Peter King

Question Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly

Disagree

1. Mr. King 8 6 0 0
demonstrates that
mistakes are a
part of learning.

2. I can show my 8 6 0 0
learning in many
ways (e.g., writing,
graphs, pictures).

3. The work in this 2 8 4 0

class is
challenging but
not too difficult for
me.

4. If I finish my 4 8 2 0
work early in
class, Mr. King has
me do more
challenging work.

5. In this class, 6 7 1 0
students work
together to help
each other learn
difficult content.

6. Mr. King 8 6 0 0
encourages us to
accept different
points of view
when they are
expressed in
class.

7. In this class, 2 9 3 0
students teach
other classmates
a part or whole
lesson.

8. Mr. King 10 4 0 0
supports me even
when my work is
not my best.
 9. During a lesson, 8 6 0 0
Mr. King is quick
to change how he
or she teaches if
the class does not
understand (e.g.,
switch from using
written
explanations to
using diagrams).

10. To help me 7 7 0 0
understand, Mr.
King uses my
interests to
explain difficult
ideas to me.

Question 1: 14 out of 14 (100 percent) students agree that I demonstrate that mistakes are a
part of learning. I think this is very important. Students should not feel embarrassed or
discouraged by mistakes. They should feel safe to take risks and challenge themselves to grow.
Failure is one of the most essential parts of the learning process, which is something that I
emphasize to my students.

Question 2: 14 out of 14 (100 percent) students agree that they are able to show their learning
in many ways. Students in my class were able to show their learning physically during activities
or demonstrations, they could show their knowledge by answering questions during class
discussions or on written assignments. I would love to create more opportunities for students to
show their learning in different manners in the future. This will help to get more student
engagement and allow students to explore different interests or skills.

Question 3: 10 out of 14 (71 percent) students agree that the work in class was challenging, but
not too difficult for them. This is the statement that the fewest students agreed with. My guess
would be that most of the 4 students that disagreed thought that the work was not challenging. I
think if I made my instruction more strategy based, rather than rules based, students of all skill
levels would be more challenged. Placing more importance on the knowledge than the ability
would also allow students who are less skilled to succeed in class.

Question 4: 12 out of 14 (86 percent) students agree that I have more challenging work to do for
students that finish work early. I think too often I have students who have finished waiting for the
other students. It is certainly more productive and efficient to have activities or extensions
planned for those students that finish before their classmates. I think this would limit off-task
behavior and provide students with more learning time.
Question 5: 13 out of 14 (93 percent) students agree that they work together to learn difficult
content. I often have students working in partners or groups. They are encouraged to give polite
and positive feedback to each other. Students work together as partners to achieve a goal and
have to figure out the best strategy to do so. I also assisted for a unit called Project Adventure,
which was centered around communication and teamwork. I could get better at this by adding in
more peer evaluation. I could also add more cooperative learning pieces where groups of
students are sent out to devise strategies or solve problems together.

Question 6: 14 out of 14 (100 percent) of students agree that I encourage them to accept
different points of view when they are expressed in class. I think this is a very important part of
any classroom and I am very proud of the positive responses. An atmosphere of acceptance
makes students feel safe and comfortable, which enables them to grow and develop. A
classroom should be a place where students feel safe to share ideas, ask questions, and take
risks because only then will students be able to truly reach their full potential. I believe that
encouraging acceptance helps to develop better students and more importantly better people.

Question 7: 11 out of 14 (79 percent) of students agree that they teach their classmates all or
part of a lesson. I am surprised that so many students agreed with this statement. In my short
time at Monson High, I never truly ventured beyond the direct style of teaching. While I did allow
them to work in groups and encouraged them to work together, I never was able to plan a more
student-centered lesson. I think giving students more autonomy and allowing them opportunities
to teach a partner or a group would certainly be beneficial. I look forward to incorporating more
of this into my future lessons.

Question 8: 14 out of 14 (100 percent) of students agree that I support them even when they are
not doing their best. I always try to be a positive force in the students' lives. I try to help them
understand that failure is okay and it is a part of the learning process. Students should never
have to feel bad for not being as skilled as another student. I will always motivate students to do
their own personal best, but will always support them even if they are struggling. A student who
is not afraid to fail will venture farther outside of their comfort zone and will consistently learn
new skills and information.

Question 9: 14 out of 14 (100 percent) of students agree that I will change how I teach if the
class does not understand. I think this is a strength of mine. I understand that students learn in
different ways. I try to be very flexible in my instruction and deliver the information if whichever
way will help the students learn and retain it. I will use a variety of demonstrations
(demonstrating a skill myself, a group demonstration) throughout class. I will also use other
tools, such as video, study sheets, and pictures that may help my students to better understand
the lesson.

Question 10: 14 out of 14 (100 percent) of students agree that I use their interests to explain
difficult ideas to them. For example, one of my students was an avid golfer and a member of the
golf team. I referenced golf when explaining to him that the rotation of his core should drive his
forehand in ping pong. I explained that the rotation of the hips and shoulders is where the power
and consistency come from on a standard forehand, much like it would with a golf swing. This
allows the students to visualize what I am talking about more effectively. It might allow him to
draw on some muscle memory. Finally, this will get a student interested and engaged, which
can obviously help the learning process.

14 total students in my PE. classes from my 11th/12th grade P.E. class participated in my
survey. Through analyzing the results of the survey, there are certain conclusions that I can
draw based on the data.

Summary and Analysis:

Overall, I was very pleased with the responses from my students at Monson High. It was
clear from the responses that the students agreed on some areas of strength. On statements
1,6 and 8 I had no students disagree or strongly disagree. These statements were all related to
creating a safe learning environment (PST 2b). My main goal as a teacher is to make sure
students feel respected, by myself and their classmates, and safe at all times. I really try to build
trust between my students and me. According to the responses, I was able to create a culture
that encouraged students to take risks without fearing failure or judgement. I support students
regardless of their athletic ability. I think this will not only help build students’ confidence but will
actually help increase student learning. Another strength, according to the results, is adjustment
to practice. Questions 9 and 10 both, in part, relate to adjustment to practice. Again, I had no
students disagree or strongly disagree on these questions. Adjustment to practice appeared to
be a weakness coming off of my elementary practicum experience. I have tried to really focus
on thinking about what issues might come up and preparing in advance. I focused on knowing
as much as I could about my content, so that I was prepared for obstacles. This preparation
certainly made a difference. At Monson, I was able to adjust my instruction to fit the needs of the
student that I was instructing. If a student was not understanding my instruction, I would figure
out another way to deliver this information. I used visual cues, and demonstrations. I would
relate the skill or strategy to a sport or activity that I knew the student was familiar with. I believe
this ability to adjust within the lesson really allowed my students’ learning to increase
significantly.
The responses from the students also show that creating well structured lessons (PST
1a) is an area that needs improvement. Every statement that students disagreed with (questions
3,4,5 and 7) all had to do with creating a well structured lesson. I had 4 students disagree that
the work was challenging but not too difficult, which was my highest number of disagreements. I
think this comes down to the lack of challenge for certain students. I stayed mostly skill and rule
based with my instruction. For students that had previous experience with these activities, this
did not present enough of a cognitive challenge. I could improve my instruction significantly by
incorporating more of an emphasis on strategy. This would challenge all students, even those
with prior experience. Students disagreed with Question 4, which related to having challenging
work to do once they finished an activity. I could definitely improve here as well. I could certainly
incorporate some additional activities or challenges that students who finished early could work
on. This would give them more learning time, and allow them to further develop their skills or
understanding. The other two questions related to students working together, or teaching other
parts of lessons. I was at Monson for only a short time. During that time, I stuck primarily to a
direct teaching style. While this style can be effective, I think blending other, more student-
centered approaches would be beneficial for my students. Creating these lessons can be a bit
more intimidating, as they are a little outside of my comfort zone at the moment. But, as I try to
teach my students, the only way to truly grow as a student, teacher, or person is to take risks
and venture outside of your areas of comfort. Incorporating these approaches may help develop
students cognitively and affectively. It will allow students to take more ownership in the class,
which will likely increase student engagement.

Pie Charts Breaking Down Survey Answers (Refer to Chart on 1st Page for Questions