Ideas and Suggestion
From Rosiane Pick: I use children’s books in the class (large and small group). Sometimes, I read the book and sometimes a child reads the book. The books can be used in the beginning or in the end of the class, or when the teacher or children feel that it is necessary. They are a great way to get the children’s attention and the illustrations are wonderful. They don’t take much time and can be incorporated with self-evaluation, reflection time, group meeting, or awareness talk (Hellison, 2003). Another idea is to make copies of the illustrations (for example: one child helping another) and put them on the wall and talk about the content. The children can put small phrases under each illustration. The books that I used were about: responsibility, respect, politeness, honesty (Moses & Gordon, 1998), health, cooperation, attention, and generosity (Llewellyn & Gordon, 2005). You can find these books in English and in Portuguese. For example:
Llewellyn, C., & Gordon, M. (2005)“Why should I listen? . London: Barron”s educational series.
Llewellyn, C., & Gordon, M. (2005)“Why should I help? . London: Barron”s educational series.
Moses, B., & Gordon, M. (1998). “I don’t care!”. Learning about respect. London: Hodder Wayland.
Moses, B., & Gordon, M. (1998). “I’ll do it!. Taking responsibility. London: Hodder Wayland.
From Paul Wright: Strategies that always seemed to work well for me involved empowerment. Many times children with disabilities aren’t given opportunities to take on leadership roles. In my groups, many of the children were thrilled when they had the chance to lead a station, demonstrate an exercise, or plan out an obstacle course. Even simple things seemed very salient, like giving the students opportunities to talk about how their day or week was going in the awareness talk or letting students make individual or group decisions. A key part of TPSR is giving students choices and voices. In my experience, many children with disabilities spend so much of their time trying to keep up with their peers they are rarely in the spotlight. I think this is especially true in physical activity and sport settings. When the learning environment is inclusive, safe, and respectful, students who might take longer to make a decision, share a thought, or demonstrate a movement can be comfortable moving into that spotlight and feeling proud of who they are and what they are able to do.
From Andrea Woodson-Smith: I have just started implementing the TPSR Model in one of my classes which is not an adapted physical education course, but is an introduction to physical education course. I am using the model w/in the reflection time. My students are selecting which level they are in prior to class and post class. They do a lot of writing in regards to the levels. We will chart there progression throughout the semester so they are able to see their growth and how the TPSR relates to life situations. I am also planning on implementing the model w/in my adapted physical education course so that my students will be able to implement it at their practicum site. I’m still looking for other methods on how to use TPSR as a teaching tool other than just having the students write about it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I will begin adding articles and other things as soon as I get a little more acclimated to my new position.
From Karen Puckett: I work with students who have a range of needs physically, cognitively as well as verbally. Given that some of these delays are severe, I like to focus on the strategy of empowerment in general providing this is the essence of TPSR model. Children who are non verbal or have cognitive and/or developmental delays often become easily frustrated or are very impulsive because they are unable to communicate what they are thinking. They also may have difficulty processing motor patterns and movements and both of these factors can lead to learned helplessness. I work towards empowering my students by helping them try to experience some level of success at activities they enjoy or aspects of the physical education curriculum that will help them become more empowered and not so physically dependent on others to help them with their physical needs. With some of my students I utilize a simple picture chart based on their effort. They determine if they deserve a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle for their effort that day. It also serves as a reminder throughout the time we have together. With other students who are more verbal, I have utilized a perceived exertion chart so that they can begin understanding for themselves what level of effort they would like to or need to give in order to stay within their physical limitations or challenge themselves more.