Consider the New 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans in Elementary Physical Education

Upon the end of a school year, elementary physical educators have a wonderful window of time to reflect upon their academic year. Engaging in reflective practices to systematically review curriculum, teaching, and assessment, part of the (reflective) process can focus on teachers increasing their knowledge base to maintain their profile of “highly qualified” as endorsed by a position paper from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) released April 2007, titled “What Constitutes a Highly Qualified Physical Education Teacher?”

The direction of this article is to pose to elementary physical educators their reflection upon the new 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2008). If you attended the 20009 AAHPERD National Convention in Tampa, FL you had the opportunity to attend the General Session keynote presentation on these new Guidelines presented by Rear Admiral Penelope Slade-Sawyer, PT, MSW who served as a federal board committee member aiding to steer the process and procedure of gathering the research behind and putting the guidelines in place. This excellent overview can be viewed by a PowerPoint presentation located on the home page of the AAHPERD website (www.aahperd.org).

The relevance of such a reflection is an excellent best-practice fit to the contemporary curricular emphasis placed upon health-related physical fitness/functional fitness and the increase of physical activity initiatives linking schools and communities. Facing the reality that some elementary physical education programs fall short of the recommended 150 minutes per week for physical education instruction, while others meet the recommended minutes, teachers may examine these Guidelines to increase their knowledge base on the latest health-enhancing evidence-based literature resulting in safe and developmentally appropriate practices to promote healthier children.

According to Michael Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Guidelines document “is intended to be a primary source of information for policy makers, physical educators, health providers, and the public on the amount, types, and intensity of physical activity needed to achieve may health benefits for Americans across the life span. These Guidelines are achievable and can be customized according to a person’s interest, lifestyle, and goals.” That being said, between the end of the current school year and prior to the beginning of the next one, elementary physical educators may consider how their teaching practices address the “new wave” of improving health and fitness in their program through the “new” physical education.

The second attribute of what highly qualified physical education teacher’s exhibit indicates that best-practice (elementary) physical educators base their teaching on the national standards for K-12 physical education (NASPE, 2004). Through this, they provide their students with a wide variety of activities so they, the students, are “willing, able, and interested in seeking a lifetime of physical activity (NASPE, 2007).” These standards-based developmentally appropriate activities can therefore be linked to the new Guidelines to strengthen the purpose of their curriculum and illustrate the physical education has meaning, and lays the educational foundation why movement is vital to living healthy.

To support this, as teachers reflect upon their (elementary) physical education program, they may turn their attention to the NASPE guidelines titled What Constitutes a Quality Physical Education Program. Blended with the third attribute of what highly qualified physical education teachers exhibit (NASPE, 2007), elementary physical educators set high expectations for learning in three domains: psychomotor, cognitive, and affective. From providing fitness education and assessment to help children understand, improve and/or maintain their physical well-being, to integrating health concepts into physical education lessons, all-the-while consistently informing students upon the (health enhancing/promotion) rationale behind activities, inside and outside of the complete school day, is essential to establish life-long educated movers at a young age. Hence, teachers, as they reflect may ask themselves how their program addresses the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

Why the emphasis upon the nature of this reflection? If you believe in providing a range of activities grounded in the belief “the more you do, the more benefits you gain (Slade-Sawyer, 2009),” then you are moving forward to know what is new about the guidelines. To address new features about the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, the following are presented:

• It is the first major science review in more than a decade
• Includes a range of activity based upon the belief “the more you do, the more benefits you gain”
• The guidelines specify a total amount of activity per week. People can design their own way to meet the guidelines
• The guidelines address Americans over the age of 6 and specific subgroups

To site from the 2009 AAHERD General Session Keynote Address, major conclusions identify that

• regular activity reduces risk of many adverse health outcomes
• some activity is better than none
• added health benefits generally occur as the amount of activity increases
• most health benefits require at least 2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity physical activity which has been identified to substantially reduce the risk of many chronic diseases and other adverse health outcomes. Beyond this, up to 5 hours a week, he or she gains additional and more extensive health benefits
• both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity are beneficial
• for fitness benefits, aerobic activity should be episodes of at least 10 minutes
• health benefits apply to people of all types, sizes and ages, including people with disabilities
• physical activity can be done safely, the benefits far outweigh possible risks (Slade-Sawyer, 2009)

Highly qualified physical educators know that the amount and type of activity needed depends on age and special conditions, so too applied to the guidelines. Key guidelines for children and adolescents ages 6-17 years purports one hour or more of daily physical activity that is at least moderate, with most of this time to be engaged in either moderate or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity. Further, children and youth within this age range may do vigorous-intensity physical activity at least three days a week. The document’s Chapter 3 Active Children and Adolescents specifically addresses key guidelines for aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and bone strengthening as part of their 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity, keeping in mind the importance of activities being developmentally/age appropriate, enjoyable and offer variety.

Types of activities for each category are provided that could enable a physical educator to identify what they currently offer in their program, and what could be offered, as well as recommended to be safely done outside the complete school day. Furthermore, the new Guidelines explain level of intensity, and provide examples of moderate-and vigorous intensity aerobic physical activities and muscle and bone strengthening activities for children and adolescents. Here, teachers will find what can be specific to elementary school students. What’s more the chapter concludes with two real-life examples of getting and staying active, according to these new Guidelines.

Regardless of whether you are a beginning teacher or seasoned professional, regardless of elementary school or college/university providing elementary physical education pedagogy training, engaging in reflective practice is expected and standards-based. Documented in various NASPE Guidelines, reflective practice is an attribute of a highly qualified physical education teacher. That being said, as you being to reflect upon your program, consider the new 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans to strength the three components a Quality Physical Education Program: 1) opportunity to learn, 2) meaningful content, and 3) appropriate instruction (www.aahperd.org/nape).

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