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 HONORING
A VISIONARY AND REFOCUSING OUR EFFORTS
Visionary Phil
Lawler
by: Jon
Poole
Earlier this
spring we learned that Phil Lawler passed
away at the too young age of sixty.
While I never had the pleasure of meeting
Mr. Lawler in person, it feels like
I have seen his face a million times
and read stories about his program for
many years. In an assignment I give
every year to my sophomore-level “intro”
course, I have my physical education
teacher education (PETE) students research
“New PE" and, inevitably,
a large majority of my students come
back with stories about Madison Junior
High in Naperville, IL. (See, for example,
The
New PE Curriculum: An Innovative Approach
to Teaching Physical Fitness, 'New
P.E.' Teacher Takes Students to the
Max, New
PE Trend Stresses Fitness and Fun).
After my initial
reading of Harvard psychiatrist, Dr.
John Ratey’s Spark:
The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise
and the Brain, a couple of years
ago, I came to the conclusion that Phil
Lawler was a maverick, an activist,
and ultimately a visionary for bringing
“new PE” from the sound
bites shared on pages of newspapers,
magazines, and morning TV shows and
into documented reports of actual K-12
gymnasia and classrooms.
While we still
need long-term studies to determine
if those Naperville students continue
in their path toward leading a physically
active and healthy lifestyle, I am convinced
he showed many of us a way to successfully
position PE into the mainstream of traditional
schools. It might not have been “the
only way,” as I do believe there
are many other forward thinking teachers
out there trying to revolutionize the
way children experience PE, and they
do not rigorously follow the model Coach
Lawler proposed. But it was “a”
way. Clearly he was successful with
his efforts in Naperville as he became
the face of PE4Life (www.pe4life.org/)
for many years later. I encourage you
to take a few minutes to read
a tribute for him.
 Phil
Lawler focused on those students, the
non-athletic kids, who so often are
ignored in traditional PE classes. He
saw first-hand that an over-reliance
on male dominated team sports (such
as basketball, football, and soccer)
relegates the non-assertive, low-skilled,
and less fit children to the sidelines
as the athletic kids dominate game play.
That is not to suggest we never play
those games, of course, only that middle
and high school PE should offer much
more than that. His focus on fitness,
wellness, and the fun of physical activity
was the message the nation needed.
More recently
First Lady Michelle Obama decided childhood
obesity and the role of physical activity
in the health of children would be her
priority during her time in the
White House. I am not sure if Phil Lawler
ever met Michelle Obama (though both
came from Illinois), but my guess is
he would have been one of her biggest
supporters on this initiative.
When visionaries
such as Phil Lawler pass away, an obvious
question arises…who will lead
the charge now? Candidly, I see that
as a challenge to PETE programs nationally.
Personally, I need to ask myself if
I am preparing the next generation of
K-12 physical educators in such a way
that Phil Lawler would be proud of their
programs. Perhaps it is time to refocus
our efforts on PETE programs and require
a bit more than we have in recent years.
Refocusing
Our Efforts in Teacher Preparation
Our respected pelinks4u leader,
Dr. Steve Jefferies, made mention in
a recent pelinks4u editorial,
“A relatively new trend that has
been emerging, primarily in response
to obesity concerns, is the creation
of a school climate that embraces healthy
living and physical activity as integral
to the school day. Because most K-12
public schools have a physical educator
on staff, these individuals are uniquely
positioned to provide leadership for
such programs.” Then, more importantly
for this discussion, Dr. Jefferies added,
“However, to do so will take a
change in the expectations that schools
currently have for physical educators
and the way we prepare them.”
In his paper
describing the role of education in
the National
Physical Activity Plan, Dr. Daryl
Siedentop shared that a refocused PETE
program must prepare entry-level teachers
to implement healthy lifestyles. PE
programs should include the skills needed
to develop staff fitness programs, working
with community leaders to deliver after-school
activity programs, and collaborate with
classroom teachers to enhance school-based
physical activity, among others.
This comprehensive
approach to school physical activity
is supported by our national
association and the focus of a new
book from Human Kinetics. The book
states to “offer K-12 teachers
and administrators the tools to plan
and administer programs that go beyond
PE class. These activities are integrated
in the classroom, on playgrounds, in
before-and after-school programs, in
intramural programs, and in community
programs.”
Similarly, Dr.
Chuck Corbin and Tom McKenzie recommended,
“Teacher preparation programs
should restructure their curricula to
include disciplinary classes that directly
relate to what future teachers will
actually teach, including information
relevant to physical activity promotion
and health-behavior change” (p.
49). The authors argue physical education
teachers must teach their K-12 students
behavioral self-management skills such
as planning, goal setting identifying
places to be active, soliciting social
support, and self-reinforcement, among
others. In addition, future teachers
need experience with collaboration amongst
parents, other teachers, school administration,
and community leaders.
So now I have
my summer homework: To honor a visionary
and refocus the efforts of my teacher
preparation program to prepare the next
generation of teachers. It seems a bit
daunting, I won’t lie to you,
but I can’t wait to see what happens.
Works
Cited
Corbin, C. & McKenzie, T. (2008).
Physical activity promotion: A responsibility
for both K-12 physical education and
kinesiology. Journal of Physical Education,
Recreation, and Dance, 79(6), 47-56.
Delisio, E. (2001). New PE trend stresses
fitness and fun. Retrieved April 30,
2010, from www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr346.shtml.
Furger, R. (2001). The new PE curriculum:
An innovative approach to teaching physical
fitness. Retrieved April 30, 2010, from
www.edutopia.org/new-p-e-curriculum.
Jeffries, S. (2010). Reflections on
the past, visions of our professional
future. pelinks4u.org, 12(4).
Johnson, K. (2003). New PE teacher takes
students to the max every activity stresses
cardiovascular fitness. Retrieved April
30, 2010, from www.drwoolard.com/peinnews/new_pe_teacher.htm.
Ratey, J. (2008). Spark: The revolutionary
new success of exercise and the brain.
New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
Siedentop,
D. (2009). National plan for physical
activity: Education sector. Journal
of Physical Activity and Health, 6 (Supplement
2), S168-S180.
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