heal and repair themselves
B) Improve strength
C) Decrease strength
Directions: Read the question carefully so that you address each part. Answer the question with no more than two paragraphs. Remember quality is more important than quantity.
10) Many products are available either over the counter at stores such as GNC and Vitamin World claiming to improve your strength and give you the body of your dreams. Using information from the article and your own previous knowledge explain the different dangers or risks of using these products?
11) Recently steroid use has become common in some major professional sports. The players that have used these substances have become in trouble with the law and government of the United States. Using information from the article and personal knowledge explain why these substances are illegal and if they improve athletic performance.
12) Teens can benefit greatly from weight lifting and exercise in general. Using information from this article list five benefits that teens can have when weight lifting. After listing these reasons write down whether or not you weight lift and if after you have read this material have considered to start a form of weight training.
The quiz asks the students to use information from the reading and apply it in the short answer and multiple choice questions to determine the correct answer. Using the quiz and the information from the quiz it is important to know that the students in the next class will have questions about some of the issues that were presented in the reading and quiz. The quiz should be reviewed and the topic of fitness can be discussed further in future classes.
This article is about the possible benefits of weight lifting in teens. Many people still believe that weight lifting can be harmful for young adults, this is simply not true. This article Specialized Body Building Advice For Teens found online at http://ezproxy.ithaca.edu:2054/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=6537339&site=ehost-live provides teens with some possible benefits of weight lifting and ten commandments for following safe weight lifting techniques. The reading should take students about eight to ten minutes.
Directions: Circle the best available answer
1) Why did medical experts once fear weight lifting by teens?
A) The use of Steroids
B) Damage to the growth plates and bones
C) Damage to major organs in the body
2) Participation in Weight Lifting can provide many benefits including....
A) Improvement in Strength
B) Improvement of Self Confidence
C) Improvement in Appearance
D) All of the Above
3) Weight Lifting can improve bone density in teens up to....
A) 1-2 percent
B) 3-4 percent
C) 5-6 percent
D) None of the above
4) The only teens that benefit from weight lifting include
A) Athletes
B) Non-athletes
C) Males
D) Females
E) All of the above
5) If females lift weights they will become
A) Big and Bulky
B) Lose their female features
C) Become more like a man
D) None of the above
6) A proper warm up routine includes
A) Lifting heavy weight
B) Light cardio vascular workout for 5-10 minutes
C) Stretching
D) Both A and C
E) Both B and C
7) Learning Proper technique is important to....
A) Prevent injury
B) Promote proper muscle development
C) All of the Above
D) None of the above
8) Weight Training
A) Improves balance
B) Improves flexibility
C) Decreases strength
9) Recovery time is important to...
A) Allow muscles to heal and repair themselves
B) Improve strength
C) Decrease strength
Directions: Read the question carefully so that you address each part. Answer the question with no more than two paragraphs. Remember quality is more important than quantity.
10) Many products are available either over the counter at stores such as GNC and Vitamin World claiming to improve your strength and give you the body of your dreams. Using information from the article and your own previous knowledge explain the different dangers or risks of using these products?
11) Recently steroid use has become common in some major professional sports. The players that have used these substances have become in trouble with the law and government of the United States. Using information from the article and personal knowledge explain why these substances are illegal and if they improve athletic performance.
12) Teens can benefit greatly from weight lifting and exercise in general. Using information from this article list five benefits that teens can have when weight lifting. After listing these reasons write down whether or not you weight lift and if after you have read this material have considered to start a form of weight training.
The quiz asks the students to use information from the reading and apply it in the short answer and multiple choice questions to determine the correct answer. Using the quiz and the information from the quiz it is important to know that the students in the next class will have questions about some of the issues that were presented in the reading and quiz. The quiz should be reviewed and the topic of fitness can be discussed further in future classes.
Essays
Essay 1
Write a two paragraph essay explaining the fundamental defensive techniques and strategies for both men's and women's lacrosse. This is a two part essay that includes in part one an explanation of the physical positioning ones body should be in to play proper defense. Part two should include the basic fundamentals of two different styles of defense including man to man and zone.
Scoring: Holistic
You will be graded on the quality and depth of your responses. Remember I am looking for quality not quantity keep the answers short and to the point.
I will be looking for students to give me answers that are correct and written in a way that allows me to know they understand and fully grasp the material.
Essay 2
Write a one page essay explaining the many different risk factors a heroin user who chooses to share needles or uses clean needles poses to themselves and others around them that could effect the health of people negatively.
Analytic Scoring:
I will be grading this answer on a five point scale.
Students identify the use of heroin as addictive and deadly 1
Students understand the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS from the sharing of needles 1
Students identify hepatitis as a risk factor for sharing needles 1
Students identify the struggles the use of heroin can have on family structure 1
Students use proper grammar 1
Write a two paragraph essay explaining the fundamental defensive techniques and strategies for both men's and women's lacrosse. This is a two part essay that includes in part one an explanation of the physical positioning ones body should be in to play proper defense. Part two should include the basic fundamentals of two different styles of defense including man to man and zone.
Scoring: Holistic
You will be graded on the quality and depth of your responses. Remember I am looking for quality not quantity keep the answers short and to the point.
I will be looking for students to give me answers that are correct and written in a way that allows me to know they understand and fully grasp the material.
Essay 2
Write a one page essay explaining the many different risk factors a heroin user who chooses to share needles or uses clean needles poses to themselves and others around them that could effect the health of people negatively.
Analytic Scoring:
I will be grading this answer on a five point scale.
Students identify the use of heroin as addictive and deadly 1
Students understand the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS from the sharing of needles 1
Students identify hepatitis as a risk factor for sharing needles 1
Students identify the struggles the use of heroin can have on family structure 1
Students use proper grammar 1
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
A Critique of Multiple Choice
Talking about multiple choice tests and their pro’s and con’s it is important to understand and be familiar with your own experiences and feelings that you may have had while taking this form of testing. Obviously if you are a follower of this blog you know that education and the assessment of student learning is important to me and anyone else in the education field. Being that we know that every individual learns differently as we have become familiar with the theory of multiple intelligences we know that not every student is a great test taker. The issue of test taking is either magnified or diminished with the quality of test that is produced by the educator. If the multiple choice test is designed with thought and proper preparation behind it then the students are in a better situation to have success. However, if the test is designed with little or no thought behind it then it will be harder for students to have success as the multiple choice test is of poor quality.
Pro’s of multiple choice include objectivity which eliminates the human bias and error that can occur when grading the test. This provides the students with the ability to have a fair test that does not involve the biases of a teacher. Another pro of multiple choice tests include the ability to test students on a broad spectrum of subjects. Students may be tested in several different subject areas. The final pro that I would like to discuss is the speed of measurement that the tests may be corrected. Teachers who are faced with having to correct many students tests can simply put the scores in a scan tron machine and have instant results.
Con’s of multiple choice tests include no logical reasoning involved which can give students many different problems as they try to answer the questions. Another con of the tests include the fact that the students receive no partial credit for their answers. It makes sense that students can determine what the answers of a question can be while eliminating other answers, partial credit leaves the student with a better chance to succeed. Student learning should be the ultimate goal of teachers if the students do not succeed then the teacher is failing. The last con of multiple choice questions include the fact that students do not have the ability to defend their answers through a written response. So many times the test comes down to a guessing game instead of an evaluation of how students learn.
References:
The Benefits of Multiple-Choice Testing
Comments By: Tom Ramsay
http://www.ramsaycorp.com/info/articles/benefits.asp
http://www.k12academics.com/education-assessment-evaluation/multiple-choice/cons-multiple-choice
Pro’s of multiple choice include objectivity which eliminates the human bias and error that can occur when grading the test. This provides the students with the ability to have a fair test that does not involve the biases of a teacher. Another pro of multiple choice tests include the ability to test students on a broad spectrum of subjects. Students may be tested in several different subject areas. The final pro that I would like to discuss is the speed of measurement that the tests may be corrected. Teachers who are faced with having to correct many students tests can simply put the scores in a scan tron machine and have instant results.
Con’s of multiple choice tests include no logical reasoning involved which can give students many different problems as they try to answer the questions. Another con of the tests include the fact that the students receive no partial credit for their answers. It makes sense that students can determine what the answers of a question can be while eliminating other answers, partial credit leaves the student with a better chance to succeed. Student learning should be the ultimate goal of teachers if the students do not succeed then the teacher is failing. The last con of multiple choice questions include the fact that students do not have the ability to defend their answers through a written response. So many times the test comes down to a guessing game instead of an evaluation of how students learn.
References:
The Benefits of Multiple-Choice Testing
Comments By: Tom Ramsay
http://www.ramsaycorp.com/info/articles/benefits.asp
http://www.k12academics.com/education-assessment-evaluation/multiple-choice/cons-multiple-choice
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Why the Classical Test Theory Matters to Me
The Classical Test Theory Matters to me because it tries to understand the true score of a test and predict how an individual will perform when taking the certain test when combined with different types of error. This can be explained in a formula as the following.
Observed Theory= True Score + Method Error + Trait Error + Random Error
In order to reduce method error the factors of reliability and objectivity must be used properly to ensure low levels of method error.
In order to reduce trait error we must look at the focus of the test, the application, and the scoring.
So as an educator you might be asking yourself “Well, this formula is nice but what does it mean?” In addition, I am glad you asked; let us look at the different components to the classical test theory to gain a better understanding of them.
True Score- The classical test theory assumes that true score is attained by taking the test with no error in measurement
Method Error, Trait Error, Random Error – Being that these are all different types of error they pertain to the classical test theory because they are examples of different types of error in either the taking of the test or in the application of the test. These errors are then combined with the true score that then add up to the observed score.
Observed Score- This score is the combination of the true score and the error that become combined so that they add up to the observed score. The observed score is the score the teacher would receive as the final score.
Observed Theory= True Score + Method Error + Trait Error + Random Error
In order to reduce method error the factors of reliability and objectivity must be used properly to ensure low levels of method error.
In order to reduce trait error we must look at the focus of the test, the application, and the scoring.
So as an educator you might be asking yourself “Well, this formula is nice but what does it mean?” In addition, I am glad you asked; let us look at the different components to the classical test theory to gain a better understanding of them.
True Score- The classical test theory assumes that true score is attained by taking the test with no error in measurement
Method Error, Trait Error, Random Error – Being that these are all different types of error they pertain to the classical test theory because they are examples of different types of error in either the taking of the test or in the application of the test. These errors are then combined with the true score that then add up to the observed score.
Observed Score- This score is the combination of the true score and the error that become combined so that they add up to the observed score. The observed score is the score the teacher would receive as the final score.
Personal Fitness Weight Lifting Game
Name Title: Personal Fitness Weight Training Review Game
Purpose: To test students understanding and knowledge of personal fitness and weight lifting information and, this activity will act an a review for the students as they prepare for the personal fitness/weight training test at the end of the unit.
Grade Level: 10-12
Materials Needed: Poster board, construction paper, markers, tape, glue, index cards, first aid manual, other coloring implements, scissors, and the access to computers if possible.
Assignment description:
Students will design a board game that will act as a review for the personal fitness and weight lifting exam at the end of the unit. The students will put themselves into groups of 3-4 and write down a list of personal fitness weight training topics from a list that the teacher formulates from the information instructed in class and displays on the board. The groups will then submit their choices from a list of what topics they want to design the game around from first to least and hand them to the teacher. The instructor will then assign the groups their topics.
Before the students start to develop their board games they will see how a game is played correctly from an example that the teacher has of a high quality board game. This example will help to clarify the directions and protocols of the game.
The students will then be asked to formulate questions for their game concerning their topics and then submit them to the instructor. This will allow for the teacher to make sure that the questions pertain to the topic and allow for proper practice in the game.
The students are then asked to design a game that has the following components:
1. A colorful board game that is ascetically pleasing and contains proper spelling and grammar
2. The board game must include a clear set of directions, rules and protocols, questions, correct answers to the questions in the game, and a clear strategy to win.
3. After the questions have been formulated the students are asked to make a practice set of questions before each game so that the players fully understand the game and its protocols before they begin play. The practice questions should be in the same format as the actual game questions in order to eliminate any confusion on the test and make sure the questions stay consistent.
Administration description:
The teacher must be sure that they perform this review game towards the end of the personal fitness and weight lifting unit so that the students are able to use this as review tool for the students to have success in the exam.
The teacher must then review the student’s questions before they create their games and make sure that the questions pertain to the test and are in the same format. (This will be done with the pretest or practice test that the students complete)
The teacher should make themselves available for guidance and assistance for the project
Finally the teacher must let the students know how they will be scored on the project and grade fairly.
Scoring Grading
The students will be presented with a scoring rubric that will assess their ability to complete the games and proper participation.
On a scoring rubric of 1-5 students will earn points for the following sections
5. Excellent participation
4. Good Participation
3. Effective Participation
2. Ineffective Participation
1. Poor Participation
If students are able to follow the directions of the games and add insight and proper reflections then most students should score in the 4-5 range. Students who just try to slide by will then receive a 2-3 score. Students who do not comply with the class will receive a 1.
Purpose: To test students understanding and knowledge of personal fitness and weight lifting information and, this activity will act an a review for the students as they prepare for the personal fitness/weight training test at the end of the unit.
Grade Level: 10-12
Materials Needed: Poster board, construction paper, markers, tape, glue, index cards, first aid manual, other coloring implements, scissors, and the access to computers if possible.
Assignment description:
Students will design a board game that will act as a review for the personal fitness and weight lifting exam at the end of the unit. The students will put themselves into groups of 3-4 and write down a list of personal fitness weight training topics from a list that the teacher formulates from the information instructed in class and displays on the board. The groups will then submit their choices from a list of what topics they want to design the game around from first to least and hand them to the teacher. The instructor will then assign the groups their topics.
Before the students start to develop their board games they will see how a game is played correctly from an example that the teacher has of a high quality board game. This example will help to clarify the directions and protocols of the game.
The students will then be asked to formulate questions for their game concerning their topics and then submit them to the instructor. This will allow for the teacher to make sure that the questions pertain to the topic and allow for proper practice in the game.
The students are then asked to design a game that has the following components:
1. A colorful board game that is ascetically pleasing and contains proper spelling and grammar
2. The board game must include a clear set of directions, rules and protocols, questions, correct answers to the questions in the game, and a clear strategy to win.
3. After the questions have been formulated the students are asked to make a practice set of questions before each game so that the players fully understand the game and its protocols before they begin play. The practice questions should be in the same format as the actual game questions in order to eliminate any confusion on the test and make sure the questions stay consistent.
Administration description:
The teacher must be sure that they perform this review game towards the end of the personal fitness and weight lifting unit so that the students are able to use this as review tool for the students to have success in the exam.
The teacher must then review the student’s questions before they create their games and make sure that the questions pertain to the test and are in the same format. (This will be done with the pretest or practice test that the students complete)
The teacher should make themselves available for guidance and assistance for the project
Finally the teacher must let the students know how they will be scored on the project and grade fairly.
Scoring Grading
The students will be presented with a scoring rubric that will assess their ability to complete the games and proper participation.
On a scoring rubric of 1-5 students will earn points for the following sections
5. Excellent participation
4. Good Participation
3. Effective Participation
2. Ineffective Participation
1. Poor Participation
If students are able to follow the directions of the games and add insight and proper reflections then most students should score in the 4-5 range. Students who just try to slide by will then receive a 2-3 score. Students who do not comply with the class will receive a 1.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Story Time
Once upon a time there was a person named Rob who felt lost in the world of academics. In the classes he had in school nothing seemed to makes sense to him he never did well on tests and thought to himself, "A teacher must be able to teach to all types of intelligences and be able to supply different opportunities on the same assignment since not all students will excel the same way." (B.E. May 20, 2009) When he was just about to give up on his education he thought maybe I should talk to my adviser. His adviser told him that not all people learn the same way and told Rob about the multiple intelligence theory. The adviser explained "The Theory of Multiple Intelligences centers around the idea that students, and all individuals for that matter, have uniquely different learning styles." (D.H. May 20, 2009)
Once Rob heard this news he was very happy and decided that he could now try to give school another chance he just needed to find out what worked best for him. Rob researched the theory of multiple intelligence and always knew that he was a little different from other people he thought that "Teachers must take a vested interest in creating curriculum's, lesson plans, and assessments that cover a wide array of intelligence levels." (L.K. May 20, 2009)
Rob thinks that teachers should have goals "Goals are the framework within a lesson that teachers strive towards"(T.L. May 20, 2009) How are students to be measured in these goals he thought "Objectives- Specific and measurable." (R.P. May 20, 2009) Objectives are great ways to get things done and be measured I can't wait for school tomorrow said Rob!!!!!!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Universal Design Alternative Assessment
The two areas of assessment that I think educators know little about are the areas of Universal design and Alternative Assessment. These two areas can be explained in the following:
Universal Design- This form of assessment involves the development of education and curriculum that makes the education and learning process available to every student. This process is not a one size fits all principle but rather the development of a education program that adapts to the needs of students with disabilities as well as high performing students.
Alternative Assessment- Alternative assessment uses activities that reveal what students can do with language, emphasizing their strengths instead of their weaknesses. Alternative assessment instruments are not only designed and structured differently from traditional tests, but are also graded or scored differently. Because alternative assessment is performance based, it helps instructors emphasize that the point of language learning is communication for meaningful purposes. (http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/assessing/alternative.htm, 2009)
These two areas of assessment are ways that I feel can greatly improve student learning and success in the classroom. Student learning is after all the goal of education so it only makes sense to me that if there are students with disabilities or students that might not be good test takers both of these areas of assessment allow for them to be successful. Alternative assessment can be used in a class with several other forms of assessment, which is a benefit of the assessment. For example a teacher might be able to use traditional forms of assessment, and then complement them with alternative assessment assignments. Universal design is a tremendous tool for students with disability's and will help integrate inclusion into the classroom. This form of assessment takes a lot of effort on the part of the educator because of the adaptation of the lesson plans but the students will be able to experience success like never before. The effort is worth the reward.
Universal Design- This form of assessment involves the development of education and curriculum that makes the education and learning process available to every student. This process is not a one size fits all principle but rather the development of a education program that adapts to the needs of students with disabilities as well as high performing students.
Alternative Assessment- Alternative assessment uses activities that reveal what students can do with language, emphasizing their strengths instead of their weaknesses. Alternative assessment instruments are not only designed and structured differently from traditional tests, but are also graded or scored differently. Because alternative assessment is performance based, it helps instructors emphasize that the point of language learning is communication for meaningful purposes. (http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/assessing/alternative.htm, 2009)
These two areas of assessment are ways that I feel can greatly improve student learning and success in the classroom. Student learning is after all the goal of education so it only makes sense to me that if there are students with disabilities or students that might not be good test takers both of these areas of assessment allow for them to be successful. Alternative assessment can be used in a class with several other forms of assessment, which is a benefit of the assessment. For example a teacher might be able to use traditional forms of assessment, and then complement them with alternative assessment assignments. Universal design is a tremendous tool for students with disability's and will help integrate inclusion into the classroom. This form of assessment takes a lot of effort on the part of the educator because of the adaptation of the lesson plans but the students will be able to experience success like never before. The effort is worth the reward.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Multiple Intelligence
As physical and health educators it is important to understand that all students to not enjoy the stresses of succeeding in either the physical education classroom or the health education classroom. So many times we hear stories about low skilled students becoming discouraged to even come to class because they feel that they will be either picked on or not able to succeed on a high level.
So you may be asking yourself where does this come into play concerning the multiple intelligence theory and the role of curriculum development among students. Well it is my opinion that the low skilled students are not able to succeed because of an old outdated curriculum that focuses on the success of high skilled students and sport specific classes. Using the theory of multiple intelligence we can develop a curriculum that presents students with a variety of ways to learn and have success as they complete the curriculum that focuses on different skills and ways to succeed.
Student learning and success is the goal of teaching and the ultimate goal of education. The multiple intelligence theory uses different ways of assessing students and provides them with different opportunities to succeed in the classroom and ultimately in life.
So you may be asking yourself where does this come into play concerning the multiple intelligence theory and the role of curriculum development among students. Well it is my opinion that the low skilled students are not able to succeed because of an old outdated curriculum that focuses on the success of high skilled students and sport specific classes. Using the theory of multiple intelligence we can develop a curriculum that presents students with a variety of ways to learn and have success as they complete the curriculum that focuses on different skills and ways to succeed.
Student learning and success is the goal of teaching and the ultimate goal of education. The multiple intelligence theory uses different ways of assessing students and provides them with different opportunities to succeed in the classroom and ultimately in life.
Taxonomy
In physical education it is critical to understand the importance of learning in all three domains of cognitive, affective, and pyscomotor. These three domains combined will establish and develop a cirriculum that is very strong and will devleop students into physically educated indivudals.
This being said if we look at the psycomotor taxonomy and what it entails we can see that it includes six different levels of pyscomotor development and learning. These six areas include
Reflex
Fundamental Movements
Perceptual Abilities
Physical Abilities
Skilled Movements
Non-discursive Communication
So as a physical educator looking to develop a comprehensive cirriulum using this form of taxonomy it is important to understand how these componets interrelate and interact with one another. Each area of this taxonomy was developed from simple skills to harder skills. As a teacher is developing their cirriuclum or writing standards, goals, and objectives it is important to take the state standard that the teacher is working from and then develop certain goals they want to be estanblished in each level of this taxonomy. Once the standards and goals have been established it is important to write objectives that can be used to meausre the learning and sucess of these students.
This being said if we look at the psycomotor taxonomy and what it entails we can see that it includes six different levels of pyscomotor development and learning. These six areas include
Reflex
Fundamental Movements
Perceptual Abilities
Physical Abilities
Skilled Movements
Non-discursive Communication
So as a physical educator looking to develop a comprehensive cirriulum using this form of taxonomy it is important to understand how these componets interrelate and interact with one another. Each area of this taxonomy was developed from simple skills to harder skills. As a teacher is developing their cirriuclum or writing standards, goals, and objectives it is important to take the state standard that the teacher is working from and then develop certain goals they want to be estanblished in each level of this taxonomy. Once the standards and goals have been established it is important to write objectives that can be used to meausre the learning and sucess of these students.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Standards, Goals, Objectives
When talking about standards, goals, and objectives I guess that it is best to have an understanding for what each one is. Looking at standards as the most important part of the education puzzle we see what should be focused on as teachers prepare their lessons to improve student learning. The goal is the next step that is both a general and broad statement that tries to accomplish the standard. Finally we get to the objective that is very specific and measurable, the objective can be measured and should be done so in a way that it fits under the specific education requirements of both the goals and standards.
Now that there is a clear understanding of these components and how they interrelate we can see how they should be used in order to improve student learning. The main thing that I took away from this part of the lesson was that the link to the helpful 100 verbs that should be used in writing clear and measurable objectives is very useful when an educator is writing their objectives. These objectives should be written in a way that they can be measured and clearly understood by the grade level that you are instructing.
Now that there is a clear understanding of these components and how they interrelate we can see how they should be used in order to improve student learning. The main thing that I took away from this part of the lesson was that the link to the helpful 100 verbs that should be used in writing clear and measurable objectives is very useful when an educator is writing their objectives. These objectives should be written in a way that they can be measured and clearly understood by the grade level that you are instructing.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Standards
A comprehensive set of established standards in physical education and health education are critical in the development of health and physically fit individuals. With the various health problems that we have in our country today due to the lack of physical activity and poor diet have led the United States of America into a full blown health crisis. It is my opinion that physical and health educators are on the front line of this fight against diseases caused by the lack of physical activity and various health issues that trouble the young people of the country. It is with this belief that I feel national and state standards should be developed so that the young people can grow and develop both physically and mentally in such a way that they are prepared and committed to life healthy and active lifestyles.
Looking at the national standards I believe that they are a good starting point for the development of a proper curriculum but i believe that they can be improved upon. The great thing about the education system in this country is the fact that individual states get to choose the manner in which they develop their school systems and the standards that they choose to enforce.
The standards that I researched included the recently revised standards from my home state of New Jersey. The standards were revised in 2004 and I think the department of education has done a phenomenal job in the development of the standards as they cover a very wide array of topics and issues that pertain to health and physical education. The standards are very detailed and encompass a tremendous amount of information and topics. These standards are high and above any other set of standards that I have seen because they leave no gray area as to what areas of physical and health education they expect students to be instructed.
Looking at the national standards I believe that they are a good starting point for the development of a proper curriculum but i believe that they can be improved upon. The great thing about the education system in this country is the fact that individual states get to choose the manner in which they develop their school systems and the standards that they choose to enforce.
The standards that I researched included the recently revised standards from my home state of New Jersey. The standards were revised in 2004 and I think the department of education has done a phenomenal job in the development of the standards as they cover a very wide array of topics and issues that pertain to health and physical education. The standards are very detailed and encompass a tremendous amount of information and topics. These standards are high and above any other set of standards that I have seen because they leave no gray area as to what areas of physical and health education they expect students to be instructed.
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