PDFE #9

When I was growing up, I remember going to my PE class two or three times a week. Typically we would sit in rows and warm up/stretch for the first 10-15 minutes. Then, we would receive instructions for our daily game, then play for the remaing time (usually 30-45 minutes). I remember games like dodge ball, kickball, basketball, capture the flag, and freeze tag as well as activities like jumping rope and different kinds of races. I always enjoyed PE because I was a very energetic kid and needed time to let out that energy. One of my favorite days of the whole year was field day, when we got to spend the whole day outside participating in different events and playing. By the time I got to middle school, we only had PE one semester per year, but for that semester we had it every day. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I did in elementary school because during those years we had to set goals and really push ourselves to meet them. It wasn't the care-free, playful PE that I had grown to love, but it was still a great way to release energy. In high school, we were only required to take one semester of PE for the entire 4 year period. We were introduced to new ways to exercise such as lifting weights and yoga. It was easy to get away with not doing much in high school PE and several students didn't participate all year. I enjoyed PE in high school and liked hanging out with my friends in my class. I feel like it got me in great shape for that one semester, but that was only because I chose to participate everyday. I also played recreational softball for 8 years when I was a child. I loved the "team" feeling and several of my best friends from childhood softball are still my best friends today.

I don't believe the current Georgia requirements for PE are adequate. Not nearly enough time or emphasis is spent on exercise and fitness. In middle school, students are not required to have any PE time at all! People, especially growing children, need time away from instruction to let loose and exercise. It has been proven to help the mind think more clearly and focus better, therefore making it a fantastic way to help students excel in the classroom. In high school, students are only required to have one semester of PE in 4 years. The theory is that in that one semester students will learn how to exercise and then implement it into their daily lives on their own, but this rarely happens.

I think a quality PE program would allow students to have PE class at least 21/2 hours per week, get each and every student involved and playing, be a positive environment, teach students about exercise while they play, and over all, be fun.

PE is both beneficial and important while children are still young for many reasons. It provides regular, healthy physical activity, develops movement skills, positively influences attitudes, and allows students to gain confidence while they are not self concious.

After learning about traditional and skill theme approaches to PE in class on Monday, I believe the skill theme approach is most appropriate for young children. I like how it focuses on improving the skills of each child instead of just the ones who are already skilled. Also, I think it's important that no child is singled out, which can sometimes happen with the traditional approach. Children tend to have trouble focusing for long periods of time, especially when they are thinking about something else, like the activity they are about to partake in. Because of this, the skill theme approach is better because it gets students playing and moving faster than the traditional approach which requires the explanation of rules and organization for the games. I believe when I was in elementary PE we used the traditional approach and, though I loved it, I think the skill theme approach is a better way to go about a PE class for elementary and middle school aged children.

PDFE # 8

How did your performance progress in terms of the stages of learning described in

chapter 7? Did your experience match what would be expected based on the information

presented in the textbook? As you progressed, what where the biggest challenges you

faced and how did you go about meeting them? What happened to your performance (in

terms of the stages of learning) when you tried to tie the knot upside down
During class on Monday, October 23, I participated in a lab exercise with Caysie Holley. Our assignment was to take turns tying a rope into a bowline knot and record observations of our partner as they attempted to learn how to tie the knot. I went first tying the knot while Caysie recorded my progress. I was only in the verbal-cognitive stage for about 10 trials and I was able to successfully tie the bowline knot the first time, though I had to look closely at the directions and think about every step. I glanced at the directions occasionally while I was in the verbal-cognitive stage and couldn't let my mind wander away from my task. I had to pause alot to make sure I was headed in the right direction also. I stayed in the motor stage for trials 10-20 or so. During this stage I felt confident about my knot tying abilities and could finish the bowtie know farily quickly and easily. However, there were still moments of confusion and occasional error, but for the most part I was consistent. Finally, I entered the autonomous stage around the 21st trial. By this point, I could tie the knot almost effortlessly and even found myself talking to my partner and the other people at the table while I performed the task. The motion was natural and I felt like I couldn't forget it if I tried. I progressed through the three different stages almost exactly as the book described and experienced alot of what it said I would.experience in each stage. One of the biggest challenges I faced was making the loop large enough for my hand to fit through. Though I could tied the knot early on, it took nearly 15 trials for me to figure out how to make the loop bigger. Once I discovered how to do it, I could do it every time. When I tried to tie the knot upside down, it was like I was back in the verbal-cognitive stage but I moved through the stages much more quickly than I had when I was first learning to tie the knot. I enjoyed this exercise for teaching the stages of learning. I think it was a fun, interactive way to show students a lesson and allow them to have hands on experience.

PDFE #7

Personal ability inventory

Multilimb coordination - 3

Control precision - 2

Response orientation - 3

Reaction time - 4

Rate control - 3

Manual dexterity - 3

Finger dexterity - 4

Arm–hand steadiness - 4

Wrist–finger speed - 3

Aiming - 2

Explosive strength - 3

Static strength - 3

Dynamic strength - 3

Trunk strength - 4

Extent flexibility - 5

Dynamic flexibility - 5

Gross body equilibrium - 3

Balance with visual cues - 3

Speed of limb movement - 3

Gross body coordination -  3

Movement rate - 4

Motor timing - 3

Perceptual timing - 4

Force control - 2

My 5 Proficient Skills
1. bouldering
2. dodge ball
3. balancing large trays in my hand/on my shoulder (waitressing)
4. flexibility
5. jumping distances (long jump/triple jump for track and field)

Ideal Ability Profile
*Bouldering
Important abilities for bouldering:
1. Multi-limb coordination
2. Trunk Strength
3. Extent Flexibility
4. Reaction Time
5. Hand-Eye Coordination
6. Stamina
7. Gross Body Equilibrium

If a person did not exhibit the above abilites, he/she could still become a skilled climber. Personally, climbing is something that I have really had to work at to improve my skills. I'm naturally flexible but not strong. By using my lower body strength and upper body strength equally, instead of totally relying on my arms, I was able to complete climbs that would have otherwise been impossible. Also by doing exercises to strengthen my core I have been able to improve my abilities, since the majority of strength and balance comes from the core. Also if someone can move their limbs quickly and precisely, they wouldn't need to rely on strenght to achive the climb. They could simply move up the wall or boulder quickly and would not need immense strength to succeed.

PDFE #6 Balancing Lab

In class on October 18, we traveled down to the MAC gym in the Cage Center and split up into three groups to perform different balancing tasks. Each group timed and ranked its members according to their balancing skills. My group included Caitlin, Jenny, Caysie, Kara, Melissa, and myself. The six different tests of balance were:
Stork Stand
Diver's Stand
Heel Stand
Sideward Leap
Bass Stepping-Stone
Book-Balancing Walk

After completing each exercise, we realized that no one had received first place in every task, but Kara and Caysie seemed to excel in each event (Kara placed 1st in 4 events and 2nd in the remaining 2, while Caysie also placed 1st in four events and 3rd in the remaining 2). We believe these results can be attributed to their general motor ability that they have gained due to participation in other sports. Kara used to be a cheerleader, which requires a great deal of balance and Caysie plays golf which requires incredible focus. I, on the other hand, have never played a sport that requires balance or worked on improving my balancing skills. As a result, my rankings were consistently lower than those with general balancing ability. For the sideward leap, nearly all of us tied but the results were more scattered in the other activities. We all found the Heel Stand to be the most challenging and believe that is because it is not something that our bodies are used to with daily activities. Likewise, the Diver's Stand was very difficult due to our having to close our eyes. None of us had practiced balancing without sight and therefore, couldn't easily integrate any general balancing ability. Overall, I found the lab to be beneficial in demonstrtating different balancing techniques and showing that past experiences in a task can lead to general motor ability in similar tasks.

PDFE 4/5 Interview and "Becoming Invaluable" Reflection

I recently emailed Dan Snider, PT, via email and asked him several questions concerning his career in physical therapy. Below are my questions and his responses:

1. What made you want to enter the physical therapy field? Is there a particular moment that stands out in your mind as the moment that you knew physical therapy was going to be your career?

Answer: It was just an idea I had and I went with it. Turned out to be a good one because I love my job.

2. Do you have any advice for how to excel in PT school?

Answer: No good advice. Getting in is the hard part.  Go in knowing there is no way you can do all the required reading (at least I couldn't). I fell asleep with a large heavy book on my chest every night. I was also married with 4 young children which may have had something to do with it.

3. Was there ever a moment when you doubted your decision to become a physical therapist? If so, please explain.

Answer: No

4. Where was your first job as a PT and what type of PT work was it? Would you recommend this type of PT work?

Answer: I started in inpatient rehab and have been doing for 14 years. I love it

5. What would you consider to be the biggest advantage/disadvantage that comes along with being a PT?

Answer: Advantages: decent pay, fun job, plenty of options of where to work, I constantly get job offers, I get to make a difference in people's lives

Disadvantage: the only way to make a large jump in pay is to become an administrator, work in a rural nursing home, or travel

6. Do you think it takes a special kind of person to enter this field of work? What characteristics do you think a good PT exhibits?

Answer: A person has to be reasonably intelligent and have good people skills.

7. Do you ever find your career to be stressful? If so, when? How do you handle it?

Answer: All jobs are stressful. I have good supervisors and coworkers so my job stress is minimal.

8. Do you think it is a good change that in order to become a PT, a student no longer has the option to get a master’s degree and must go straight for the doctorate degree? Why or why not?

Answer: I think the doctorate is ridiculous.  It's not even a PHD. It's a doctorate of PT. Any time I have discussed it with MDs or DOs they think it is ridiculous also. If I wanted to become a DPT, I could spend 10,000 dollars and do it online. Would that make me a better PT?  Would it change the way I treat pts? I doubt it. Would I call myself a Dr? Definitely not.

9.         After working as a PT, would you ever consider changing your career? Please elaborate.

Answer: I love my job. The only reason I would change careers would be if I could no longer physically do the work. I primarily work with stoke pts and it requires a lot of lifting.

The “Becoming Invaluable” slideshow was very beneficial to me. I wasn’t positive about what career I wanted to enter (physical therapy) until late in my sophomore year of college, so the presentation helped me to see that even though I wasn’t on track with planning for my future as a freshman, I have caught up and am now about where I should be. It also reminded me that I need to constantly be looking for ways I can be better well-rounded so that I am a multi-threat when applying to graduate school.

I liked how the slideshow broke down each year of college and told specific tasks that should be completed in that time frame. According to the slide about the junior year, I am doing everything I should be to ensure a bright future.

I especially enjoyed the resume tips in the show. I am always eager to hear good advice on how to make my resume better and more professional. I also thought the part about how to plan strategically was a nice addition. Though I now know I want to do physical therapy, I don’t usually consider minor details about it because I still feel like it is so far away. However, I’m realizing that it is getting closer to being a reality every day and the slideshow reminded me that I need to be considering aspects such as, which area of physical therapy I want to get into and where I would like to live to do my work. All in all, I enjoyed the presentation and found it to be a very helpful source.