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Pick up any exercise, fitness, or nutrition magazine and you read
a consistent message sent to folks trying to adopt a physically
active lifestyle (especially those still applying their New Year's
resolution). The message is to (1) add variety to your exercise
life by trying new sports and activities, (2) connect with others
around you and make exercise time a social experience, (3) find
something you enjoy doing and stick with it because exercise should
not be boring, (4) set realistic, short-tem goals and reward yourself
appropriately, and (5) find a time of day that works for you and
make it your time.--I ponder these points as I try to lead my own
physically active lifestyle, but I also wonder about my high school
physical education classes over twenty years ago--and I wonder if
much has changed. Is the fall still reserved flag football
and soccer, winter still basketball and volleyball, does spring
still end with softball and track? It's not as if anything
was wrong with that I suppose, of course, as someone closing in
on 40, I don't really play any of those sports anymore. But
I wonder, given what we know about the five points above, can physical
education that hasn't changed in 20 years be considered "effective?"
Jon Poole
Secondary Section
Editor
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Questions to Ask, or
Thoughts to Share?
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Secondary Physical
Education Teaching Ideas
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Teaching Fitness
Chuck Corbin, one of the true leaders in physical eduation, suggests
focusing on the process of achieving physical fitness, not simply
on the product assessed through fitness tests. "...promote
knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors that will result in both exercise
and fitness for a lifetime. In the final analysis, however,
it is the process of exercise that is most important. If we can
get people to do correct exercise for a lifetime (the process),
the product (physical fitness) will follow. We will have met
our objectives when the process becomes a regular, permanent
part of a person's lifestyle" (p.65).
- from R. Pate and R. Hohn (1994). Health and Fitness Through Physical
Education. Available from Human Kinetics.
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| Secondary Health Teaching Ideas |
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How to Survive Teaching Health
Accountability has never been more critical in physical and health
education classes. As many states continue to question the
role of physical and health education, some "old" resources
can provide some help. How to Survive Teaching Health:
Games, Activities, and Worksheets for Grades 4-12 is a text
from 1990 that offers literally hundreds of activities and worksheets
that could be adapted for take home assignments. As the father
of an elementary-aged child, I would love to see my child bring
home a worksheet asking him to trace the flow of blood to and from
working muscles and the heart!
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Middle
and High School Lesson Ideas
This link directs you to PE Central's Middle and High
School Lesson Ideas Section which is intended to help share some
of the exciting lesson ideas submitted by teachers.
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"Achieving success is like climbing
a mountain. You can stand off from afar, and glimpse at the summit.
But if you are wise, you will quickly turn away such contemplation
and start organizing yourself, and get on the way"
- Percy Cerutty
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Check out what teachers Dr. Sharon Cooke and Mr. Steve Tranter
are doing at Indian Hill Middle School
in Cincinnati, Ohio. This site includes program philosophy
(tied to NASPE standards) and much more!
Check out Lake
Park High School's award winning program (recognized as an exemplery
program by the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education,
Recreation, and Dance). This site will be of particular interest
to those of you interested in designing or redesigning a Health
and Physical Education Program across grades 9-12.
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| If you have ideas, comments, letters to share, or
questions about particular topics, please email one of the following
Adapted PE Section Editors: |
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