Strengthening Our Future, One Tiger’s Heart at a Time

In November I was given the opportunity to attend the annual Missouri Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance conference. The longer I teach, the more I realize how awesome it is to be a part of the physical education community.

Every day I find myself being inspired and wowed by our students and their desire to get healthy and have fun while doing it! Successful physical education teachers are successful because they motivate students to become enthusiastic about participating in physical education and therefore increases the students ability to perform at higher levels in the sports they find to be enjoyable. One of the main points I took away from this conference is that effective physical education teachers have to use the “F” word! FEEDBACK!!! Providing students with effective feedback could make you one of the best physical educators in the country; it guarantees enhanced performance among our students! Feedback is the single most important variable in learning. Typically, PE teachers spend 2-3% of our time giving feedback, and many in the form of a simple “good job.” One of the cues to knowing how to give effective feedback is to use “The Feedback Sandwich”: Reinforcement, Information, and motivation. An example of an effective feedback would be: “Nice shot, Mary! Your alignment was nice and straight. Keep that up and you’ll be shooting 80%!” Physical Educators should strive to spend 10% of their time giving feedback. It takes practice and planning to be effective at giving feedback. You will need to insert teaching cues into your practice plan, focus feedback at specific times, and keep track of your feedback. Your feedback should be given often, be specific, given to individuals as well as the class, and should be well planned. As I reflect upon my experience at MOAHPERD, I thought about my commitment to physical education and how I contribute my time and talents to the continued growth of my profession. I will continue to advocate for the importance of teaching students to live healthy, active lifestyles. I will be a healthy role model for my students and colleagues. I will continue to stay involved in my profession through professional development. I am and will continue to be committed to my profession, to the students of Excelsior Springs, and improving the quality of health of each student I teach!