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Three uses of Pedometers in Physical Education–An Introduction

Sunday, July 12th, 2009

By Matthew Bassett

Part 1 of a 4 part series on pedometers in physical education.

Pedometers have become an easy tool to use in physical education.  A simple pedometer will track the number of steps a person takes.  A more advanced pedometer can also measure activity time (time the pedometer is moving), distance traveled and even calories burned.  Before using a pedometer, a teacher must decide the purpose for its use in class in class.

First, pedometers can be used to track data.  A student who wears a pedometer can record the number of steps, activity time, calories burned or distance traveled.  A teacher can use stations and ask the students to use the pedometers to track a whole class period, sections of a class period or to compare different tasks over time.

Second, pedometers can be used as a simple technology integration. Technology integration can help motivate students.  This motivation can increase movement quality or quantity since students can see physical data about their exercise.

Third, pedometers can now be used to track moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA).  Some of the newest pedometers actually have an MVPA function but these are more costly models.  Using a simple guide of 100 steps per minute can help move a student into moderate physical activity. We can now start using this guide as a way to track MVPA with out students without having to use expensive heart rate monitors or having to trust that students are taking their pulses correctly.

No matter which reason, or reasons, for using pedometers, a teacher interested in using pedometers must first experiment with how to use them.

Next week: Part 2–Eight Helpful Hints for Using Pedometers

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FitMet Contributor Awarded Southern District CAHPERD Teacher of the Year

Saturday, July 11th, 2009

By John Kruse

Congratulations to Jennifer Mettler!  She has been awarded “Teacher of the Year” for the southern district of the California Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CAHPERD).  Best of luck as she competes for the title of “State Teacher of the Year.”

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Small Group Balance Stunts

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

By Matthew Basset

Fifth Grade California Content Standard 1.1
“Perform simple small-group balance stunts by distributing weight and base of support.”

Developing this standard has been difficult since it can be very dangerous and a difficult concept for students to understand.   One way I approach this standard is to have a group of students perform a pyramid by distributing weight and base of support.  Minimally, you can have your students set up a pyramid and check to see if they have good balance and move on quite quickly.  This, however,  does not help students understand the concepts of base of support or distributing weight.

This year I tried to get  students more involved.  First, we have to discuss the importance of  base of support.  A wider base typically has the better balance.  We also talk about distributing weight so that one (or two) people don’t have to take the brunt of the weight.  I use a basic combative game to help make the connection.  I have the students face a partner and place their hands together out in front.  Their feet are next to each other and they would challenge each other to push their hands (only) to a point where one person had to take a step (lose the challenge).  Then I direct them to place their feet shoulder width apart and take the same challenge.  I ask, “which is easier to keep your balance?”  Then I direct them to take one foot and place it a little in front of the other.  I ask, “which, of the three, is easiest to keep your balance?”  The goal is to get students to see that the base of support can affect the balance of the activity.

After students understand the importance of their base of support we talk about the distribution of weight.  We discuss how placing weight on two locations makes it easier to support than just one location.  Three locations are better than two locations, and so on.

Finally, when the class is ready to start their own small group balance stunts, I organize students into groups of seven or eight.  Each group is handed a worksheet where they place their names (for tracking purposes).  The class is directed to come up with five different group balances that share the weight distribution differently each time and also show different bases of support. My goal is to see different types of pyramids other than a typical three or four level pyramid.  Students are required to make a diagram of the base of support and where each student in the group is going to stand.  This process moves into a second class period where the students are given extra time to practice the balancing skills.  After a few scary falls, I’ve decided to tell my students that they cannot go above two levels in a pyramid.  This has made them work a little harder to come up with different ideas.  I also talk about how they can make a pyramid that isn’t in a straight line.

During their assessments, students in each group perform at the same time. This allows me to see how well the groups have prepared but it don’t allow a group extra time to practice while another group is performing.  The groups who work together are definitely better prepared for this approach at the assessment.

Other Connections:
This is lesson/unit that allows connections to overarching standard 5.  I constantly have to reinforce the importance of working together (5.5.3) and that it is important to stay safe (5.5.4).  You will have a few students who do all of the planning don’t listen to others.  I also have to reinforce the importance of allowing everyone to contribute their ideas (5.5.5) and to work with each other to accomplish their goals (5.5.7).  The groups who struggle start to work closer together when I discuss the importance of everyone sharing ideas in the group.  With a little work next year, my goal is to get students to understand social concepts while participating in this standard (5.1.1).  This way they reinforce the social skills that I’m looking for in class while they are working on a motor skill.

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Four Benefits to Splitting Activities while Increasing MVPA

Friday, May 15th, 2009

By Matthew Basset

As physical education teachers, it is often our goal to maximize movement time for students. Ideally, we would like to have one piece of equipment for every student. Sometimes, this is difficult and thinking outside the box can help with this dilemma. Using additional equipment can help maximize students’ movement times.

Recently, I completed a scooter board lesson with my elementary students. I had one scooter board for every two students. The students who were not on the scooter boards were standing around and started to become off task. I pulled out some jump ropes during the class to help with my classroom management. While half of the students were off on scooter boards, their partners were jumping rope. This cut down on students being off task and they were not bored waiting their turns.

There are four benefits for splitting activities with your classes.

1. Maximize participation. The split allows you to deal with limited equipment or limited space. As group A is working, group B is working in a different area with different equipment. Since most people don’t have enough equipment for everyone to be working at the same time we have to modify our activities. Having students wait their turn can be unproductive. Adding a secondary task helps them become more active during class time.

2. Keep idle hands busy. I have found that students who are required to be patient soon find opportunities to keep themselves occupied in less than desirable ways. Giving a secondary task allows those students to focus their attention on the activity instead of doing something that makes me want to take early retirement. Those hands are no longer idle and they stay on task more often.

3. Focus on Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA). This is an easy way to incorporate another standard into your lesson. For me, having the kids jump rope while they were not on the scooter board helped them keep their heart rates up. The students didn’t have time to relax and cool down. I even had students comment on the fact that sweating was such a bad thing. This “teachable moment” allowed me to explain the sweating mechanism. Spending lesson time on MVPA activities is sometimes difficult. By adding a secondary activity, like jump rope, it allows me to help focus my students on their heart rates and keeping their heart rates up during class.

4. Review. Secondary activities can also be used to review an activity that was previously taught. For me, jump rope was an activity that I’ve already taught. I was able to review my expectations for the students and they already understood what they needed to accomplish. I was able to give minimal instructions before allowing the students to start the activities.

With a little work and extra preparation you can easily add more movement time into your classes. Use your equipment and space to maximize your student movement. Try to find ways to add in extra movement to get students MVPA.

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Say Goodbye to Boring Student Created Games

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

By Jennifer Mettler

Introduction
When I was a student teacher, I taught my first “Create-a-Game” unit.  After three weeks my students created games that were so basic and uninventive that I swore I would never teach that unit again.  After some years of experience, I have learned that it is hardly my students’ fault, but mine for not preparing them properly.  When I reflected on why they did not succeed, I realized that the students lacked the content knowledge and experiences in game concepts and strategies to be able to create a game of their own.
California Model Content Standards
6.2.12 Develop a cooperative movement game that uses locomotor skills, object manipulation, and an offensive strategy and teach the game to another person.
7.2.6 Diagram and demonstrate basic offensive and defensive strategies for individual and dual physical activities.
7.2.7 Develop an individual or dual game that uses a manipulative skill, two different offensive strategies, and a scoring system and teach it to another person.
8.2.5 Diagram, explain, and justify offensive and defensive strategies in modified and team sports, games, and activities.
8.2.6 Develop and teach a team game that uses elements of spin or rebound, designated offensive and defensive space, a penalty system, and a scoring system.

Why link game strategies and game concepts with “Create-A-Game”?
It has been my experience that the more students understand and are able to apply strategies to a game setting, the more complex and better designed game they create.  Not to mention, the content standards already link these two things together.  Games that are “boring” tend to lack a design that involves complex strategies.  In addition, students need a wide variety of experiences to learn and apply many different types of strategies.  The more exposure to different types of games, the better their knowledge base to draw upon to create their own.
Types of Games
Net/Wall Games
Team: Takraw, Ringo, Volleyball
Individual/Dual: Table tennis, Tennis, Squash, Pickleball, Badminton
Invasion Games
Team: Capture the flag, Football, Basketball, Hockey, Team Handball, Speedball
Combative
Individual/Dual: Fencing, Wrestling, Martial Arts
Striking/Fielding Games
Team: Over the Line, Baseball, Softball, Cricket, Rounders
Target
Individual/Dual: Bowling, Horse Shoes, Bocce Ball, Croquet, Golf

Teaching Strategies
The best way I have found to teach strategies is develop games and activities that forces students to use very specific strategies.  Students start by playing a simple game that requires them to “apply” a few specific strategies.  As the games get more difficult, they will need to apply the strategies they already practiced in a simplified way to the more complex game.  A possible progression for the “know” is to start with defining offensive and defensive strategy.  Next, identify whether a strategy is offensive or defensive.  Then list offensive and defensive strategies.  Next, explain what the benefit is of a particular strategy.  Continue with identifying a diagram.  Then, have the students finally diagram a strategy themselves.

Parts of the Game
In order for students to understand the components necessary to play a game, students are taught the critical parts of the game throughout the different units that lead up to the Create-A-Game unit.  The depth of this content will depend on the grade level and prior knowledge of the students.
1. Object of the Game:  The object of the game is to (how you know you won) and you do this by (how to score or what you do to win.)
2. Rules & Scoring System
3. Penalty & Consequence System
4. Equipment, Field/Court & Players
5. Skills
6. Strategies & Set Plays

Create-A-Game
In prior units the students should be introduced to all three types of games depending on their grade level (8th grade: invasion, net/wall, and striking/field; 7th grade: net/wall, combative, and target;  6th grade:  mix of modified games).  During each unit activity the parts of the game should be introduced.  In-class worksheets and handouts should be given to the students for each component of the parts of the game.  Strategies need to be integrally taught by listing, identifying, diagramming, and applying throughout the units.  Once the students have the basic understandings of different types of games, parts of the game, and strategies used in each type of game then the students can be guided through the create-a-game process.

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Super Size Lesson Ideas

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

By Matthew Bassett

Part 2 of 2

I like having an activity for the students to complete while watching the movie Super Size Me. This is why it takes me a few extra days to get through the video. It also allows me to actually get the students thinking about their eating choices instead of tuning out the video.

I usually have the students watch the first part of the video and stop the video when Morgan is starting his first meal at McDonalds. This gives the students the background to the experiment and also allows them to see the three visits to the doctors. I ask the students to predict what they think will happen to Morgan during the next thirty days as their first assignment.

Another activity is to have the students make a menu of some of the meals that Morgan is eating. During Morgan’s first meal, I have the students write down the items he has chosen to eat.  I then pass out a nutritional guide for McDonalds and ask the students to write down the number of calories for each item. This gives me time to discuss what a calorie is and how many calories an average person should eat in a given day. I do the same assignment during the rest of the video and also focus on other nutritional information such as sodium or fat content.

Another extension activity can follow the menus. Have students write a list of physical activities that equal the amount of calories that are consumed in the meal. This allows the students to integrate some math skills into physical education. They will also get an understanding that it takes a while to burn 100 calories and not just five minutes of work.

An activity to complete at the end of the video is for the students to write down five different things that happened to Morgan’s body while eating at McDonalds. The video lists 11 things that happened to Morgan as a result of eating out for the 30 days. These items range from medical information to personal feelings that Morgan was having. It allows students to understand that the type of food that you eat can have a negative impact on your health and also with your mood and behavior. I always ask the students their thoughts on eating McDonalds after watching the video.

I usually ask the students if they were to choose another fast food restaurant if the results would be any different than eating at McDonalds. I was amazed that a lot of my students actually thought it would make a difference. I had more than one student point out the Jared commercials for Subway and said that the food was always healthy. It got me thinking about how I could make a connection that any fast food is really not that good for you, even Subway.  I started by downloading nutritional information directly from the Web sites of some of our local restaurants and fast food restaurants. The students were asked to make different meal choices as if they were going to eat at a specific location that night. The students were then asked to find some of the nutritional information for those choices. The goal is for the students to see that the choices at these places are not always healthy.

Another continuation with this lesson is to replace one of the menu items on the menu with something healthier. Maybe it means changing the salad dressing, changing the size of the item or finding a healthier option on the menu. The goal is to help students make better choices and to look for healthier options while eating out. These concepts can be added to the Dairy Council of California’s curriculum for middle school students. They strive for students to understand correct proportions and to try and avoid over eating. The nice part about the Diary Council’s curriculum is that it is free!

Another addition that I have made this year is to purchase the regular DVD of “Super Size Me.” This video comes with some bonus features that are appropriate for the students. The regular version of the DVD is not appropriate for our students since it does have inappropriate language and it also has some scenes that are inappropriate for our students. The bonus feature called “The Smoking Fry” is on the regular DVD and can also be found on YouTube. This bonus feature shows Morgan placing different McDonald’s foods into glass jars. They show how the food decomposes every few days.  It’s amazing how long it takes for some of the food to finally start to break down. This is a great time to discuss with the students about the added things that are placed in fast foods to keep them fresh. These additives may not be very good for you in the long run.

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Seven Elementary Ways to Reward Behavior

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

By Matthew Bassett

As a physical educator in elementary school, I’ve discovered that sometimes the best way to detour negative behavior is to reward positive behavior.  There are many things that you can do to brighten a student’s day. Most require little to no time to prepare.  Let’s take a look at a few of the rewards.

  1. Use verbal praise. Constantly telling students what they are doing wrong doesn’t help.  It’s easy to focus on the negative behavior and get stuck pointing out negative things all the time.  Sometimes it is really beneficial to verbally praise the students who are doing the correct things.  If I say “I like how _____ is walking straight in a line” it’s amazing how many of the students start walking in a straight line. With a little effort, verbal praise becomes second nature and can make the biggest difference in how your class behaves.
  2. Create a points system.  Point systems are something that I use with my younger kids.  The idea came from watching the TV show Whose Line is it Anyways.  The points don’t really matter, but it’s something that we do to make it fun.  I give out random points for specific things.  The group of students who do a better job stretching will get 50 bonus points.  If both groups do a good job then I will give 100 points to everyone.  I break down the class into activities and give points randomly.  I try to give points to the group of students doing the best on specific tasks, but to keep it even I will keep a group in the game by giving them points they haven’t earned.  I do the same with individual students.  For example, I give them 25 points if they step with their opposite foot while throwing.  At the end of the class period I announce a winner, without having to give out an actual reward.
  3. Award stickers. Stickers can be a great reward for students.  Most of my elementary students and even a few of my middle school students will work harder if they get a sticker.  The stickers can be small or large.  Handing them out at the end of class shows how hard they worked.  You can have a discussion with the students who did not do so well and encourage them to make better choices in the future.
  4. A prize box. Allowing one or two students to pick out something out of a prize box at the end of the day or at the end of the week can encourage students to stay on task.  You can pick up some simple toys and games from a party supply store or you can stop by the dollar bin at the local Target or Walmart.  I’ve even included some items that were sent to me as a sample that the students really enjoyed.  A small prize box can go a long way when they see a couple of cool items inside.
  5. Send notes home. A positive note home can be a great way to help a student who is struggling.  I use this as an opportunity to reach those students who are constantly a challenge.  When they finally have a good day I make sure to write a note home.  After the student reads the note to their parent, their whole demeanor changes.  I have had classroom teachers call me after school to tell me how hard the student worked for the whole day after getting a note from me.  I usually follow-up a note home during the next class period by reminding the student I will write another note if they have another good day.
  6. Choose a “Student of the Day” or “Student of the Week.” Recognizing a student for a whole day or even a whole week can give you an opportunity to show your appreciation for the student.  You can find a student of the day/week card at a local teacher store in small packs.  Just fill out one of the cards quickly at the end of a class or the end of the week and give to the student.  Be sure to talk about the student in front of the class.  Discuss the positive choices they have been making and the hard work they are doing.
  7. Invent class rewards.  You can also set up a reward system for your entire class.  Set a goal that students can achieve.  Create a goal for something like no time outs given for 10 days.  Then give the class a chance to reward themselves.  The rewards can be choosing their fitness activity, choosing the music they play (remember you have veto power for inappropriate music), choosing a game to play at the end of class or choosing an activity to do during class time.

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A Trio of Classroom Management No-Nos

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

By Matthew Bassett

As a follow-up to my last entry on Eight Easy Ways to Deal with Behavior Issues in Your Physical Education Class, I thought it would be a good idea to point out a few classroom management no-nos.  So here’s a list of things to avoid when it comes to punishment.

  1. Never punish with exercise.  Never punish a student with physical activity.  Students should not be made to run an extra lap or do push-ups or curl-ups.  We don’t want students to feel that exercise, in any form, is punishment.  Having a student perform physical exercise as punishment only discourages them from lifelong physical activity.
  2. Avoid showing emotion.  Avoid showing emotion when you are upset.  Students like to push buttons and they like to see their teachers get upset.  You want to avoid showing students that they got under your skin.  If you need to, avoid talking with the student during the class period and bring it up later in the day or the following day when you are able to keep cool.
  3. Avoid detailed phone messages.  Never leave detailed messages for a parent or guardian at home.  Sometimes the phone numbers you have are not correct or numerous people are living in the same household.  If you need to contact a parent, just leave your name and work phone number and explain that you want to talk to the parents of a specific student.  Do not say anything more.

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Eight Easy Ways to Deal with Behavior Issues in Your Physical Education Class

Sunday, March 15th, 2009

By Matthew Bassett

Even though I have been teaching physical education for many years, I still have to deal with behavior issues during class.  I don’t have all the answers and I don’t expect to learn all of the tricks.  However, I have developed a few strategies over the years.  This list is just a sample of the different techniques that you can use with students who are misbehaving during class.

  1. Use proximity.  This is an excellent deterrent. When a student is starting to misbehave, walk towards the student. Students will see that you are getting closer and may start to pay attention a little more or may focus back on your instructions.
  2. Make eye contact. This is commonly called “the look” as you show off your best intimidating expression to the student. Through body language tell them to get back into line without verbal communication.
  3. Give verbal warnings.  You can give the student a verbal warning by calling out their name and simply stating a warning.  You can also ask to speak to the student to the side of the class.  Speaking away from the class can be a more gentle way to talk to the student and makes some students less uncomfortable.  Taking the student aside also allows you to interact with the student.  I usually ask the student what they were doing and also ask what I want them to be doing.  This allows them to understand that they are not doing what I want.
  4. Give a timeout.  When a student doesn’t make a change, you can give the student a timeout.  The time out is a place that has already been set up just outside of your class area.  You need to be able to see this location regardless of where you are standing in your area.  A time out place is where a student goes when asked and can return to the teacher when they are ready.  It can also be a place where a teacher can send a student and keep them in this location until the teacher is ready.  I find it helpful to have a task card that says “Time Out” on the card along with some questions to help refocus the student.
  5. Use a “Think-it-Through Sheet”.  When a student is having problems focusing on a task during the day and you have already tried some of the other tips, give the student a “Think-it-Through Sheet.” The “Think-it-Through Sheet” is a written consequence for the students. It gives the teacher a written record (from the student) on why they were removed from the class. My “Think-it-Through Sheets” have the students answer questions about why they were taken out of the class activity and what choice they should make in the future.  I also have the student take the “Think-it-Through Sheets” home to have parents sign and return the following day.  I do have to make an effort to either call the parents about the “Think-it-Through Sheet” or write a note to the parent.
  6. Use classroom behavior plans.  I have found great success in using classroom behavior plans.  These plans are set up by the classroom teacher ahead of time.  I simply work within the behavior plan with the student.  Many of my colleagues in the classroom use a clip chart for their behavior.  A student starts out the day on cool and they move their clip up the chart.  They go from cool, warning, time out, buddy teacher, lead teacher and stop on administration.  Each time the student moves their clips they know what to expect.  This is very easy for me to follow since I have so many elementary classes that come straight from their classroom teachers.  The clip chart can be used for all grade levels, but is more effective with the younger students.
  7. Make use of a buddy teacher.  When students continue to make bad choices during class,  send them to a buddy teacher.  This is something that should be in place with a colleague prior to sending the student. The student goes to the buddy teacher and fills out a “Think-it-Through Sheet” or something similar.  The buddy teacher will talk with the student about their behavior and may send the student back after 10-15 minutes or keep the student for the reminder of the period. Sometimes it may be a benefit for a physical education teacher to have a classroom teacher as a buddy teacher since the classroom teacher will always be in the same location.  It’s hard tracking down a physical education teacher that may be on the field, in the gym or in a classroom.
  8. Embrace behavior contracts.  Some of my students have behavior contracts.  These contracts are developed with the parents and are signed daily by the parents. The student hands you a copy of the contract at the start of class and you keep it until the end of class. Contracts can be as easy as writing down a happy face or a sad face.  It can also be a star system where a teacher marks down the number of stars that a student receives during class.

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“Super Size Me” DVD–Educational Review

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

By Matthew Bassett

Part one of a two-part series.

Synopsis
“Super Size Me” is a documentary video (Copyright 2004) that follows Morgan Spurlock for thirty days.  Morgan starts the documentary by talking about obesity trends that have risen in the United States and how corporate America avoids taking responsibility. He sets out to eat at McDonalds for thirty straight days to determine if fast foods can have a negative effect on his overall health. Morgan receives supervision by three different doctors: a general practitioner, a cardiologist and a gastroenterologist.  These doctors record the data from medical tests during the thirty days. Morgan is given a clean bill of health by all three doctors and told that eating McDonalds for thirty days isn’t the best choice. He is informed that the body will adapt and Morgan will be fine. Over the course of the thirty days, Morgan’s health deteriorates. By the end of the film, Morgan reports that he has gained 24.5 pounds. His liver has turned to fat.  His cholesterol levels have risen to 230 (up 65 points). His body fat has risen 7% and doubled his risk of Coronary Heart Disease.  In addition, he experiences massive cravings, headaches, depression, exhaustion and mood swings.

For this instructional video, the original film has been edited and modified for use in middle school and high school. The DVD also comes with a curriculum guide and has lessons on behaviors and life skills, health, language arts, math, physical education, science, and social studies. The video can be shown in normal format or in pop-up format. The pop-up format shows various tid-bits that “pop-up” on the screen. It also has optional scenes that were edited out of the movie that can be chosen throughout the film. Finally, the DVD can be divided up into lessons that show smaller video segments with questions and activities for students to complete. This is helpful if you want to avoid showing the full video.

Review
I found out about the educational version of “Super Size Me” in late 2007. I purchased my own copy during Christmas break and presented the idea of using this as a lesson focus to my principal. After discussion with my principal about showing this video, she wanted to send home a letter to the parents.

I started using this DVD during the 2007-2008 school year. Many of my students eat out on a regular basis and I wanted to show them the effects of poor nutrition and limited physical activity on the human body. I show the whole video over the course of 3-4 days and I have students answer some questions throughout the film.

“Super Size Me” can be a great tool for getting students to understand the importance of proper nutrition and the need to exercise. You can simply show the video to your students or you can follow their curriculum guides for one of many lessons in physical education, health or another curricular area.

Next Week: Tips on using “Super Size Me” in class.

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