Chapter 1

The Value and Purpose of Physical Education for Children

Group Discussion

Why do children need physical education at school?

Create a list of four things that your elementary program would emphasize in physical education

Did you like physical education when you were in elementary school? Why or why not?

Key Points

Children have an innate desire to move

We need to keep that desire alive by offering opportunities for learning, success and enjoyment of physical activity

The Purpose of Physical Education

Guide Youngsters

in the Process

of Becoming

Physically Active and Healthy

for a Lifetime

Key Points

Ideally children should be taught by a specialist possessing an extensive background in children’s physical education.

National Standards for Physical Education, (NASPE, 2004) define the purpose of a quality program as enabling students to leave school being “physically educated”

The Six Content Standards for Physical Education from the National Standards for Physical Education

A Physically Educated Person:1. Demonstrates competency in motor skills and

movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities

2. Demonstrates understanding of movement concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics as they apply to the learning and performance of physical activities

3. Participates regularly in physical activity

The Six Content Standards for Physical Education (cont)

A Physically Educated Person:4. Achieves and maintains a health-enhancing level of

physical fitness

5. Exhibits responsible personal and social behavior that respects self and others in physical activity settings

6. Values physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and/or social interaction

Benefits of a Quality Physical Education Program

1. Health benefits associated with physical activity and regular participation in physical activity

2. Skill development3. Improved physical fitness4. Reinforcement of other subjects5. Self-discipline6. Goal setting7. Leadership and cooperation8. Enhanced self efficacy9. Stress reduction

10. Strengthening peer relationships

Key Points

Consequences of being physically uneducated include having unpleasant memories of physical education experiences and lacking an understanding about what physical activity is

Since most children love movement, the challenge to the physical educator is to keep alive the childhood urge to move so that as individuals move into adult years the desire to be physically active is still present

Key Points

A positive, quality physical education program is:

Developmentally appropriate Instructionally appropriate Specific to the children being served

Developmentally Appropriate and Instructionally Appropriate Physical Education

Developmentally Appropriate Recognizes and promotes children’s changing capacity to

move Takes into consideration individual characteristics of

children, such as level of development, prior movement experiences, fitness and skill levels, body size and age

Instructionally Appropriate Uses best practices that are derived from current research

and from experiences teaching children Provides a program that maximizes children’s opportunities

to learn and to be successful

Characteristics of a positive, quality program

Time - at least 150 minutes a week

Class size - same as the regular classroom

Sequential, developmental curriculum - scope and sequence of curriculum connected to past and future lessons and children's developmental levels

Minimum of 50% moderate to vigorous Activity (MVPA) during each lesson

Practice opportunities - many opportunities to practice skill/concept being taught

Characteristics of a positive, quality program (cont)

High rates of success - for children at all ability levels

Positive developmental environment - children should feel emotionally safe in the physical education environment

Teacher background - ideally, the teacher should have extensive background in content and pedagogy of physical education

Realistic expectations - if time is limited for physical education, teachers set realistic goals to help develop motor skills so that children can successfully participate in physical activities

Characteristics of a positive, quality program (cont)

Adequate equipment and facilities - ideally, a variety of equipment for all children and both indoor an outdoor facilities

Enjoyable - learning should be fun!

Emphasize the psychomotor domain, but also focus on the cognitive and affective domains

Vignette #1

The PE teacher, Ms. Jones, likes basketball and is the assistant coach at the middle school. She spends 6 weeks each year on a basketball unit with the 4th and 5th grade students. The unit includes skill drills the first week and then teams playing 5 on 5, with a round robin tournament the last week.

Vignette #2

Mr. Rader, a third grade classroom teacher, is responsible for providing physical education to his students at least 2 times a week. One day he plans 30 minutes of simple games, and the other day he gives ‘free time’ with a variety of manipulative equipment, such as balls, hoops, ropes, etc.

Vignette #3 Two classroom teachers ask the physical

education teacher to take both their classes at the same time on Fridays for 4 weeks so that they can have a planning time together. The classes would be in a small multipurpose room. Mr. Smith doesn’t know what they are planning together, only that it is an interdisciplinary school project.

Small Group Work

Write a mission statement for your elementary physical education program

Present your mission statement to the class

Chapter 2

The Skill Theme Approach

Key Points

Skill Themes are: Fundamental movements, later modified into more

specialized patterns upon which more complex activities/sports are built.

The Skill Theme Approach is a way of teaching physical education that:

• Is organized around Skill Themes and Movement concepts

Key Points

Important motor development principles:

Children develop at different rates

Age does not predict motor ability

Children develop motor skills naturally through play

Skillfulness is a result of practice, not gender or heredity

The Curriculum Diamond

Key Points

Curriculum Diamond

Suggests the development of a broad foundation of movement

forms at the elementary and middle school level focus on proficiency in few movements at high

school

Key Points

Elementary Level Focus: To help children acquire the

fundamental competencies:• First focus on developing movement concepts

– Space awareness– Effort– Relationships

• Then focus on developing skill themes– Manipulative skills– Locomotor skills– Non-manipulative skills

Active Learning Time

Generate a list of sports/physical activities taught in physical education.

Choose four different sports/activities List all of the psychomotor skills necessary to

successfully participate What psychomotor skills do these

sports/activities have in common?

Key Points

Skill theme approach Emphasizes helping children develop skill competencies

that enable them to participate successfully with enjoyment.

Provides different tasks based on children’s ability Four skill levels: precontrol, control, utilization,

proficiency

Focuses on children learning the critical elements of a skill.

Key Points

Additional Skill Theme Approach qualities:

Emphasizes both cognitive and affective domains by helping children understand the “how’s” and “why’s” of movement and giving them opportunities to feel good about themselves and others

Skill themes may be revisited throughout the school year many times

Comparing the Skill Theme Approach with the Traditional Method of Teaching Physical Education

Scope and sequence is designed to teach skills in preset “units” of three weeks, six weeks, etc

Scope and sequence is designed to reflect the needs and interests of the students over a period of years (i.e.,K-5)

Primary emphasis on providing learning experiences that are based on the child’s age or grade

Primary emphasis on providing learning experiences that are appropriate for the developmental level of the individual child

Primary emphasis on teaching children games, dances, and gymnastics without regard to skill acquisition.

Primary emphasis on fundamental motor skill acquisition and competency

Traditional MethodSkill Theme Approach

Practical Application Using the skill theme of dribbling a

ball, how could a teacher adjust the activity to be ‘developmentally appropriate’ for children of varying ability levels?