CORRECTION: Last month we incorrectly reported that physical education classes would no longer be required in Texas high schools. Dolly Lambdin has informed us that it was health education that was eliminated as a requirement and that students in Texas would still be required to take one year of physical education. Apologies for the error.

THE YEAR AHEAD IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Optimism, according to Merriam-Webster, is "an inclination … to anticipate the best possible outcome." Hoping for the best is good. How depressing it would be to surround ourselves with people who routinely anticipate the worst? However, a sense of reality is probably also a good thing, and this academic year it would be wise to attend to what author Jim Collins referred to in his book Good to Great as the "brutal facts."

Looking ahead to the upcoming school year we all hope that it’s going to be a good one for physical education. Unfortunately, a closer look at what’s happening in the world around us does not offer much comfort. Consider the following:

Economic Stagnation
Even the most optimistic projections don't anticipate our depressed economy recovering for several years. Some writers (see Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future by Robert Reich), are far less optimistic and question whether middle class lifestyles will ever return to "normal." For sure, unemployment and incomes are not likely to change soon, which means that local community funding for things like schools will remain depressed. Even worse, if funding continues to decrease, school districts will face more budget shortfalls and be forced to consider more program and position cuts.

Poverty Levels Worsening and Wealth Gap Widening
The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently reported that 1 in 5 children live in poverty, and almost half live close to poverty. These children struggle in school, are more likely to be held back, and are less likely to later get a job. Poorer children are invariably less healthy which author Charles Basch believes largely accounts for them doing worse in school (see Healthier Students are Better learners: A Missing Link in School Reforms to Close the Achievement Gap).

In today's depressed economy it’s hard to imagine a turn around in poverty. And if it doesn't, we can anticipate an ongoing decrease in skilled workers, increased demands for social services, and higher crime rates. Simultaneously, the division between the have's and have not's is widening. One percent of the US population now owns approximately 40% of the nation's wealth.

Workforce Globalization
Assuming that at least some time in the next few years the US economy recovers, we face increased global competition from China and India, the world's largest and fastest developing countries. Each already has a population approximately four times the US, and a population focused on developing the skills needed in our 21st century knowledge-information age. What does this mean for physical education? Once again, it challenges our existence because it threatens employment opportunities for local communities, which affects funding for local schools. When schools are under budgetary pressure, so too is physical education.

Failing Schools
But here's the crux of the issue. It's estimated that by 2018, the US will only have about ¼ of the qualified workers needed for the available high skilled, high paying jobs. In contrast to our parents' time, most future jobs will require some college level education. Currently, only about 2/3 of our students graduate from high school. An estimated 7000 students drop out of school daily! Barely ½ of African Americans and Latino students graduate from high school.

Build a Shared Vision for Physical Education in the Year 2020 and Beyond

School reform proponents continue to point out the inadequacies of a school system largely unchanged since it was created during the 19th century industrial revolution. And today, because of the obvious economic consequences, reformers have the ears of political decision makers. Something has to change in the way we educate our children. And according to Bill Gates it is already occurring at "blinding speed."

In all likelihood, most of the preceding information was not on your mind when you thought about the upcoming year in physical education. You were probably more focused on gym space, equipment, and curriculum issues. But this is the danger. Thinking only about issues within our profession ignores the growing threat outside. Public education will be reformed sooner rather than later. If nations can undergo the changes we've witnessed in the past few months, so too can our schools. And when schools change – like it or not - so too will physical education.

It's easy to assume changes will miss you. They won't. It's just a question of time. Weekly news feeds report school physical education programs being reduced or cut, and efforts to allow more waivers. The good news is that sometimes there are reports of new and innovative ways that physical educators are changing to make their programs more relevant. While it's unlikely there is one best solution, it's clear that physical education needs to be able to show its relevance in reform efforts. Isolating ourselves in the gym, assuming that others will value and protect us, is a recipe for disaster. And as many physical educators around the country have sadly already discovered, cuts can come quickly and unexpectedly. By then it is often too late.

One of the outcomes of this past year's PE2020 initiative was a belief that we need to do more to integrate our programs within the school and within the local community. What this means in your setting will differ from location to location. But I'm firmly convinced that this year it's vital for physical educators to commit themselves to being part of any discussion on school change. Congress moves closer to revisiting No Child Left Behind. All but four states have adopted the Common Core Standards (within which physical education is not mentioned). We all need to be prepared to show how physical education can play a vital part in the emerging goals of a 21st century public education.

Finally, this month's edition of pelinks4u is dedicated to the memory of (John) Tyler Stufflebeam. Tyler, a physical education major at Slippery Rock University, PA, was killed in an automobile accident on September 10th.

Tyler was active in student affairs, helped coach youth football and wrestling, and was an exemplary physical educator. He hunted, ran, canoed and was an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan. He will be greatly missed by his parents, brothers, relatives, and his SRU physical education student and faculty friends and colleagues. Our condolences to all.

Steve Jefferies, publisher pelinks4u

USING IPADS IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION: THERE IS AN APP FOR THAT!
Got an iPad? If so, you probably need no persuasion of their value both personally and in the classroom. For years, physical educators have often been technology leaders in our public schools. The iPad could be the beginning of a transformational stage in instruction.

In this article, authors Randy Nichols and Joanne Leight provide a wonderful overview of the potential uses of the iPad and other tablet computers in the physical education environment. They provide recommendations for more than 30 applications you can use to enhance your physical education teaching.

If you have an iPad or were considering purchasing one, don't miss this article. Confession time: After chatting with the two authors of this article I purchased my first iPad and love it! read more...

APPLICATION OF RESEARCH ON COORDINATION, CONTROL, AND SKILL TO PHYSICAL EDUCATION
When you think about it, it's pretty amazing how the body is able to coordinate and control its many moving parts and produce skillful movement patterns. For physical education teachers of course, the challenge is to present learners with the appropriate information they need to become skillful. It's pretty easy to give too much information, too little information, or the wrong information!

Authors Phillip Conatser and Eric James remind us of some of the key learning principles based on motor learning research. They include a link to an informative YouTube video that highlights some great advice for effective teaching strategies at different learning stages.

read more...

A REVIEW OF THE DAILY STEP COUNTS OF CHILDREN ON WEEKDAYS AND WEEKENDS
Do you use the pedometer's to measure the physical activity of students in your classes? If so, you might be interested in Tim Brusseau's review of the different research findings comparing children's physical activity on weekdays and on weekends. We learn that both boys and girls tend to be more active on weekdays.

Interestingly, differences were reported between genders, different socioeconomic groups, and between days that students did or did not have physical education. Brusseau believes the research shows that most children and youth are not meeting the recommended daily step counts.
 read more...

THE ROAD TO TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS: WHERE DO I TURN AFTER PRESERVICE TEACHER EDUCATION?
According to author Amber Phillips, the road to becoming an effective physical education teacher is like an old wooden roller coaster: bumpy, curvy, noisy, and full of highs and lows. During university-based professional preparation, preservice teachers typically receive feedback on their teaching skills. But what happens when they graduate? How do you improve once you become a physical education teacher?

Phillips describes several strategies that all teachers – but especially new ones – can use to improve their teaching effectiveness.
 read more...

DYSTONIA: GAINING CONTROL THROUGH MOVEMENT
Dystonia is a puzzling chronic disorder characterized by involuntary and often painful movements or tremors. To date, no cure has been found for this disease and so treatment is focused on lessening the severity of the symptoms. Exercise and physical activity has been shown to be an effective treatment strategy.

Author Kaitlin Mauch describes symptoms and treatment for this movement disorder that affects more than 300,000 people in North America. read more...

PSYCHOLOGICAL SKILLS TRAINING: IMAGERY
Author Christine Lottes, presents another insightful article on psychological skills training, this time focused on helping you use imagery with your athletes. She explains that imagery can be an effective technique to learn new skills, practice and correct skills, and much more.

In addition to a thorough explanation of the way that imagery works, Lottes provides practical strategies to help athletes and coaches implement an imagery-training program. A handout for athletes is also included.   

 read more...

MOTOR CONTROL AND LEARNING A BEHAVIORAL EMPHASIS

Ted Scheck reviews Richard Schmidt and Timothy Lee’s latest edition of Motor Control and Learning.

read more...