Gutierrez: Essential Skills in APE 1

Essential skills in APE

California State University, Long Beach

Spring 2020

Elsie Gutierrez
 Gutierrez: Essential Skills in APE 2

Adapted physical education is a continuum of services for individuals with disabilities

who require developmental or corrective instruction. Physical education under federal law is

"The development of physical and motor fitness; fundamental motor skills and patterns; and

skills in aquatics, dance, and individual and group games and sports (including an intramural and

lifetimes sports); and includes special physical education, adapted physical education, movement

education, and motor development." (APE Guidelines, 2012). The role of the adapted PE teacher

is to provide quality physical education to meet each student's individualized goals. Teachers can

do this by providing accommodations and modifications for activities. Being an APE teacher is

complex and varies from student to student.

APE teachers have multiple job responsibilities such as; teaching, assessments,

paperwork, travel, collaboration, and, more importantly, being an advocate. The roles of the APE

teacher are to be a direct service provider teaching physical education content. Adapted physical

education services can vary for each student. Services can be provided in a specially designed

class or as a consultation such as GPE. Another responsibility of the APE teacher is to

collaborate with the classroom teacher and other professionals to work effectively as a team. For

example, some students might have one on one aids that assist in PE. Collaborating with the aids

can help decrease the student to teacher ratio and also can decrease behavior management issues.

What about jusitification and need for physical education? paragraph here

Teaching Philosophy so your thesis statement is to be a lifelong learner

Overall, teachers need to continue being life-long learners and to advocate for students with

disabilities by attending professional conferences and seeking the advice of veteran teachers.

APE teachers need to stay up to date on research and new activities as it will benefit their

student's learning. Being a lifelong learner will assist the APE professionals to have strong
 Gutierrez: Essential Skills in APE 3

content knowledge. By having strong content knowledge, the APE teacher can provide quality

instruction to every student. Quality instruction includes activities that are age-appropriate and

that work towards the students' individualized goals. I believe that APE teachers need to,

• Make physical activity fun for everyone

• Think outside the box when presenting a new skill

• Set professional goals to keep teaching fun for the APE teacher and students.

APE Content Areas

Physical Education Subject Matter Knowledge; Curriculum Knowledge, and Instructional

Practices Knowledge

Students with disabilities need teachers to have strong content knowledge. To better

advocate for students, teachers need to understand the law for people with disabilities. Under

federal law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and No Child Left Behind Act

of 2001 ensure "all children, regardless of disability, receive physical education" (APE

Guidelines, 2012). Furthermore, students that have one of the fourteen disabilities under IDEA

qualify for specialized instruction in physical education. Advocacy begins with knowing what

services and instruction students with a disability have access too. When a general education

teacher has concerns regarding students developing status, they put in a referral. The referral

goes to the APE teacher to further evaluate the student whether they are demonstrating a need for

APE services. Utilizing data-driven decisions, APE teachers advocate for students in IEP

meetings by determining the services that best meet the individual needs. All while following

"the mandated number of minutes required (elementary=200/10 days; secondary= 400

minutes/10 days for physical education in the least restrictive environment. (Sec 51210(g))"

(APE Guidelines p.g 36, 2012).

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Providing quality instruction comes from teaching to the content standards. According to

the Physical Education Framework for California Public Schools, "high quality, standards-based

physical education instruction helps students learn not only the skills and knowledge to be

physically fit and active, but it also gives them the confidence and positive attitude necessary to

participate in physical activities" (California 2009). When creating a lesson plan, the APE

teacher follows the state standard to provide quality instruction in all three learning domains;

motor, affective, and cognitive. Good and good example but what is most important is motor

include here ? For example, during a throwing and catching lesson, teachers implement the

cognitive domain by asking the student to state the cues. The affective domain is met by

facilitating social interaction, picking up equipment, or self-assessment. For instance, students

can take turns during activities or give their partner a high five after catching a ball.

Every student learns skills and concepts differently. APE teachers design an effective curriculum

that implements instruction using principles from the Universal design for learning (UDL)

framework. This approach to learning "provides all individuals with equal opportunities to

learn…regardless of ability, disability, age, gender, or culture and linguistic background" (Ianiro,

2010). Good Teachers are to provide instruction by using the three principles in UDL; multiple

means of representation, action, and expression, and engagement to meet varied student needs.

This approach helps meet the needs of a diverse set of students by offering choices, visuals,

differentiation, different size balls, and options at the beginning of the lesson. Effective

instructional strategies, such as modifying and accommodating activities, is an essential skill for

APE teachers. At professional conferences such as the National Adapted Physical Education

Conference, teachers can learn what other professionals are doing in their classroom regarding

UDL. What about the child’s learning style- auditory visual? Part of being a lifelong learner is to

seek advice from other APE professionals. This is done by reaching out to veteran teachers for
 Gutierrez: Essential Skills in APE 5

activities; lesson plan ideas that will assist teachers in making physical activity fun for all. Good

wove your thesis into content here

Disability Specific Knowledge good answer

Students that qualify for adapted PE services must have one of the fourteen disabilities

under idea: Autism, Deaf-Blindness, Deafness, Developmental Delay, Emotionally Disturbed,

Hearing impairment, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other

health impairment, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, and visual

impairment. These are the students that APE teachers will be rguired by law to service.

Therefore to provide quality instruction, teachers are to have disability-specific knowledge. The

students that APE teachers service can exhibit a range of abilities from moderate to severely

disabled. The level of severity determines the style of teaching, equipment, modification,

accommodations the teacher will make. There are levels of support when teaching students with

disabilities from intermittent, limited, extensive, and pervasive. Good Having disability-specific

knowledge, the teacher can better implement lesson plans that catered to meet the unique needs

of students. APE teachers have to keep in mind if the safety of the students.

Safety is the parents, teachers, and schools' primary concern. Good There are specific

skills, movements, and activities that can put students at risk or called contraindicated. In

general, working with typically an atypically developing students, activities involving the neck

like rolling can be dangerous and not be done in the classroom. Teachers are also to be aware of

contraindicated activities for each disability. For example, teachers who are working with

students with a visual impairment are to present activities that they can do safely. For visually

impaired students, activities that include bell balls, noisemakers, bright colors, and textured

equipment would be appropriate. Contraindicated activities would be asking the students to

throw at a target or moving in an open space. The student would not be safe nor successful. New
 Gutierrez: Essential Skills in APE 6

equipment and teaching strategies to work with a specific disability are created to assist the

student better. APE teachers have to continue being lifelong learners by attending conferences

where other professionals present just home made ??homemade equipment for every disability.

The APE teacher needs to think outside the box to make physical activity fun for every student.

Assessment Practices and Procedures good answer both placementand programming addressed

Testing policies and procedures can vary when determining eligibility for adapted

physical education. Teachers need to make decisions based on assessment because under IDEA

students can receive free and appropriate public education An important skill to have as an APE

teacher is knowing current legislation and best practices. In determining placement options for a

student, teachers make data-driven decisions. Good From the beginning, teachers are to keep a

paper trail of every important document pertaining to the student who is demonstrating a need

for APE services. There are various standardized assessments that can be used when testing a

student. Having background knowledge of different assessments is significant because it will

help the teacher determine the best placement options. It is the job of the APE teacher to know

what test is appropriate to utilize based on the disability and age group. More importantly,

knowing what assessments are standardized. "Standardized testing is often used for eligibility

and placement options when school districts use specific objective criteria (usually 1 1/2

standard deviations below the mean, below the 7th percentile) to determine eligibility for adapted

physical education" (Winnick and Porretta 2017 p.g 62). Informal assessments and alternative

assessments can be used to gather additional student information.

Good To better advocate for a student in IEP meetings, teachers are to know the students'

present level of performance (PLP) that includes their strengths and weaknesses. Presenting a

PLP also informs the parent that IEP team knows their child based on parent interviews and

observations. This section also includes the students' strengths and needs. During IEP meetings,
 Gutierrez: Essential Skills in APE 7

another job of the APE teacher is to present goals/benchmarks for the child. For example,

benchmarks/goals are selected based on pre-testing assessments. Another goal can be determined

from informal testing. for data tracking. Teachers can collect data that will track the students'

progress in class. Assessment practices and procedures are essential because it helps determine if

a student is in their least restrictive environment. Out of place here move to the first section

Behavior Management Procedures good answer and list of strategies

Teachers who fail to plan, plan to fail (reference). In APE, students need motivation and

reinforcements to stay on task. For instance, a student with Autism may display behaviors such

as throwing a tantrum, screaming, or talking when the teacher is talking. An essential skill for

APE teachers to have is the ability to prevent inappropriate behavior and promote positive

behaviors by being proactive? what and positive approaches. Teachers need to be able to

anticipate behaviors, plan, and then reflect. There are three phases to being proactive: pre-

instruction, instruction, and evaluation.

The pre-instruction phase begins before actual teaching. Decreasing undesired behavior

starts in the first phase of being proactive. Once undesired behaviors are identified, the teacher

can utilize appropriate behavior management strategies to increase positive behavior. Behavior

management procedures change accordingly to meet the unique needs of students. Some general

behavior management procedures are these proactive? include developing rules/expectations,

routines, safety procedures, personal responsibility, and developing appropriate activities. The

second phase is instruction and is where the teacher uses a bag of tricks to increase desired

behaviors and decrease undesired behaviors. There are different methods to increase desired

behaviors and reinforce students who follow the rules. For instance, positive pinpointing such as

"catch them being good" acknowledges students who are displaying positive behaviors. Students

who continue to display undesired behaviors have to be held accountable. According to Hellison,
 Gutierrez: Essential Skills in APE 8

“students are to take responsibility for choices made during class” (pp. ?Hellison, 2003). He

developed a model with levels of personal and social responsibility. finally, to improve behavior

management strategies in the classroom, it is essential to evaluate. Evaluation is essential

because the teacher reflects on what worked or did not work. To self-evaluate educators, record

their lessons, and determine how much time was spent on management versus activity. Good

What else? A-B-C analysis Moreover, behavior management plans are to be idiosyncratic to the

child as they will be motivational.

Good Reducing off-task behaviors includes learning names, back to wall, proximity

control, with-it-ness, selective ignoring, positive pinpointing, and consequences of behavior.

Some of the strategies listed may or may not work in the classroom. Students with disabilities are

all unique in the sense that they may respond to situations differently. Therefore, teachers are to

keep in mind that classroom management will vary based on disability, age, and cognitive level.

The ultimate goal is to provide quality instruction, and this can only be done by having strategies

to control behavior management.

Collaboration/Consultation & Advocacy Practices

APE teachers are usually traveling from school to school, collaborating with other

professionals. APE teachers collaborate with general physical education teachers, special

education teachers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists,

and parents. Communication is a necessary skill to acquire when collaborating. With

communication comes with being enthusiastic, professional, and having strong content

knowledge. To work effectively with all professionals, it is the APE teacher's responsibility to be

resourceful and share necessary information. Teachers usually need to collaborate with every

person on a student's IEP team. Read this Each person on the IEP team can come together to

agree on a student common goals. For example, the APE teacher can collaborate with the general
 Gutierrez: Essential Skills in APE 9

PE teacher to provide modifications and accommodation in a co-teach class to assist make

inclusion successful. When collaborating, there is "shared responsibility and decision making

goals” (Lavay, 2020). Going back to the example of collaborating with the general PE teacher,

the common goal is to provide students with quality instruction in their least restrictive

environment.yes

Advocacy very general can you provide some specific examples

More importantly, APE teachers are in constant communication with parents. When there

is open communication with the parents, it will benefit the child positively. In other instances,

there might be times that the teacher must advocate for the student's needs. To advocate for

students at home, the APE teacher can provide parents with information specific to the needs of

the student. There may be times that the parents are not as involved or believe that physical

education is not high in importance as other content areas. The job of the APE teacher is to

advocate for physical activity. APE teachers have a responsibility to the parents to educate them

on their child’s needs.

Legal Knowledge of Special Education Legislation some good points did you proof read see

edits

Physical education is a direct service that is for ?all students identified with a disablity.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures that individuals with disabilities

ages 3-21 receive free appropriate education, including PE. This law mandates several services

to people with disabilities, such as related services that are necessary to support special education

services. Special education is provided to all students with an identified disability to meet their

unique needs. Students must have one of the fourteen disabilities to qualify for APE services

Instruction can take place at home, school, hospitals, and physical education. Adapted physical
 Gutierrez: Essential Skills in APE 10

education falls under a related service.. APE is one placement option for students with

disabilities. Teachers ? must make data-driven decisions to determine the best placement option.

Data-driven decisions come from stadanrdized assessments. In determining placement

options, APE teachers are to give students assessments that are appropriate for their age and

disability. After conducting the assessment, the teacher presents the results with services and

minutes for the student. The least restrictive environment (LRE) is a continuum of services.

LRE?S is an environment where students can be successful but challenged. For example, the

least restrictive environment for a high functioning student may be in a general education

classroom on consultation. They are placed in an inclusive classroom because, based on the

results of the assessment, the student would benefit from learning with typically developing

students. Services and APE minutes provided is stated in the individualized education program

(IEP). An IEP is designed to meet the needs of a student. This legal document includes the

present level of performance, goals with benchmarks.

Technology Practices organization of response

Technology in APE assists educators with behavior management, data tracking, visual

support, and organizing paperwork. Data tracking is important because teachers can see if

students are on the right path to meeting an annual goal. Adapted PE teachers like Chris Ortiz in

LAUSD uses an IPAD for his teaching. On the IPAD he can input scores to assessments, provide

visuals, and data track. Another benefit of using technology is keeping all paperwork streamlined

and organized. APE teachers may have up to ten schools on their skills. Using makes it easier to

travel because all paperwork is in one place. Districts like LAUSD uses the database Welligent

for IEP, assessment reports, and tracking minutes.

 Gutierrez: Essential Skills in APE 11

In addition, An essential skill for an APE teacher to acquire is to find ways to increase

student engagement. In today's times, most students have an electronic device at home.

Technology can be used to motivate students. Good example For example, teachers use the

Premack principle to motivate and say, "If you are participating in the activity, I will let you

press the button on my ipad to change the song”. Also, APE teachers that have an Ipad can

download apps for behavior management as well. Applications such as ChoiceWorks allows

people to create visuals for rule, routines, expectations, and behavior chart. Instead of carrying

around a trifold or binder, that application increases teacher efficiency. Students engage in

activity with visuals and videos through an electronic device.

think about your organization first discuss tech to assist teacher then to motivate students

don’t jump around

Equipment Application Practices great answer good use of reference- well done share with

class

As an itinerant, teachers are to keep in mind that traveling from site to site with much

equipment is not ideal. On the other hand, there is equipment that can be necessary when

working with specific students. There is a different type of equipment that APE teachers use to

meet the needs of a student. It depends on the caseload, and the population of students' teachers

is servicing. Good example share with class For example, one teaching site the majority of the

your students are Autistic, where the teacher might use textured balls, poly spots, or hand made

equipment. A student who has a visual impairment the teacher may need to use equipment such

as bell balls to accommodate.

The use of technology can provide a child with numerous benefits, including more

inclusion, engaged social life, improved communication, greater independence, increased ability
 Gutierrez: Essential Skills in APE 12

to express emotions, and more opportunities. Lower functioning students use assistive

technology to enhance learning, improve communication, hearing, and mobility, and to make life

easier. The severity of the disability ranges from mild to severe and can impair quality of life.

Understanding the severity of a student's disability is important because it can help the teacher

advocate for a specific technology. The good but is this person first? severely disabled

population, like students with cerebral palsy, have limited mobility and may need mobility

technology. Mobility technology can be low-tech, including walkers and non-electric

wheelchairs, but it can also use more technology like power scooters or electric wheelchairs.

Physical activity can be fun for all if teachers think outside the box when it comes to technology.

Part of having an inclusive classroom is universally designing the environment and activity to fit

the needs of the student. For instance, "an exciting technology that holds great promise for Nice

helping individuals with disability gain more mobility is called functional electrical stimulation.

Good share with class A small device is used to deliver electrical impulses to stimulate muscles.

It works by activating the nerves causing the muscles to move, training the muscles to function

better over time” (Jansheski, 2020). Having the right technology for students will help provide

quality instruction during PE. There might be equipment that is necessary to have for specific

disabilities. Teachers need to advocate to administration to justify the purpose of purchasing high

tech equipment.

Knowledge of the Cultural Heritages of Different Ethnic Groups nice answer

Research has shown that teachers who are culturally connected with their students are

more effective in their teaching practices. For example, Flory and McCaughtry (date) discuss

using a three-part theoretical framework, the cultural relevance cycle. The cycle consists of

knowing community dynamics, knowing how community dynamics influence the educational

process, and implementing strategies that reflect cultural knowledge of the community. Culture
 Gutierrez: Essential Skills in APE 13

is the social situation that people are in, such as socioeconomic status, language, family structure,

along with many more factors. These factors are taken into consideration when teaching.

Teachers are required to take the time to get to know their students and the community they live

in. By knowing what dynamics students live in, the teacher will have a better understanding of

students' home life. For example…

Education is different in every culture. In some cultures, families believe that education is

English and math classes, and PE is just for fun. Understanding diverse backgrounds can affect

the teacher's attitude towards teaching. For example, there might be a student in the class who

never talks. The student has a blank stare or simply looks away. This behavior may be

interpreted into the student being non-verbal, but the reality the student is a Spanish speaker. For

teachers to be culturally responsive they must learn “about our students family background, their

previous educational experiences, their cultures norms for interpersonal relationships, their

parents expectations for discipline, and they ways their culture treat time and space” (Weinstein

el al. 2003). APE teachers approach teaching with ways to promote equal access learning.

Professional Development

As a preservice teacher, I have been creating my professional library that includes books,

power points, lesson plans, and assessments. Nice These will be essential in my just first year?

first year of teaching. In order to grow in the APE field, I will continue to attend conferences

such as NAPEC and CAHPERD. One goal I have for the future is to present at a professional

conference like NAPEC. Good goal I hope that in my future teachings, I continue to seek out

resources that will help me develop a successful APE program for the district where I teach. I

believe that I can achieve this goal by building my future program through social media. I feel

that teachers learn best from other professionals. I plan on creating a website that teachers,

parents, and students can refer to when they need additional resources. Great goal As of now, I
 Gutierrez: Essential Skills in APE 14

stay up to date by following professional organizations, podcasts, teachers on Instagram, and

Twitter. Also, to grow professionally in my future teachings, I would like to do research. I am

unsure what I would like to research, but by doing research, I can find new information that I can

share with my colleagues. Collaborating alongside other professionals is part of being a lifelong

learner. The collaboration will substantially help the APE teacher gain knowledge of other

professionals working in a school setting.

Reflection & Conclusion with Summary

In summary, APE teachers have various roles and responsibilities that include teaching,

paperwork, assessments, advocating, and collaborating. Effective teaching starts by having

strong content and curriculum knowledge. Providing quality instruction to students with

disabilities, teachers, have different strategies to teach students like using UDL and

differentiation. A proactive teacher develops methods to increase physical activity. This starts in

the pre-instruction phase when the teacher is creating a lesson plan. Being proactive is an

essential skill to have because teachers anticipate behaviors, modify, and accommodate activities

in the planning phase instead of during the lesson.

Finally, if teachers are to continue being life-long learners and advocate for students with

disabilities then need to attend professional conferences and seek the advice of veteran teachers.

in your introduction you stated being a life long learner is most critical? What is it?The most

critical essential skill needed for teacher APE is being able to collaborate with parents and other

professionals. By working together to come to a common goal, the student will be provided with

quality instruction to best fit their needs. It is the responsibility of the APE teacher to be

resourceful and provide information with other professionals working with students with

disabilities. I believe that APE teachers need to be well rounded with exceptional communication

skills.
 Gutierrez: Essential Skills in APE 15

While sttending CSULB during observations and lectures, I have grown to have a better

understanding of what skills APE teachers to posess. In the future, I plan to have a program that

is universally designed for each learner. I am going to implement proactive strategies like using

technology to keep paperwork streamlined and organized. APE educators must continue to learn

and advocate in efforts to provide quality physical education for all. Good goals

Resources nice list of references and follows APE style 

ADAPTED PHYSICAL EDUCATION GUIDELINES IN CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS. (2012).

Retrieved from

https://www.shastacoe.org/uploaded/Dept/selpa/SELPA_Resources/APE_Guidelines.pdf

California & California (2006). Physical education model content standards for California

public schools: Kindergarten through grade twelve. Sacramento, CA: California Dept. Of

Education
 Gutierrez: Essential Skills in APE 16

Hellison, D. (2003) Teaching personal and social responsibility through physical activity. (2nd

ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Ianiro, S. (2010). Universal Design for Learning. Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy, 1–3.

Jansheski, G., & Jansheski, G. (2020, March 29). Cerebral Palsy. Retrieved May 5, 2020, from

https://www.cerebralpalsyguidance.com/cerebral-palsy/living/assistive-technology/

Retrieved from https://lincs.ed.gov/sites/default/files/2_TEAL_UDL.pdf

Lavay, B. (2020) Collaboration and Consultation. (slide 17) KIN 388 course

Winnick, J. P., & Porretta, D. L. (2017). Adapted physical education and sport. Champaign, IL:

Human Kinetics.

Weinstein, C., & Curran, M. (2003). Culturally Responsive Classroom Management: Awareness

into Action. Theory into Practice, 42(4).