What comes to mind when you hear "Physical Education" or "PE"? Is your immediate reaction positive or negative? Do you think about elementary physical education students engaged in meaningful games which promote knowledge, skills, and confidence so that the students will develop lifelong interest and involvement in healthful, physical activity? Or has Hollywood created a mockery of the profession with irreverent films such as Mr. Woodcock and Dodgeball?
As we move into the 21st century, we must take a hard look at our profession and assess our position in schools and the society in general. Are we satisfied with the status quo or is it time to rebrand physical education? Your thoughts and opinions are valued; please take a moment to reflect on the issue.
Over the past 10 years physical education and its role in public schools and some universities has started to diminish. The importance of being physically fit and active is no longer there. We all know the outcome of lack of exercise and physical activity, yet we still sit around and do nothing. We criticize our youth for being obese and watch diabetes become an epidemic. But our egregious unacceptable solution to the problem is cutting physical education out of grade school curriculum by not making it a requirement. The few opportunities students have to get active we reduce or eliminate them all together. That’s why I say it's time we rebrand and restructure physical education. We have to reiterate the importance of physical activity and overall good health. That’s why all school should adopt the FITNESSGRAM and make it a requirement for all grade levels. The FITNESSGRAM allows us to assess the students’ fitness and activity levels. Then we report the results to students, parents, and administrators. The goal of FITNESSGRAM is to educate the community on the importance of everyday activity and lifelong health and fitness. FITNESSGRAM has been endorsed by two highly respected organizations - The Cooper Institute and NFL Play 60. Requiring fitness testing is a great first step in the right direction. We must have a goal to create movement opportunities for the next generation of active kids.
ReplyDeleteIt is time to not only rename but revive physical education. This process of reforming must take place from top to bottom, primarily in public school systems. When someone hears the word P.E. they are typically taken back to memories of a standardized somewhat mundane class in primary school. Most people never think of physical education as something a superior athlete does. When in reality anyone involved in advanced athletics or for that matter wanting to feel good both mentally and physically needs a solid background in P.E. in order to sustain extended youthfulness and liveliness. Since many P.E. instructors lack accountability and ability to enforce improvement in mandatory P.E. classes, the need arises for a hybrid class. This class should not only engage students physically but should also educate them as to the effects of their lifestyles on an individual basis. Explanation of these effects would improve the student’s ability to cause a physical change in their life if they so choose. This method would create greater student retention in physical education classes and show students that they have the power to shape their bodies. As part of rebranding physical education, newer or advanced names such as Kinesiology should be applied to these new hybrid classes.
ReplyDeleteJoseph Lee once said, "Play for adults is recreation, it's the renewal of life. For children play is growth, it's the gaining of life”. When children lose their interest in play and adults lose their interest in recreation it is more likely for them to gain weight and become less social. Without play obesity and depression can become even bigger issues than they already are, and being obese can lead to diabetes, increased resting heart rate, and weaker muscles/bones.
ReplyDeleteWe need to rebrand physical education. When most people hear the word P.E. they think of a blow off class that requires very little effort, and if a student fails the class the blame is often put on the teacher; however some teachers don't care about the P.E. classes. Rather than rolling a ball on to the court and telling the students to play, teachers need to teach health, wellness, and make physical activity fun again! Make it about gaining friendships, learning how much better the right food can make you feel, and learning how important physical activity is to the development of the body. Teachers, students, parents, and other faculty need to start taking physical education more seriously.
There are many stereotypes when it comes to physical education. Many people believe along the line that P.E is a waste of time and should be taken out of school. I have learned that Physical Education, much like any other subject, you can expect to get out of it, only what you put into it. Now is the time to not allow for P.E to be taken out of school, rather it is the time to show just how important we are to not only the schools but to the communities. By withdrawing physical education from schools you are putting the responsibility of fitness into the students and parents hands. Schools are having a hard enough time trying to get students to turn in class assignments let alone exercise. As a physical education teacher, you have been given the knowledge and opportunity to really affect the lives of those in your class. Such as the knowledge that a physically active individual have a much more active mind than those that are not. Do not be the teacher that’s there to just make it through the day. Give the students the same opportunity you have been given --- a chance.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is time to rebrand physical education and has been time to do so for many years. The main focus in the rebranding of physical education should be the education aspect. While the purpose of physical education is to educate students in many different areas including health and nutrition, exercise through lifespan, and weight training and conditioning, many physical educators put too much focus on activities to kill time instead of educating students. To assist in the rebranding of P.E. with a larger focus on education, I think that students should be required to take and pass specific mental and physical tests to complete the course. Requiring students to pass certain physical tests such as a conditioning, flexibility, and weight lifting test will assist in the student’s education, commitment to the class, and overall health. Examinations over health and nutrition would also help educate students and provide them information they can apply to their everyday lives. Requiring such tests would only help change the idea of physical education as a “blow off” class where nothing is required, especially at the middle and high school level. I believe this is a simple yet great start to the rebranding of P.E.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of Physical Education, my first thoughts are active children, playing games,learning healthy behaviors and a 'busy' class. What an opportunity we have to develop and instill positive and healthy behaviors during PE class. PE is one of the few times during school that children can be active and noisy! Students have the opportunity to develop a range of skills that are not normally activated in a regular classroom.this includes physical, personal and social skills that can be stimulated and encouraged during team activities. Physical Education for some children is the only time during a day where they exercise and are active. Obviously this is not adequate in maintaining a healthy life, however it is a positive step in the right direction. Physical Education is a combination of movement of the body and mind and as PE educators we can use games and sports as the tools to educate and develop using a holistic approach.
ReplyDeleteElementary schools are in a unique position to impact the child's life at a young life and consequently very important in fostering behaviors. The opportunity is there to provide lifelong skills and healthy habits. With the obvious decline in eating habits, poor health and lack of exercise, PE has to be ever present in a child's school day. Now, more than ever, we need a change in how important and necessary PE is within schools.
For me, when I hear ‘’Physical Education” I reflect back on elementary school and all the different sports, active games, proper techniques, and beneficial knowledge that I gained that carried me through my younger years of being active. However, when I take a look around today, it is clear that our “Physical Education” needs to be revamped and rebranded. Why do I feel this way? Well, due to the fact that obesity is one of our biggest epidemics in the country and has started to spread among children and adolescents in the United States, I would say that we are failing our mission as PE professionals. Approximately 21-24% of American children and adolescents are overweight, and another 16-18% is obese, which is unacceptable. Now, I don’t believe that PE class needs to be a boot camp session or the instructor needs to wheel up a TV and have everyone do P90X. But I do believe that Hollywood has definitely helped make a mockery out of physical education, and reduced the role of its importance to our youth. Physical Education needs to be rebranded as a program that instills the benefits and love of a healthy lifestyle, as well as the knowledge and fun-filled activities that make our youth fall in love with an active lifestyle. Physical Education is not just a gym where the students who don’t participate in athletics go and sit for 50 minutes while calling it “PE”; it is a program that should be conducted with passion and sincerity. I believe that by rebranding and revamping Physical Education, we can begin to tip the scales back in the other way in our countries fight to make healthier citizens and reducing epidemics pertaining to obesity and unhealthy lifestyles that are creating many health care issues. It is time to rebrand and redirect Physical Education, the health of our nation’s youth depends on it.
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