NOT “ROLL OUT THE BALL” PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Multi-Activity Model

General Characteristics

A traditional model and the one most commonly used today.

Units include a variety of individual, team, and nontraditional activities.

The program is varied and can reflect teacher interest and student choice.

Rationale

Variety: Accommodates the changing needs of adolescents by offering variety.

Areas of Emphasis: Depending on what is offered, can emphasize individual development, partner work, team challenges or cooperative activities.

Accommodates Experimentation: Easily accommodates experimentation by the teacher to find activities agreeable to students.

Strengths

Teacher Expertise Tapped: Often possible to pair student interest with teacher expertise in a particular area. Ideally teachers are able to teach within their area of expertise

Curricular Variety: Can have tremendous variety in curriculum.

Weaknesses

Knowledge Base: Requires a large knowledge base and multi-talented teachers to teach.

Limitations of Teacher Preparation: An undergrad university program can’t possibly prepare graduates to teach everything, thus attendance at clinics, workshops, reading periodicals are vital.

Dumping Grounds: Often beginning teachers are asked to teach outside their area of expertise or teach the classes that no one else wants to teach.

Hidden Throw out the Ball: Under the guise of multi-activity, some people throw out the ball and call it a model when it is little more than supervised recess. 

How it differs from roll out the ball

Clear lesson objectivesPlanned progressions of tasks to develop

competent moversAssessment of student learning occurs