No Excuses! - A Documentary about Quality Physical Education
QUALITY PHYSICAL EDUCATION ADVOCACY
EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES
TEACHER RESOURCES
Class Management Guidelines
- 1.1.1 The teacher systematically plans for, develops and maintains a positive learning environment that allows students to feel safe (physically and emotionally), supported and unafraid to make mistakes.
- 1.1.2 The environment is supportive of all students and promotes developing a positive self-concept. Students are allowed to try, to fail, and to try again, free of criticism or harassment from the teacher or other students.
- 1.1.3 Programs are designed to guide students to take responsibility for their own behavior and learning. Emphasis is on intrinsic, rather than extrinsic, incentives.
- 1.1.4 Fair and consistent classroom-management practices encourage student responsibility for positive behavior. Students are included in the process of developing class rules/agreements.
- Teaching Children Physical Education: Becoming a Master Teacher. Graham, G. (2008).
- Children Moving: A Reflective Approach to Teaching Physical Education. Graham, G., Holt/Hale, S., & Parker, M. (2007).
- Teaching Secondary Physical Education: Preparing Adolescents to Be Active for Life. Himberg, C., Hutchinson, G., & Roussell, J. (2003).
Positive Discipline Approaches
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THINGS TO CONSIDER - "THE HIDDEN STUDENT"
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1. Students' brain development affects their decision making. See these articles: Adolescent Angst: 5 Facts About the Teen Brain, Contagious Emotions and Responding to Stress, and OMG, I Can't Even: Drama, Social Skills, and the Teenage Brain.
2. There are many outside factors that affect student behavior. The image to the left represents issues that my former students were dealing with (8th graders). After discussing issues in my personal life and my family history, students were given time to write down issues that they or someone they knew were going through. Their responses were then categorized and entered in Wordle. This activity was personal to the class and allowed students to recognize the many issues their peers face. Read Assumptions - My Health, My Family, and Your Students by Kevin Shephard for more information. Also read these articles: Compassion as a Classroom Management Tool and WHAT If by April Baugh. |
Guidelines for Establishing Class Rules
- Student Centered – Facilitate the creation of the rules with students in the beginning of the semester. Ask them what they want and what they consider to be fair. You will generally end up with the same rules that you would make, however this method allows students take ownership of the rules. One creative way is to conduct an "Us/Not Us" list. Have the students come up with characteristics that want in the "Us" column and characteristics they don't want in the "Not Us" column.
- Positive – State the behaviors you want to see in your students, rather than what you don't want to see. Saying “Don’t do X” does not tell the student what the appropriate behavior is.
- Give the "Why" – Explain the reasons behind each rule so that students understand why they are important.
- Limited – Instead of making a long list of rules, make the rules comprehensive. “Be respectful” is a great example. Think of how many rules can be covered in this one statement. Some other examples include: Be helpful to others; Be positive to others; Be responsible; Be honest; Resolve conflicts immediately; and Give 100% effort. Find a list of other important virtues at Edutopia, 52virtues.com, and Values.com.
- Clear – Identify behaviors that are representative of each rule. See our example for sportspersonship below.
EXAMPLE OF CLEAR EXPECTATIONS - WHAT BEHAVIORS ARE INCLUDED IN SPORTSPERSONSHIP?
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GUIDELINES FOR DISCIPLINARY ACTION (IF NEEDED)
- Be fair and consistent with all students (see this entertaining video on how students perceive fairness); although there are times when exceptions should be made.
- Follow through with what you say.
- Stay calm (tone of voice, body language, etc.) and address the behavior, not the person.
- Allow students to take a time out to reflect. They can return when they: are ready, have completed a task, have spoken with the teachers, etc.
- Be cautious of embarrassing or spotlighting students.
- Don't just focus on the negative, reinforce the positive behaviors you see in the student.
DO NOT use physical activity as punishment. This may cause the student to have a negative association of physical activity.
Resources on Mindfulness
Overview of Class Routines and Protocols
Establishing effective class routines maximizes time for practice opportunities and physical activity (and can by learned through physical activity and scavenger hunts). Practicing protocols early and revisiting throughout the year will increase the efficiency of your lessons (this can be done through activity). You can also take pictures of students performing the protocols and put them on posters for visual reminders. Below are some examples of protocols.
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Roles for Non-Participants
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guidelines and examples for Stop/Start Signals
Using stop/start signals is an effective management technique that quickly draws the students’ attention to the teacher (rather than “listen up” or “be quiet”).
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Guidelines
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Examples
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Additional Resources
Teaching common class formations
Teaching common classroom organization formations: Teach your students the common student formations that you use in your lessons. Once learned, this technique will speed up transitions for the rest of the school year. Use the examples we provided or create your own!
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Overview - videos Highlighting Class Management Techniques
Below are videos filmed from one lesson that highlight various class management techniques (the lesson's focus was reviewing activities for an upcoming field day). It is important to note that these videos were filmed towards the end of the school year, showing that management instruction is an ongoing practice and not just a one shot deal in the beginning of the year. Strategies that are highlighted include:
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Strategies that are not highlighted in the videos but were observed during the lesson include: addressing the behavior rather than the student, emphasizing safety for each task, using both genders for demonstrations, and more. Thank you to Rolando Davila and to the students at Madison Elementary for helping us create these videos.
videos - Entering the Class and the Introduction
These videos highlight the following strategies: having an instant activity routine as the students enter class, explaining the lesson's objectives, and thanking students for on-task behaviors.
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VIDEOS - TASK PRESENTATION AND TIEBREAKERS
These videos highlight the following strategies: using students to demonstrate tasks, giving clear instructions and examples, recognizing students for on-task behavior, and establishing protocols for tiebreakers.
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VIDEOS - Stop/Start Signals and Smooth Transitions
These videos highlight the following strategies: using stop/start signals, forming groups, using countdowns, and recognizing students for on-task behavior.
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VIDEOS - Holding Students Accountable and Giving Them Responsibility
These videos highlight the following strategies: holding students accountable and giving students responsibility.
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Additional Resources and Articles
My PHILOSOPHY ON CLASS MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP - KEVIN SHEPHARD
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"I have had a variety of leadership positions in my life (restaurant manager/owner, NCO in the Marine Corps, teacher, etc.) and I have found that people will do what you ask for a variety of reasons: they respect you, they like you, they fear being held accountable, and for intrinsic reasons. Each person is different and responds more positively for some of these reasons than others. If you address each of these areas, you should be able to reach all of your students and maximize your class management while minimizing the amount of time spent on it." The table to the right includes ways that you can address each of these areas in a teaching role
Extrinsic rewards also influence student behavior but should only be used sparingly and should be personal to your students). |
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