Keri Harwell: UCP P.E. Buddy Running Club

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Keri Harwell kharwell@knights.ucf.edu March 30, 2011 EEX 4070 UCP P.E. Buddy: Running Club

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Located a short distance from UCF: 12702 Science Drive Orlando, FL 32826 UCP is a charter school and home to about 300 students with and without disabilities. UCP offers infant and toddler programs and education to kids Pre-K through 3rd grade. UCP’s Philosophy is that “each child has different strengths, and all children should be given equal opportunities to serve as leaders.” UCP OF CENTRAL FLORIDA’S EAST ORANGE BAILES CAMPUS

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The community need that was being addressed in my project was to get students out of their normal classroom environment and outside to complete some type of physical activity. To complete my 15 hours of service every Monday I went to UCP and volunteered with 1 st and 2 nd grade students at the Running Club. At home I also spent time planning and researching ways to better motivate the students that were struggling or giving up. ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

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At the running club students can choose to either run, walk, skip, hop, dance, etc. while completing each lap. Each child is given their own individual card to keep track of their laps and miles completed. Each time they complete a lap they get a hole punch on their card. 20 laps/ hole punches completed equal 5 miles. After they complete their card (5 miles) they are rewarded with any color foot to put on their necklace. Students continue to receive a foot for every 5 miles that they complete. Students can choose to wear their necklace at school to proudly display their accomplishments to their peers and teachers. ABOUT THE RUNNING CLUB

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Students who are unable physically to complete laps around the enclosed area are assigned a different type of physical activity to best fit their specific needs. Some examples of alternate activities that students complete are: Tossing the ball back and forth Crawling around the smaller designated area which has a flat surface A variety of stretches to practice standing Using strength resistance bands Depending on the alternate activity that the student completes they also get a certain amount of punches for their card. Just like the students who are completing laps and receiving a foot for every 5 miles that they complete these students are also receiving a foot for every 20 punches that they complete to signify their own accomplishment. ABOUT THE RUNNING CLUB CONTINUED…

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The students whom I worked with were the in 1 st and 2 nd grade, from a variety of ethnic backgrounds (Hispanic, African American, etc.) and many had some type of disability. These individuals are considered persons with disabilities based on the I.D.E.A. because they have been diagnosed with either a physical or mental disability and are still receiving a public education and interacting with their peers. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ensures that students regardless of their abilities are offered a free appropriate public education. Approximately 20 children with disabilities were served from my service hours. PARTICIPANT DEMOGRAPHICS

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SERVICE IN ACTION

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These are the cards that each student is given to complete with 20 whole punches Each week they must find their card and put it back in their designated space MILEAGE MARKER CARDS

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Pictured to the right are the variety of colored feet that the students get to choose from for their necklace after completing 5 miles. AWARDS

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My initial thoughts and feelings about working with persons with special needs and this project was that it would be a great opportunity to work with children whom I am not usually around and to get to interact with them. My thoughts now after working with these children is that it was a wonderful experience that will help me in the future in becoming a better educator. The experiences that impacted me the most was seeing how such a small thing that you do can impact a child and make them smile and how excited the children get every Monday to be a part of the running club. Many children look forward to participating and earning their foot! PERCEPTIONS OF DIFFERENCES

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The course that I am completing for the Teachers in Action project is EEX 4070-Teaching Exceptional Students. Three course topics that I better understand now are mainstreaming, emotionally handicapped children and communication disorders. Mainstreaming is when students with disabilities partake in a general education classroom. I observed this in my service activity because many children completed the same activities, sometimes in a different form, as their peers without a disability. A child who is emotionally handicapped has many behavioral issues that impact their education and performance. I observed one particular student during running club who seemed very depressed and showed aggression when he did not receive a foot at the same time when his friends were because he had not completed his card yet. Every week he challenged us and completed his “own” lap around the designated area. CONNECTIONS TO YOUR COURSE

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A communication disorder is when a child is unable to transmit information verbally. During my service I was able to observe a child with a communication disorder but that specific child did understand what you were saying just would not reciprocate a response back. With this child we would play games each week like practicing throwing a ball back and forth or using strength resistance bands and when I would ask them to do something they would do it but never speak a word. I now better understand these concepts thanks to my experiences because I was able to visually see these concepts taking place in the real world rather than reading about it out of a text book. These experiences will improve my future professional work as an educator because you never know what type of child will be placed in your class that you have to teach. CONNECTIONS TO YOUR COURSE CONTINUED…

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My perspective on volunteerism is that students in the College of Education should definitely volunteer at a school or some other type of community because teachers can always use an extra hand and it is a great way for students to see in action what they are learning about through their textbooks. The purposes I think volunteering serves in society and for all citizens, including those with disabilities is it helps out the teachers and the students enjoy seeing new faces. I think that service-learning is a great experience for pre-service teachers to gain hands on experience working with a variety of children. This experience did motivate me to be more engaged in the future and volunteer more of my time. I definitely would encourage teachers and students to embrace service-learning in the future because it not only helps out others but can prepare pre-service teachers for the future. CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

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My final thoughts about my Teachers in Action project is that it was a great opportunity that I am glad I was able to participate in and gain hands on experience working with children. Educators need to be exposed to various types of children so that they are ready for anything that comes their way. My future steps are to hopefully come back to UCP and volunteer and work with children at least once a week to watch them shine and share the progress that they have made. FINAL THOUGHTS