Special Education Field Experience
Adapted PE, USD 260
Amy Matzen
What is Adapted PE?
Adapted PE is physical education class that can be adapted or modified to address the individualized needs of children who have gross motor skill and developmental delays.
Some activites that they do with Adapted PE students
There was a Para that was rolling some autistic students up in a mat because they felt relaxed and the most comfortable that way. There were other students playing with a big parachute. Some of the kids that were playing were autistic, a couple of them were deaf, a couple of them had problems that I couldn't identify. I played with them because that was one of my favorite activities in elementary school in PE. When we would raise the parachute a Para would roll kids under it that were wheelchair bound. They had muscular dystrophy, it was really nice that we could include them. There was a group of students playing with a balloon or a scarf, the object of the game was to not let it hit the ground. These children were primarily children with down syndrome, the slow movement of the balloon and scarf helped them keep it in the air.
Playing with the Parachute
Rolling on the Scooter
Playing in the Doughnut
Related Teaching and Learning Setting
There was five Para's in the room, possibly more. They were each helping groups of kids or individuals. There were three teachers in this particular class. The learning setting was just in a regular gym. They had many activities set up in the gym for all of the different kids. All of the kids seemed to love it, there was smiles and laughter.
The Effectiveness of the Teaching Strategies used
The teaching strategies seemed to be very effective. They were learning new things as well as having fun doing activities that they already knew how to do. At first, some of the students had trouble with the balloons and scarfs, after while they got the hang of it at were able to keep them in the air. They were really excited when they finally got it. There was so much laughter and love in the room. The teachers and Para's loved what they were doing and the students loved the teachers and Para's.
My Thoughts
I was so impressed with these teachers and students. The teachers are so patient, they understand that when you teach these students it is more often than not a marathon, not a sprint. I think it would be very difficult to always be patient, especially on bad days. However, most of the students are so loving and sweet it would be difficult to get discouraged. They get so excited when they accomplish something. The teachers get so excited when they accomplish something new. I would love to work as an Adaptive PE teacher. The kids are wonderful and all of the teachers were there because they wanted to be.