How Can Autonomy, Culturally Relevant Curriculum, and Scaffolding Impact my Teaching in a Physical Education Classroom

Finding ways to connect with students during comprehensive distance learning has had its highs and lows. Every student is different in the ways they learn and sitting in a room with a laptop all day on zoom calls is not for everybody. That’s why I wanted to look at ways in which I can connect with students through culturally relevant curriculum, different scaffolding methods used in the classroom, and how I can use autonomy in my class to increase student engagement. These all tie into my main goal which is inclusion and how can I include all students in a physical education classroom. First, I started to look at my lesson plans that were made throughout my years of student teaching. I wanted to reflect on what I have done prior to this and how I can improve on my own teaching as it relates to these questions. Second, I looked over my field observation notes that my supervisor and the cooperative teacher gave me when they observed me teaching. This helped me get real insight from professionals in the area and I learned a great deal from what they wrote about me. Finally, I had an informal assessment where students answered questions relating to my questions just so I could get a better understanding of where they are coming from. During this tough time of Covid-19, it was hard to connect with students so being able to hear their side of things really helped me learn and gain knowledge on what I need to do as it comes to teaching more equality. The results from my research found that students\u27 engagement and learning improves when given the right scaffolding and autonomy in class. A culturally relevant curriculum was implemented throughout the lessons and connected with the class. It did not serve as great of an opportunity as it would have if it had been in person but improving in my lessons and activities each day to become more diverse and aware is what will inspire me to become a successful educator