Over the years the focus on an active and healthy life has immensely increased. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children and adolescents get at least sixty minutes of physical activity each day. One of the possible ways adolescents can easily attain that daily dose of physical activity is through physical education. Physical education is a course offered in schools to help the youth of America develop an active and healthy lifestyle .Physical education was not a class in the American school system until the mid-1800. This was a time period when an influx of European immigrants came to the United States and brought their many ideas, one of which was physical education (“Historical”). A healthy lifestyle was valued …show more content…
Many students believe they are in school to learn education from core subjects like math, english, social science, and science and not a gym class. A study was performed to observe students ' motivational factor behind participating in a physical education class. The negative responses in this study included students saying " 'I take part in this PE class...Because I 'll get in trouble if I don 't...But I don 't see what I get out of PE '"(Taylor et al ). Many students believe they will be better off not having taken that class at all because they are either already involved in sports or simply would want to focus mainly on their core classes rather than physical education. And even if students are present in this class, a study done in Texas schools showed that the majority of the students spent time not doing much (Chen). The data specifically showed "that students were only engaging in exercise or movement for approximately 3 minutes during the entire class period."(Chen). Furthermore, a study done by Cornell university showed when 200 extra minutes were added the to the class, boys only participated in around 7.5 minutes of more activity per day whereas girls only participated in around 8 more minutes per week (Chen). This change displays the fact that many students are simply not interested in participating in any physical activity. For some …show more content…
A change to how a physical education class is offered in high schools can lead to a better and more productive learning environment. Typically a school year is comprised of 36 weeks, give or take couple of weeks according to different school districts, of active sessions. States like California require high school students to take two years of physical education. Instead of scheduling this class for two years, it can be changed to a nine week course each semester over the four year time span. This will meet the requirements of the state standards and benefit the students and school districts. The new proposal plan will give students some flexibility. Students will have the option of not taking physical education for two of their semesters. For example, if a student does not want to take this class during their senior year, then they can exclude both semesters from that year. Or a student can use specific semesters, for example, a student can choose a semester from their freshmen year and another semester from their junior year. Parents and students concerned about bullying and the negative effects it has on a student 's learning can be worry free because the student can decide during which phase of his high school life he wants physical education. A voluntary option also allows those students that have a busy schedule to just focus on their
The book begins by explaining how important exercise and being active is to our health and well-being. The author then transitions into a story about Naperville Central High School. This high school was in the forefront of a revolutionary new concept that involved vigorous exercise of its students instead of a traditional gym class. This new approach stimulated new research on the brain, and the effects of exercise on the well being of our body and minds. After the introduction of the new fitness programs, the school’s students showed drastic increases in standardized tests, and on normal tests as well.
Majority of these people also happen to be the one’s who do not engage in physical activity and do not consider their health a top priority. These individuals have the preconceived idea that students should be spending more time in classes, such as, math, science, literacy, and history. These individuals basically assume that these are the only classes that matter and are going to help children with their future career. The people who do not support physical education are oblivious to all the beneficial skills that this class teaches children. Additionally, some parents think that physical education activities can be done outside of school, and that students will become too exhausted to concentrate on schoolwork. An article titled “The Pros and Cons of Mandatory Gym Classes in Public Schools”, expresses that a large amount of physical education programs are not benefiting students because they are unorganized(Mueller, 1). This leads students and adults to believe that they would almost be better off without physical education class, and given more time for other studies. Furthermore, the article mentioned that students who spent more time being active in gym class, were less likely to be active after school. This worries parents because they might be paying an excessive
The textbook states that, “physical education teaches students to add physical activity to their daily lives and exposes them to content and learning experiences that develop the skills and desire to be active for life”
other hand, obesity accounts for about 13 percent of children in the United States, which is why physical education programs should be one of the last things to go. They also help students release the stress they have built up through out the day and teach them the ...
This paper examines the issues associated to the disengagement of students in the health and physical education domain. Typically traditional curriculums have shown to foster anxiety and create undesirable competition amongst students through fitness testing. It is critical to understand the reasons behind the issues of why students are disengaging in the participation of physical education, as the sedentary behavior is becoming a major factor in the obesity epidemic.
For the first time in years, schools are considering imposing an extra mandatory class on students with the hopes of solving a deadly problem; however, it could be causing more problems rather than diminishing it. A statistic recently released by the Kaiser Family Foundation, has stated that in America, 31.3% of 10-17 year olds are either obese or overweight. To combat this issue, The President’s Council on Physical Fitness has introduced a proposal that would require every high school in the United States to have a daily and mandatory physical education class in order to promote healthy lifestyle choices. Very few states require P.E. daily for high school students; however, many states are considering adopting the proposal. Doing so seemed like a great way to combat the growing problem until I thoroughly researched the topic and found that the negatives outweighed the possible positives. Calvin Christian adopting the proposal created by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness regarding mandatory daily P.E. classes would be a huge mistake due to the negative effect on student’s physical and emotional health, the likelihood of an increased budget, and the possible cut of valued classes.
Schools serve as an amazing venue to provide students with everyday physical movement, and to instruct the essentialness of general physical action for wellbeing. Shockingly, most individuals' get little to no general physical activity while in school. Budgetary obligations and the pressure to increase test scores have brought on school authorities to address the worth of PE and other physical activity programs. This has prompted a significant lessening in the time accessible for PE, and in a few cases, school-based physical action projects have been totally eliminated.
With childhood obesity becoming an epidemic in America, we need methods to help stop obesity in children such as physical activities. Physical activities are not only to help prevent obesity; it can also help students improve on their academics. “Physical education helps the brain function; exercise increases the blood flow within the body and increases the blood volume in regions of the brain associated with memory formation” (Kovar, Susan K at el. Elementary Classroom Teachers as Movement Educators. 4th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2004. Print.). Children spend many hours of their week inside a classroom, there are activities and lessons teachers can do to help their students become more active. “Physical education and movement are important to start at a young age because children are very active and child obesity is a huge problem these days” (Gaither, Laura, personal interview. October 7, 2013). Having movement and physical activity in the classroom is crucial to elementary school children as it is shown to have a positive effect on their overall life quality. “We know that physical activity is critical…not just for better health but for better academic performance” (Michelle Obama).
The goal of this paper is to inform others of my reasoning why physical educators are important and why it is my dream to become one. There are three main points I would like to discuss: the value of physical education ,being a role model ,and why it is my dream to become one.
Opponents of physical education in schools state that gym is not the best way to utilize students’ time. Students’ should be given the choice to participate in gym class or not because many students aren’t as athletic and don’t enjoy it enough to want to do it in school. Despite this downfall, PE is important in students’ life and even though some don’t enjoy it as much, they need it in order to be successful in life. If not, diseases and health risks could come up and it wouldn’t be robust. Ultimately, physical education provides superior benefits.
Opposition of mandatory Physical Education in high schools believe that if a student has not developed a desire for voluntary physical exercise by the time he or she reaches high school , he or she may not ever (Eberhardt). It is true that individuals should not be forced into something they don’t want to participate in, but if these students don’t get any exercise outside of school, where will they receive an appropriate amount of fitness? Paul Eberhardt, athletic director, intramural director and head coach of the McNair Marlins basketball team in Richmond, B.C., believes “that students don’t care about participating in P.E. anymore and we have to educate students on the benefits of Physical Education”. In the 1994-1995 school year there were 1,133 students enrolled at McNair High School but there were only four P.E. classes available, which meant approximately 120 students attended in these classes. The remaining 1013 grade eleven and twelve students had no Physical Education at all. This is an astonishing figure. “Many students participate in sports and recreation activities outside of school, but most of them get hardly any exercise at all.
Over the past decades our culture has changes dramatically. To which our nation was once a physically active nation. Yet now it seems that society discourages physical activity. The human race has been dependent on automobiles, discouraging people to walk or bike, increasing the chance of a poor life-style. Yet there are many factors that affect the achievement and maintenance of a healthy life. Young people are growing into a diverse society, which is characterized by rapid change, inactive work and leisure practices that influence unhealthy behaviors. By incorporating physical activity into peoples daily routine will increase their chances of being healthier, reducing certain diseases and learning how to avoid injuries. Physical education helps students improve their knowledge about health issues and practices that will lead to a more enjoyable life. Students playing and working in a team together develop social skills, teamwork, achieving goals, and development of self-esteem. Overall physical education provides the potential for a better life style.
A teaching philosophy is critical in my role as a future successful teacher. It will guide me in the way I conduct myself, how I develop curriculum, and how I establish order in my classroom. As a teacher it is important for me to be consistent with how I manage my classes. With a central philosophy as a backbone it will be easy to follow my own simple guidelines.
Some activity clubs we provide include, dancing, running, jump roping, basketball and soccer clubs, just to name a few. These clubs encourage kids to stay active. Our PE program also sends out monthly newsletters to the parents that give them ways to help their child live a healthy lifestyle. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education states, “Regular physical activity improves functional status and limits disability during the middle and later adult years. Physical activity contributes to quality of life, psychological health, and the ability to meet physical work demands. Physical education can serve as a vehicle for helping students to develop the knowledge, attitudes, motor skills, behavioral skills, and confidence needed to adopt and maintain physically active lifestyles. The outcomes of a quality physical education program include the development of students’ physical competence, health-related fitness, self-esteem, and overall enjoyment of physical activity. These outcomes enable students to make informed decisions and choices about leading a physically active lifestyle. In early years children derive pleasure from movement sensations and experience challenge and joy as they sense a growing competence in their movement ability. Evidence suggests that the level of participation, the degree of skill, and the number of activities mastered as a child directly influences the extent to which children will continue to participate in physical activity as an
In this essay, the role and benefits of Physical Education and School Sport will be identified from in and outside the school curriculum. The benefits that pupils have gained from the national school curriculum, what has changed from the past to present day in schools and how it has affected Physical Education in School Sport will be discussed. Also, mental and physical health benefits that occur from Physical Education will be mentioned in this essay along with what the teaching standards were like and how Physical education has changed such as different teaching ways.