| Author |
Message |
Steve Jefferies (Admin)
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 35
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Monday, February 28, 2005 - 8:23 am: |       |
For years, physical educators have considered themselves different from other public school teachers. It’s not just because we teach in gymnasiums or in the open air. It’s a belief that we offer the only class that focuses more on the body than the brain. Believing that physical activity and skill development is important, we’ve been happy to let other teachers assume responsibility for academics. Physical education, we argue, is valuable in and of itself and doesn’t need to be justified by any contribution it might make to reading, writing, or arithmetic. Unfortunately, this attitude and the behaviors associated with it too often results in negative consequences for our profession.
Consider for example, the primary mission of our public schools. Physical educators often overlook the fact that improving children’s health is NOT central to a school’s mission. School boards and administrators are not held accountable for student health. Most school officials would argue that children’s health is a parental rather than school responsibility. Today’s schools are being judged on student test scores. And in this environment it’s not surprising that school administrators are eager to find ways to increase time spent on developing basic academic skills.
As physical educators around the country are learning, reducing PE time is an easy way to boost “academic” time. So what can we do? For reasons already noted, the wrong response is to ignore the ways in which we can and do support the academic curriculum. For example, absent students do not perform well on anything. Unhealthy students miss school more often than others. If we point out that PE has the potential to improve health and decrease absences we can connect with academics. Not long ago, the California schools fitness data suggested a relationship between physical fitness and academic performance - another opportunity for us to connect with the classroom. And while evidence supporting a brain-based connection between physical activity and learning remains speculative, there’s probably enough to point out possible relationships. Finally, from a common sense standpoint, we need to remind school officials that none of us perform well without physical activity breaks. What sense does it make to expect young people – already physically stressed by the turmoil of growth and development – to learn effectively when kept inactive for long periods of time?
In addition to making this academic connection we might also reflect on behaviors that undermine respect for public school physical education. For example, how often do physical educators -
• Attend and fully involve themselves in staff meetings and discussions about the academic curriculum?
• Participate in, or provide leadership on, school and teacher committees?
• Accept class sizes that would not be permitted in the regular classroom?
• Allow and even encourage their students to call them “Coach” or by their last name without a Mr., Mrs., or Ms?
• Fail to switch into street clothes outside of the gym?
• Grade student performance on effort and participation rather than achievement?
• Teach without lesson plans, choose activities that are personal favorites, and fail to have or follow a written, sequential K-12 curriculum?
The consequences of being different should concern us. Classroom teachers often look at PE teaching as an easy option. When they don’t see us assessing, grading or planning lessons it’s easy to understand their perspective. Unfortunately, this lack of respect translates into a lack of support when PE programs face the axe. The freedoms that physical educators have for so long enjoyed – primarily no accountability for student learning and free choice of subject matter have come at a price. As I look to the future I can’t help but wonder whether being different is something we can continue to afford.
Steve Jefferies, Publisher
PELINKS4U |
Diane Kay Walker (Jalopydi)
Junior Member
Username: Jalopydi
Post Number: 7
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Monday, February 28, 2005 - 12:58 pm: | |
Dear Mr. Jefferies,
It depends on how you are different. If you are different in the ways that undermine physical education as you wrote above, then yes, it harms PE. If you are different in a way that teaches the children how to keep themselves healthy or teach an academic subject in a way that includes movement then I think it could help PE. Last summer I attended a workshop done by Jean Blaydes Madigan. She taught me that research says 85% of children are kinesthetic learners. Along with that she taught how different kinds of movement help with cognition and that research has found that exercise creates new brain cells. I purchased her packet of information, including her book while at the workshop. I took it home and studied it and have taught several of her lesson plans to my classes. One of the most valuable things I learned is called body, mind mapping. That puts the concepts to be learned into the body and makes it easier for students to remember it later. Jean, helped me tremendously. Since attending her workshop I have been able to use the information I learned and modify current lesson plans and develop new ones that I have tried and found to be successful.
As you know we now have what the media is calling an obesity epidemic. I believe this came about partly because several schools systems throughout the United States have taken PE out of their schools and along with that don't allow children enough time for recess either. Now our health care professionals are realizing that many serious health problems can arise simply from being too heavy and inactive. We all know that if you don't use certain muscles they atrophy. Therefore, schools need to teach children how to use all muscles, not just the brain. Plus we cannot control parents. Some parents will encourage their children to be physically active and will make them turn off the tv and go outside and engage in some kind of physical activity. Other parents just as soon make their children stay inside and remain inactive for various reasons. The children need to learn from a physical educator how to move their bodies and keep them healthy and how to enjoy physical activity. If we all devote our energies to doing this than I think being different can be a good thing.
jalopydi
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Dan Deyo
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Sunday, March 13, 2005 - 6:51 am: | |
The Michigan Legislators are considering a bill that will require a minimum of 60 minutes of PE per week for K-5, 225 per week for a full year for 6-8, 9-12.
There is also talk of establishing a standardized test for PE that all schools must follow to meet AYP.
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Matt Garrett
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 15, 2005 - 8:19 am: | |
Mr. Jeffries,
I enjoyed your editorial and found your points valid. I especially believe your seven questions in bullet points are excellent food for thought? I am a professor at Blackburn College and my colleagues and I harp on these points, but our students don't always buy into it while they are a college student (they often do when they are in the field). It will be beneficial for my students to read your editorial, which they will do the Monday they return from Spring Break, and realize leading professionals are saying the same thing.
Thanks
Matt Garrett, PhD
Blackburn College Physical Education Department |
Susie Burd
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 15, 2005 - 8:20 am: | |
Dr. Jefferies,
Being different is a benefit and a problem. Like you said, most school districts now focus on test scores rather than the overall well being and success of our students.
Being different means that we as physical educators have to work especially hard informing the uninformed (parents, staff, school board, community) about what we do in our classrooms. This also means that we need to work especially hard at what we actually do in our classrooms.
It is essential to be involved in the school leadership and School Improvement Planning teams in order to demonstrate and share the necessity of Physical Education in our schools.
For my first couple years of teaching I forced myself to be involved in the School Improvement Planning team. I was very unaware of what teachers were doing in their classrooms and it was a struggle to help provide input in areas other than my own. Now I am starting to understand what is going on. By showing my interest and knowledge what other teachers are doing in their classrooms, the teachers have started listening to me and what I am doing to help our students.
Involvment outside of the gym is essential to keeping people informed and keeping ourselves informed. Ignorance in other academic areas makes us look weak and unintelligent. If we are full of knowledge and skill in our own area and show increased knowledge in other fields, I think more people will listen to us.
Susie Burd |
Dr. Gwendolyn V. Holmes
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 15, 2005 - 7:18 pm: | |
Hi Steve
Yes, Physical Education is considered different, and rightfully so. Physical Education is the only program of study that affords an opportunity to gain or provide knowledge and skills for productive enjoyable living for today and in the future. I have had the pleasure of teaching in this area for over 25 years and the challenges and responsibilities that physical education affords both teachers and students are unique to say the least. The cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains afford the opportunity for teaching to enhance critical thinking skills; social skills/emotional behaviors as well as their physical skills.
The real challenge for this discipline is teacher preparation and productivity. The multifacated content required for our physical education programs demand skilled, dedicated well trained teachers---teachers that will plan detailed lesson plans with proformance objectives and assessments that will produce the intended outcomes that instruction in physical eduation should produce---i.e., sophisticated, intelligent, critical thinking, physically fit members of our society. These terms are just a few of the words used when defining the purpose of our physical education teacher education program.
Physical education as a discipline will always be unique, and will be recognized for it's tremendous values only when professional physical educators take responsibility for presenting themselves and the many, many educational opportunities afforded in this area with the time and intellectual prowess that's necessary for our students to reap those benefits as will be reflected in their changed behaviors. Yes, physical education teachers have to be unique as well...we have to care enough to teach it, believe it, as well as "model/practice" what we teach. |
Eric Liljedahl
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 - 10:05 am: | |
Dr Jefferies,
I also agree with your article. Many times as Physical Educators,Fitness and Health instructors we are subject to comments about
not being " Real Teachers". But i find it interesting how many of those same people
pay 45 dollars a month to go to the club and work out. They see the value for them but not the students they teach. Not only are we asked to educate the kids on ther physical needs, but
there nutrition and mental needs. The schools are filled with candy and pop machines to raise money for the schools, and the kids fill them selves up with Mt Dew and candy. And they wonder why the kids are hyper and want to know why the P.E department dosen't run them more.
There is some serious issues we face in the
future reguarding What we need to do for our
kids for there future. The state requires some.
I believe like many others that the best sourse
of information is our students. They tell or show us every day what they need.
Eric liljedahl |
Donald J. Levine (Ctmanpe)
Junior Member
Username: Ctmanpe
Post Number: 7
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, March 27, 2005 - 5:43 am: | |
Steve you are absolutely right. I've been teaching for 16 years and I've been on a variety of committees in my school career. From Administration hiring committees to "regular" classroom teacher hiring committees. I'm on the National Recess Advocacy Board, recently appointed CAPHERD(Vice President Health Committee); Connecticut, and more and more. However, if you are a "Physical Educator" it is stigmatized at times by educators who still "roll the ball out", have no plans, have no assessment tools in place, and are not held accountable. The state of Connecticut has the Physical Fitness mastery tests for 4th through 10th graders every two years. My colleague who is retiring after 40 great years of teaching Physical Education reminds me constantly that "nothing" and he means "nothing" is ever done with the results but newspaper articles stating how low our fitness levels are in this country. What if "fitness" was equated to "reading" and "math" scores and children that were below a certain level of fitness had the opportunity to work on a daily class that allowed them to get physically fit. Wouldn't that be novel? I think we as Physical and Health Educators must voice our concern and not sit back and collect our paychecks. It's too easy to do that. Debates all over the country and all over these forums are prevalent. We must begin to work collectively and in a positive manner to get the job done.
I'll stop writing on this note. Constantly in my school when the recess monitor from the office comes on and says "Recess will be indoors today" and the kids cheer it's mind boggling. Think about how we can change that attitude. Until I write feverishly again. See you soon. |
C. Knope
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Monday, May 09, 2005 - 7:52 pm: | |
Hi Steve,
I both agree and disagree with parts of your article. I agree that PE is different, much different from a typical classroom setting. I have been a Physical Education Instructor for about 8 years. In those short 8 years I have discovered a few things that will never change. The teachers who refuse to take physical education seriuosly, the ones who do not consider us "real teachers," are generally the people who do not take personal fitness, health or nutrition very seriously in there peresonal lives. Usually, this is because to be a fit person is very difficult, it takes discipline in many areas. That being the case, why should we think they would take the personal fitness, health and nutrition of their students seriously? The same is true for the administrators and parents who lack respect for physical educators. Until this changes we will continue to struggle for the respect we deserve. I find it interesting that so many teachers, parents and even students who miss work and school due to illness, are generally the out of shape people who have poor fitness and nutrition habits.
I've come to a few conclusions in my short career as well. The first is that people have a tendancy to mistake having fun, for not working or not having an important job. This boils down to the choices we made as college students. The choice of what to teach. PE, band, strings, art, science, writing, math etc... You see we all made a choice, it's what we teach our students to do everyday. Make a choice, a good choice, a beneficial choice, a wise choice. The bottom line is it's not the Physical Education Instructors job to justify his/her position. Just as it's not the classroom teachers or art teacher or autoshop teachers job to justify their positions. We are all different, we have chosen our areas of interest, areas we enjoy, areas we have become experts in. Why can't we all just accept this about one another? I have never experienced a PE teacher who questions the importance of a classroom teacher. Why is it always the otherf way around?
In conclusion, here is a thought to ponder. Someday these students are going to wake up and their won't be any more PE classes. Either they have graduated from high school and no longer have a PE class to take or the people who do not take PE seriously have succeeded in removing it from our schools. Who will teach our kids what they need to know? Where will they gain the basic knowledge of fitness, health and nutrition? Won't it be great? All these people will be outstanding at reading, writing and arithmatic. Unfortunately, they will all be too sick and unhealthy to enjoy any of it. Why is PE so important? Really, what's more imortant than PE!!!
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steve acree (Stephenpe)
Junior Member
Username: Stephenpe
Post Number: 8
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 5:10 am: | |
I feel like a man in the desert that just found
the PE oasis. We have about 6 elem. PE teachers in my county. We meet at the beginning of the year to discuss our sports days. Each school hosts one. We do flag football and boundball (modified volleyball) basketball, soccer, a field day and softball. We take 4/5th grades to participate. We even get varsity athletes from the one high school in our district to come over and officiate.
I was really fortunate up until this year to have PE everyday for my kids the last 21 years. It allowed me to do hundreds of different things so it was never stale or only fun for a few. I think the one thing more of us could do is blow our own horns. After my JRFH event or fitness testing I take pics and write it up for the local paper. I have had dozens of writeups over the last 20 years about my kids and their accomplishments. I even take a pic of my best archers for the paper and tell their scores from my little school tournament.
The more times the public and parents see positive things going on in PE the better chance we have to survive and be given the respect we need. I think that classroom teachers need to do this, also. If you listen at all to talk (hate) radio you would realize that it is a full out assault on public schools and its teachers. |
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