Characteristics of Middle School Students

Knowing who you are teaching is half the battle in being successful. If you cannot or do not know how to relate to your students they will not connect with you. From my experience, and think back on your own, the best teaching and learning experiences I had were with those teachers that related to me and took an interest in what I was doing.


Pick five characteristics of middle school students that you have seen throughout your module experience. How did these affect you as a teacher? How can you use these characteristics to your advantage as a teacher? Do you think these characteristics differ between all 3 middle school grade levels (6th, 7th, 8th)? 

Liability Case

Liability Case

Check out the above case. What has to be present in order for any teacher to be deemed negligent? Specifically in regard to this case, why was the teacher deemed negligent?  Give three defenses you could use to protect yourself in a court of law.

Teaching behaviors

From the list of pre-assessment definitions, pick four that you believe are the most important as a teacher.  Define them and then detail why you believe they're important. What experience have you had in using them? How would you like to integrate them into your teaching more?

Teaching Styles

Reciprocal, self-check, and practice styles of teaching are just a few that are useful as a middle school teacher. Give two characteristics of each, and then give an example of how you would use one of them.


Have you been able to integrate any of these into your lessons? Why is it useful to be able to teach in all styles?

"The New P.E.?"

Grading on Personal Best

Check out the above article. How do you feel about this way of grading? How do you feel about this curriculum?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a curriculum like this? Please cite specific examples from the article to support your answer.

Music

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. -Berthold Auerbach

Music can be a means of entertainment, therapy, relaxation, and many other things. What does it do for you, if anything? What's your favorite music to listen to and how has this changed since you were younger?

I love music and it does many things for me. Releasing frustration, entertainment, and connection to memories are three of the biggest things for me personally. In middle school I listened to some rap (Juvenile), but also started listening to more rock and metal. Rap was easy to listen to because it was everywhere and mostly everyone liked it. I also had an affinity for blues and classic rock because of my dad, like Stevie Ray Vaughn, B.B. King, Led Zeppelin, etc. I can truly appreciate all types of music but mostly listen to metal.

One very special thing music does for me is connect me to memories. I'm sure you can all think of a song and it reminds you of a time, place, or person you were with. I love this about music. Two very special songs remind me of a friend I grew up with who passed away this summer. We both enjoyed riding our motorcycles, and unfortunately he passed doing something he absolutely loved. The first song is "Rose of Sharyn" by Killswitch Engage, and the second is "In This River" by Black Label Society. Those two songs will forever remind me of Ricky and mean a lot to me.

To the right is a picture of when we were in middle school. Ricky's in the back left next to Kyle. To the bottom left is Caitlin, Ricky's sister and also one of my best friends, making a sweet face.

In This River  <-- check out one of the songs.

 

Guitar God, Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society.

Curriculum

We discussed it just a little bit in class today, but I'm wondering what everyone thinks personally. Take some time to think about your Physical Education philosophy. Do you think yours is more with getting children active or more on the sports concepts and making them more efficient movers? Do you agree or disagree with standardized fitness testing at the middle school level?

  

    

This is one of the fitness tests that some schools use.

Units you're unfamliar with...

Many of you have been teaching units you've been unfamiliar with. What have you learned about teaching these units? What is important in order for your lesson to succeed, and for your students to succeed as well? What tips/tricks have you learned? Please give examples of the successes and non-successes you've been facing.


If you're teaching a unit you are familiar with...think back to when you have taught something you're not skilled in, or imagine trying to teach a unit that is foreign to you. 

For my practicum I had to teach golf to high school students. Unfortunately, I'm not the best golfer. Being an ice hockey, field hockey, and softball player, I swing the club like a stick/bat. I'm sure you can imagine my demonstrations! There are a few KEY things you can do as an educator to get through this, and become a much better teacher with a wide range of knowledge. I'll let you write about it and not hint anymore :)

Fitness for 6-12 year olds...

Fitness for children ages 6-12

The above link is to an article discussing fitness for children ages 6-12. With these ages including middle school students, do you agree with the article? How does P.E. fit into this picture? What suggestions does this article give that you can take away as a Physical Educator?

First week of teaching...

Well, your first week of teaching is done!

How do you feel your teaching went? Were the middle school students what you expected? What characteristics did they display that we discussed in class? Any funny moments? What can you do in your lesson planning to make it more enjoyable for this age group?

*If you've already made an entry on your teaching this week, that's okay, just edit it to make sure you answer these questions as well*

Increased injuries in PE

Article on PE

Check out this article that I found on MSNBC.  What are your initial reactions to it? Why do you think injuiries have increased? What does this mean to you?

Inspirations

Please describe a role model in education or coaching that has been inspirational to you. Going off of class today, are there any teaching behaviors they really set forward? What do you want to take from them and use as being your own teacher/coach?

 To the left is a picture of my fast pitch softball coach Joe Cataldo. He brought an expertise to the game

that made me and my teammates really respect him. His experience playing semi-pro ball and his enthusiasm not only for our performance but for the game is something that always stuck with me. As a coach now, I try to teach my girls fundamentals and always be extremely excited about their progress and our team as a whole.

To the right is my travel hockey team. Down at the bottom of the picture is my coach Ovila Vautour. He also played hockey up in Canada and knew the game very well. More than that, he coached with his heart and really cared about all of his players. When we didn't want to play well for ourselves, we played well for him. I strive to have that bond with my athletes as well.

Post of your choice...

For your fourth entry, it may be one of your choice, OR, you may respond to the quote below.

"The best teacher is one who suggests, rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself." - Edward Bulwer-Lytton

1) What does this quote mean?
2) Do you agree/disagree?
3) Can you relate to this, not only as a student, but also as a teacher?


If you choose to do an entry of your own, it may be on anything you'd like, as long as it is appropriate, thoughtful, and covers something substantial.

Peer Teaching

How do you feel your peer teaching episode went?
What did you learn from your own lesson, and what did you learn from others?
  Who do you feel exhibited good teaching behaviors?
What teaching behaviors are looking to focus on going into teaching next week?

Here are some pictures of the kids that are in the camp I direct during the summer. They have helped me become a much better teacher by always challenging me to think outside the box and come up with creative ideas.

Week 2 - Blog Entry 1: "Speaking his mind, or crossing the line?"

Last night on MTV was the Video Music Awards (VMAs). How do you feel about Kanye interupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech?  Was he exercising his right to freedom of speech or did he cross the line? Was it Beyonce's place to give up her award speech for Taylor?

How do you feel about MTV in general? Do you think they provide us with a needed service? As a teacher for middle school students, how do you think they view MTV?

**If you missed what happened here is a link!**

Kanye interrupting Taylor


Beyonce letting Taylor have her moment

Your First Entry

Welcome to blogspot everyone! I will be posting all of the topics here, as well as entries of my own. Feel free to elaborate on all of your posts as much as you would like, but also be sure to fully answer the question. 

So, for your first entry, please write about what you were like as a middle school student! Did you enjoy middle school? What was your PE program like? As a new teacher, what is your view on middle school students? Have you had any experience with this age level teaching, coaching, or with siblings? What are your expectations of this module? 

**Don't forget to post pictures with each entry!**

Above is a picture from when I was in middle school. I was putting my younger brother, Ian, into a devastating headlock. At this point I thought I was a "cool older sister" and liked to harrass him. Today he's my best friend but I do sometimes feel bad for all the things I put him through!