The following information is based on the observations made in a Physical Education class composed of 8th grade level students. The focus of the lesson was to improve the basketball shooting and passing skills of the students, and to develop communication skills while facilitating collaboration within a small group of peers. This lesson meets California Standard and Performance Outcome 1. 1: Combine and apply movement patterns, simple to complex, in aquatic, rhythms/dance, and individual and dual activities. (California Content Standards, Retrieved from http://www. cde. ca.
gov/be/st/ss/) The introduction to this lesson lacked a passion or engaging quality when delivered by the teacher. Class began after their warm up exercises were complete, and the teacher simply pulled out a trash can full of basketballs and explained that the students would be practicing shooting and passing the basketballs in small teams. A more interesting tactic may have been to start class with interactive dialogue and have the student’s name some abilities that they associate with a basketball game, and then ask for a volunteer group to demonstrate some of those skills.
The teacher successfully avoided chaos by not attempting to initiate a complex count off system to organize the students into teams which they would likely forget or choose to ignore once the activities began. The teacher allowed the class a few minutes to organize themselves into teams consisting of at least 5, and at maximum 10 other people. The students were receptive to the option of being able to choose their peer group, and the less athletically skilled students enjoyed a higher level of comfort when practicing amongst friends of similar competency levels.
The teacher demonstrated the Lesson Observation Report 3 passing and shooting drills that they were to begin their practice with, and then made his rounds to all of the groups to give advice, complement progress, and assign new drills upon successful mastery of the previous set. This system worked well, and by placing the students into small groups the teacher was able to observe the individuals and their particular achievements and setbacks.
Instead of expecting each student to start and progress at the same level, he allowed the students to work at their own pace in a comfortable and motivating environment. The lesson met the objectives and as the students began to improve their skills they were able to give direction and model the activity with one another. Classroom management is a key element to any successful classroom unit, but can be even more challenging in the outdoor setting of Physical Education. The students in this class were kept in line by a strict teacher that ran his class on a fixed schedule.
The students understand they are expected to be seated on their number when the teacher is standing in front of them, everyone then participates in warm up exercises, and then the students listen to the instruction of the day’s activities. Discipline is enforced and anyone that chooses not to dress or act out in disruptive fashion are either given a harshly dull and lengthy alternate assignment or are sent out of the class, depending on the severity of the situation. Physical Education should be an enjoyable and non-stressful environment for the students.
That being said, patience is an essential component to the instruction of physical activity since every individual has differing skill sets and knowledge as it relates to the sports world. Lesson Observation Report 4 The observation of teaching style and lesson implementation is imperative to the process of professional growth. Although the lesson started out on shaky grounds in manner of presentation, appearing dull and uninteresting to the students, it was a success by measure of student engagement and motivation.
The eighth grade is generally an awkward time in a child’s life, which necessitates the need for the teacher to work with a greater level of tact, tolerance, understanding, and persistence. Every student walked away from this lesson with a better understanding and grasp of a basketball game, and was able to shoot and pass a ball with a greater comparative level of skill then they had previously exhibited.
References California State Board of Education (2008). California Physical Education Standards and Performance Outcomes. Retrieved January 5, 2009, from http://www. cde. ca. gov/be/st/ss/