Author: Myles Baldwin

Lessons Learned from Teaching PE in a Pandemic (A Follow Up)

(2 Minute Read)

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Without a doubt, physical education has had a tough go, just like every aspect of life within the past 18 months. While the school year lent itself to many challenges, there are two big takeaways from this past everchanging school year that I will use to improve my teaching practice as education returns to normal, hopefully very quickly…

(1) Student Choice Was Key
Whether it was full virtual instruction, hybrid, or full in-person instruction the best adjustment I could’ve made to our classes was giving students the choice of which workout they could do. As local restrictions heavily limited what we could do in class; the bulk of activity in PE classes was bodyweight exercises. Students definitely missed the cooperative games along with competition and made no reservations letting me know that. In order to create some buy-in to the class activities, I went to a choice model (Shawley, 2014). While fully online Students could choose between workout A or workout B for each day of the week, upon returning to the building, when the entire class was completing the same Bodyweight workout, I would give students 4-5 slots to perform an exercise of their choice. This allowed students some individual freedom that they weren’t really able to have throughout the full virtual or even hybrid experience.

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Using PE to Find the Highlight of the Day

(2 Minute Read)

Dependent on the world around us, the new school year has been extremely different and challenging for all involved. We all know this. PE at many schools looks very different, my program included.

My instructional setting was fully online for the first quarter and has since shifted to an A/B in-person every other day hybrid model. With that, we only see our students twice a week in person. It’s been a trying process to create a PE program that is fun and effective for all students regardless of their living situations. It’s also been a constant battle with the at school restrictions, notably, trying to build effective and comprehensive activities while students are masked and cannot dress down with the locker rooms off-limits.

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Journal Writing in the Weight Room

(2 Minute Read)

The first objective I set for my weight training classes this year was to establish a routine. One thing that has helped my students and myself get into a great routine was the use of journal writing. The moment they walked into the weight room, we allocate five minutes for journal writing, followed by a warmup and lifting session. Each day I would provide them with a simple prompt, usually regarding motivation or current sporting events. My only requirement was that they write two complete sentences on the topic using their English, Language Arts (ELA) tools. The daily activity of journaling in the weight room provided key benefits for our program, which includes the building of relationships, goal setting, and the growth of writing skills.

Building Relationships: Being the first year at my current school it was imperative that I get to know my students. Reading their responses to my daily prompts afforded me the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of who they are and help me form a bond with my students.

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Lessons from My First Quarter as a PE Teacher

(2 Minute Read)

Landing my first job as a physical education teacher was a whirlwind and my first year on the job has been just as hectic. Since beginning my first physical education teacher position in August 2019, I have quickly learned a multitude of lessons in relation to my students and myself.  Here are five lessons I have learned in my first quarter.

1. Establish a positive rapport with your students by immersing yourself in both the school and the community. Be visible at school events and attend open houses, parent nights, etc. This gave me the opportunity to meet stakeholders while also getting a feel for the school and the culture of the community. Once I had a solid understanding of the culture within the school, it was so much easier to build relationships with my students and once I started getting to know my students, our PE program began to surpass my initial expectations.

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