Swat Reflection
Swat Reflection
SWAT reflection
SWAT reflection
weaker academic performance and score lower on standardized achievement tests . . . Healthy
Choices, while a crucial component of the Healthy Schools Model, must be paired with physical activity
to maximize benefits for students: Physical activity also plays an important role in students
performance . . . better attendance, a more positive attitude toward school (National Association for
Sport and Physical Education, 2001). . . stronger academic achievement; increased concentration; and
improved math, reading and writing test scores (Symons et al, 1997). SWAT has begun to create
projects which focus on promoting healthy habits as demonstrated by the Handwashing training and
How to Fill Buckets student video.
I also developed a facilitators guide with a tentative timeline of projects for SWAT. Each month is
aligned with an AHS health promotion or awareness day, such as Mental Health Awareness in May or
Pink Shirt Day in February. These projects are intended to be suggestions and not a plan because a plan
without student input will not inspire and motivate students.
Leadership
Along with Healthy Role Models, the goal of SWAT has been to teach student leadership and teamwork
skills. At first, I intended to make students aware of 4 of the 10 Cross Curricular Competencies and
structure teamwork and leadership lessons for each meeting. I quickly realised that students wanted to
complete projects rather than just lessons.
I also read Stephen Coveys The Leader in Me to understand how schools can teach leadership. The book
offers a whole school approach to inspire leadership using the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: 1. be
proactive, 2. Begin with the end in mind (set goals), 3. Put first things first (prioritize), 4. Think win-win,
5. Seek first to understand then to be understood, 6. Synergize (collaborate), and 7. Sharpen the saw
(health-first habits). A.B. Combs adopted this leadership model and experienced success in developing a
positive school culture, involving parents, inspiring communities, and improving students academics.
Thus, teaching leadership has an impact on student learning and teaching. The reason for academic
success is that when students are empowered to create goals for their school and an Action Plan to
achieve it, then they can apply this process to their academic goals.
SWAT reflection
The Leader in Me (2014) offers three ways that schools can involve students as leaders:
1. Give students leadership opportunities such as classroom duties and mentorship roles
2. Value student opinions
3. Help students find their voice through Leadership events with student-led activities or
presentations. (Covey (2014) p. 82)
I also looked at the historical and well-known community and school-based extracurricular leadership
model 4-H. 4-H stands for Head, Heart, Hands and Health. Member age 9 to 17 practice leadership skills
while engaged in projects in a range of disciplines including agriculture, crafts, technology, and science,
to name only a few. Again, extracurricular projects and clubs give students opportunities to be involved
in settings and projects which promote the 10 cross-curricular competencies, particularly Identify and
Apply Career and Life Skills.
Conclusion
SWAT gave me an incredible practical Inquiry Project. Not only did I lead an extracurricular club, but I
was able to observe and reflect how schools, teachers, and clubs provide leadership opportunities to
students. While I did not focus on the 10 Cross-Curricular Competencies like I had initially proposed, I
developed a new appreciation for how teachers may integrate these throughout classroom routines,
subject-lessons, and extracurricular activities to educate the whole child and promote Engaged
Thinkers, Ethical Citizens, and Entrepreneurial Spirits.
SWAT students were Engaged Thinkers when they optimistically identified goals for the club: to
encourage healthy habits and to be positive role models. SWAT students were Ethical Citizens when
they collaborated to create skits to communicate their bucket-filling messages. SWAT students were
Entrepreneurial Spirits when they took risks to present handwashing presentations to younger students
with improvised and enthusiastic public speaking roles.
This Inquiry project has allowed me to develop my vision of teaching. I will strive to empower students
to develop Cross-curricular skills such as Leadership and Collaboration. My wish for my students is to
find their voices and realize their ideas are important and valued. I want my students to have a safe
space to risk new ideas and feel successful as peer mentors and role models. To echo Logan LaPlante
(2014), I want my students to be healthy and happy, and to do whatever they dream, using the toolbox
of skills they have collected in their brief time with me.
SWAT reflection
Resources
Alberta Health Services. (2014). Comprehensive School Health: Healthy Schools Rubric. (p. 1)
Covey, Stephen R. et. al. (2014). The Leader in Me. Second ed. Simon & Schuster.
LaPlante, Logan. (2014). 13 year old Logan quits school and starts home schooling education
system. TED. Video.
Satcher, David. (2005). Healthy and Ready to Learn. Educational Leadership 63:1.
Svitak, Adora. (2010). What adults can learn from kids. TED.