Teaching & Learning in a Pandemic: Spring 2021

Teaching Health & P.E. During the Pandemic

By: Shakia Mosley

Reflection:

How do you think teaching P.E. online has affected students and teachers?

Learning Targets

At the end of this lesson, readers will be able to understand how teaching P.E. has changed in the last academic year around the world.
At the end of lesson, readers will be able to explain how the pandemic has impacted student's motivation and learning.

a. Assignments are made to encourage students to move and keep logs of their activities

b. How Mr. Mitchell knows that his students still wants to have a conversation with him keep him motivated

c. How Mr. Mitchell is proud of sticking to a plan the school district gave him

How has teaching Physical Education (PE) changed?

The way Physical Education is being delivered through online learning is a contentious discussion regarding the implications for students. One of the most significant implications of the COVID-19 outback and the related social distancing measures, however, relates to the reduction of the experiential nature of teaching physical education (O’Brien, W., Adamakis, M., O’Brien, N., Onofre, M., Martins, J., Dania, A., & Costa, J. 2020). One specific importance for teaching physical education, is to develop the knowledge and skills that students will need later in life. Not being able to monitor the students in person means a teacher has to find new ways to assess the students activities. For example, the students have a fitness log and table talks that they do daily. Teachers have to use the honor system and hope that the students will be active. Teachers are now coming up with their own lesson plans to help personalize different exercises for their students.

Physical education (PE) has been traditionally considered as a practical and hands-on subject in schools; where close proximity and physical contact is in common. Before the pandemic students were able to play in the gym with their friends, without having to wear a mask on their face. They were able to do all of their favorite activities, and now they can't move off of an X that is on the gym floor. During this pandemic P.E. has changed a lot for students and how they are having to try new activities.

Interviewee

My interviewee was Mr. Bryce Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell teachers P.E. at Larkspur Middle School in Virginia Beach. He has been teaching for 2 or 3 years and he love it. Since the pandemic, he has had to move to teaching from home and adapt his lesson in many different ways. Since Mr. Mitchell is my brother-in-law, I have spent a lot of time at his house and I was able to listen to the different ways that he taught his students during this pandemic. One thing that Mr. Mitchell does to get his students ready for class is that he asks everyone to turn on their videos and to clap their hands.

How has the pandemic affected students' motivation and learning?

Takeaway #1

My first question addressed how he is attempting to get children motivated during the pandemic. All their assignments are made to encourage the students to get up off the couch and move daily. Each student has Schoology, which is a program used to focus on developing a learning management system, allowing teachers to communicate and share information with students. In schoology students have different workouts that they need to do daily. Not only do the activities, but they also have to fill out a log and submit it to get a grade. One thing that I liked was that with each workout they are given a video to show them how to do it correctly. Unfortunately, when they are in person during the pandemic, the students can't use any equipment and it's hard for them to have fun in gym class.

Takeaway #2

I was curious to know what keeps him motivated as an educator during this pandemic. One thing that helps him, is knowing that his students still need him. He loves that they want to still have a conversation with him on Schoology or during class on zoom. Still being able to communicate with his students, has kept him going strong while teaching at home during the pandemic. He does not know where he would be if he didn't have his students. They have kept him pushing to get through the school day and year.

Takeaway #3

The next thing that I asked was what he was proud of. I asked this because I wanted to know what he considered an accomplishment for educators during the pandemic. The main thing he was proud of was sticking to the plan that teachers were given by the school district . He said it's hard because you have to try and keep the students on track during class time. He is using what the school district gave him and he said it's helping out a lot when he is teaching his students.

Review

Teachers have the potential to evolve to be more positive and dynamic states of academically to deliver thought international dialogue. The teachers have been uncertain with the regards to teaching during Covid-19 pandemic, and the findings show that P.E. has been quite the undertaking through this pandemic (Morgan, P. 2008). Teaching P.E. has been hard for some teachers during this pandemic. Students need P.E. now more than ever, not just for the physical health but also their mental health (Mahaleris, N. 2020, June 16). One thing everyone should see is that not every student doesn't live in a nice neighbor hoods where it's safe to run or even walk outside. Some students could live in apartments with no yards and most parks are closed but now opening up. Still having P.E. during this pandemic has helped students stay active and they are grateful.

Multiple Choice Questions

What is a advantage to exercise?

A. Improve quality of life

B. Decrease chronic disease

C. Stress relief

D. All the above

Physical education is

A. Most important for those children who are interested in playing sports

B. Part of the total education program that contributes, primarily through movement, to the total growth and development of children

C. A program that only provides recreational and play experiences for children

D. A subject with the primary objective to improve the fitness of children

Answers

References:

Mahaleris, N. (2020, June 16). What it's like to teach physical education during a pandemic.

Retrieved February 16, 2021, from

https://bangordailynews.com/2020/05/24/education/what-its-like-to-teach-physical-educa

tion-during-a-pandemic/

Morgan, P. (2008). Classroom teachers' perceptions of the impact of barriers to teaching

physical education on the quality of physical education programs. Research Quarterly for

Exercise and Sport., 79(4), 506

O’Brien, W., Adamakis, M., O’Brien, N., Onofre, M., Martins, J., Dania, A., ... & Costa, J. (2020).

Implications for European physical education teacher education during the COVID-19

pandemic: a cross-institutional SWOT analysis. European Journal of Teacher Education,

43(4), 503-522.

Page updated

Report abuse