Candy crush saga brings independent learning and increased participation in KS4 Aerobics

So….after a constant fight against the drop in girls participation it was time to hit it head on and challenge them with what matters most.

There is only one thing that matters for year 11 girls….PROM!!!!!!!

We have renamed our Yr11 girls core fitness lessons Prom Prep (for those who have chosen this pathway). It all started off great, everyone had their kit and students were engaged with aerobics lessons…long may it continue.

It was during one lesson that I realised that this was not extending to the girls’ everyday lives when one girl said I’m never going to hit my target doing this once a week. Yes I can tell them that the nearest aerobics class uses our school 3 nights a week, but money, time and image is precious to them…and to exercise in public..god forbid!

Instead I had to bring the sessions to them: This is where the PROM CRUSH SAGA began!!!!

Each student has been set specific lesson targets, whether this be related to working heart rate, completing the whole core section of the workout or even producing a bead of sweat!!!!! (we’re all different)

If a student reached their personal target they were given the first stage of the prom crush saga (the dress). The reward slip contained a QR code with a home workout on it. This allowed students to access physical activity at home.

The creative QR codes are created using http://www.visualead.com

As a class we then used this workout the next week, with renewed / reviewed personal targets. Having done the workout also helped students to set SMART targets….and then…. If you’ve got the dress you then need the shoes and so on.

Giving the students the workout a week in advance actually contributed to the girls actively accessing the video, and in most cases up to 3 times in that week. Students used the video to ensure they knew any new moves and to enable them to set more challenging targets because their bodies were beginning to respond to regular exercise rather than being inactive between lessons.

The Prom Prep class is still going well, and engagement and participation is high… We will be getting our spray tans and hair done soon….hahaha

QR Coach

I have previously spoken about how coach my video has helped transform the way we analyse performance in PE. Analysis makes up a fundamental part of GCSE coursework, and my year 11s are now beginning their practical analysis module in preparation for their coursework module.

With all analysis tasks, as a class we have investigated why we analyse, what use it gives us, and how it can impact on improved performance. In the past students have all been keen to be the performer, but not always wanted to sit and be the observer….not when there is an iPad in the room. – “I’ll do the videoing miss, when is it my turn miss”

Step 1
The students were set a task of videoing short periods of activity and identifying positives and negatives in technique for the overhead clear in badminton. Examples of which are below.

Step 2
The analysis pictures were printed out and students were asked to annotate the pictures, making reference to the perfect model.
How do they know what the perfect model should look like?
* prior learning
* peer coaches
* Internet links – this is whe the QR codes come in. Using the website http://www.qrstuff.com I generated QR codes linking to photos of the perfect model, ‘how to videos’ etc etc.

For example:

The same process was then followed for each technique of badminton, with an aim to compile a portfolio and identify key strengths and weaknesses for each individual.

Coach my video also encourages maths, as it enables you to talk about angles and distances etc. Our school has implemented a cross curricular maths symbol that is displayed during activities involving maths. We have used this symbol to focus student ideas. When the symbol is on display we are concerned with identifying and explaining aspects of the technique specific to maths. When it is not on display we are looking at generic evidence.

QR codes are definitely the way to go, and this Xmas, Santa definitely appears to have equipped more and more students with the smart tools they need to utilise the QR codes. Definitely more to come!!!

Dance to Success

Dance lends itself to in depth analysis, create / review / re-do. By the is more to just watching the dances of others. Self assessment can be very powerful in influencing progress in dance choreography and performance skills.

Year 8 students have been completing a programme of work based around the film Grease. The group within this post were a low ability group, some with poor movement and coordination.

The connect activity involved brainstorming words that linked to the video of the track grease lightening.

We then looked at learning a chorus routine. The movement base was teacher led and students were asked to replicate movements. After a number of practice runs the group were videoed as a class.

This video then formed the basis for personal and group feedback. As a class we analysed the video spotting ares of strength and weakness using coach my video.

Students then used photo babble to give personal feedback to peers. Each student had to give verbal feedback on the app to their partner to go away and improve upon from the aspects discussed as a group. Students were then given the opportunity to improve their work.

Time for SOLO
Using solo criteria students were asked to grade themselves using solo criteria.

Students who graded themselves as relational or above we’re allocated the role of support mentor to those who had graded themselves pre / uni or multistructural.

Prestructural and Unistructural students were given a video to follow showing the perfect model of the linked movements and given time to practice

When they felt confident in the movements they moved onto station 2 – multistructural where they had a support mentor to help them apply the movements to the correct timing and refine any small aesthetic points ( e.g. Tension of limbs / performance features).

At the end of the independent study time we videoed the class again and went through the whole analysis process again.

After watching the video and listening to the second analysis feedback students were then asked to record which solo level they were now working at.

From this point it’s creative freestyle and the process starts again # lovefeedback #loveprogress

Apps the way forward: My Top Apps of the Month

Since getting our department iPad we have been testing out a range of apps. I have already posted about the use of Comic Life, Socrative and Coaches Eye, but here is a quick fire list of our favourite apps this term.

1. Easy Portfolio

This app is the first in a line of useful apps from thepegeek apps.
Easy portfolio allows you to make groups and set up a virtual portfolio of evidence for each individual student. You an add video, image, audio, notes, URL and documents.
Ideal for both practical and theory elements of PE. We now have videos of each student performing in each activity, together with teacher documentation of the assessments and pictures of any work completed, all in one place!

2. Easy Assessment

The next step for the PEgeek team. Easy assessment allows you to set up rubrics and criteria that allow you to track and record assessments. This has been set up to record our GCSE final practical marks as well as monitor exam practice question performance and record KS3 knowledge PBL home work.
Easy to use; students can add in their own scores and once again all the mediums of video, audio etc can be added just as in easy portfolio.

3. Pick Me is a great app for questioning whether in the classroom, sports hall or on the field.

You can upload your class lists manually or by importing from Dropbox to save time. The app selects a student to answer your question. You can the record whether that student got the question correct or not using the green ‘thumb up’ and red ‘thumb down’. The programme allows you to choose whether that student remains in the hat for further questions or is taken out as they have already answered. This allows you to ensure you have not always got the same students answering questions.
A the end of the session it gives a count up of their question success.
We have found this great for revision purposes and allowed students to visually track their successes in a lesson and across a number of lessons.

For the PE teachers among us the infamous cross country season is upon us where we run on mass around the fields looking to assess cardiovascular endurance, race tactics, personal target setting and resilience amongst other things. App number 4 allows us to quickly time and record every students time in a cross country / swimming/ athletics race.

Webscorer is our new god!
It times the race, allows you to pre populate the names of race runners or add them afterwards. Each time a runner comes in you press the stopcock which gives you their split. The results can also go live on webscorers web page so students can go and check out their performances at a later date. and a tweet to the link never hurts!

5. A great complimentary app to this is PBGo which allows you to log PB times for any swimming or athletic events (including jumps and throws). It allows each student to create a PB card that records event, time, venue and date to track progress in cracking their PBs. It even allows them to add a mugshot of themselves!

This virtual PB card is being used with GCSE students to track their cross country running. It can give you top 5 times over the chosen distance. This evidence can then be updated to Easy Portfolio as their personal evidence!! Can’t wait to roll it out with more groups.

‘hAPPy APPin’ from EV Sport