I'm a PE teacher from Montreal, Canada. I haven't been happy with my teaching in the past few years.. lost of talking and students not listening / working. So it was time to try something new. I came on WBT by luck searching the internet for a completely different topic. I was hooked right away after watching a few video.

So yesterday was my first day back at work after 2 months off because of a shoulder injury.

I decided to try it with my grade 9. Needless to say I was a little intimidated by it at first and almost didn't go trough. But when I took attendance and every one was talking and I couldn't get their attention, I told myself. What do I have to loose !

So first impression. I started by introducing the Class / yes command. Needless to say the teen looked at me really funny. Practice a few times it was ok .. but most of the time after the Class Yes .. a lot of them kept on talking to each other.

I used the score board also for a chance to lower their running time. Every class we run 5 min just to warm up. With the scoreboard they have a chance to decrease that amount of time. Again with the (Oh yeah / Boo00 ) on the points it's hard.

I think most of them find this very childish and it's hard to sell at first.

I move a lot also in the gym and often I'm far from the scoreboard so that's a little annoying.

So this was my first experience. I'm not seeing to many people using this method in Phys ed.

Thanks

Eric

WOW!! Eric, you've got something GOING here. What better reward / consequence than more or less RUNNING time?? Most students HATE to run in P.E.

One thing for you to remember-- 9th graders are still kids...just bigger ones. The "Oh yeah!" and "Awwww" or "Booo" is a way to keep them on your side so it doesn't become a war. Of course they will roll their eyes and act like it's childish-- they're supposed to-- they're 15 year olds! But secretly, they'll remember you as the goofy gym teacher who turned classroom management into controlled fun.

Another thing to remember when you're feeling intimidated -- who the heck cares if a 15 year old looks at you like you're a dork?? Trust me, if you are consistent with it, and if you keep it a GAME and not a WAR (biggest mistake new WBTs make), it will work. Guaranteed. Promise. Cross my heart, hope to die.

Now. About the whole traveling around thing... that is tough. I'm a mobile teacher... I'm always around the room...so I hate walking allllll the way up to the board. A couple ways you can address this -- you can designate it to a student -- the class takes care of their mighty cheer or mighty groan right away and the student jogs over to the board while class resumes.

Another way is to carry something small with you to track it, and just update your board whenever you pass it, rather than going to it each time. Clipboard? little paper in your pocket? Announce what's happening "Point for you" or "point for me"...allow for the 1 second party or the mighty groan... and continue on. When you pass the board, update it for them to see their progress. Or simply announce their progress. "Oh no....as of now you have 2 extra minutes of running!" and ohhhhhh man 2 extra minutes is KILLER for alot of students!

MAN! I wish I could use running as MY consequence!!

Give it a try, let us know how it works.

Remember...above all... don't ever drop something before you've tried it for a month. If you try it, drop it, try it, drop it.... you'll lose them. Give it a month before you decide something is working or not.