Jo Bailey Session

I have been a big fan of @lovephyed for a few years now and during the week we connected and instantly had a rapport like we had worked together for years. We ran a great 6 mile run around Seattle waterfront on Thursday afternoon and talked about goals, life and Phys Ed. So of course when I knew that Jo was presenting I had to be there. Jo was the TOY for 2014/15 and as a result had to teach a session. Her session was great using ICT as digital leverage in PE and the aerobic style of consolidated learning really gave students a chance to learn without sitting. She demonstrated how she taught a health lesson and it was a real credit to her as she was dynamic in her presentation style and energetic in her vocal strategies. What resonated with me from Jo’s presentation was her calming nature (with British accent) that gave confidence to the students. You need to try and avoid showing dominance as a teacher and find a level where your student respect you for you but at the same time give you the respect as a teacher to be able to understand goals and boundaries. In particular I really enjoyed small sided games with the 4 on 4 soccer and chicken toss. It did help that my team which included @mrindellPE and two others had great TGFU developed and worked together brilliantly as a team.

Piper Circus

It was circus day at #Shapeseattle today. Circus skills are very important in elementary PE as it ensures that students are practising hand eye coordination. We juggled and we laughed, we spun disks and we laughed, we danced and we loved. This is what it is all about. If students are engaged and relaxed, learning will come naturally. To set up an environment where students understand that mistakes are common then the increase in performance will naturally occur as greater risks will be taken. Well done Piper on this session.

Demo slam

The Demo Slam was cool initiative set up by Colin Brookes and Adam Howell. It involved a meeting place disclosed via Twitter. The rules were simple and short, get an idea talk for no longer than 2 minutes or be shut down. The crowd grew with anticipation and then as teachers presented their idea or teaching strategy the crowd become 5-6 people deep or set up resembling a dance off. I was happy to share the strategies of the mini mudda and the success that Leopold PS had with fundraising. Communication is great as after I was slammed (2 minutes was up) fellow PE teachers came up to be and asked questions about the program. Well done gentlemen and I am sure that this idea is going to be copied at many conferences throughout the world….. It was rich and rewarding.

International PE teachers Task Force

My highlight of my entire conference has to be the inclusion in this group led by Joey Feith. Our mission is simple by this time next year we want to increase the amount of teachers providing Quality Physical Education to students. We need to identify what ‘raising the bar’ means and then go about trying to influence change. So watch this space as the programme evolves. So honoured to be recognized for my work and my ability to influence change. Look out Australia I am coming to get you.

This got me thinking as well and through the power of social media and online communication platforms such as Google Hangout and Skype to name two it is easy to mentor and assist teachers across the world. @GraceKaler, @mrindellPE and I are connecting use this platform.  @jessicashawley & @schallmoserPE13 and I are connecting to develop online collaborative units with our students to cross link globally and provide students with rich and rewarding learning experiences.

US GAMES/openphysed.com opened proceedings on day 3 with an amazing initiative that sees them create a online space where teachers can upload and download lesson ideas that are inline with teaching standards. Best part of this curriculum is that they are all in word doc so they are easily edited.

Connecting is great but I appreciate both sides of the conversation. To listen comes great respect and to contribute to the value of a discussion leads to a great outcome.

It continues to resonate with me that my role in life is to continue to activate, educate and advocate. Inspire through doing, resolve through discussing and achieve through building.

One burning desire was still seeming unlikely until I saw a gap in the field and decided to take a chance and run with it. I was so desperate to see where my presentation skills stood compared to those that I had been involved in during the week. So at 10am I tweeted " #physed teachers at #SHAPEseattle, who wants to play cricket, meet me @ 2:45pm today in Ballroom 6C". With a few retweets and another push at midday we had ourselves an audience. The power of social media is so important and this was a great example of best practice models. Delegates didn't have to come, they didn't have to play, but come they did. To boost numbers and get a few more PE teachers through the door I did want any young aspiring leader who do with an Aussie accent, I went out into the middle of the conference corridor and started to sell my presentation and point people in the right direction. After all the best person to sell yourself is you!! Leading by example we set the field and taught backwards through the game, starting with lots of questions as I set the field and was busy assisting the American Teachers with the correct batting stance. The bowling technique was questionable but when applied with the 'Pull the rope' technique they understood the straight arm policy with more clarity. We used the T20 Blast model from CricketAustralia.com.au and awarded double points for straight shots played. The only downside is that it is damn hard to find a cricket bat in this town. Instruction leadership gave the teachers that attended a unique experience spurred on by a desire to present. My goal was to give a taste of the sport and a few tips to go away with along with a website to then go back to their own schools and explore the sport more. I really enjoyed the interest it generate and was delighted to see heads popping through the door if only for a minute to view the learning situation.

Baseball night

Safeco Field is the home of the Seattle Mariners and this particular night it played host to 400 teachers sponsored by Gofer Sports. @schallmoserPE13 and I attended together and had a ball. This baseball club is amazing and as we were lead on a tour by Helen, who was a really lovely team player, we were educated on the aspects of this stadium and why it was so important to the people of Seattle. The club itself was owned by the owner of Nintendo (Which is based in Seattle along with Bill Gates Foundation, Amazon, Boeing and Microsoft to name a few of the multi Billion dollar companies) Four hot dogs and four brownies later we  were on tour around the ground. It was great to catch up with many teachers there and to have some photos with fellow PE Tweeters. It was a goal of mine before I left Australia to talk to as many other teachers as possible. I am loving just sitting down with a group of unknown teachers and introducing myself and finding out all about them.    

Rene- jumped rope world champion

To be inspired inspires us to lead. Recognizing where change can occur and then knowing how to create change is an art form that takes a lifetime to master.

Seattle has taught me to listen, interpret and adapt. Find what matters most to the children I educate and deliver an experience that challenges their ability.

Understand the core element of what being a teacher is and discover the magical skills you possess to share these skills.

At the end of the day any secrets we keep that will better the knowledge of our students is only a disadvantage to their growth and development.

John Medina is one of the most interesting men. His passion in his research and results has demonstrated that aerobic activity followed directly by high level learning results in higher attainment of knowledge. This is not a myth it's a fact. The science behind it stimulates the brain to work at a higher intensity. If we don't at least try this method and interpret the results then we have failed the experiment. 10 minutes is all you need. Check out the snip below.

I am having a ball. Connecting with fellow PE teachers from across the globe will certainly have an impact.

The #1 concept I have learnt throughout this conference is that 'backward gearing' creates a pathway that is clearer for teachers and students.

Check out the fitness drumming:

https://twitter.com/misshartl/status/578345808640126976

https://twitter.com/misshartl/status/578345323019431936

The famous flying fish of seattle.

Going to a shape conference has always been a dream of mine and my expectations of first impressions couldn't have been further from the truth. You follow the track pants wearing teachers ant style across the city then form a pack outside the security gate. This resembled the start of a fun run. 7am ticked around the gates opened and the mad dash began to get to registration.

My first sessions was based around using Twitter with Joey Feith and Artie Kyambi. This session blew my mind. As much as I am a confident Twitter geek, I just loved the way Joey and Artie put the session together. It was enjoyable and entertaining all in one. I was lucky to act as a tech pro when it came to getting other users online. I just love collaboration and this was the pinnacle. I met teachers who knew me from Twitter and met teachers I followed on Twitter. It was a weird feeling, where an online program comes to life! My hat goes off to the two presenters and I truly believe my presenting style will now change as a result of seeing this.

My afternoon sessions was spent at the university of Washington. This was on a bucket list of mine. The university is a suburb of its own in Seattle and resembles an English style building structure. It was the sporting fields I was really keen to explore and with luck on my side I was able to talk to coaches and athletes. I spent 4 hours at this venue and was fortunate to wonder onto the centre of every playing field.

My evening was spent again with Joey and Artie and we spoke in depth what really mattered in Physical Education. What inspired us to be PE teachers and how can we take PE to the next level so it matches the status of literacy and numeracy in schools. Joey discussed an wonderful technique he uses in his school in Montreal called Backwards teaching. This means that we paint a picture of the final product and work backwards to breakdown the skills needed to complete the picture. Can we make a role model student using a role model in the community as a guide to desired skills.

What an amazing day! What an unbelievable opportunity.

Sleep after 36 hours of being awake always makes the day coming so much better. I ventured for a lazy hour run today around Mukilteo and saw many yellow school buses ferrying students to school. It was important to get off the main road just so I could have some thinking time and embrace the town I am in. I took a trail run just near the school district and was instantly at ease with my thoughts. Check out the pics

You know what is funny, I am a person who cant sit still for me that 20 minutes yet I am meant to be confined to a seat for 15 hours....... Sacrifices create opportunity. Three years ago I travelled to the USA with my family to visit an old friend which I have had since I was 12 years old. For those of you old enough to remember the Penpal craze of the late 80s well this is it. I was in year 7 and was given the name of a year 8 girl from Olympic, WA. Over the years we have shared countless letters and visit each others town once. When Shape America (formally AAPHERD) announce that 2015 National PE conference would be in Seattle I set this as a goal to attend. I was able to create two meaningful footprints in my career. The first being able to communicate and collaborate face to face with teachers from another country and of course the #PEGEEkS and #PHYSED Twitter Teams but I am also able to spend some time with my PENPAL and her family after the conference. 

Todays schedule looked like this:
4:30am- Awake and cycle indoors for 60 mins
6:15am- Transit to Melbourne Airport
9:30am- Board Plane bound for LAX
10:15am- Plane departs for LAX
12pm- Write my Term reports for 22 grades
12 Midnight- (6am)- Arrive LAX
9:30am- Depart LAX for Seattle
12:15pm- Arrive Seattle 
1pm- Arrive Mukilteo
1:05pm- Put my feet up and relax

Today gives me an opportunity to be involved in an experience I may never receive again. My wife is such a wonderful person and encouraged me to attend, leaving her and my teenagers at home for two weeks. 

Physical Education can offer you everything you want to achieve in life, goal setting and risk taking ensures that the future is bright. I am extremely fortunate to be in the position that I am and am truly grateful for the trust Leopold parents give me to continually challenge their children.

Until tomorrow- Happy flying!!!