MEDIA REVIEW

SCHOOLWIDE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Target Audience/Purpose:
This is a great book for all Physical Education professionals and Physical Education Teacher Education students. This is also a great book for classroom teachers wishing to add Physical Activity into their classroom curricula.

Administrators who wish to implement a schoolwide physical activity program could benefit by reading and using this book. Parents and community members can also benefit from this book as it addresses comprehensive community-wide physical activity programming efforts.

Content:
The content of this book is thorough in explaining physical activity programming in school settings. The author starts off in chapter one by explaining the overall benefits of physical activity, national standards and recommendations for physical activity programming, as well as a rationale for schoolwide physical activity programming efforts. This book sets the stage for expanding physical activity outside the realm of Physical Education classes, including physical activity in the classroom as well as before and after school, lunch time, and recess programming.

Schoolwide physical activity is an easy read and is user friendly. It offers a variety of ready made activities, and precise instructions on how to design and carry out K-12 physical activity programming. The flow of the chapters, and separation of the elementary and secondary portions of the book, make it very easy for teachers and administrators at both elementary and secondary levels to understand, and implement the information.

Schoolwide physical activity lays out blueprints in different chapters as to how to conduct recess, intramurals, in classroom activities, before and after school programs, lunchtime activities and comprehensive programming for stakeholders at all levels of education.

Strengths/ Limitations:

Strengths:

• Offers interdisciplinary activities.
• Is very user friendly.
• Offers a CD that has various ready-made forms and activities.
• Is both activity and conceptually based.
• Has assessment and checking for understanding at the end of every chapter.

Limitations:

• Not a lot of information on assessing schoolwide physical activity program

Recommendation:
The School Physical Activity text is a useful resource to all those associated with schools and education and may be particularly beneficial for those individuals who are less familiar with teaching Physical Education. It gives step-by-step instructions on how to carry out various programs and activities. I recommend this book to all teachers, administrators, and other school personnel who are concerned with and passionate about promoting schoolwide activity.

Complete Reference:
Rink, Judith. (2010). Schoolwide Physical Activity: a Comprehensive Guide to Designing and Conducting Programs. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers.

Reviewer:
Jason Norris is a Doctoral student at Arizona State University. He is a native of Washington State having grown up in the town of Steilacoom. Jason received his BS degree in K-12 Fitness and Health from Central Washington University and his MPE from Arizona State University. His current Doctoral studies and research interest are focused in teacher assessment and accountability within the Physical Education classroom. Upon completing his PhD he plans to pursue a career as a PETE professor and researcher.

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