Motivating Students: This semester I started field experience at a high school. The classes are all girls ranging from 8th-12th grade. In a couple more weeks I will be teaching these girls and I am a little nervous. The 8th and 9th graders are not as bad but the older girls seem uninterested and have no interest in PE. When I teach I want everyone to like what we do and have fun with it. Does any one have any activities or tips that will help me get the girls attention and get them motivated to participate? Please share in the forum.
Encouraging students: Should students that do not like sports or athletics be forced to participate in class? Does this cause students to despise gym class and not want to be active on a normal basis? Many kids that hate playing sports end up skipping PE classes because it is not enjoyable for them. Should there be an alternative for students like this or should they be forced to attend? I think there could be other classes offered, such as dance or weight lifting, to give them other choices for physical activity. Please share in the forum.
  Picking Partners: Everyone knows that middle school is rough for most kids and it seems like every class has one or two kids who never get chosen to be in pairs or groups. What kinds of strategies do you use when you allow students to choose their own partner knowing that there is a student who will be picked last or not picked every time. Other than not allowing students to form their own pairs. Please share in the forum.
  Classroom Activities: There are some days that the gym is being set up for assemblies or other events and phys. ed periods have to be held in the classroom if the weather is bad outside. What kinds of activities can be done with elementary students in the classroom that can raise their heart rate without getting hurt tripping over desks? Please share in the forum.
Challenge by Choice: Hello I am a junior PE major at Slippery Rock University. I have noticed in a couple of my activitiy classes here that my teachers have been using the example of challenge by choice. Some of the classes taken here require you to be suspended up high, or to have to do some activities that not everyone is comfortable with. When teaching a class that requires you to think about a comfort zone, and you have students that are not quite comfortable with the activity, how would you grade them? Would you grade them on effort? Participation? Then what about the students that are willing to stretch their comfort zones. Should they be awarded a much higher grade then the student that can not complete the task? Please share in the forum.
Understanding Elementary Capabilities: I am currently in my elementary field and am new to this age group. I have mostly worked with middle and high school students so when it comes to understanding elementary skill levels and capabilities I feel inadequate. For example, I taught a lesson on kicking and had 2nd graders pitch the ball to one another and realized it did not work out so well. The pitcher could not roll a smooth ball and the kicker could not make contact with the ball. What is the best and quickest way to know their limitations so I can make my class as successful as possible, and not discourage or bore my students? Please read more at the forum.

Over Weight Educators: I am a student in the physical education department and in many of my classes there are overweight students who plan to educate. I do not pass judgement on them but their students might, and how can we stress reducing the obesity rate if we are not setting a good example with our own bodies. Our bodies as physical educators should represent an in shape form. Right? Please share in the forum.

Traditonal vs. Fitness Phys. Ed: Today I am seeing Phys. Ed teachers lean more toward a fitness base class. They are doing this to help students become more healthy. Should the traditional style of sport based Phys. Ed. class be abandoned and should I jump on the fitness based band wagon? I believe that a good Phys Ed. class has a mix of fitness based and sport specific activities not just an excess amount of either. Does anyone out there agree? Please share in the forum.
One Sport vs Multi-Sport: In high school, many students try to play as many sports as possible. However, they usually excel at just one. Should these students focus on one sport and the off-season it brings, or should they be involved in as many as possible. i.e. Football-Fall, Basketball-Winter, Baseball/Track-Spring Please share in the forum.
New ideas through PE: As physical education changes over the years, I think it is important to keep an idea of what high school students are interested in nowadays. I think adding lessons such as strength training, zumba, yoga, and "boot camp" not only gives students something new and fun to take part in, but can also guide them to live a healthier lifestyle. Please share in the forum.