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Number One Goal
As we start a new semester (or a new year), we should take some
time to reflect on our overall mission as physical educators.
As we begin teaching a new class we need to ask ourselves, "When
students complete my course, what is the number one thing that I
want every student to go away knowing, or doing, or having?"
Put another way, what is the most important aspect of physical education?
Some would argue learning motor skills, others would say improving
and maintaining physical fitness, and yet others would say social
skills or cognitive skills are the primary goal.
I believe that while all of those are important, the number one
goal of physical educators is to develop positive attitudes toward
physical activity. If we can get students to appreciate and
value physical activity, then they will be much more inclined to
participate in activities for a lifetime.
How do we do this? We need to offer students a choice concerning
activities and offer a variety of activities. Most students
will not be interested in or proficient at traditional sports, such
as football or basketball. We need to expand the number and
types of activities we offer to accommodate the diversity within
our students.
We can develop positive attitudes towards physical activity by using
activities that provide some success for all students. Those
who are obese or not gifted athletically are those who need the
most encouragement and help during physical education. Too
many times, they are the ones who are left out, embarrassed, or
have no success. We can do this by choosing non-competitive
activities and by planning for diversity within activities.
So start the new year off with a renewed commitment to your students.
In the long run, you'll be glad you did.
Bart Cagle
Secondary Section
Editor
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| Health and Exercise Behaviors |
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Behavior Risk
Survey
For those of you wanting the latest health behavior information
on teens, check out this website by the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC). You can easily search for health data for any year,
for any state, and regarding many health behaviors such as smoking
and exercise habits. It's a great informational resource to
have to justify physical education and to use in classroom health
research.
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| If you have ideas, comments, letters to share, or questions
about particular topics, please email one of the following Adapted
PE Section Editors: |
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Creative Ways to Get $ and Equipment
One of the biggest problems with teaching physical education is the
lack of money for equipment and other supplies that are a necessity
in our profession. I would like you to provide some creative
(and effective) ways that you generate money or equipment besides
using your own money. Go to the PE Forum and give others some
good ideas (and get some as well). Here are some of my ideas:
- Get a local store or business to sponsor the physical education
department at your school.
- Organize a "Donate your used exercise equipment" event at your
school with your students.
- Talk to your school coaches about extra equipment that you could
have.
I'm sure that you will come up with some great ideas. And
remember to keep an open mind, because if you haven't tried it,
it just might work.
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Navy Run, Jump, and Throw
This website describes a physical activity program supported by
the United States Navy to enhance physical fitness, health, and
physical development for students grades 1-12 in the U.S.
The program contains specialized track and field events that can
be used for recreational programs or physical education classes.
The program emphasizes teamwork, fair play, individual assessment.
The program includes the Navy RJT Sports Guide which offers planned
activities for skill development. All students remain active
during the class by training, competing, or officiating.
Take a look to see if the Navy RJT program could work in your school.
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| What is Block Scheduling? |
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Block
Scheduling For PE
For those of you who teach on the block schedule, or if your school
is considering using the block schedule, or if you just want to
know more about the block schedule, here's a good chance to get
some great information about it.
This website gives a comprehensive overview about this new approach
to time management in education. This resource paper compares
the positive and negative effects of the block schedule, including
areas such as classroom environment, curriculum, and instruction.
The article also gives some specific "dos" and "don'ts" when teaching
on the block. Other material includes steps to develop lesson
plans for block scheduling and examples of organizational schemes.
The paper also lists some frequently asked questions about block
scheduling. And finally, other on-line resources are given
that provide more info on this subject. Check out the entire
article for more information.
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Human Anatomy On-Line
Looking for a great website that you can use for a cognitive activity
with your students? Then look no further than here for an
interactive website that teaches students about the human anatomy
using animations, 100's of graphics, and thousands of descriptive
links.
Students can choose from seven different body systems including:
skeletal, digestive, muscular, nervous, cardiovascular, and the
male/female reproductive systems.
This is a great way for students to learn anatomical terms and see
body systems in action, such as the flow of blood in the cardiovascular
system. Check on this website for more information.
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| On-Line Worksheet and Puzzle Generator |
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Puzzlemaker
Want to create fun worksheets or crossword puzzles for your classroom?
Here is a great website (listed in pecentral) that anyone can
use to generate interesting worksheets and fun puzzles in minutes.
All you have to do is supply the words (and sometimes definitions)
and puzzlemaker will do the rest.
Puzzlemaker will create crosswords, work searches, word scrambles,
cryptograms, letter tiles, math squares, and more.
The M-tech worksheet generator will create fill in the bank, matching,
multiple-choice and other types of questions to use for a worksheet.
You may also allow your students to use the website to create
their own study or learning aid. Check this out for information.
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Questions to Ask, or
Thoughts to Share?
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