PREPARING FOR ANOTHER SCHOOL YEAR
written by Tom Winiecki, Mott Road Elementary school, Fayetteville, NY

Ah, summer; a time to relax! Isn't it great to wake up and not know what day of the week it is? Those days are important to us. They help us recharge from the intense fitness and skill related fun that we all teach our kids to appreciate during the school year. Another advantage of these less regimented times is that it lets us take time to reflect on what happened in the last school year (both good and not-so-good) and how you can get even better next fall.

No matter your situation, there is probably one constant in all of us. We want our kids to be able to not only learn what we teach, but also be able to internalize it all so they can use it when we aren't around. That being said, what can we do to prepare for the upcoming school year?

I guess everything should start with being as effective as possible. How to measure that? That is the big question. We all know how hard it is to quantify with any accuracy how the kids "feel" about what we do with them. We could say that if they leave happy, they must enjoy it. A lot of that is probably true. We just need to make sure that they leave happy, and know that they have learned something, and how to use it. Above all, we want them to come back enthusiastic next year. We certainly don't want to turn anyone off to our material.

In looking back at the previous year's assessment numbers, did it look like your students "got it?" Were you able to honestly say that the kids learned what you taught them? If an administrator walked into your classroom, would they be able to see evidence of learning? This may be a scary question to ask yourself. That's OK. Sometimes it's the tough questions that, when answered, make us more effective.

Many schools around the country are starting to go to a 4, 3, 2, 1 point scale for their assessments to more closely align themselves to standardized tests. I know that's a big thing here in New York State. Now, we can argue the merits of standardized tests another time; that's not the point. As you look over your program, a point scale like this can be used to really motivate your kids to achieve. Let me explain.

I would suggest posting that scale right in the gym. You'll be surprised how often you can use it, and how often your students will learn to use it. Start with the numbers 4, 3, 2 and 1 on your gym wall, somewhere the kids can easily see it. Then label them as follows:

• 4 = Always.
• 3 = Most of the time.
• 2 = Sometimes.
• 1 = Not yet.

As you cover different skills and concepts throughout the year, simply change out the vocabulary under each heading. If you are teaching to control something, you can begin with what "control" looks like. You can define it as "moving quickly through the gym while keeping the object within 2 steps of you." Now that the kids understand that, and can visualize what that looks like, they can go to work. If you are teaching control with a foot dribble, the class knows for certain what is expected, and can see it on your word wall. You can use terms like:

• Move quickly
• Moves slowly
• Ball stays 2 steps from feet
• Kick and chase
• Zig zag pathway
• Kicks and chases
• Stops on signal
• Doesn’t stop on signal
• Avoids others
• Runs into others

One thing that I believe will happen when you try this is that your students will take right to it. They will all want to know where they stand, and will strive to achieve. By setting your lessons up to say that you want them to be a "3," or "4" they realize that you are there to help them achieve what they want.

Doing it this way also takes the edge off of getting a "2." When they see that a "2" means that they get it sometimes, it's easier for them to learn to persevere on a given task. Also, tell them that you are always making notes on them, but you are doing it in pencil; and that you won't hesitate to use your eraser when you see them get better. As a matter of fact, tell them that you want to use that eraser!

This format will also allow you to carryover learning from one unit of instruction to another. You can pick out common things in different skills for them to work on. For example, the mechanics of serving a volleyball underhand is very similar to rolling a bowling ball. The same goes for swinging a paddle and a whiffle bat.

Now, if you "bundle" your instruction so these "units" fall back to back, you can spend more time on these skill sets, even when you change equipment. After finishing bowling, start volleyball skill instruction with the underhand serve. Now you can stress common parts of those skills with the kids that may need more work on it. You can say to a particular student that may have had some trouble with knocking a lot of pins down, because their follow-through was inconsistent: "Remember how we were working on pointing to the pocket when you were bowling last week? Let's continue to work on that follow through as we get you to serve underhand so that the ball goes over the net."

After helping them for a moment, you can now say something like, "It looks like you are starting to get it now! Keep working on pointing where you want the ball to go with your striking hand. I'll be back in a few minutes to see how you're doing." They will all love it when you re-visit them and they get to show their improvement!

You can do the same thing with striking with a paddle and a whiffle bat. With this you may find a student that needs work with stepping into the strike with their front foot. On the other hand, you will also have kids that did everything correctly with a paddle. Now is your chance to challenge them to continue doing it right with a different piece of equipment (whiffle bat). Now, even the kids that do well will know that you are there to help them continue their success. They know that they will still be given challenges to get even better!

I would like to finish by quoting our superintendent from part of her message to our district's staff as we all left for summer vacation: "Each of you played a very important role in student success. Thank you for your caring attitudes, your dedication, and your hard work. You are the best! Enjoy the summer months ahead. Relax, reflect, and return refreshed and ready to lead our students to success once again." 

What she said rings true. We all ARE very important to our students' success. While we may feel that our caring attitudes and dedication is sometimes overlooked, it is never overlooked by those that are the most important, our students!

Have a great new school year! 

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