6 minute read
Professional Development
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT UPDATES SHAPE AMERICA CONFERENCE
// By Tiffany Lippoldt, Middle School Physical
Education Instructor I would consider my trip to Nashville an overall success. I got more game/ activity ideas for Middle School students, met other P.E. teachers from Wichita as well as from all over the U.S., and reconnected with some teachers I haven’t seen in a long time. I also came away with some new equipment ideas. I wanted to learn about new large group games for when boys’ and girls’ classes combine. From the sessions I attended, I learned four-corner capture the flag and rock, paper, scissor baseball. Our students love playing capture the flag so I was excited to learn of a different version. The four corners variation provides more movement and opportunities for teamwork and strategy, as there are twice as many teams. I also like that the game is very modifiable, being able to change offense, defense, objects, and the goal of the game. Rock, paper, scissor baseball is an activity I can incorporate into students’ laps or as an activity by itself. I saw a ton of other great elementary-age activities and hope to modify them for Middle School.
I went to two other sessions and am excited to bring them to WCS – double-dutch and drumfit – most likely activities our students have never tried before. I hadn’t thought of doing double-dutch with my girls, but I enjoyed doing the exercises and think that the girls will, too! Drumfit is a dance and drumming workout using an exercise ball and drumsticks – an activity I think all ages would enjoy! Another idea I LOVE is something called “Train a Teacher.” I would do this just with my 8th grade girls, but they would get the opportunity to train a teacher at WCS. The teachers and students wouldn’t know who they were working with until the end, and so would communicate through me and through surveys and questionnaires. This project is hands-on and requires the girls to apply their knowledge of fitness and exercise to create a workout regimen for their teachers and to make modifications as needed.
There were also some great tips, tricks, and pieces of equipment I learned about. One tip with push-ups is to have kids do “kipping” push-ups to help them feel more success while still working on building arm strength. Push-ups are an exercise that a lot of students and athletes struggle with, so I am excited to show them this variation. I also learned of an app that students could download onto their computers to make posters to advertise things but also to create workout regimens to send to their teacher during “Train a Teacher.” I saw an agenda for students to use for all of their classes that also allowed them space to write down other things related to health and fitness, such as food choices and a mini workout log. They could bring the agenda to P.E. class and jot down notes and ideas regarding their health and fitness goals/needs. While at the conference, I purchased FloorMarx – a new, improved way to mark the gym floor without the need of a bunch of floor tape and cones. It’s like a dry-erase marker for the gym floor. I am excited to try this! I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to go to such a big conference and see so many great physical educators. Thank you to the Ford Foundation for allowing me this amazing opportunity, as it will positively affect me and my students and classes. I look forward to putting these activities and ideas into action this year or next.
// By Kathy Wagner, Early Childhood Physical Education
Instructor Attending the national SHAPE AMERICA conference in Nashville, Tennessee, was a rewarding experience for me. I went with the idea of focusing on physical activities and games for Early Childhood students in a physical education setting. Although I was able to do this to some extent, the sessions did not pertain as much to the very young child as I would have hoped. Therefore, I had to slightly change my focus. This turned out to be a positive change, however, as I came away with more ideas that I could share with Early Childhood classroom teachers, aides, and playground supervisors. The term physical literacy was in use at many of the sessions I attended. This is a way in which teachers (including physical education teachers) can implement reading, writing, phonics, letter/number/color recognition, math skills, and any other desired academic content into a classroom setting or gymnasium using physical activity as a means of reinforcing the information. There were some excellent sessions on this topic that used inexpensive equipment as well as some technology. With current research showing the benefits of physical activity partnered with academic content, I think the information I came away with can be quite helpful to my colleagues. I plan to share it with them. Along with the inclusion of physical activity with academic content, brain breaks in the classroom remained a big focus of session presenters. Ways to get children up and moving periodically during class are good to rejuvenate them and get them back on task. I even went to one session where the presenter had simple dances that children did behind their desks or in an open classroom space. It was fun! One of the highlights of any convention is the exhibit hall. This area showcases new equipment and materials and lets attendees view, up close, much of the equipment that presenters are using in their sessions. I enjoyed this very much, as I am always looking for new and fun equipment. I visited with vendors about creative nature-based playground markings for our outdoor play space and also had the chance to visit with the national American Heart Association representatives about upcoming changes in CPR requirements that will directly affect our trainings at Wichita Collegiate School. The best part of any convention, in my opinion, is how much I learn from other teachers attending the convention. The opportunity to network and share information and resources with other people from around the country is invaluable. Teachers are so creative and resourceful and when you sit next to someone at a session and listen to them share how they do a game or activity, or how they would vary or adapt the activity being presented, it is extremely beneficial. I almost always come away from a workshop with a new idea from someone I visited with at a session.
Outside of convention hours, I enjoyed listening to the music in Nashville, the highlight being Tony Bennett at the Ryman Auditorium, home of the original Grand Ole Opry. The man is timeless!!
My sincerest thanks to the committee for selecting me as a recipient for the Ford Foundation Grant. I appreciate the opportunity to expand my knowledge and bring back new ideas and information to my students and colleagues. Lynn DeVries is retiring for the second time and moving to Idaho with her family. Lynn has served as the 6th grade English teacher for the past six years. She has been instrumental in implementing writing across the curriculum and coordinating our annual Spelling Bee. She is a masterful and creative teacher who designs the perfect lessons to help her students learn to write. She even wrote a book for 6th grade English with structured exercises to help her students learn different types of writing from short stories to newspaper articles to literary analyses. When you watch Lynn teach, you know you are watching a master teacher. Her lessons are unique, fun, and rigorous, and she is in tune with how her students are responding. She knows just what to do to help a student who may be struggling. We wish Lynn the best in her retirement and hopes she comes back and visit us when she is in town.
