Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Child Abuse

During our training with Sister Harriet we learned a tremendous amount of important information regarding child abuse. One important fact we learned was that a victim of abuse is often abused by someone they know and trust. In the movies we watched, the children all knew their abuser and had trusted them at one point in their lives. The men we saw who were accused abusers also knew their victims very well. This fact is very important to remember, especially when working in a school. Although we might think that the students all trust their teachers, if we see something funny going on it is important to act on our gut feeling. The video we watched gave us several steps to follow if we think a student may be getting abused. The first thing to do would to confront the suspected abuser about the situation. If things don't change, we would want to call the abuse hotline and NOT the police. By calling the hotline your identity is protected. The hotline would then take the appropriate steps to call social services, the police, etc. We need to remember that it is better than to take action rather than wait and see what happens. A child may need our help. Child abuse cases keep coming up in the news today so learning more about it was very helpful. For example, both Syracuse University and Penn St. had cases in their athletic departments with reports of athletes and ball boys being abused. The main concern of all abuse cases is the safety of the children. We want to protect the kids in the school and never put them in harms way. It is important to remember that child abuse does happen but we can take actions to stop it.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Lab 1

Our first lab at St. Mary's was an observation lab. We watched the students participate in different games while observing their motor and social behaviors. Most of the students in the program were fairly young. To get the student's attention the instructor had to speak clearly and with a loud voice. A trick go get the focus of the students is to have them face the wall or corner so they aren't looking out towards the rest of the kids in the gym. It is also important to get on the student's level so squatting down may be necessary. Young kids don't have a very long attention span so it is important to have them participate in several activities. They were more successful at an activity when they didn't have to stay on it very long. The kids were also a lot more motivated to play when they liked an activity. If the instructor relates the activity to a TV show or a book that the students may know they become more interested. Having the chance to observe the students proved to be very beneficial because now we know what works and what doesn't with the students.

Check out my Lab 1write up!


Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Learning Through the Physical

  What exactly does learning through the physical mean? Well the meaning is just what you would expect. A goal of physical education is to educate students by practicing physical activity of movement. The goal of learning-through-movement is "based on the fact that effective physical education can positively influence both the cognitive and affective development of children. This goal is especially important in the education of young children because it can impact their choices later in life. Students are introduced to an active way of living when they learn through the physical.

  Affective growth is learning that increases the ability of children to act, interact, and react effectively with other people as well as with themselves. Physical activity very much impacts affective growth within an individual. A child who plays sports and is physically active is going to think of themselves very differently than a child who sits at home and watches TV everyday after school. The child moving around is most likely going to have more self-confidence and more self-control. They will know how to deal with others, how to become a leader, and be more open to other experiences. Physical activity plays a major role in enhancing one's affective growth.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

First Day Thoughts

After the first day of PED 201 I was very excited for the course. I think this class is going to be very helpful in preparing every student for the future. Our assignment for the first day was, in simple terms, to get online. The first part of the assignment was to create a GMail account. Next step was to use the new email account to create a blog. To activate the account we had to make our first two posts. After that, we had to get connected with social media websites like Twitter and Facebook. Getting online is a great way to share your experiences and build relationships with other people. The blogs are going to help showcase the best features of each person. Through the blogs you can post pictures or share your experiences, thoughts, and ideas with others. Blogging helps build your character and keeps you up to date. I think being online is going to help everyone become a better educator in the future.

Welcome to the Blogging World!

I've always thought about blogging so I was very excited to learn we had to create a blog account for PED 201. I think blogging is a great way for people to share information, pictures, experiences with others. It is also great for making connections with others that may be beneficial in the future.

This past winter break I had arthroscopic knee surgery. Due to the surgery I spent a lot of time on my couch elevating and icing my knee. When I finally starting walking again I started my physical therapy. It's amazing how your muscles disappear after surgery. After the first day of therapy I learned I had a long road of hard work ahead of me. I went to therapy about three times a week and worked very hard to get back in shape. Although I am still working on getting my muscles back to the strength they were before surgery, I came a long way. My surgery story is one I could tell future students. Everything in life takes a little effort and hard work if you want to become successful. I wouldn't be back in shape right now if I didn't go to my therapy sessions and push myself to get better. It is important for kids to not get down on themselves if they can't get something the first time or mess up. By working hard and striving to become better they can achieve anything.