I just completed my ninth year of teaching. It’s officially summer! For me, summer is a time to go to the beach, visit as many playgrounds as possible, eat sno-cones and popsicles, watch movies, spend time with my family, swim, and attend #PhysEd conferences. I intentionally carve out a ton of time to improve my pedagogy. Before the school year ends, I think of 3-4 big things I want to accomplish over the summer in order to get ready for the next school year. This year, I’ve chosen three summer projects, each inspired by someone in the #PhysEd and sport communities.
Summer Project #1: Attempt to Create a Yearly Unit Plan
Creating a yearly plan is something I’ve always wanted to do, but have felt there were limitations within my schedule to create one. Students at my school are enrolled in physical education for three quarters and health for one quarter. Our class rosters change slightly at the end of each quarter/grading period. The students’ schedules can even change during the school year, which means they may change class periods and/or teachers. As a result, my students’ physical education experiences vary greatly. There are always going to be units, activities, and concepts my students miss.
In February, Adam Metcalf (@MrMetcalfPE) shared a copy of his middle school yearly unit plan on Twitter. Adam teaches at The Avery Coonley School, a school for gifted students, in Downer’s Grove, Illinois. On the chart, the top row lists the specific activities he teaches unit-by-unit. The middle row lists the overall themes for the year, which include the Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) game categories and encompass national standards 1, 2, 4, and 5. The bottom row explains which fitness topics will be addressed throughout the school year.
The layout of Adam’s yearly plan helps me wrap my brain around how I can begin creating a scope and sequence for my students, keeping in mind it’s imperative to re-introduce certain activities and concepts throughout the school year.
Summer Project #2: Incorporate Solo Taxonomy into My Teaching Practice
SOLO, which stands for the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome, is a teaching method used to scaffold learning. With the use of SOLO Taxonomy, educators can design learning experiences that require students to think deeper about learning outcomes, and in turn, they can track their progress as their understanding of a concept gains complexity. SOLO is broken into five levels, which range from incompetence, or “prestructural,” to expertise, or “extended abstract.”
Jo Bailey (@LovePhyEd), a physical educator in Wausau, Wisconsin, uses SOLO Taxonomy in her middle school and high school physical education classes. She frequently shares SOLO examples from her classroom on Twitter. Her students track their progress through the SOLO levels by placing Post-its on thoughtfully-designed posters. Jo has shared her knowledge about using SOLO in #PhysEd, at the SHAPE America National Convention, NJAHPERD, WHPE, Oregon SHAPE, and the #PhysEdSummit. Her work has inspired me to explore SOLO further, starting by reading SOLO Taxonomy in Physical Education: Learning Through Movement Contexts (Books 1 and 2) by Pam Hook and Nicola Richards.
Summer Project #3: Generate a Slogan for the Year
I’ve been trying to think of a unifying and inspiring slogan for my classroom, something my students and I can refer to often, and something that resonates with middle schoolers. I want the slogan to become the reason we do things, the purpose of my class, the center of everything we do.
Everytime I hear a potential slogan (usually at a PE conference), I type it into my phone. I checked my list a couple of weeks ago and the ideas I’ve saved so far just aren’t going to work. They are too corny. I’m surprised I even saved them. Kevin Tiller (@physedreview), an elementary physical education teacher in Andover, Massachusetts, took the slogan idea to another level this year. Kevin is a Star Wars fanatic, and he decided to create a Star Wars Gym! You can learn more about it here.
I’m a huge fan of Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe), a midfielder/winger for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team and Seattle Reign FC. I enjoy watching her play soccer, but value and appreciate her advocacy and philanthropic work even more. Megan, who is a gay female athlete, is an advocate for equality for all people. She works with organizations like GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), the Human Rights Campaign, and the LA Gay & Lesbian Center.
I recently discovered that Megan and her twin, Rachael, started a company, Rapinoe SC, with a really compelling slogan: Be Your Best You. The site says: We care about people, of all ages, genders and backgrounds. We want to help everyone reach their full potential in their personal exploration of what it means to be your best you.
Be Your Best You. Isn’t that what we want for our #PhysEd students?
Wait a second. I think Summer Project #3 is done.
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Love your ideas. I’ve been thinking about a theme for this year as well. I don’t usually, because I have 2 schools and they don’t generally use the same theme. But this year I think I’ve decided on one that means a lot to me right now. “Be Your Own Hero” The long version is “Sometimes you have to be your own Superhero”. I like the message this expresses. There comes a time when you have to dig deep and do things because you know you can do them. Self confidence is one of the most important things we can teach our students; and ourselves.