Benefits of Physical Activity to Individual Health - Physical, Emotional, Social, Intellectual, and Spiritual - Assignment Example

Study Planning Name: University: Course: Instructor: Date: Study Planning Part A Lesson Plan Title: The benefits of physical activity to all dimensions of individual health, namely, physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and spiritual Content: Health and Physical Education Grade Level: College Instructional Goal: At the end of this lesson, each student should comprehend the relationship between physical activity and health. Lesson Objectives: Students are able to: Describe the impact of physical activity on their physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and spiritual health Explain the personal, cultural, social and environmental factors that influence college students’ decisions to engage or not to engage in physical activity Reflect on strategies for encouraging college students’ participation in physical activity participation Develop research skills by planning and carrying out research related to the instructional topic Perform data analysis, form their interpretations, and present their findings in the form of a report Derive valid conclusions from their findings and recommend future studies Develop public speaking skills Vocabulary: Physical activity, exercise, Dimensions of health Materials: Computer, Overhead projector, Flip chart, Survey questionnaires Procedure: Introduction The tutor will introduce the lesson by asking students to define physical activity in their own words. The tutor will also ask students whether they have ever felt the need to increase their participation in physical activity and why. The students will give examples of tasks in which they have participated previously to enhance their engagement in physical activity. Lesson development The tutor will develop the lesson by defining physical activity and its relationship to health in all its dimensions. The tutor will present the content using a PowerPoint presentation. This mode will cater for students with auditory impairment because it will be possible for them to see the content and take down notes. For slow learners, the tutor will provide them with printed handouts to which they can refer during and after the lesson or during private study. For the visually impaired students, the tutor will dictate lecture notes or provide them with the lesson content in audio-recorded form so that they can listen with the aid of a computer with audio features or a screen reader. Performance activities/learning experiences In groups of five, the students will conduct questionnaire surveys within the college to gather data on students’ attitudes towards physical activity and behaviours in terms of participation in physical activity. Through the surveys, the students will also collect data on the personal, cultural, social and environmental factors that influence college students’ decisions to engage or not to engage in physical activity. Each group member will have a role to play in the survey exercise. In addition, the tutor will assign the students into groups of mixed ability so that the students with disabilities will receive assistance from their peers without disabilities and participate in data collection. This way, the disabled and slow learners will benefit optimally from the learning activities. The students will analyze the data gathered, form their own interpretations and present their findings and conclusions to the class. The presentations will be oral to cater for the visually impaired students and in written form (handouts, slide presentations) to cater for the students with auditory impairment. In groups of five, the students will hold focus group discussions to brainstorm on strategies for encouraging college students’ participation in physical activity participation. Each student will play a given role in the focus group activity. The students will present the results of their brainstorming sessions to the class. The presentations will take place orally to cater for the visually impaired students. They will also involve the use of flip charts to allow the students with auditory difficulties to see the content of the discussions and take notes. The students will respond to questions from their peers and the tutor to assess their understanding of instructional content, and the findings from the surveys and focus group discussions. The students will respond to questions from the tutor regarding the impact of the surveys and brainstorming sessions on their attitudes towards exercise and future participation in physical activity. Closure The tutor will sum up the lesson by asking students to state what they have learnt about the link between physical activity and health Assessment The tutor will assess student learning using task sheets, checklists and marking rubrics. The task sheet will be useful for assessing each student’s participation in class performance/learning activities. Each student must participate in the surveys and focus group discussions, and have an identified role in his/her group. The tutor will award marks to each student for evidence of their participation in both activities. The tutor will also award marks to each group for completion of each activity. In addition, each group must present the findings of their surveys and focus group discussions to the class. The tutor will award group marks for class presentations, and each group must present their own work and not a copy of another group’s work. Plagiarism, therefore, will be a key consideration in the evaluation of the group presentations. Moreover, the tutor will use a checklist and marking rubric to assess the manner in which each group presents their survey and focus group discussions’ results. In relation to the content, some of the items that the tutor will assess include relevance of the data to the topic of investigation, clarity of the findings (easy to comprehend), typographic and grammatical errors, use of visuals such as graphs/charts, slide presentations and written means such as handouts and flip charts to present the data. Further, proper organization of the presentation and content flow will be key considerations during the evaluation of the work of each group. In relation to the presenter, the tutor will assess his/her audibility, confidence, articulation of words, and ability to answer questions satisfactorily. As a take-home assignment, each student will write an article on the factors that hinder college student participation in physical activity and ways to counter the identified barriers. The tutor will select the best five articles for publication in the college newsletter. The criteria for selection will include relevance of the content to the topic of investigation, use of credible and recent sources, excellent organization and flow of content with the use of sections such as abstract, introduction, body (with subheadings), conclusion, recommendations, and references. The tutor will also assess the articles on grounds of the presence or absence of grammatical and typographic errors, and use of visual presentation modes where necessary. In addition, the tutor will deduct marks for late submission of the assignment and therefore, students must meet the 3-week deadline to complete and hand in their work. In addition, the tutor will only accept assignments free of plagiarism and which, show evidence of students’ individual work. The tutor will penalize students who submit similar work and their assignments will not receive a grade. Safety considerations The safety of learners ought to be a key consideration in every lesson planning task. This involves evaluation of the learning environment (classroom, field, laboratory or other facility), and materials/equipment for use during the teaching/learning process (Education Queensland Policy and Procedures Register, 2012). According to the document, safety considerations should also focus on the interactions between teachers and learners, and among students to ensure that none of the parties engages in potentially harmful conduct towards the other. In the proposed lesson plan, the tutor will ensure that devices such as the overhead projector and computers that students will use during the performance/learning activities are in good condition, and do not pose safety risks to the learners. In addition, the tutor will also request the assistance of the college technician to verify that the electrical wiring in the laboratory does not pose any safety risks in terms of fire or electric shocks. Similarly, the tutor will hold the lesson in the computer laboratory to enable students use the projector and the visually impaired students to access audio facilities with which they can listen to the content of the PowerPoint presentations. The tutor, therefore, will ensure the proper organization of the laboratory to allow adequate physical space for the students to move to and from their seats. Moreover, there will be a need to ensure that the seats are comfortable for the students, and that they do not expose them to back strains or injuries. For the visually impaired and physically handicapped students, the tutor will assign them assistants to aid them in entering the laboratory to prevent cases of falling or tripping over the staircase. In addition, the tutor will see to it that there is enough lighting and ventilation to create a favorable learning environment. Further, the tutor will ensure that fire safety equipment is within easy reach for use in case of a fire emergency. Part B How does the mandated school context of Redfield State College affect both the teaching and learning processes? The mandated school context of Redfield State College affects both the teaching and learning processes in various ways. Firstly, the vision of the institution stipulates that education should be holistic and customized to meet the needs of the individual students. According to Redfield College (2012), “Teachers of Redfield work with parents to assist in the intellectual, moral, spiritual, social and physical development of the boys and young men entrusted to them.  Effective education is also personal as opposed to institutional” (p.1). This implies that instructors should devise the teaching/learning process in a manner that enhances the physical, social, emotional, intellectual, moral, and spiritual development of the students. At the same time, it means that instructors should assess the progress of every learner in each subject to determine his/her needs and adapt the teaching/learning process towards the fulfilment of the identified challenges. Secondly, the college motto emphasizes virtues such as sincerity, truth, and generosity, while the college shield reflects values such as respect, self-control, accountability, and courage. Consequently, the teaching/learning process ought to incorporate performance/learning activities that foster the virtues/values for which the college stands (Redfield College, 2012). This will ensure that the college produces graduates who will be excellent ambassadors of the institution’s repute when they complete their studies. Thirdly, the college policy requires that tutors bear in mind the safety of their students when planning the instructional and learning processes (Redfield College, 2012). For instance, tutors must consider how safe the learning environment (classroom, laboratory or field) is for learners. In this case, some of the safety considerations include adequacy of physical space, lighting, ventilation, and the proper working condition of electronic devices. Fourthly, the college policy stresses the inclusion of all students in the instructional/learning process (Redfield College, 2012). This means that, when designing the lesson plan, tutors must incorporate remediation or accommodation strategies for special needs students such as the disabled and slow learners. This allows such students to learn and achieve their potentials as their peers. In addition, instructors have to devise and use varying instructional strategies to allow optimum learning for all their students (Tomlinson, 2001). This is because students learn differently and therefore, require varied approaches to enable them grasp instructional content (Marzano, 2007). How the learning experiences/performance activities relate to the objective(s) of the lessons As Dean, Hubbell, and Pitler (2012) point out, it is important that teachers match the performance activities with the lesson objectives when carrying out lesson planning. In the proposed lesson plan, the selected learning experiences/performance activities will guide the students towards attaining the lesson objectives. For instance, through the questionnaire surveys, the learners will have an opportunity to enhance their research and reporting skills. They will learn how to plan and conduct research (design the questionnaires), collect and analyze data using the questionnaires, present their findings and conclusions in the form of a report. The surveys will also lead them to knowledge gaps that they could recommend for investigation in the future. Moreover, the survey questionnaires will require the students to investigate the personal, cultural, social and environmental factors that influence college students’ decisions to engage or not to engage in physical activity. The students will explain these factors in their findings. From their survey results, the learners will be capable of describing the impact of physical activity on their physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and spiritual health. As part of the learning activities, the tutor will require the students to present the results of their surveys and focus group discussions to the rest of the class. Through this activity, the students will develop and enhance their ability to speak in public. The focus group discussions will allow the learners to brainstorm and exchange ideas on ways to encourage college students to engage more in physical activity (Ryan, & Cooper, 2012). The discussions, therefore, will form a useful means for the learners to reflect on college students’ participation in physical activity. How particular teaching approaches have been incorporated and integrated with other relevant aspects of the lessons, and how these approaches are consistent with constructivism and/or inquiry-based learning? The lesson plan reveals that the tutor will use a variety of teaching approaches depending on the lesson phase, content, and students’ learning needs. Instructors ought to match their teaching approaches with the specific needs of learners and particular content. According to Marzano, Marzano and Pickering (2003), “Effective teachers have a wide array of instructional strategies at their disposal. They are skilled in the use of cooperative learning and graphic organizers, homework, questions, and advance organizers, and so on” (p.3). In the proposed lesson plan, the tutor will use strategies such as group work or cooperative learning, including focus group discussions, lecture notes with handouts, questioning, graphic organizer in the form of a PowerPoint presentation, and a take-home assignment. For instance, to align instructional strategies with students’ needs, the use of the graphic organizer will cater for the learners with auditory impairment because it will be possible for them to see the content on the slides and handouts, and take notes. The use of handouts for the lecture notes will allow slow learners to refer to instructional content after the lesson and study it at their own pace. To engage learners, capture their attention and interest in the topic during the introductory part of the lesson, the teacher will use the questioning strategy (Marzano, 2007). The group work or cooperative learning strategy will allow students to develop academically-based social competencies that will aid them in school and workplace interactions in the future. This strategy will allow students to share ideas, build on their peers’ opinions, as they clarify, consolidate, and expand their comprehension of instructional content (Dean et. al., 2012). Constructivism requires that students actively interact with instructional content and materials so that they build on their prior knowledge, values, and attitudes. According to Ryan and Cooper (2012), “Constructivism is a theory of knowledge acquisition built on the idea that the learner interacts with new information to construct meaning from it” (p.401). Equally, as Tomlinson (2001) points out, inquiry-based learning draws from constructivism because it emphasizes the value of making meaning and enhancing knowledge by allowing students to participate in useful learning activities. In the proposed lesson plan, the group work or cooperative learning strategy is consistent with constructivism and/or inquiry-based learning (Ryan, & Cooper, 2012). The tutor will use this approach to require learners to conduct questionnaire surveys to establish the link between physical activity and health. Through this strategy, the students in groups will participate in inquiry-based and experiential learning because they will gather firsthand data by asking their peers questions on the topic of investigation. In addition, the students will analyze their findings, interpret them, and draw conclusions to present in the form of a report. The take-home assignment is another proposed strategy that is consistent with constructivism/inquiry-based learning (Curzon, 2003). The tutor will require the students to write a paper on the factors that hinder college students’ engagement in physical activity. The assignment will necessitate research using print and online sources, thereby, requiring the students to engage in inquiry-based learning. The students will need to identify and locate the relevant sources and draw the most pertinent information from them. The research and writing activity will act as a direct learning approach through which the students will interact with information and make sense of it (Savery, 2006). Through the group surveys and take-home assignment, the students will take charge of their own learning, which is an essential element of constructivism (Ryan, & Cooper, 2012). How you have ensured the best use of the lesson time and encouraged maximum student participation. Explain how these will contribute to more effective class management (include an explanation of plans for any non-participating students) The organization of the lesson into introduction, lesson development including learning/performance activities, and closure will allow the instructor to make the best use of lesson time (Tomlinson, 2001). It will be possible for the tutor to determine how much time to allocate to each part of the lesson according to activity demands. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (2009), “A well-planned lesson means the instructor is also practicing time management skills and ensures the time allocated for the lesson is well used” (p.43). Consequently, the tutor will ensure that none of the lesson minutes goes to waste. To encourage maximum student engagement, the formation of small groups in which each student has a role will allow each learner to participate in the learning activities. This implies that none of the students will be idle or have time to engage in disruptive behavior in the classroom (Curzon, 2003). Moreover, the questioning strategy will keep the students engaged in the lesson because they have to listen to the tutor or their peers to be capable of responding to the questions posed. As Marzano (2007) points out, questioning triggers interest because it stimulates the students’ curiosity and anticipation for responses to missing information, which they have a difficult time ignoring. This triggers the need to find answers to the questions, thereby, stimulating, capturing and retaining their focus on the learning process. Questioning will ensure that students’ minds do not wander away by forcing them to pay attention to classroom activities. Further, the tutor will check the learning environment to ensure that it is fosters student attention and engagement. In this light, the tutor will ensure that the computer laboratory is well-lit and ventilated, and that there is adequate physical space for ease of student movement (Curzon, 2003). An airy, well-lit, and spacious environment will prevent incidences of students sleeping due to a stuffy atmosphere (Federal Aviation Administration, 2009). In addition, the tutor will closely monitor the students when they are carrying out the focus group discussions to ensure that they remain within the lesson topic. Close supervision will also ensure that the groups and do not distract their peers through talking loudly, fidgeting, and unnecessary movement to and from their seats (Curzon, 2003). Equally, the tutor will check that none of the students is sleeping during the discussions or performing an unrelated activity to the group task. As Orlich, Harder and Callahan (2012) point out, non-participating learners require alternative classroom tasks to complete, but these must foster learning as well as the activities in which the other students participate. For students who will not participate in the surveys and focus group discussions, the tutor will request them to sum up the group presentations in oral or written form. Alternatively, the tutor will assign them individual exercises related to the lesson topic. The tutor will draw the questions from class textbooks or other relevant sources. The questions will require the students to carry out online research to aid in constructing their responses. This activity will allow the students to be active rather than passive and, therefore, keep them occupied during the entire course of the lesson. Equally, the tutor will monitor the students closely to ensure that they remain engaged in the assigned tasks. These strategies will ensure that the non-participating students do not engage in disruptive conduct in the classroom due to idleness and boredom. References Curzon, L. (2003). Teaching in Further Education: An Outline of Principles and Practice. Alexandria, VA: ASCD Dean, C., Hubbell, E., and Pitler, H. (2012). Classroom Instruction That Works:Research-Based. increasing student achievement  Alexandria, VA: ASCD Federal Aviation Administration (2009). Aviation Instructor's Handbook. Washington, D.C.: Federal Aviation Administration Marzano, R. (2007). The Art and Science of Teaching. Alexandria, VA: ASCD Marzano, R., Marzano, J., and Pickering, D. (2003). Classroom Management That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Every Teacher. Alexandria, VA ASCD Orlich, D., Harder, J., and Callahan, R. (2012). Teaching Strategies: A Guide to Effective Instruction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning Redfield College. (2012). “Redfield College”. Retrieved September 24, 2012 from http://www.redfield.nsw.edu.au/content_common Ryan, K., and Cooper, J. (2012). Those Who Can, Teach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning  Savery, J. (2006). “Overview of problem-based learning: Definitions and distinctions” Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning. 1(1), 1-20 Tomlinson, C. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms. Alexandria, VA ASCD Read More