Implied Curriculum: Physical Education for All Students

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Physical education is a component of the American education system about which politicians, administrators, doctors, and others frequently debate. Some see it as an integral part of a student’s education - a part that is often underemphasized due to time and budget constraints. Others see it as a non-essential, indicating that a student’s academic day should not be interrupted with something as non-academic as sports (Pill, 2012). In fact, currently only 2.1 percent of high schools provide the nationally recommended daily physical education, CDC found (Society of Health and Physical Educators, 2014).
Based on the recommendations from the leading research, however, many schools are adopting a more holistic view of the student, emphasizing both the intellectual along with the physical. The Bible fully sports this holistic view of humans (1 Corinthians 6:20) and research shows that “physical fitness and health affect…emotional well-being and intellectual success (Van Brummelen, 2002, p. 210).” Knowing this, the physical education curriculum – both the implied and the stated - should be as carefully planned and implemented as all other content areas.
In the state of Indiana, high school students must participate in physical education classes for a minimum of two years. Unlike in some other states where extracurricular activities (sports teams, ROTC, band) can count toward high school physical education credits (Soukup, 2010), Indiana does not allow substitutions or exemptions. The Metropolitan School District on Wayne Township, a large school district in Indianapolis, offers a wide array of physical education classes from which students can choose. Students who cannot participate in regular physical education classes due to medical...

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...ents how they can use their physical health and fitness to serve others and serve God (Van Brummelen, 2002).

Works Cited

Pill, S., Penney, D., and Swabey, K. (2012). Rethinking sport teaching in physical education: A case study of research based innovation in teacher education. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 37 (8), 118-138.
Society of Health and Physical Educators. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.shapeamerica.org
Soukup, G.J., Sr., Henrich, T.W., and Barton-Weston, H. (2010) Differences in exercise identity between secondary physical education students and athletes. Journal of Research, 5(1), 33-36.
Wayne Township Curriculum Resource Center. (2013). Curriculum areas of interest. Retrieved from http://www.wayne.k12.in.us/curriculum/
Van Brummelen, H. (2002). Steppingstones to Curriculum (2nd ed.). Colorado Springs, CO: Purposeful Design Publications.

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