Why am I still teaching after 18 years?  I've never really been able to explain an answer to this question when asked by family or friends, but I think I could now. I recently read 'Drive' by Daniel Pink. It made so much sense. This book is about what motivates us, particularly with regards to work. So many light bulbs went off here. Before I share my answer, here are the main points I took away from the book: Money is not as important as we think in motivating people to work. Extrinsic motivators like bonuses, a pay rise, or penalties for turning up late or not hitting sal ..read more

I have declared 2013 as 'the year of trial and error'. I'm going to experiment a little. I'm going to make some discoveries, and probably some mistakes (another word for discoveries) along the way. Like I say to my students all the time - "You learn more from mistakes and failures than you do from success". So with that, I give myself permission to experiment with things like technology, lesson ideas, concepts, flipping the classroom and some other areas of my teaching. Here in Australia we have just completed our first week of term 3. Already some experiments are paying off. Here are some of ..read more

There's a reason why I don't play basketball for the L.A. Lakers - I'm not good enough. They don't just let anyone play in the N.B.A. But the reality is I wouldn't really enjoy it anyway. I doubt I could get the ball past half way, and it wouldn't be long before Kobe realised that he just shouldn't pass me the ball at all. In sport, to get the best out of an individual or team, they must compete with 'like' athletes. Divisions, rankings, leagues, levels...they are all required in competition, and I have considered this with my PE classes. Here I will explain one of the methods of streaming st ..read more

One of the best things about being in the field of teaching is the fresh start that is offered to us each year. In fact we get a fresh start each term, come to think of it....every Monday! A fresh start is the right time to consolidate what you are already doing well in your teaching, and to leave off the methods that did not serve you or your students well. It is also a great time to try something new. And that is what I have done. Here are a list of innovations that have worked well for me so far in 2013. 1. Streaming - putting apple with apples. There are many ways to extend your skilled s ..read more

Picture the first day back at school to start a new year. There's excitement in the air. The teachers are excited. Why? Because they are about to begin a new year of discovery, achievement, targets, goal setting, professional development and fulfilment. The kids are excited. Why? Because they have new pencils........... Who wins? The kids of course. I mean, new pencils - come on! Add to that the new uniform, new classroom, new school bag, maybe even a new haircut! So maybe we should take a leaf out of the children's books and inject a bit of wide eyed enthusiasm into our first week back at ..read more

So here I am on New Year's Day writing my first blog. The head is a little fuzzy....but here it goes.... The 1st of January always offers the chance to start over, especially in the field of teaching. I look forward to turning over my new leaf and getting stuck into the 2013 calendar - personally and professionally. I am buzzing with excitement and enthusiasm for my new love - social media - in particular about how I can best use it to enhance my teaching and deliver the best experiences to my students. Here's how I got to this point: At the start of 2012 all staff in my school were given ..read more

In the last couple of years I have formed a new habit - capturing magic moments that occur at our sports carnivals. By magic moments I mean those "Wow!" and "Yes!" moments when a student or group of students do something that makes you proud. Sport has the ability to bring out the best in all of us - whether we are the champions or we finish last. All along the continuum there is the potential for amazing, magic moments that make all the effort of putting together a sporting event worthwhile. Let me give you an example: At my recent athletics carnival I was taking a moment to watch he end of ..read more

This is not a reference to the 6 hats of thinking by Edward de Bono, but rather a method I use in the classroom to help my teaching. I am a PE teacher, but on Thursdays I am in a year 4 classroom, while the regular teacher occupies an IT role at our school (@Kalinda_Knight). Like all classrooms it has it's challenges, the most noticeable for me being the constant demand for your attention. Sometimes the demand is legitimate, with students needing assistance or asking a question. The demand is constant, and it can be difficult to speak to student A when students B, C and D are pressing you wit ..read more

I like Bloom's Taxonomy. I like structure and hierarchy. I like how in Bloom's it graduates from lower order thinking up to higher order thinking. I thought about how I could incorporate this into my programs. More specifically, how could I use it for my lesson/unit outcomes? Depending on which version of Bloom's you look at on the internet, the order is usually: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation. Sometimes I have seen it with Synthesis and Evaluation swapped around. Either way, it shows a progression from lower order or basic thinking up to more complex ..read more

So I read  'The Miracle Morning' by Hal Elrod, and things haven't been the same since - they've been better. For so long I have been trying to get more into my day by staying up late. I have tried to get some 'me time' into my day after the kids had gone to be. I tried to read, write, complete work, pursue hobbies, exercise etc all after 8.30pm. But it hasn't worked. The more I have read about willpower and scheduling, the more I've realised that my brain is cooked at the end of the day. My willpower is shot, and I am too tired to do anything creative. Enter 'The Miracle Morning'. It's ..read more