▲ USING ELP IN P.E.

In my personal opinion ELP (European Language Portafolio) could be very useful in Physical Education for teaching English as a foreign language. In Secondary School students are beginning to see that English could be useful in their life if they have the opportunity to use it.

If you teach using CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) lessons, your students can discover that English is not only a subject and if they complete their own ELP while they are learning, they could be conscious about their learning, their proficiency and their own progress.

The ELP has three components. First, the Language passport, which describes the learner’s proficiency and competences. Second, the Language biography, which facilitates planning, reflection and assessment through the descriptors for each language proficiency level. And finally the Dossier in which the learners collect all the evidence of their developing proficiency.

It’s important to take into account the advantages and disadvantages of using ELP with my groups.

The three components of ELP make that the learners be more aware of their own learning. This is important because they are becoming autonomous and responsible, and it promotes their autonomy.

If students are aware of their aims and which the steps to follow are, they are going to be more motivated and they are going to be able to  take the control of their own learning. Before, during and after the learning activities the learners are made aware of the goals for learning and the competence they have to acquire.

Moreover something that could help you is that the descriptors are very concrete and easy to apply. And if your students know the descriptor at the beginning of the lesson they will know which the linguistic aim to get is. So they can take it into account during the lesson and it’s easy to learn something to them if they know which  the aim is.

But some limitations are that truly working with ELP can reduce your time at the beginning. It depends on the way you use it and if it's worth doing so. At the beginning you have to explain in detail how the ELP works, and illustrate its use. You have to be sure that your students understand everything.

But when students are already familiar with these, they prepare themselves for the activities and they evaluate themselves. So they do it alone and you don’t spend a lot of time helping them.

So it seems to be very positive and useful, but remember it depends on your students and your resources. 

You can watch this video if you want to learn more about the ELP

THE COACH

This new resource it's for you and for your students. For you because there are a lot of P.E. teachers who are team sport coaches in their freetime or in their second job. 
Actually there're a lot fathers who think and act like experts and that behaviour can break a team. A parent is not a coach and he or she shouldn't say to the coach what he must do and they shouldn't give shouts to their child teammates.

I had found this in a web so I created my own poster with English rules:

 

Violence and aggression have consequences for children and youth like injuries, lack of respect, drop-out, lack of skill improvement, conflict, intimidation, lack of cooperation... Parents should not pressure their children, their children's team or coach.

Moreover I was thinking about an idea, I created my own poster (is the same but in English) and I design a new task for our students. You can show them the poster I created (or one that you would create) and they have to create their own poster with the same rules but personalizing it with drawings and colours about their own sport (their freetime sport) and give it to their coaches. Perhaps their coaches use it in the following matches^^

I think this could be useful for a lot of children, teachers, coaches and families.

▲ LINGUISTIC IMMERSION PROGRAMME

Hello! This is one of my compulsory posts for my English course. But it could be interesting for you. I must explain which is the best linguistic programme for Valencia from my point of view and explain why.

For me, the best model to teach languages in all of the Valencian Community (where the majority of children speak Spanish and then Valencian) is the Linguistic Immersion Programme because students learn with both official languages and morevoer it's possible to introduce English like another language for instruction too.

Our students must get a plurilingual competence and in this model languages are key because each language is studied as a subject and each language is used to teach other subjects (where you learn the content of the subject and the language content in an integrated way). 
Furthermore they can see that this new languages are useful for them because they apply the grammar and vocabulary that they learnt before and they create new knowledge.

The main objective of this method is to promote bilinguism. I mean, the development of communicative competence of students and proficiency in their second language (L2) in addition to their mother tongue (L1).

In the following PowerPoint you could see the different linguitic programmes and think about which are best for you.

Linguistic Normalization Plan from garfam

▲ EDUTOPIA. AN INTERESTING ARTICLE

Hello! I want to recommend you a website, edutopia.org

Actually this is a task of my English course. I have to talk about an article of that web. But truly I recommend this web to you because there're different interesting articles for teachers.

The article I chose is Back to School: 3 Question Activities to Connect Students, and  you can find it here: back-to-school-question-activities-students

This article is a good tool for the first seasons in a new school year, when students need to feel safe in class. That’s important if you want to have a community of learners.

It will be easier for your new students to begin to talk about themselves if you help them with some questions. Here there’re three activities that you can adapt to your students.

-   1. Student Pairs: What's Your Name?

Knowing the names of the classmates is key if you want  they enjoy and feel safe.

This activity consists in a speaking between two students.They have to say their name, a phrase and do something physical to greet. 

-    2. Small Groups: Who Are You?

You can ask your students questions that allow them to know things about their classmates like What kind of music do you like? or Where do members of your family come from? When is your birthday and where were you born?

-     3. Whole Class: How Many Of You...?

In this activity you ask a question and decide how you want the student to answer. It's better if they have to respond doing something physical.

Some questions could be:

(How many of you) play an instrument? Which ones? Play a sport? Which sports?...

If you want to read the complete article visit edutopia.org  So… you know. If you need ideas for your first day with a new group you can use these tools in your class.

BUT remember! You’re a P.E. teacher! You can add physical activities or adapt these!

FLASHCARDS

Here is the post I promised. In my English lessons we make different resources for teaching English. When we talked about flashcards I decided to do my own material. I searched for some pictures on the internet and then I printed them and plasticized them.
I want to show you the result of my work because I think it's a very useful resource. Of course you can do  it too!

(All you need is: paper, scissors, cardboard, printed pictures and lining paper)

In my opinion this is a great resource, but I think teachers should use it only when it's necessary because in the majority of the P.E. content students can learn by doing.

Is anyone here?
Are you here? Who are you?

SPRINTER VS MARATHONER

Sorry for writing so late! This week I have been so busy but... I will show you  what I've been doing in my next post.

Today I found this video  in my friend's facebook! And I think it's a great resource to share here.
As a P.E. teacher, you can use it when you are talking to your students about the difference between an sprinter and a marathoner's body. The difference about their sport specialty is important in their corporal structure and this video is a good tool for understanding the muscle fibers too.

Number one is just to gain a passion for running. To love the morning, to love the trail, to love the pace on the track. And if some kid gets really good at it, that’s cool too.  

(Pat Tyson)

LIKE A GIRL

Recently my posts are more related to Education than to Physical Education but you must forgive me... I  found this video last week and I think Physical Education teachers are the best people who can do this. So I must share it here.

Sports and women have not always had a good status and... perhaps today there are still  a lot of things to do and to change.

I think this is key in Physical Education lessons. Show the video to your students, girls and boys... "like a girl" should not offend anybody. 

You can use the subtitles option-  it's easier for students

When EDUCATION is in danger

we value it...

There're a lot of countries where students are sure that they are going to study and there are other countries without students and without resources.

Here, our students are not aware of the importance of their education because it's something that has always been here but... I think it's important that students' open their eyes, because they must value it more.

I saw Malala's discourse last week, she is the youngest person who has even won a Nobel Prize. I think her discourse is key to value our education so I want to share it here. Her words are very easy to understand and I think our students must begin to value their education.

Here you can find a link wich can make your students reflect on the value of their education. We can't forget that Education is a Human Right but we must value it too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJZHFlao88Y - Malala  Nobel Prize

▲ MY BEST TEACHER

I want to speak about what makes him special for me.

Truly he was my teacher only for a short period of time but the last day with us he told our class a  story that he had written which makes me think about what means to be a good teacher.

He finished the story saying that to be a teacher is to try to get the best from each student, to give them tools and to open their minds...while you know that you're not going to see the result of your effort. But you know that you have the chance to change their future.

Luis, I hope you continue telling hopeful stories to the future teachers.

Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation." Don't be resigned to that. Break out!  (Dead Poets Society)

(When you see "▲" in the title like this time, it's because the post is an activity of the English course) 

AN INTERESTING READING

Today I was reading some news about Physical Education and I found this. I think that if your students  have a pre-intermediate level, this reading could be a good idea.You can use it when you teach them about healthy habits, nutrition, the need of physical activity and all the benefits they could get.
(☺Not forgetting the vocabulary learning)

physically-fit-children-do-better-in-school

ORIENTATION

Let's start with an idea that I thought about.
One of the P.E. contents in Secundary School is orientation. I think that this activity has the power to improve relations among the students, because they need to cooperate and the situation is very relaxing.  In one  of my English books (because now I have too many English books)  I have a vocabulary unit about the  countryside and I'm thinking that these two could be a good combination.


Bay, far, field, forest,hill, lake, mountain, river,rock, sand, valley, village, waterfall, wood...all these words can be key in a orientation excursion so... what about an English adventure in the open air?

I think it can be great!

۞ INTRO

Aunque el blog tiene realmente el propósito de ser una herramienta para compartir recursos con profesores de EF, éste ha nacido gracias a una tarea de un curso de formación en inglés, por lo que alguna entrada quizás no tenga que ver directamente con el fin del blog.

Puede que algunos graduados en CC. de la actividad física y el deporte se vean en mi situación. Terminan la carrera y se enteran de que probablemente su asignatura se termine enseñando en inglés.  Así que espero que la web os eche una mano a los futuros teachers de ED.

That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.  What will your verse be?   (Dead Poets Society)