Strategies for PE At-Home Learning [Interactive]

This podcast focuses on three strategies for delivering content for #HPEathome: links, written instruction, and self made videos.

[0:03] Wow. These last few weeks have been pretty crazy, huh? I have some strategies that I think will help as you prepare your lessons for students online.

[0:37] By the time you listen to this, you know what COVID-19, flatten the curve, social distancing, and hopefully hashtag HPEatHome. All of these are relatively new terms in our vocabulary and I think that we all are familiar with them, but I think we have to take a step back as we start preparing our lessons and for online PE and Keep some general strategies in mind.

Keep PE Lessons Simple

[1:04] The first thing is keep it simple. You cannot replace you, in front of students in a gymnasium with equipment or in your teaching space, you can’t do that. And I think we have to take a step back and realize that’s not what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to reach out to students, we’re trying to engage students, we’re trying to show them ways to be active, physically educate them, but in a little different manner now, and I think we have to step back with that and realize it’s not going to be perfect work. It’s a lesson learning and progress and I think it’s important to relay that message to students that this is what learning is all about. Sometimes it might be a little uncomfortable, but we’ll all get there and relaying that message, I think is important.

Resources for Link Sharing During COVID-19

[1:44] So how do you present this information? I’m the first to let you know that I think every district is going to be different. I’ve been around several districts in the last three weeks that have been involved in this and they’re all doing things differently. So I know you’ll get some support from that, but I think there is Kind of three ways that we can provide this information. The first off is providing students links. YouTube has links. There are – again if you’re not on Twitter, I would get on Twitter and go to HPEatHome. There are – #HPEatHome. There are tons of resources out there too many resources if I’m if I’m honest, I think there’s an over-saturated the environment, but they’re out there and you can provide links to those Dynamic PE ASAP is pretty simple to get to. It’s a website from Gopher DynamicPEASAP.com. on that website, in addition to the lesson plans, there are a lot of videos. 75 plus videos of teachers leading students through activities and many of the activities can be done alone and without equipment. So that’d be a great resource for you to use.

Advice for Written Packets

[2:49] Many of you are providing information to students through written packets. I think if with those written packets, I think we have to keep it simple and assume that students are going to direct themselves. Not going to have parents there. I think that simplifies things and helps provide one target for us. So if you’re doing something with a yarn ball, you can encourage students to either use a sock or a wadded up piece of paper, whatever they’re using whatever you want them to use, but be flexible with that and provide simple things like show me how many different ways you can toss and catch the soccer ball. That’s it, maybe provide a few cues that they can remember but it’s as simple as that if you’re doing dance, have them invent a dance and have them do it and eight counts or some of the terms that you’ve used in Physical Education. I’m not sure I would use this time to introduce new content. I think I would review especially some of the content that maybe you haven’t had a chance to get to as much, but I think it’s a nice way to introduce content and just review their material.

Create Video for Students!

[3:49] The last thing I want to say is with creating some videos assuming your students have video access, that you create yourself that it’s your face, or create characters. If you Go to Mr. Nobles Fitness World on YouTube. He has created all kinds of characters. They’re all cousins and brothers and uncles and a variety of characters that he takes through to students through physical activities and the students love it. His students know him. They know this is who it is, but they love to see it. He’s getting all kinds of feedback from his parents right now and I think that’s a great way to do that is make it yours and make it specific to your school because I think that helps with buy in from students.

[4:31] So as we head through this uncharted territory, I wish you nothing but the best. I know students are in great hands with you and I just encourage you to share your ideas of how you’re communicating with your students making lesson plans and creating online physical education materials. THRIVE!