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SUCCESSFUL INCLUSION IN THE REGULAR
PHYSICAL EDUCATION SETTING
by Tamara
Wilsey Forrester, xvbcoach@yahoo.com,
Division of Continuing Education Student,
University of Florida
 INTRODUCTION
More than 35 years ago, the United
States passed Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973, which provides for all
individuals to participate in programs
that receive federal funds, and no individual
can be excluded because of his or her
disability. Not until 1979 was the first
teaching credential in adapted physical
education approved (Seaman,
2000). Furthermore, in 1990 the
Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act included physical education as a
required component of the appropriate
education of a child with a disability.
Even though these laws have been in
effect for decades, general physical
education (GPE) curriculums and assessments
still need proper modification and utilization
for students with disabilities across
the country to achieve the benefits
of physical education.
Today, it is common knowledge that
physical activity provides both physical
and mental benefits for adults and children.
When children learn to develop a healthy
and active lifestyle at a young age,
they will be less likely to be overweight
or to develop negative health consequences
later in life. This holds true for children
with and without disabilities. The only
difference is how children with disabilities
are taught to adapt physical activities
to their disability to receive the most
beneficial results.
There are several factors that make
up today's inclusion environment. Educators'
beliefs and the "system,"
students with disabilities and effective
teacher characteristics, the Sport Education
Model, and assessments are all part
of the physical education community.
Teachers need to be able to modify,
adapt, and create lesson plans and assessments
that are engaging, yet fair and appropriate
for all students, for inclusion has
had an impact on the complexity of the
teaching environment and on teaching
styles.
EDUCATORS' BELIEFS & THE
"SYSTEM"
Unfortunately, there seems to be an
education crisis in the United States
in which mandates are placed on local
school districts with no federal or
state money allocated to implement these
mandates. Many elective programs, including
arts and physical education, tend to
be hit the worst. Some physical education
programs are used as "dumping"
grounds for students who cannot effectively
participate in other classes due to
behavior issues, some classes have more
than fifty students at one time with
no assistant educators, and some teachers
still "roll out the ball"
to teach class. These problems often
negatively impact the physical education
of all students.
Society, parents, students, and even
other educators often marginalize the
value of physical education as an academic
subject. Administrators think nothing
of disrupting a class to set up for
a pep rally or to move bleachers for
an evening game. Parents and students
think that everyone should receive an
"A" in class, especially for
those that are college bound. For these
reasons, it is often an uphill battle
to create an exciting and challenging
curriculum.
In a study of well-respected GPE teachers,
their teaching skills, and programs
in contemporary high schools were studied
and there was a common theme that played
out, and is probably common throughout
the United States: Negotiation.
The teachers seemed to be sidetracked
by having to spend an inordinate amount
of time establishing, monitoring, and
maintaining managerial tasks. They seemed
to believe that if students came to
class on time, dressed out, and were
willing to cooperate with the teacher
and their classmates, then they were
gaining most of the benefits of physical
education and it was an accepted teaching
style (O'Sullivan,
Siedentop, and Tannehill, 1994).
This type of classroom management makes
it hard to motivate students and create
a positive inclusion environment.
Another struggle with physical education
is the lack of resources in some school
systems. Equipment can be old and sparse,
and not suitable for inclusion in some
sports. Teachers need to think outside
the box - and cheap - in order to survive
and develop the best possible scenarios
for their classes. Teachers can work
with shop teachers to develop lap boards
or ramps, home economic teachers for
bean bags and soft balls, and even the
custodians for old broom handles and
buckets. There are so many opportunities
to create adapted equipment that facilitates
inclusion.
GPE teachers, both new and experienced,
need to band together to help change
the perception of their field. Inclusion
is here to stay and knowledge and creativity
will help to overcome some of the obstacles
they face. Physical education and fitness
principles are important for all students
to understand, and the skills they learn
are for a lifetime.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
It is documented that children with
disabilities tend to have lower levels
of physical fitness, higher levels of
obesity, and participate less in extracurricular
school-based or after-school physical
activity programs than their peers without
disabilities (Kim,
2009). Creativity, patience,
and an open mind will help any GPE teacher
to get a student with disabilities involved
in their classroom.
When developing an Individualized Education
Program (IEP), the GPE teacher should
inquire if a student has any developmental
issues, disability-specific concerns,
and/or if there are any cognitive developmental
issues that need to be taken into account
and addressed to insure a positive educational
experience (Wilson,
2002). Some of the most common
disabilities of students who participate
in physical education are below (Hodge,
Ammah, Casebolt, Lamaster, and O'Sullivan,
2004)(Patel & Greydanus, 2002):
Additionally, it is critical for GPE
teachers to emphasize the value of sport
and physical education, create relevancy
for lifelong participation, and develop
activities that students are able to
achieve success through reasonably difficult
tasks while providing timely feedback
(Gao, Lee, and
Harrison, 2008). This will help
create an atmosphere of caring and trust
with students.
As a reminder, not all children enjoy
physical activity, so understanding
the willingness and eagerness of a student
with disabilities to participate will
help in developing a strategy for inclusion
that promotes maximum participation.
A student's choice, persistence, performance
and effort may be influenced by their
perception of personal success at an
activity (Gao,
Lee, and Harrison, 2008). Activities
and goals need to reflect this when
creating a curriculum with inclusion,
and in general.
EFFECTIVE TEACHERS
The ability to utilize a variety of
teaching styles in conjunction with
equipment modifications seems to be
the most effective way to create a truly
adaptive GPE curriculum (LaMaster,
Gall, Kinchin, and Siedentop, 1998).
The four most common ways to accommodate
different learning styles are individualized
instruction, peer teaching, direct instruction,
and modifications to lesson plans. These
strategies may also help in managerial
issues with students whose disabilities
are more behavioral than mental or physical.
The complexity of teaching has increased
due to inclusion, and teachers need
to adapt.
One study reported on the important
characteristics of effective physical
education teachers. These characteristics
reported by Siedentop and Tannehill
are:
- A belief in their own efficacy;
- Allocates
sufficient time and opportunity to
learn, and covers appropriate content;
- Communicates
high, realistic, expectations and
students receive adequate instruction
and practice time to learn their roles;
- Establishes
positive approaches to class management
and student engagement;
- Designs
meaningful, success-orientated tasks;
- Creates
and sustains a brisk pace and maintains
momentum;
- Communicates
content with clear, brief demonstrations
and explanations, followed with sufficient
guided practice, and provides feedback
and checks for understanding;
- Actively
supervises students progress and practice;
- Holds students
accountable for appropriate participation;
- Communicates
with clarity and enthusiasm, and exhibits
equitable support of all students;
- Uses student
input and ongoing assessment to inform
their practice (Hodge,
Ammah, Casebolt, Lamaster, and O'Sullivan,
2004, p. 396)
No matter where a teacher is in their
career, understanding the above characteristics
and incorporating them into their teaching
will help them to be the best teacher
they can be.
Currently, adapted physical education
teachers can earn a certification through
the National Consortium on Physical
Education and Recreation for Individuals
with Disabilities (NCPERID) and Adapted
Physical Education National Standards
(APENS) called Certified Adapted Physical
Educator (CAPE) (Davis
& Stopka, 2006). Continuing
education and knowledge of the field
helps all teachers to become more effective.
SPORT EDUCATION
One of the best physical education
advancements in recent years has been
the Sport
Education Model (PowerPoint)
by Daryl
Siedentop. This model for teaching
is rooted in play theory, and there
are strong elements of cooperative learning
that help to include all students in
the education process. By developing
small persisting groups, creating seasons
and competition, developing methods
of record keeping, participating in
a culminating event, and assigning each
student a role within their team are
all objectives in this model that develop
authentic, educationally rich sport
experiences in physical education (Siedentop,
2002).
GPE teachers can really create an environment
that includes everyone, not just students
with disabilities, students who do not
like physical activity or are not particularly
athletically inclined can thrive too.
The teams create an atmosphere where
everyone has equal involvement and contribute
to the team's success while participating
in sports that are modified and appropriate
for all skill levels. This is why students
with disabilities can really flourish
in this type of learning environment.
Siedentop (2002) sums physical education
up well with the goals of Sport Education.
All students are to become competent,
literate, and enthusiastic sports persons.
They become knowledgeable sports players,
understand the value of sport, and behave
in ways that preserve and protect sport
cultures. Teachers that combine this
model with physical fitness principles
are creating a curriculum where all
students should be able to develop lifelong
sport and fitness goals.
ASSESSMENTS
Just because a student has a disability
in your classroom, it does not mean
that they fail or succeed because of
the disability. Assessments of students
with disabilities should be created
and defined at their IEP meeting. The
selection, implementation, and interpretation
of appropriate assessment tools are
essential in obtaining accurate student
information necessary to determine eligibility
and program development in the student’s
least restrictive environment (LRE)
(Silliman-French,
French, Kinnison, and Stephens, 2008,
p. 11). The more communication
with those involved in a student's education,
the better the ability to help the student
(with or without disabilities) achieve
their goals.
There are some basic ways to assess
most aspects of physical activity for
students with disabilities that have
both advantages and disadvantages. According
to Kim (2009) they are:
- Pedometers - measure
ambulatory activities and are low-cost
and easy to use, they do not measure
intensity of movement.
- Accelerometers
- measure the acceleration of body
movements in one or multiple dimensions,
are noninvasive and can measure frequency
and intensity of movement, but they
are expensive and don't measure all
types of physical activity.
- Heart
rate monitors - measure frequency
and intensity of movement based on
heart rate and VO2 max and can be
used on all students with disabilities,
however caution must be used when
interpreting the data because some
students may have lower or higher
resting heart rates due to their disability.
- Direct
observation - the System
for Observing Fitness Instruction
Time and Children's
Activity Rating Scale can be used
on children with varying disabilities
such as intellectual disabilities,
developmental disabilities, and hearing
impairments. They can both measure
physical activity levels and provide
frequency, intensity, and time, but
they are time consuming and require
intensive training.
Assessment of sport skills is another
area that has not truly been defined
for students with disabilities. The
recent trend has been to utilize criterion-referenced,
standards-based measures and scoring
guides, also know as scoring rubrics,
for evaluating quality of performance
in addition to quantity (Seaman,
2000). Teachers can then modify
these rubrics to create assessments
that correspond with a student's IEP.
While there is no true "standard"
for assessing students with disabilities
in physical activity, for there are
so many variations to each disability
and how they affect each person, there
always is a way to adapt physical education
to meet the needs and demands of developing
a preferred level of physical fitness.
CONCLUSION
One of the greatest things to happen
to education has been inclusion of students
with disabilities into general education
classes when possible. The United States
is on the way to raising a generation
who knows and accepts people with disabilities
like no other, yet there is always room
for improvement. Our education system
needs to place value on all academic
subjects, for the health of our country
is counting on it.
A broad spectrum of students with disabilities
will come through a GPE teacher's classroom
each year and it is important to be
educated on the most common disabilities.
It is safe to say that most professional
GPE teachers today have received an
education that provides for inclusion
as an objective in their teachings.
Understanding how to adapt a physical
education curriculum to obtain benefits
for all students and to develop the
LRE for those with disabilities should
be at the forefront.
It is no longer acceptable to "roll
out the ball" and call it physical
education. GPE teachers need to develop
teaching styles that are multidimensional
and can address the needs of all students.
The Sport Education Model has helped
to increase the effectiveness of GPE
teachers and to breathe new life into
physical education.
Assessment in adapted physical activity
can be completed through many different
tools, each with their own strengths
and weaknesses. It is important that
GPE teachers learn how to utilize these
assessment tools and to integrate them
into their curriculum. Each student's
disability will dictate which assessment
is best. The promotion of regular physical
activity, and the strategies associated
with monitoring success, will benefit
students with disabilities for years
to come.
Physical education is no longer for
the athletically skilled, but a means
through teaching lifelong physical activity
for all students - with and without
disabilities. There may be challenges
in the classroom due to school politics
and lack of financing, but many GPE
teachers can use creativity and perseverance
to overcome these obstacles. Lastly,
GPE teachers should continually equip
themselves with the latest educational
theories, current trends and developments,
as well as with assessment tools to
facilitate knowledge and enjoyment of
physical activity for all of their students.
works
cited
Tamara Wilsey Forrester earned both
her Bachelor's and Master's degrees
from the University of Florida in Exercise
and Sport Sciences with concentrations
in Physical Education. She spent three
years as a high school physical education
teacher and varsity volleyball coach
in Tampa, FL. Most recently she held
the position of Associate Athletic Director
for the Florida High School Athletic
Association, and was responsible for
several sports and their state championships
during her five-year tenure.
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