Principles of Learning BEST Cluster Project: Principles of Learning and Teaching in Action http://www.bestcluster.openlab.net.au Name POLT School Email address Lauren Davis 2.2, 3.2, 4.5 Eumemmerring College Endeavour Hills Campus davis.lauren.m@edumail.vic.gov.au Add details as requested above.

1. What was the teaching and learning challenge to which you responded 1. What was the teaching and learning challenge to which you responded? Which PoLT did you address? Year 7 Physical Education is a challenging and often confronting time for students in a new environment, especially those who have come from primary schools on their own. This unit is entitled ‘Working Together, Initiative activities and team building games’! There are 4 Main Concepts of the program: - Co-operation - Communication - Trust - Fun POLT 2: The learning environment promotes independence, interdependence and self-motivation. In learning environments that reflect this principle the teacher: 2.2 Uses strategies that build skills and productive collaboration. Write out the POLT being addressed in full. Add any additional information about why you have chosen this particular POLT and this particular unit of work.

2. What was the focus of the unit of work. i. e 2. What was the focus of the unit of work? i.e. Key Concepts; Understandings; Essential Questions? There are 4 main concepts of the program: - Co-operation - Communication - Trust Fun The main focus of the unit is for students to build relationships with other members of the class in a secure learning environment. In the transition from primary to high school it is important to show the students that there is support from other classmates and also their teachers. Include a list of key concepts, understandings and essential questions related to the unit of work, the VELS level and/or the POLT.

3. What could the students already do alone 3. What could the students already do alone? What did the students already know? When students arrive at Secondary College you hope that most of them have some communication skills and feel comfortable talking in front of a group, the truth is they don’t. Some students are fine with this and go on with everyday life as they did in Primary school and others go into their shells and you can barely get a word out of them. Everyone is different and have different views and opinions on most matters. This program is a chance for the students to use these skills and collaborate to solve problems and work together as a team. Students already work together in teams during PE lessons and have done this throughout their schooling. They should have a good basic concept of team work. Provide details regarding skills, competencies and previous knowledge as requested above.

4. How were the students assisted. eg 4. How were the students assisted? eg. scaffolding, modelling, questioning, mind maps etc. Show or list resources used and length of learning sequence. Every week, everyday of these students lives they are faced with challenges. Some of these may be rewarding and others may have negative consequences. This unit focuses on two main areas; Learning from adventure and Challenge by choice, See below: Learning From Adventure! Risk Out of comfort zone Challenge by choice! Participate at your own level Safe, supportive and caring atmosphere Empowerment During PE lessons students are challenged, whether it be a new sport or skill that they are learning or having to work together as a team to complete tasks or try and win games. The students know that they are being assessed on their team work and co-operation skills week to week. Detail assistance provided, resources used and details about the timeline used for the unit of work. Add any changes you would suggest teachers make to improve the delivery of the unit following on from your experience.

CONTINUED……. 4. How were the students assisted. eg CONTINUED…….. 4. How were the students assisted? eg. scaffolding, modelling, questioning, mind maps etc. Show or list resources used and length of learning sequence. Every week I am with the students as they are carrying out the tasks, assisting them wherever needed. The learning sequence is ongoing, however this particular learning sequence goes for 4 weeks. The first week is ice breaker games that encourage all students to be involved and feel comfortable in their new surroundings. (See slide 9) The next 3 weeks are challenging tasks that involve all students and encourage them to work together as a team to solve problems. (See slides 10-12)

5. Review. How successful was the learning sequence 5. Review. How successful was the learning sequence? What will the students do next? The learning sequence was very successful. I found that every one of my students had some input into the activities week to week. There was lots of laughter amongst the students and it was evident that team work was taking place. It was good to see students who were not very comfortable with the group in the first few weeks becoming leaders towards to end. The best thing about the activities was seeing the students smile and talk to one another throughout the lesson. This is a great way to start a year, in particular with year 7’s as it gives them all an opportunity to get to know one another. It is a fun and safe environment where they know that ridicule is not accepted and there is a huge emphasis on team work. This will be an ongoing thing as every week we do some sort of team activity or game and this helps the students continue their learning of how to be a great team member. Provide details about any feedback the students gave you about the unit of work, any survey results you feel are relevant, and how you plan to move forward with either the unit, the POLT or the VELS involved.

6. Evidence: Attach relevant classroom materials, worksheets, rubrics, surveys, photographs and student work. The next few slides show all of the activities that take place over the 4 weeks. Attach appropriate materials as requested above.

WEEK 1 Activity One: Toss the chicken (or any other object) Students stand in a circle. One person starts with the chicken, calls another persons name in the circle and throws the chicken to them, they attempt to catch the chicken, call someone else’s name and so on….When receiving the chicken say “thank you (who it was from) Activity Two: Finger Fencing Students pair up & use handshake grip. Each pair extends their index finger and the aim is to poke their partner without whilst still using the handshake grip. Activity Three: Evolution (Paper, scissors, rock) The aim of this game is for the students to evolve into a human, they being as an egg. Students ‘Rock-off’ with each other. If they win they evolve into a chicken, the loser stays an egg. The chickens then find each other and ‘Rock-off’ with each other and the eggs do the same. If the chicken’s win again they become a dinosaur and if they win as a dinosaur they become a human. No-one can evolve unless they win the ‘Rock-off’. Evolution Path: Egg-Chicken-Dinosaur-Human Activity Four: Hoppo Bumpo Students get in pairs and stand opposite their partner with hands stretched out in front of each other touching palms with partner. Aim of the activity is to get your partner off balance by pushing their hands. They can also lose their balance by avoiding one of the attempts to be pushed and their partner who is trying to push them loses their balance.

WEEK 2-4 Activity One: Categories Students have to arrange themselves in groups or in order of the following - Height - Birthdays -Hair Colour - Shoe Size - Eye Colour Activity Two: Psychic Hand Students pick a number between 1-4 Students are to find all the other students in the class with the same number, this is to be done in silence, no hand gestures or lip movements. There should be 4 groups at the end. Activity Three: Omeoba- explain this is a single celled organism and if the wall is broken it will die! Students link hands in a circle and this forms omeoba. Students are taken on a pathway that is challenging and they are not allowed to break the link or omeoba will die. Activity Four: Count to 20 Students stand in a circle and they have to count from 1-20. Students have to discuss ways in which they can go around the circle without saying the number twice. The person next to them can’t say the following number. E.g 1,2,3,4 it has to be 1,3,2,4,etc… Activity Five: Spectrum/ Bum Writing Line students up in a straight line, fold the line in half so the students at the back become the partner of the student at the front of the line, this gets the class into random pairs. In these pairs each pair takes it in turn to write their middle name in mid-air using their bums. Their partner has to guess their name. Partners then swap roles.

WEEKS 2-4 Activity Six: Walk Tag One or two people are ‘it’ Students can only walk around the designated area and if they get tagged they are now scare crows and people who aren’t it have to tag them so they are freed, just like chasy only walking. Activity Seven: Toe to Heal Students are in pairs. Each pair stands opposite each other with their toes touching. Their back leg is placed directly behind their front leg with front heal touching back toe. Whilst in this position the aim is to use your hands to knock your partner off balance. Activity Eight: Look-up- elimination game Students stand in a circle with everyone looking at their feet. One person calls “look-up” and if you look up and you are making eye contact with someone else you are both eliminated. Activity Nine: Impulse Students stand in a circle and hold hands with the person on either side of them. One person begins the pulse by squeezing the hand of the person next to them and the pulse gets passed around the group. Time how long it takes to get the pulse from start to finish. Activity Ten: Hug Tag This is a game of tiggy where you are required to hug a person so you won’t be tagged. You can only hug one person for no more than 5 seconds. Tagger is not allowed to hover around the pair hugging.

WEEKS 2-4 Problem solving and trust building activities. Activity One: Mine Field Objects are scattered in an indoor or outdoor place.  In pairs, one person verbally guides his/her partner, a blindfolded person, through the minefield. Activity Two: Trust Lean In pairs of similar size, one becomes a Faller and one the Catcher. Teach methods for spotting, falling and catching. Start small and build to bigger falls, then swap.  Debrief - what made you feel more or less trusting? Activity Three: Marshmallow River Crossing Students are put into two teams. The aim of each team is to get their whole group across the river without getting wet (imaginary), use the oval or stadium and make a river 10m apart. There are 10 marshmallows (colour circles) for each group. The first person leaves the bank and places one of the marshmallows down on the ground, they continue doing this until they get to the other side. At all times someone has to have some contact with the ‘marshmallows’ if there is no one on any of the marshmallows they are confiscated and they have to jump the gap.