At #SHAPEBoston, just before Dr. Dean Krielaars worked his physical literacy magic on the audience, there was a slide on display acknowledging those teachers who were at the national convention and were National Board Certified (NBC). I was delighted to see so many names on display who I recognized. Perhaps there are accomplished teachers in …
It's that time again when you are probably reflecting on the successes of the past school year and considering how you might make next year even better. If I'm right, and you haven't presented at a conference before, can I suggest that you consider adding that to your plans? There has been a flurry of calls …
I work with so many talented professionals at school and am very excited that one of my co-workers, Jim Davis is this week's #slowchathealth guest blogger. Coach Davis is my go-to within the building for all things brain-body connection and neuroscience. There's so much more to him than that - he's all that we …
Continue reading Triple Salchows, Accurate Looking, and the Role of Exercise in Concussion
There was a time when I knew that I was the best health teacher in my school….because I was the ONLY health teacher in my school. And there I am, fresh off the boat from England. No one knows me. I don’t know anyone. Heck, I couldn’t even understand what half of y’all were saying...and …
Being a globally connected educator has allowed me to collaborate with, and be inspired by, so many great educators from around the globe. Recently as I seek new ways in which to teach, and resources to use with my students, I have found myself looking to my peers in the Southern Hemisphere. Health teachers …
One of the highlights of #SHAPEBoston was being greeted daily by the smiling face of this week's guest blogger, MAHPERD President Claudia Brown. She is an educator whom I admire immensely and I'm delighted that she is our guest blogger this week. Evolution. When I began teaching, it was the time of, “don’t let them …
This week I am thrilled to welcome the irrepressible #healthed teacher Scott Todnem as our #slowchathealth guest blogger! Three Simple Things As teachers, we all know the regenerating energy that students possess. They return each and every weekday, alive in the hallways and classrooms, hungry for new life lessons. Each “Hi!” and “Morning!” brings adolescent …
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I have just returned from the SHAPE America conference in Boston. A conference at which I had the chance to meet with, and learn from, some of the best educators in the #healthed and #physed world. Some I had previously met in person at conferences across the country, some …
If you're heading to #SHAPEBoston in March, you'll want to get the most out of your time there. Wether you're attending all five days or driving in for a day or two, it's important that you maximize your conference experience to ensure that you, and ultimately your students benefit from all that is on offer …
If you liked my Question Matrix blog post (the most popular blog post I've written) then you'll appreciate this one too! Inspired by Rory’s Story Cubes and a desire to check for student understanding in a variety of ways, I created my own #healthed story cubes and used them at the end of last semester. https://vimeo.com/157435815 …
I 'created' an activity for my health classes this week that came from me being inspired by a number of resources that I had seen from my PLN over the past year or so. It was an interesting activity for me to trace the origins of this idea. Whenever I see something useful on Twitter …
We are just weeks away from the biggest conference of the year and I am getting very excited for #SHAPEBoston, which will be the second time that I have attended the SHAPE America National Convention. So what is it about the National Convention that I think is so great? Let me share with you my …
Last summer I launched the #sendateacher initiative to raise money that would be used to support sending a teacher to the SHAPE America national conference in Boston in March. Through the sales of clothing, designed by health and PE teachers, from the #sendateacher website, 100% of the profits would go towards the goal of …
Last week SHAPE America released an awesome document and set of resources that provide step-by-step guidance and evidence-based strategies to support school recess for all K-12 students and enhance active school environments. This great advocacy document, prepared in collaboration with the CDC and other partners can be used by teachers, administrators and other stakeholders …
As #healthed teachers it is of the utmost importance that we tailor our teaching to encourage critical thinking and give students the opportunity to shape their health-enhancing choices and attitudes. This in turn allows our students to make healthy decisions and engage in health-enhancing behaviors outside of the four walls of the classroom. Our role …
Last week I revealed that my #oneword for 2017 will be collaboration, following on from provocation, advocacy, and resilience. I collated some resources on the one word concept and apparently I've chosen an active word because I'm in a season of growing. This makes sense to me as I still feel like this year is on …
It's that time of year when one of our #healthed skills, goal setting, gets a lot of media coverage. New Year's Resolutions will be talked about at home and people will be encouraged to think of ways in which to improve themselves, usually after dwelling on their imperfections. However, because these resolutions tend to be …
When looking for a ‘hook’ to get students engaged in health class I have found that using Youth Risk Behavior Survey data one of the most effective ways to engage students. When discussing sensitive topics such as relationship safety, bullying, stress & anxiety, depression & suicide, substance use and sexual activity, the ability to provide …
This week, as I closed the grade book at the end of the quarter I found myself with the usual flurry of last minute grading due in part to procrastination, and part allowing students to re-submit assignments. I can not work in silence when I know that I am in for an extended session of grading and …
I've blogged before about how there are so many free professional development opportunities out there for teachers nowadays. Nearly all of which can be accessed in your own time, without spending a dime. I thought it would be useful to collate some of those links all on one page so that it might act as …
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