Week 4

It has been quite a week as far as homework and keeping up with writing my chapter 2 of my dissertation but now I take a break and reflect on the badminton course. We are now 1/2 way done and the students received their first progress report. I checked it and checked it and think it was a very fair way of grading.

Here was the scale I used:

1) Personal/Social Management: /3 (they give this grade to themselves following a rubric)

2) Activity Logs: /3 (I was very impressed how some students really seemed that they enjoyed keeping these logs, some were very detailed)

3) Badminton literacy homework: /10 (students made a warm-up card and contest game)

4) Exam 1: /5 (most students did well, averaging 80%)

5) Skill: /2 (if they did the skill assessment, or not)

6) Activity engagement: /10 (I gave them this grade based on their level of activity in class, participation in all activities)

Here is what I like and what I don't:

• I designed this to be in 3 parts, meaning have 3 sections in the course, each with an assignment like this one.. so every 5 classes. I think that is too much. Next time, I think I will do it in 2 parts,


• The students put a lot of work in studying together for the exam and it only counts for 5 points which I think it should count for 10 and than one in the end also for 10.


• I like how the grading is really up to them. There are no complaints... if they are active, in class, participate and complete the assignments, they earn a good grade. If they don't, the lose marks.


• Students really believe that these courses are easy A's and they should not have to do any work. While they are considerably less intensive as far as the acquisition of knowledge, students are learning a lot in this approach.


• So far I have integrated the Sport Education Model with the Teaching Games for Understanding model. I really like the tactical games approach and it works well when having teams set up.


• Lots of students do not take their attendance in the class serious, which they should because we have a policy of 4 absences = F and their daily participation affects their grade. But this affects team organization, spirit and play. I kept the teams low at small 4 to 5 members per team and I note that most there are only 3 or 4. Not sure how to solve this issue. When we start the tournaments, it is difficult if teams are only with 3. I either have to create teams of 6 next time or keep them as is and figure something else out. There must be that happy medium.


• The roles are good but I do not see a lot of them play out. Mainly due because I do not reinforce them. I have the coach and the fitness leader which are done right and well but there should also be an official and a scorekeeper and those roles are not being filled. I have the space and prefer all students to play as much as possible. I truly believe they can ref their own games within. Perhaps during tournament play I will have 1 team who will be officiating each time. The scorekeeper just fills in the scores at the end and really does not do anything else. I have been thinking that next time I would like a "goal setter" and a "motivator" in place of the scorekeeper and official. This is because I think it is important to have students motivate each other in the class and if someone is in charge of that, it may enhance team spirit. I would like someone to be the goal setter for the team... he or she will have a goal setting sheet and will first make observations of game play (during the first couple of days) and starting day 3 they will ask for a weakness and a strength of each player + team. Then, each day, the goal setter will look at the goal, if it was met they will set another goal and if it was not they will encourage the students to meet that goal. There could be a team goal as well but that would be for the coach.


• That being said, I think I would like every roll to have a separate page that at the end of class they sign off on. I want to make sure the coach is intentionally coaching his or her players so he or she should write down what they worked on. Including the fitness trainer and the goal setter. The motivator could reflect on the mood and team atmosphere and how to enhance it.


• We now have 2 more classes and we start the tournaments. I am still thinking about how to create these tournaments. I am asking all the students to present their contest by teaching the game to the class and will have 1 group per day of the tournament present in stead of the warm-ups... that should take 20 minutes and then we go into straight tournament play. I will do a timed play and a type of round robin. I am thinking of perhaps doing singles and doubles as well but I have to organize my thoughts around that.


• I am thinking about not doing the 2nd exam but having them do a class assessment about the model we are using. Having them reflect and write about their experiences in class can be very valuable to me in order to enhance the course now and in the future.


• Finally, I am already starting to think about teaching my team handball course this way and I am kind of getting excited because I think it will work very well in that class. Again, attendance issues aside!

Well, that is it for last week. Tomorrow we will learn the drive and work on movement on the court.