Project Idea II

I really have no opinion on the replacement referee situation in the NFL.  It is what it is and regardless of the referees, I am going to be watching the games because I love football.

The reason I share the video below is that I thought it was clever.  It has a great deal of creativity involved, and it is the type of thing that I think a student could do as a project for class.  Editing pictures is much easier than putting film together, and rewriting a song with lyrics for a specific topic would show creativity along with understanding of the material.

A project like this would allow the student to make the project their own.  A student taking on this project would be passionate about the end product, therefore they would have to dive into learning the material so that they could write the very best lyrics possible.

Educators:  Do not be afraid to allow a student to show their learning with something like this.  Many students would not only meet expectations/ standards, but they would exceed the expectations because they would become committed to their product, striving for the best they can do, not just for a grade.  

Enjoy the video!  NFL fans will appreciate the clever lyrics.


Take care,
Coach Mo

A Project Idea

The family went down to the park tonight and I took along my camera.  I intended to take pictures of my son on the playground, my dog swimming in the creek, or whatever else presented itself.

What ended up catching my eye was the "Story Trail" that lines the trail at Friendship Park.  The story is told in 12-15 parts that you get to read like pages as you walk along and enjoy the sights and sounds.  I share this because as I walked along, I thought about how cool of an idea it is on so many different levels.

I had a handful of ideas that I was thinking of sharing on the blog, but I feel as though I ought to just share the photos and let teachers and/or students that read this blog have ideas of their own.  One of the toughest things I find in project-based instruction is coming up with the idea that captures your attention and lights a fire inside of passion and excitement.  I often search my twitter feed to see what others in my PLN are sharing and then I take that idea and mold it into something that would fit my classroom.  So, here is my contribution... enjoy it, let your imagination go wild, and turn it into an authentic idea that you could pursue in your classroom.

Even though the project uses a children's book as the primary focus, I think the possibilities are endless and appropriate for any level of education or beyond.

Take care,
Coach Mo

Purpose & Value in Lessons

This past week we completed 5 Presidential Fitness challenges.  Each student was asked to give their best effort to obtain results that we can use to construct personal fitness plans.  While a small group of students were called to test, the remainder of the class participated in one of a number of self-directed activities available to them.  

Harmless, right?

I thought so, until I overheard a young lady speaking to a colleague of mine.  She explained to him that she and her mother think that the fitness challenges are dumb and do nothing but embarrass kids.  Isn’t it unfortunate that we almost have to battle parents more than students to get their kids to buy-in to school?  Shouldn’t this be a team game?

It was one of those times as an educator that you have to bite your tongue and do your very best to remember that this is a 12-year-old speaking and nothing that you say right now is going to register because this it is likely coming straight from mom or dad.  I didn’t step in and comment because it wasn’t my conversation, but it certainly did get me thinking.  Was she saying this because it is Phys Ed and not Science?  Was she saying this because she has been unsuccessful?  Was she saying this because….

My keyword/ theme this year for my instruction is purpose.  I want students to recognize that everything we do in class has value to them as I attempt to better their understanding of how they can live a healthier lifestyle.  Every activity that we do, every project they complete, and every instruction that I give I want the students to be identifying the purpose.  For example, lets say we spend a few days on a basketball unit.  I want students to understand that the purpose is to learn how participating in basketball can benefit them.  I want them to know that it is a great cardio activity, burns tons of calories, is a sport you can participate in recreationally, and so on.  The purpose is not to make you LeBron, but to give you the necessary skills and understanding so that you can use basketball as a means of living a healthy lifestyle. 

Back to my story…  This young lady has obviously mixed up her understanding of why we do the fitness testing.  It certainly is not to embarrass anyone.  We do the testing multiple times during the year, and this initial group of tests allows us to establish a result that we can build upon.  With each test we discuss the component of physical fitness that the test assesses, and we also discuss activities the students can do to improve their scores in each test.  Each student will then take their results and will work on setting goals for themselves within each fitness concept to achieve before the next round of testing.  With these goals, the student and I will sit down and discuss an action plan that will help keep them on track to achieving their goal.  So, in the end, the testing is less about the actual test, and more about learning how to set goals, create action plans, track their progress, and engage in purposeful activities to improve a certain physical fitness component.   I hope the only thing close to embarrassment that they’ll experience is that they smiled too big, or celebrated like a little kid when they do a pull-up when they could barely even hang from the bar in September.

I believe this scenario is valuable to all educators.  No matter if you are in PE, music, social studies, science, or any other subject, we as educators should be prepared to back-up anything and everything we do with reasoning and purpose.  Whether it is a student that is a non-believer, a parent that speaks poorly of our classes, a colleague that just wants to know more about your lessons, or an administrator looking to support you, make sure that everything you do in your classroom or assign for homework has a well-defined purpose.  Also, do not be afraid to communicate the value of the assignment up front (begin with the end in mind!!!). 

Just like I’ll be teaching my classes next week about defining a goal and working towards it… defining a purpose from the start will help to keep us on track, to constantly evaluate our progress, and to cherish the reward of achievement in the end. 

Take care,

Coach Mo

Get Some New Shoes and Leave Tracks

Towards the end of last school year, I made the choice to accept a position at the middle school.  I was going to move from teaching at the high school, and I heard this phrase a number of times: “______ will have big shoes to fill.”  Some folks were referring to me filling the shoes of the former middle school teacher, and some were referring to the person filling my position. 

Little did I know that I’d be moving much further than just down a grade level or two, I’d be accepting a position to teach physical education in another district, and now as I reflect on my first 8 days of teaching at Licking Heights Central Middle School, I cannot help but think back to where I came from. 

Those that have followed my blog for the past 6 months or so realize that I had really tapped into my passion for what I do on a daily basis.  I was seeing a transformation of myself as a professional, and my students as learners and individuals.  The methods that I was trying in my classroom were leading to exciting discoveries and I loved the interaction that I got to have with my students each and every day.  It was a difficult decision to move on with my career, but for a number of reasons, I felt it was the best decision for me.  I constantly tell the students that “this is your education,” and “make sure you do things for you, not for me,” and what’s it say about me if I didn’t follow my own advice?

Anyway, as all of the movement was unfolding and I was hearing the line about having big shoes to fill, I was both proud and hesitant.  Proud because I was happy that folks felt that I’d made a difference, and that I was actually leaving a mark.   But hesitant because I don’t want to fill someone else’s shoes, nor do I want them to fill mine.  I want a brand new pair!!!  (I know, a bit cheesy, but stay with me)

What I hope that I left at Delaware are tracks.  Tracks that allow my replacement to see where I had been and the progress that I made.  Tracks that created a trail on which the next teacher can stand on and blaze a new path.  Tracks that told stories and provided insight to successes and failures that I had that the next teacher can improve upon and learn from.  Tracks that weren’t just footprints on a walkway, but were fresh imprints on a never before taken path. 

Just filling out shoes sounds an awful lot like just doing the minimum, or just getting by.  My goal for this school year, and my challenge to my fellow educators is to not just fill shoes.  Whether it is someone else’s pair, or your own pair from last school year… Get new shoes, blaze a new trail, leave tracks, and wear out the shoes in the process.  Don’t fall into the trap of “this is how I/ we’ve always done it.” 

I am excited to report that my first 8 days at Central were wonderful.  My students are respectful, attentive, and engaged.  I am looking forward to this year, and looking forward to sharing the experiences I encounter along this new trail. 

Educators, go get yourself some new shoes, you deserve it, and so do the kids!  

“Do what you love in the service of those who love what you do!” - Steve Farber

Take care,

Coach Mo