I watched the greatest video of two physical education teachers (@MrHairPhysEd @andyvasily) explaining how they unpack invasion games. What? Unpacking? I had no idea they had even moved! This made me really question my pedagogy.  Am I going deep enough for my students?  How is my teaching the most efficient?  Are students really understanding concepts and the skills that I am teaching them?  Come with me as I explore my pedagogy and identify where I can improve my teaching.

The first term we hear about is Game Based Learning.  “Game based learning describes an approach to teaching, where students explore relevant aspect of games in a learning context designed by teachers. Teachers and students collaborate in order to add depth and perspective to the experience of playing the game.” (source)  My students do explore aspects of games that I design in a learning context.  I use small sided games to keep the action moving and give the opportunity for as many students as possible to be engaged and empowered.  Students play the games I design and then we stop so the students can improve the game that I have created. We then play this new game that has taken a direction that I may not have anticipated but I am still comfortable with the knowledge that we are mastering a grade level outcome that was predetermined.

Do I gamefy my class? Is my class set up for gamification?  No.  “While similar, to game based learning, gamification is a different breed of learning experience. Gamification takes game elements (such as points, badges, leaderboards, competition, achievements) and applies them to a non-game setting. It has the potential to turn routine, mundane tasks into refreshing, motivating experiences.” (source)  I do not care about competition, badges, leaderboards or any other type of external motivations in my class. My sales pitch to the students is simple.  Physical literacy and nutrition are the basic building blocks of happiness. If we can master moving and eating, our lives happiness is just the blink of an eye away.  Every dimension of wellness and Gardner’s intelligences can be enhanced by physical literacy and nutrition.

So does my pedagogy include Inquiry Based Learning?  “Inquiry” is defined as “a seeking for truth, information, or knowledge — seeking information by questioning.” Individuals carry on the process of inquiry from the time they are born until they die. This is true even though they might not reflect upon the process. Infants begin to make sense of the world by inquiring. From birth, babies observe faces that come near, they grasp objects, they put things in their mouths, and they turn toward voices. The process of inquiring begins with gathering information and data through applying the human senses — seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling.” (source) Yes. Yes I do. I don’t do it because I was taught that way or I fully understand what Inquiry Based Learning is.  I do it because children have a natural desire to explore.  My first real planned foray into IBL was when I asked the students to help me figure out how to efficiently switch my jump rope from backwards to forward when I turned 180 degrees. I could see the wheels turning! Little did they know that @PE4Life_Spencer has the greatest jump rope videos that show 27 different videos on how to jump rope!

“Inquiry is an umbrella term that covers a number of other approaches to teaching and learning. Teaching practices that utilize a disposition of inquiry learning include:

problem-based learning: learning that starts with an ill-structured problem or case-studyproject-based learning: students create a project or presentation as a demonstration of their understanding

design-based learning: learning through the working design of a solution to a complex problem”

I need to really to reflect on my pedagogy and decide how I can change to make me an even more effective teacher.  I am not well versed  enough in TGFU, Solo Taxonomy, Inquiry Based Learning, Primary Years Program, or any other specific pedagogy of teaching.  I do know that this summer I will be well enough versed to change the way I teach to become a more efficient and effective teacher.

Nick Spencer shared a great resource for Physical Education teachers to really reflect on their pedagogy.

Q1. What style of teaching do you use? #slowchatpe

Q2. Did college teach you pedagogy? If so what did they teach? #slowchatpe

Q3. What would make you change your pedagogy? #slowchatpe

Q4. Have you ever taught against the way you thought best? Y? #slowchatpe

Q5. What are some resources that people can use to find new pedagogy resources? #slowchatpe