Maximize the Time!

At the end of each school year, I take time to reflect on what I would like to improve upon as far as my teaching strategies go.  It seems like I always come back to “How I can better maximize activity time for my students?

By the time the classroom teachers drop off their students to the gym, I feel as though five minutes goes by before the teacher is back to get them.  In actuality, the class period is fifty minutes long (which is plenty of time for a kindergarten class), however, not enough time to see first through fifth grade only one time a week.  On top of that, between all of the holidays, field trips, assemblies, etc., there are a few classes that do not get PE even four times a month.  

These factors bring me back to the point of how crucial activity time is for class.  What am I not willing to cut out of class?

-          The Introduction – We go over what was learned in the previous class, what the objective is for the lesson that day, and how we will meet that objective.

-          The Warm-Up:  Helps to prepare the students (physically and mentally) for lesson and activities that will follow.  It the time where I am able to fit in fitness concepts that may not be present in the actual skill or game for that class period.  

-          The Conclusion – Quiz the students on what was learned during the class period, revisit the objective.

And of course I can’t leave out the assessment or the skill building activities!  

In my search for resources online to help me with this matter, I came across a YouTube video where a man by the name of Paul Zientarski, a retired PE teacher, talks about an ideal PE class.  Although his background is secondary education, he mentions a few tips that I would be helpful in maximizing activity time in an elementary class setting.   

What is the Ideal PE class to help students physically and academically? 

• -        Engage the students with activity right away.  Take attendance during the time they are moving.

• -       Add more equipment/ break down games into smaller groups.

• -          If there are games where students are standing to wait, have them doing something active on the sides.

• -          Incorporate technology with heart rate monitors.

Although I have heard these tips and used them in the past at some point, I think it is always refreshing to hear them again, as sometimes it helps to spark new ideas and jog the memory of what has worked well in past lessons.  Also, I find comfort in hearing veteran PE teachers talk about strategies that have worked for them.  It gives me that extra motivation to strive to be a better teacher!