Floor Hockey Lesson Reflection

7th Grade
This floor hockey lesson was the second lesson in a unit that is centered on
the basic understanding and performance skills incorporated into floor hockey for a
seventh grade classroom. The start of this lesson introduced the unit and lesson
objectives with emphasis upon both teamwork and maintaining puck control. This
anticipatory set smoothly transitioned into the Three Man Weave activity, which
involved groups of three students passing during a three-man weave up and down
the court. After the teachers demo the activity, students were informed that this
activity would also serve as a form of pre and post-assessment in order to display
their ball control skills both at the beginning and end of the lesson. Next the whole
class is brought together to review the activity and introduce the next activity,
which is a Team Game versus the Teachers. Once demonstrated and explained,
students engage in a game where they must maintain puck control while attempting
to get within one of four safe zones within a ten second time frame. If the students
all make it to a safe zone with their puck, then the class receives a point. However if
not all the students and pucks are in the safe zones, then the teachers receive a
point. The game is tiered to become more difficult as it progresses by adding
defenders to slow students down and by decreasing the amount of time allotted to
make it to a safe zone. The game was played until either the students or teacher
reaches a total of five points, at which time the whole class was brought back
together to review the activity and reinforce the importance of puck control. The
MSU Drill activity is then introduced and demonstrated by both the teachers and
students. During this activity students jogged up the court and passed the puck
twice to two stationary students on the way up the court. Students repeated the
same process down the court on the opposite side of the court. This activity was
explained through the use of a virtual diagram and detailed demonstrations. At the
conclusion of this activity two students broke into a physical fight on the court,
which was immediately addressed by one of the teachers. The students were
separated and individual talked to in order to identify the reason for the fight and
communicate the consequences and need for teamwork within this class. While one
teacher is handling that situation, the other two bring the class together to explain
the final pre-assessment, which is identical to the original three-man weave, and
will be used as the post-assessment to record students improvement in maintain
ball control while passing between teammates. Upon the conclusion of this activity
the whole class is brought together to review the primary objectives for the day and
what the consequences will be if the class continues inappropriate behavior in the
class and its relevance to maintaining good teamwork as a class.
Feedback from peers and instructors indicate that the lesson was
appropriate for the age of the students and deep an excellent job in creating efficient
transitions and communicating the objectives, particular in relation to the
importance of teamwork. Our peers did point out in their feedback forms that
although we are very observant and fast to respond to students, we could more

Joshua P. Barnhart

November 12th, 2015

Lesson Reflection

clearly define classroom management strategies through better-established

consequences and procedures. As instructors, we realized that there was a need for
more specific guidelines for classroom management and that we needed to more
regularly remind students of the objectives for the lesson. Our professor also agreed
with these observations and suggested that we search for an alternative to
punishment as a consequence.
Based upon this feedback, and our own observations, there are several key
strengths and weaknesses that we need to address for future lessons. It was quite
apparent that our greatest strengths lay in our professionalism, observant teaching,
and smooth transitions between activities. These are areas that we can continue to
build upon in future lessons in regards to various areas of our development as
teachers. Our weaknesses in this lesson primarily revolve around management
strategies needing to be pro-active instead or reactive strategies. Our teaching needs
to become more pro-active in order to eliminate problems before they occur and
create a learning environment that is more conducive to student learning.
In our next teaching session we hope to take into consideration the feedback
received by our peers, professor, and our own observations in order to better
improve our classroom management tactics. Our primary goal would be too more
pro-active in our teaching to more clearly identify classroom routines and
procedures to improve the classroom environment. Out hope is that with more
established management strategies, we will be able to maintain better control with
the students and work with students toward creating a comfortable and efficient
learning environment.

Joshua P. Barnhart

November 12th, 2015

Lesson Reflection