Let’s agree that as physical educators, we strive to create and maintain environments where every K-12 student has opportunities to accumulate 60+ minutes of PA — structured and unstructured — daily. And, if the goal is to maximize movement on our school campuses, we know (at many locations) we have at least 6 good opportunities to accomplish that:

1. Before School
2. Physical Education (PE)
3. Recess
4. Lunch Break
5. PA Integration with non-PE subjects 
6. After School

This blog will focus on #5, because it has great potential for positive impact, yet I believe is vastly underutilized. 

Integration with Non-PE Subjects:  

Why didn’t I refer to this as integration with the core subjects? Because PE IS a core subject. During PE class, students engage in a standards-based curriculum with a prescribed scope and sequence — as they do in other core subjects. At each grade level, there are cognitive and physical skills they are expected to learn and be able to do — same as other core subjects. And during PE, students are assessed and earn grades, like any other subject in school. 

PE classes (particularly elementary) have been teaching and/or reinforcing concepts and methods native to other core subject classes for years. In fact, PE teachers have become quite expert at integrating math, literacy, science, social studies, and more, into their classes. 

And turnabout is fair play! I believe asking classroom teachers to infuse physical activity into their lessons is not only equivalent reciprocity, but it makes great sense educationally. Why? Many students are kinesthetic learners, thus, movement enhances their ability to learn. Classroom teachers can make their lessons more effective, efficacious, and enjoyable by getting their students physical activity during class. PA also helps students retain what they’re learning. Here are a few samples of academic integration in the SPARK curriculum.

Additionally, classroom teachers can get students moving more by incorporating Classroom ASAPs and Fast Breaks. These are short bouts of activity, not necessarily linked to a specific subject or learning concept, but meant to invigorate! Classroom ASAPs and Fast Breaks may be used to break up long blocks of math, language arts, etc., and spark the body and mind. After a good energizer, students heart rates are elevated, they’re thinking more clearly, and are once again, better prepared to learn. 

If we can get just 1/3 of our classroom teachers to incorporate more physical activity into their schedules the cumulative effect can be significant. Let’s say an elementary classroom teacher adds 5 more minutes of movement a day in the morning and again, the afternoon. Some of her/his students would accumulate another 10+ minutes of movement daily. That’s 50 minutes a week, 200 minutes a month and 1,200 minutes a school year. It adds up! 

Sounds good right? OK, I acknowledge it’s NOT easy to expand our role as physical educators and mentor our classroom teachers. But here are a few strategies/suggestions to help you “get the ball rolling.”

1. At a staff meeting, briefly talk about kinesthetic learners, then ask your colleagues how they incorporate physical activity in their lessons. Praise and shape their responses (in part, to ensure what they’re doing is developmentally appropriate) and add in your own supplements. 

2. Use this staff meeting or grade level meeting time to introduce or reinforce the concepts of integrating movement into a subject/lesson, and/or demo an energizer, and solicit signups from people interested in learning more and receiving resources. 

3. Offer to help those who expressed interest by teaching them quick and easy energizers they can do in class (teachers love plug and play, and/or activities students can lead (and SPARK has a lot of these for you.)

4. Ask your principal for a few minutes at future staff meetings to showcase a different integration or energizer, and/or have a meet up after school one day and do a mini-Inservice for interested teachers. 

5. Ask teachers who integrate PA into their lessons to show and tell their strategies. Debrief and ask everyone how she/he would apply the idea(s) in their own classes. 

You can do this! And everyone from students to staff will benefit. Plus, when physical educators take a leadership role, it helps all of us gain respect. Plus, it’s fun to be a resource person, and this really is not a big time commitment. 

Good luck! 

Follow Paul on Twitter: @paulrosengard

Here are a few excellent, research-based resources from SPARK to help you increase PA time on campus — and even away from school. 

SPARK Active Classroom Curriculum:

https://www.gophersport.com/curriculum/spark/spark-abcs-classroom-activity-and-recess-curriculum?item=152989

SPARK K-2 and 3-6 Curriculum:

https://www.gophersport.com/curriculum/spark/spark-k-2-physical-education-curriculum?item=164188

https://www.gophersport.com/curriculum/spark/spark-3-6-physical-education-curriculum?item=164189

What good ideas do YOU have for informing, encouraging, or mentoring classroom teachers? Let’s keep the conversation going!

The post Move More Please! – 5 Strategies appeared first on SPARK PE.

Let’s begin with a question, Do you want to be a really GREAT teacher for your students, parents and administration at your school?  If so, what does a great teacher look like and sound like? What does that mean in terms of your program, your content selection, and your instructional style? I believe truly great teachers have the following 5 “Human Resources” arrows in their quivers:

1. Preparation and Organization: 

We all know the value of this, yet many of us could benefit from a P and O tune up. Who’s the most organized teacher on your staff? How does he/she prepare the learning environment, units, and lessons? What protocols does the teacher establish at the beginning of the year and how does he/she reinforce them as the months go by? Does the teacher utilize technology to streamline and simplify roll taking, assessment, grading? Is it possible to observe him/her teach a lesson that showcases the teacher’s organization and planning? 

Gather information from this preparation/organization mentor.

2. Subject Matter Expertise: 

Physical educators must be exceptional instructors in a myriad of individual sports, team sports, track and field, dance, aquatics, martial arts, group fitness, just to name a few. Add to that a deep knowledge of the standards, and don’t forget to layer on a need to understand teaching progressions that extend skill basics like throwing and catching, to sophisticated games like cricket, football, ultimate, and more.

Could you benefit from learning how to teach Pilates, Functional Fitness, or intermediate Hip Hop? Taking classes is an obvious answer, but let’s try something a little different. Invite someone from your school family/community to teach a class(es) for your students in a subject area you’re not familiar with and/or comfortable teaching. Ask your guest instructor if you could videotape the class for review later and ask if she will watch it with you. Have an excused student point an iPad/videocamera (on a table or similar) at the teacher while YOU participate with your students. A good rule of thumb to enable fast learning of a kinesthetic subject is to:

1. Participate during a lesson just as a student would at least twice. 

2. Team-teach – you lead a couple segments you’re most competent with and assist the main instructor.

3. Team-teach – you lead most of the class and the expert assists you.

4. Watch yourself on videotape and solicit feedback from the mentor teacher. 

Gather information from this subject matter mentor.

3. Instructional Expertise: 

A great lesson plan in the hands of a mediocre teacher is likely a mediocre lesson. A mediocre lesson plan in the hands of a great teacher is very likely a great lesson. We all know that WHAT you teach is important, but HOW you teach it makes all the difference in terms of student engagement and learning. 

Who is that teacher(s) at your school that is consistently creative, empowering students, and incorporating useful technologies? Who might watch a videotape of your instruction and give you useful feedback? Personally, I believe the best thing any of us can do as teachers is to view a videotape of ourselves with a mentor and a good assessment tool to guide the process. My colleagues and I at SPARK wrote a number of these over the years, and they accompany SPARK programs Pre-K through High School and After School.

Gather information from this instructional mentor.

4. Relationships with Students and Parents: 

Great teachers develop loving and respectful relationships with their students and their parents. They frequently communicate about what students are learning, doing, and achieving in their classroom. One of my favorite sayings is, “Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to go to the well.” Have a group of parents that know you and your program best and are willing to support you if/when you need it. 

Use these relationships to better understand the community you teach in. For example, in a school district about 5 miles away from me, there was a much publicized and contentious lawsuit against a supplemental physical education program that was being provided to the elementary schools (free) by an outside non-profit. It was a variation of Yoga, modified to be developmentally appropriate for children. Eventually, after great expense a judge finally ruled the Yoga classes could continue – they were not religious in nature. I sometimes wonder if the divisive and costly issue would have been avoided if the unit was simply called, “Power Stretching”…

As an Athletic Director, Head Coach, and PE Department Head, I would interview prospective teachers, coaches, and employees who would come in contact with kids. During the vetting process I always hoped to hear, “I love kids.” Great teachers love their students and care deeply about their development and futures. When love and caring comprise the foundation, students try harder. They want to do well for the teacher that is their champion. 

Great teachers adapt to the way individual students learn, they don’t try to wedge students into one or two narrow teaching styles or strategies. Teachers that differentiate learning show they care about individuals and their needs. This establishes an atmosphere of respect for each young person and fosters positive relationship building.

Gather “great teaching capital” by building relationships with your students and parents.

5. Social Media Utilization:

A few years back I asked physical educators, “What is your favorite PE resource?” The most common answer was Twitter and Voxer, because of the people they met there. Once again, the “Human Resource.”

If you are a physical educator and have not yet tried either of these networks, I strongly encourage you to do so. They’ll connect you to colleagues in your community, your state, your country, and your world. You can ask for help, (e.g.) “My gym is closed for repairs next week and I’m in a tiny classroom with 45 3rd graders. I need ideas!” Or you can post a video of a lesson segment you did that was particularly creative and successful; then enjoy the feedback you receive. You can have a conversation with like-minded people you’ve never even met and discussed topics like standards-based grading, or what’s the best way to assess a particular national standard at a grade level. 

Via Twitter and Voxer you begin building a PLN – Professional Learning Network – and Gather valuable resources such as: lesson plans, professional development (free PD is plentiful), the latest apps, tools for advocacy, and much more. There are many more social media sites of course (e.g., Instagram, Facebook, etc.), and they all offer PLN opportunities.

Gather subject matter knowledge, instructional expertise, technology tools, and a supportive PE network by engaging in social media.

My top 5 is by no means complete or comprehensive. What would you add? 

The post The G in Professional Growth Stands for Gather appeared first on SPARK PE.

In the words of that famous physical educator from the great state of Massachusetts,

“Ask not, what SPARK can do for you. Ask what you can do for SPARK.”

When Julie approached me about writing an article in celebration of SPARK’s 30th birthday, a lot of different thoughts and approaches to the task entered my mind. 

After all, Jim and Thom hired me back in August 1990, and so much has happened since then. To think I was only 35, young and passionate about teaching physical education and eager to learn more. Now, I have the perspective of a retired person nearing 65 and wondering how I ever had the requisite energy to be a physical educator/coach in the first place… 

So, as I reflect on the past 30 years of SPARK , I think of People, Places, and Things that I’ve had the honor to experience because of SPARK. Join me for a quick look back:

People: 

I feel grateful and blessed to have met wonderful people from all parts of the globe. Big thanks to Jim Sallis and Thom McKenzie for bringing me onboard just before the intervention was scheduled to begin. Jim and Thom have been mentors to me and have contributed so much to SPARK over the years. My SPARK colleagues are far too numerous to mention by name, but I want to acknowledge everyone who ever worked in development, dissemination, or delivery — our “3 D’s.” SPARK was always a team effort, with each person having to make their block in order for the play to work. Thanks to everyone who helped SPARK transition from a research study to a collection of evidence-based programs that made a positive impact on the way physical education is thought of and taught around the world. Thanks SPARK!

Places: 

I’ve had the great pleasure of traveling to present SPARK research findings and/or conduct SPARK workshops in China, Norway, Portugal, Saipan, Canada, and England; places I may never have visited if it were not for SPARK. I also presented SPARK in many, many states across the U.S. A few personal highlights include the Catholic Diocese on the Pali Highway on Oahu; many trips to towns all over the Navajo reservation; spending time on the Nike campus (and the company store) when we partnered with them on NikeGO and Let Me Play; discovering Pittsburgh and surroundings due to our long relationship with Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield; seeing Jekyll Island, Georgia for the Share the Wealth conferences; enjoying Burlington, VT to lead workshops for our gender equity project; going to meetings at Canyon Ranch in Tucson for the TAAG grant, doing a PR campaign with LeBron James in his hometown of Akron, Ohio; discovering Morgantown, WV when we did our Summer Institutes on campus at West Virginia University — just to name a few. How lucky I was to be able to do what I love, see the country and world, and learn from my peers and colleagues. But one personal introduction tops them all. Because of SPARK, I met my wife Wendy and we married in 1991! Thanks SPARK!

Things: 

I thought it might be interesting to acknowledge some important benchmarks in SPARK’s history. In 1993, I approached San Diego State University (SDSU) Foundation about helping me write a business plan that would move SPARK from research to dissemination. Juanita Brents and Frank DiSanto agreed to support the concept. By June, 1994, the 5-year NIH grant that launched SPARK research ended, and SPARK was a self-sufficient entity operating under SDSU. SPARK began with one employee (me) and zero revenue. By 2002, SPARK was earning approximately $700,000 annually as a non-profit of SDSU. That continued until October 2002 when we teamed up with Pete Savitz and transferred the SPARK license to his equipment distribution business, Sportime. Sportime had been our exclusive equipment provider since 1989; they were a great company back then and had been for many years. SPARK grew to be the most widely disseminated menu of physical education and physical activity programs in the world and positively impact millions of young people. Thanks SPARK!

In 2019, SDSU and the SPARK Principals (Jim, Thom, and yours truly) made what we hope will be, our last strategic move. After an extensive nationwide vetting process, we transferred the SPARK license to Gopher Sport, the best physical education company in the U.S. Three of SPARK’s longtime and exemplary leaders, joined the team and are leading a return to evidence, innovation, and impact. I’m thrilled (and relieved) to know SPARK is in the competent and caring hands of Julie Frank, Ryan Schissler, and Jeff Mushkin. In addition, SPARK has long-time supporter, Kymm Ballard as their Consultant for Funding & Partnership Development. Last but not least, they have the support of Todd Jennings, Matt Ginskey, and the rest of the terrific Gopher team. It’s time to paw it forward!  

While there is much to do and the challenges are many, I’m confident SPARK and Gopher — a match made in PE heaven — will be providing physical educators/physical activity providers and their students, with technology rich curricular resources, effective and efficacious training, and inclusion fostering equipment for many years to come.

Jim, Thom, and I will serve on the SPARK Advisory Board, sitting in the bleachers and cheering on this great team. Just like our old friend from Massachusettes, we’ll be asking, 

“What can we do for SPARK?” 

We hope you’ll ask yourself the same question, then join us in supporting this benevolent and wonderful organization that has had such a positive influence on our lives over the past 30 years. 

The post SPARK’s 30 Year Anniversary Series, Part 2 appeared first on SPARK PE.