Can't We All Just Play (Nice)

Social and Personal Responsibility

During Physical Activity and Sports
[Professional Development Presentation: Miller Elementary School, Decemeber2017]
Gretchen Jessel with assistance from the elementary physical education team.
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Professional Development Session Intention:

Every day the physical education department teaches personal and social responsibility during gameplay
and physical activity. How do they do it? What expectations do they have in their learning environments
that allow the students to all "just get along" or "just play nice"?

Team building activities strengthen the relationship between a group of students (a class!) and help
students communicate more effectively with one another. Activities can be quick - 10min activities, or long
whole class period activities.

Come and enjoy team challenges, cooperative activities, and tabletop games that promote positive
attitudes along with personal and social responsibility across all curricular subject areas.

We would love for you to share your thoughts and ideas of team challenges and cooperative activities as
well. We will have a "share and show" time during the session.
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Where does it fit into our “curriculum and goals”?

Standards for Ohio Teacher Educators (https://education.ohio.gov)

● Standard 1: Students - “Teachers understand student learning and development and

respect the diversity of the students they teach.”
○ 1.4 Teachers model respect for students’ diverse cultures, language skills and
experiences.
● Standard 4: Instruction - “Teachers plan and deliver effective instruction that advances
the learning of each individual student.”
○ 4.6 Teachers create and select activities that are designed to help students develop as
independent learners and complex problem-solvers.
● Standard 5: Learning Environment - “Teachers create learning environments that
promote high levels of learning and achievement for all students.”
○ 5.1 Teachers treat all students fairly and establish an environment that is respectful,
supportive and caring.
○ 5.2 Teachers create an environment that is physically and emotionally safe.
○ 5.4 Teachers create learning situations in which students work independently,
collaboratively and/or as a whole class.
○ 5.5 Teachers maintain an environment that is conducive to learning for all students.

Aurora City Schools Mission Statement

The mission of the Aurora City Schools is to ensure that through providing a nurturing
environment, with high expectations and effective programs, all students will reach their full
potential and graduate prepared to become responsible, productive members of society.

SHAPE America National Standards for K-12 Physical Education (2016)

● Standard 4 - The physically literate individual exhibits responsible personal and social
behavior that respects self and others.
○ Respond positively to reminders of appropriate safe procedures
○ Follow directions and handle equipment safely
○ Follow instructions and class procedures while participating in physical education
activities
○ Work independently and complete activities
○ Demonstrate consideration of others with varying skills or fitness levels while participating
in physical activities
○ Complete activities and take responsibility for actions
○ Demonstrate cooperation with others when resolving conflicts
○ Identify equipment specific safety rules and follow them
○ Cooperate with a partner or small group by taking turns and sharing equipment
○ Adjust performance to characteristics of the environment to ensure safe play (space,
equipment, others)
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Philosophy of Play:
The principles of law-abiding citizenship, of individual initiative, of courage, justice, and perseverance, of
community cooperation, and healthy living, in general, are learned to a considerable extent through PLAY.
The spirit of honesty, fair play, truthfulness, reliability, friendship, respect for authority and for others’
feelings, and many other homely virtues are acquired in the same way.
PLAY makes for a better mind in a better body. It induces keener perception, surer judgement, better
reasoning, sound emotions, and a stronger will. It is effective in securing order and systems.
- Two Hundred Games That Teach
- By Laura Smith, 1923

https://www.amazon.com/Two-Hundred-Games-That-Teach/dp/1589633946

Children Must Be Taught--

"Learning through doing is an important component in this, … but by itself, it's not enough," said Emily Lai,
the director of formative assessment and feedback for Pearson, the educational publishing company.
"Students go into these experiences with very little understanding of what they should be working
toward—and so students walk away from these experiences a little jaded. Collaboration is just like any
other skill; it has to be taught."

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/05/17/children-must-be-taught-to-collaborate-studies.html
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Sources and Resources

The Don
Hellison
Model is
A teaching
approach that
uses sport and
exercise to
help young
people take
more
responsibility
for themselves
and the
well-being of
others. It
provides a
series of
strategies proven in the USA on using the gymnasium,
playground, and playing field as centers for building
student self-esteem; empowering students to develop
their own physical education goals; improving the quality
of K-12 physical education classes, extended day
programs, diversion programs, and organized sports
programs; and putting the character development
claims of physical activity programs into practice. In
addition, it provides some practical guidelines to enable teachers to offset some of the negative experiences
facing their students by teaching them to cope with everyday realities, take pride in themselves and their
accomplishments, refrain from judging others too quickly, get along with peers, and teammates, abandon their
tough images and control their tempers.

http://www.pecentral.org/climate/january99article.html
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Cooperative Learning is a dynamic instructional model that can teach diverse content to
students at different grade levels, with students working together in small, structured,
heterogeneous groups to master subject content. It has a strong research tradition, is used
frequently as a professional development tool in general education and is now emerging in
physical education.

This book defines Cooperative Learning in physical education and examines how to implement
Cooperative Learning in a variety of educational settings. It explores Cooperative Learning in
physical education from three main perspectives. The first, context of learning, provides
descriptions of Cooperative Learning in different levels of education (elementary school,
secondary school, and university physical education). The second, Cooperative Learning in the
curriculum, offers case studies from teachers and researchers of their experiences of
implementing Cooperative Learning within their own national context. The third perspective, key
aspects of Cooperative Learning, examines how the different elements of the model have been
foregrounded in efforts to enhance learning in physical education.

As the only text to provide international perspectives, from eight different countries, of
Cooperative Learning in physical education, this book is important reading for any student,
researcher or teacher with an interest in physical education, sport education, sport pedagogy,
curriculum development or methods for learning and teaching.
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Our Goals…
Goal #1: Learn to Work With Everyone
Students practice this important lesson through grouping games. Students must enter and exit multiple groups
and configurations. This skill is practiced and repeated all year.

Sample Activities (Grouping Games)

● Whistle Mixer: Students are in scatter formation about

the gym or designated classroom area. Listen for
whistle, group together based on number of tweets.
Two tweets= two in group, three tweets = three in
group. As the students get quicker, add more tweets
creating a fun challenge. Begin to time them and let
them know the class before them was able to form
groups of ___ in ____ seconds. Purpose is to
challenge students to work quickly to form group without
thought of who is in their group such as a best friend.
Time is limited and grouping is important.

● Scrambler: Same as above but now when in a group you

must remember who you are with. Teacher has pairs
stand back to back, side to side, toe to toe, face to
face, elbow to elbow. Throughout the scramble teacher
will have students search for one of the partners, “Find
your back to back partner”. Teacher will give the pair
or group a quick small fun task before they scramble
again. Tasks could include making a face emotion,
remembering eye color, playing rock-paper-scissors or
see who laughs first. Again the purpose is to form
comfortable quick groups without thought.

● Lost and Found- Come on Down: A safe zone where ● Hand Sandwich: Teacher/instructor calls out a group
students can go to find help in getting into groups. configuration, the Students locomote through the open
This is a VERY important area. Know one wants to be area and place their hand against a peers to form a
last picked or left out. The lost and found should be a “hand Sandwich”. Good for grouping. Similar to above
safe zone where students feel wanted. There are just in a different form. Hand sandwiches are great for
many reason a student may go to Lost and Found, odd students who can not find a partner. They raise their
number of students, confused, or it is just their turn to hand high looking for another hand that is raised.
be lost and then found. When creating this safe zone,
have a backup plan. The student should be used in a
demo, become the instructors partner or some other
task where they feel wanted and safe from hurt
feelings.
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Goal #2: To establish an environment with MAXIMUM participation and ZERO elimination

● Students learn quickly participation is not optional and trying to get eliminated from a game to “sit
out” does not work.
● Have enough equipment for all.
● If the activity is an elimination activity, have the students eliminated start a new round of same
activity.
● Create levels so students can level up as in a video games (gamification). Sometimes I just make
these up when they are actually planned extensions of the same task. I tell the students that they
“earned” the next level because of their cooperation skills, communication skills, or their caring skills.

Sample Activities

● Rock/Paper/Scissors Olympics: Students play

RPS in many forms. They learn the game
with their hands as well as whole body. It is
a continuous loop of PRS. Kids move through
each level. RPS is then used as a conflict
resolution strategy. By creating this
continuous loop game the students learn that
they will be gold champions as well as bronze
level beginners. When solving conflicts the
students translate this into “You win now I
win later and that is OK”. RPS is also used
during the year with other activities such as
Pokemon Go Fitness. RPS is used in the
battle zone to earn XP points.

● SOS: Save Our Ship- students are given a

random limited amount of equipment and
challenged to cross the gym floor. No student
can be left behind and the students must
travel somewhat together. In this lesson
students work on communication skills such as
sharing ideas, implementing ideas, listening to
ideas and watching other teams problem solve.
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Goal #3: Establish an environment with little or no teacher intervention needed and build
trust so students understand that they can and will learn from others in class

It is important in the classroom and gymnasium that students work with independance and can problem solve on
their own. Students need a foundation built on confidence and competence. The gymnasium is a big loud
classroom and students can become easily lost or off task. Each task presented to the students in physical
education is measurable by both the teacher and student and there is always a plan B and C that allows the
students and teacher to simplify or extrned the challenge. At the end of each lesson it is important to have
closure. Allowing the students to identify their learning and allowing them to share their experience is vital to
the above goal.. This reflects learning standards 1 and 2. Once students have the confidence and competence,
they can then reach out to others in class. Building their communication skills helps in this area and closure of
each lesson is the pathway to this independent environment.

Sample Activities

http://online.brescia.edu/social-work-news/team-buildi
ng-exercises/

https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/10-tea
m-building-games-that-promote-critical-thinking/

http://www.elementarymatters.com/2013/05/team-buil
ding-activities.html

http://www.milkeneducatorawards.org/connections/arti
cles/view/10-team-building-activities-for-the-first-w
eek-of-school

Other Cool Stuff to Use in your classroom…

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I Can Get Along..

The 4 C’s of Responsible Behavior

Conflict Resolution
● Stopped the action to identify the problem, discussed
what’s working and what is not, put plan into action and
try something different (if the plan needs to be
revisited or revised).
Communication
● Was a good listener, asked questions to find out more,
exchanged ideas and feelings, and spoke in a proper
tone of voice
Consideration.
● Helped others, was kind and not hurtful, showed
sympathy and caring, and behaved politely and with
respect
Cooperation
● Took turns, followed directions, played fair and solved
problems

Six ways to be more kind:

1. Don’t tolerate bullying. Ever. If you see

it, stop it in its tracks.
2. Compliment every person you speak
to—your spouse, your neighbor, the bank
teller…you get the point.
3. If you’re thinking something kind, always
say it out loud. If your friend looks great
today, tell her! If someone is good at
their job, tell them!
4. Really listen to what people are telling
you (kids are people too!).
5. Speak how you would like to be spoken to.
6. If you feel yourself losing it, don’t say
anything…just wait and breathe.

Session Agenda
1. Introduction and Activity #1 (Whistle Mixer, Scrambler, and Lost & Found)
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a. Led by: Gretchen

b. Debrief and Discussion Points
i. Why do we use this?
ii. What’s the benefit? Purpose? Goal?
iii. How do we transfer into the classroom? Modifications or adjustments that may need to be made?
2. Purpose Statement, Sources, and Resources
a. Led by: Gretchen
b. Discussion Points
i. How does this session and the goals of this session align with our teacher professional standards,
our aurora mission statement, and other classroom standards?
ii. How and why do we embed these lessons into our everyday?
3. Activity #2 (Bucket Pass)
a. Led by: Stacey
b. Debrief and Discussion Points
i. What’s the focus?
ii. What does it require from our students?
iii. How would we tie this activity to interactions within our classrooms?
4. Goal #1 Discussion
a. Led by: Stacey
b. Discussion Points
5. Activity #3 (Rock/Paper/Scissors Olympics)
a. Led by: Stacey
b. Debrief and Discussion Points
6. Goal #2 Discussion
a. Led by: Gretchen
b. Discussion Points:
7. Activity #4 (SOS)
a. Led by: Jen
b. Discussion Points
8. Goal #3 Discussion
a. Led by: Jen
b. Discussion Points:
i. Sport Education Model - how can this be applied in the classroom and group work
(roles/responsibilities)
9. Conclusion and Discussion
a. Led by: Jen
b. Discussion Points:
i. Facilitate conversation and brainstorm together on how this might work in the classroom setting.
ii. Introduce PE in a Box and provide opportunity to examine different activities
10. Break Out Session
a. Teachers can research activities that fit their needs and classroom.

Notes---
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