Instructional Design Concepts for Physical Education in Public Schools - Term Paper Example

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN CONCEPTS FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………1 Chapter One - Vision for Physical Education………………………………………………..2-4 Chapter Two- Environment Needed for a Quality Physical Education Program………5-6 Chapter Three – Quality Instruction in Physical Education ……………………………7-8 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………9 Reference………………………………………………………………………………………..10 INTRODUCTION -This Physical Education Framework, which charts a course in physical education for children in kindergarten through grade twelve, will remain relevant for many years to come. As we approach a new century, it is time for us to revisit the vision and context needed for success in physical education, which has never been more important and necessary than it is today. Physical Education and Children’s Well-Being The first and perhaps most important aspect of physical education is the direct bearing it has on children’s physical, mental, and social well-being. The child who is well educated physically is likely to become a healthy adult who is motivated to remain healthy. Although adults are often well informed about health and pursue healthy life-styles that include good nutrition, exercise, physical activity, and fitness, their children’s physical health and well-being are frequently a cause for concern. Recognizing the threat of a sedentary life-style inherent in post industrial work patterns, large numbers of adults can be found jogging, walking, eating healthy foods, and seeking out ways to incorporate movement and activity into their daily routines. But at the same time alarming numbers of children and youths, often lacking appropriate adult supervision, can be found in front of television sets on sunny weekday afternoons munching on snack foods. A principal theme of this design framework is that all children—regardless of disability, ethnicity, gender, native language, race, religion, or sexual orientation—must be given opportunities not only to succeed in physical education but to develop a lifelong commitment to the pleasure and the health benefits of physical activity. Physical Education and Academic Success A second reason for the importance of physical education today is its direct link with academic learning. The healthy, physically active child is more likely to be academically motivated, alert, and successful. In the preschool and primary years, there are direct links between active play, physical agility and coordination, and academic success. As children grow older and enter adolescence, healthy physical activity becomes integral to their self-concept and their ability to take on new intellectual, social, and emotional challenges. The Audience for this Framework This framework was developed for several overlapping audiences. One audience comprises physical education teachers and the planners and developers of physical education programs and resources—all at many different levels. Another is those elementary and secondary teachers interested in physical education. Perhaps most important, however, are all readers who are concerned about children’s health and well-being. Chapter One Vision for Physical Education This Physical Education Framework is based on the premise that the quality and productivity of each individual’s life can be enhanced through participation in a comprehensive, sequential physical education system that promotes physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being. Education implies a focus on the whole person as opposed to a narrow range of skills or abilities. It means teaching children how to apply new knowledge and how to become lifelong learners. The concept of lifelong learning is as relevant to physical education as it is to other areas of instruction. A physically educated person is one who has mastered the necessary movement skills to participate confidently in many different forms of physical activity, values physical fitness, and understands that both are intimately related to health and well-being (NASPE,1990). The most basic element of a child’s development is learning to move. Even before birth children begin learning to move and learning through movement. The process continues throughout childhood and early adolescence. Movement skills are central to physical education at all grade levels. Physical education addresses the child’s fundamental need for regular physical activity to remain healthy and promotes many of the attitudes and behaviours that reduce health risks, including development of an understanding of the need for appropriate nutrition and exercise. Helping All Children and Youths Become Physically Educated This framework provides the planners and developers of physical education programs and resources with a clearly articulated set of concepts and strategies that form the foundation of a comprehensive physical education system for kindergarten through grade twelve. It grows out of a vision of physical education being more than games, sports, and fitness. The overall aim of such a system is to help all children and youths develop into physically educated individuals. This approach is consistent with major directions in the health field generally as articulated in Healthy People 2000, a report that identifies 298 specific objectives in 22 priority areas, including physical activity and fitness (Healthy People, 2000).In a society that tends to be mechanized, stress-ridden, and sedentary, the physically educated person is prepared to participate throughout life in appropriate physical activities. . The Goals of Physical Education A comprehensive, articulated physical education system helps children and youths achieve three goals. Within each goal appropriate disciplines are addressed to support the knowledge, skills, and attitudes desired for every student. The three goals are equally important; each interacts continually with the others in a well-planned program. Goal: Movement Skills and Movement Knowledge Disciplines: 1.Motor Learning 2.Biomechanics 3.Exercise Physiology and Health-related Physical Fitness Goal: Self-Image and Personal Development Disciplines:1.Human Growth and Development 2.Psychology 3.Aesthetics Goal: Social Development Disciplines: 1. Sociology 2.Historical Perspectives Physical Education and Competition Excessive emphasis on the competitive aspect of sports, games, and athletic achievement often conflicts with the goals of physical education. However, normal competition is an inherent part of American life and can be an element in a child’s intrinsic motivation to do his or her best in any physical activity. It can also be an arena in which the I, we, and team concepts join together and take on added meaning. A common mistake is to emphasize competition too much while children are still quite young. Children are able to create their own competition in normal play. In early child-hood children should be encouraged to recognize the intrinsic reward of doing one’s personal best. Only at about the age of ten or eleven are they ready physiologically, socially, and emotionally to participate in other levels of competitive activities. A program oriented to the success of every child provides a non-threatening environment in which a child is never subjected to the humiliation of being chosen last or being dropped from a team. Attention should be focused on the uniqueness and abilities of each person. Neither winning nor losing is the crux of physical education. What matters is that competition equates with making the most of one’s physical potential and capabilities in a positive, meaningful way. The goal of the physical educator should be not to identify winners but to make winners of ordinary students. Physical Education and Health Education A well-planned physical education program is one component of a comprehensive school health system. That system, which comprises an organized set of policies, procedures, and activities designed to protect and promote the health and well-being of students and staff, includes the following components: Health Education Physical Education Health Services Nutrition Services Psychological and Counselling Services Safe and Healthy School Environment Health Promotion for Staff Chapter Two Environment Needed for A Quality Physical Education Program Integral Part of the School Curriculum As an integral part of the school curriculum, physical education should be taught by qualified professionals who have been trained in physical education or who have participated in a program of professional development focusing on the teaching of physical education. Classes for children and youths with special needs or disabilities should be taught by physical education teachers who know how to design and implement programs for such students. A quality physical education program provides equal access for all students and guarantees opportunities for maximum participation, optimum development, and appropriate individual attention. Opportunities for personal attention, individualized instruction, and time on task should be included. Physical education teachers should be encouraged to participate on school or district interdisciplinary teams to develop the physical education curriculum. In a well-planned program the physical education teacher assumes responsibility for; (1) implementing the physical education curriculum; (2) relating physical education to other subject areas; (3)working with other professionals to create interdisciplinary approaches to learning; and (4) promoting the cooperation of school, home, and community in providing the highest-quality physical education experience possible for every student. Integration with Other Subject Areas Physical education should continually support and interact with the other subject areas. For example, in its emphasis on personal health and the need for a healthy life-style, physical education reinforces but does not supplant health education. Teachers of physical education and health education should work together to integrate their curricula to reinforce the importance of maintaining an active and healthy life-style. Both can emphasize skills related to refusing negative pressures and influences, resolving conflicts, and coping with pressure, all of which are necessary for positive social interaction and healthy development. Physical education classes provide a natural environment for the development of personal and social skills transferable to other situations and learning in other subject areas. There is a natural correlation, for example, between cooperative learning activities related to understanding the place of rules and strategies in physical education and the teaching of civic values, rights, and responsibilities in history–social science. Continual interaction should occur between teachers of physical education and the rest of the staff. Through this interaction physical education and the other disciplines support and reinforce one other. Planned Staff Development Program A variety of staff development activities should be available to enhance the physical education program. Teachers of physical education should be encouraged to (1) participate in ongoing staff development to improve instructional strategies and program implementation; (2) remain current on educational research; (3) learn to be effective with an increasingly diverse student population; and(4) enjoy the benefits of working and learning with other professionals in the field. They should also be encouraged to work with local colleges or universities to influence pre-service training and provide in-service training opportunities. At the school level physical education teachers should have opportunities to meet regularly with each other and with members of other departments or grade levels to assess the effectiveness of programs and plan revisions. Ensuring compliance with state and federal mandates should be an important part of the assessment process as well. Teachers should be encouraged to become involved in professional organizations and contribute their expertise to staff development projects in physical education at the local, state, and national levels. Appropriate Psychological Environment An appropriate environment for a quality physical education program enables and encourages all students to discover new concepts, skills, and abilities through movement experiences and other aspects of the physical education program. The atmosphere should be a non-threatening one in which every student feels that to risk trying something new is safe physically, emotionally, and socially. Emphasis should be placed throughout on the development of movement skills, fitness and wellness, self-confidence, and social skills. Because of the complexities of human growth and development and individual and cultural differences among students, a comprehensive physical education program should include a wide variety of movement experiences and teaching-learning strategies. All students should have the opportunity to be successful. Throughout, the student must experience a climate of respect—for oneself, for others, and for physical education generally, especially when students are being directed in attempts to refine skills or are being disciplined. Cooperation of School, Home, and Community Although the school is the primary learning environment for physical education, the home and community also play significant roles. Only through the cooperation of the school, the home, and the community can students become fully prepared for lifelong participation in physical activity and effective social interaction. The school site can become a focus for cooperation among families and outside support systems. Designating the school as the contact point provides families with more opportunities to receive services that benefit the child’s health and development. For example, interaction of school and family can help to promote an acceptance of physically active and healthier, happier, more productive life-styles throughout the community. Schools can establish centres for wellness that provide assessment of physical well-being, individual counselling, and a variety of fitness activities. They can also involve families in other extracurricular activities at the school site and coordinate school and community recreational programs. The community, working closely with the school, can play an active role in promoting fitness and wellness by providing opportunities for physical activity for families and individuals. Chapter Three Quality Instruction in Physical Education To create high expectations for quality instruction, physical education teachers must continually strive to improve their effectiveness. This chapter offers a variety of approaches that can contribute to the overall success of physical education and enhance instructional quality and effectiveness. Model Lesson Teachers create an optimal learning environment and an effective learning experience for their students through careful planning. The heart of effective instruction is the actual physical education lesson throughout the lesson the teacher should maintain an orderly, safe, businesslike atmosphere and have clear expectations for the behaviour and achievement of students. The teacher implements the lesson plan and makes adjustments as necessary for students not experiencing success or not participating. Each day should begin with a variety of warm-up exercises involving the muscles to be used in the instructional phase and lasting one or two minutes. All students should be expected to perform the exercises to the best of their ability. However, adjustments may need to be made to deal with individual abilities. The teacher supervises the students, explains the purpose of each exercise, and provides corrective or positive feedback. Components of a Model Physical Education Lesson •Warm-up exercises •Instructional phase •Activity phase •Discussion or processing Assessment of Students Several different forms of assessment can be used to measure student progress and achievement in physical education: student portfolios, teacher observations, performance tests, open-ended questions, interviews, exhibitions, and cooperative group projects. The results of these assessments demonstrate how children use skills, solve movement problems, and progress over time. Assessment can also reveal the effectiveness of the instructional program and provide insight into how physical education teachers can make learning more meaningful. Quality assessment informs students, teachers, and parents about each student’s progress toward the yearly learning expectations. Student profile information should be documented and maintained to monitor students’ progress from year to year. At the beginning of each term, the teacher should assess each student to determine appropriate student expectations, instructional starting points, and grouping approaches. Educators in all disciplines are moving increasingly toward authentic assessment, an evaluation process that can contribute to a lively, active, and exciting learning experience for students.. The assessment, relevant feedback, and results are reported to each student immediately, together with a focus on the student’s strengths and aspects of performance that may need improvement .Historically; physical education has always assessed fitness and motor skills. The challenge now is to find authentic assessment instruments for the cognitive and affective domains. Performance Standards for Student Work The following is a suggested example of generic performance standards for students’ work at each of six possible performance levels that can be applied to any task or group of tasks. The three types of performances in physical education in which a student can achieve include purpose of task, understanding, and personal and social growth. In the statements in this chart, the overriding consideration, it must be emphasized, is achieving the purpose of the task rather than the elements of quality of performance in each level. Level Standard to be achieved for performance at specified level Level 6 Achieves purpose of the task fully while insightfully interpreting, extending beyond the task, or raising provocative questions •Possesses motor skills, knowledge, and understanding requisite to success in physical activities and maintenance of a healthy life-style •Demonstrates skills, knowledge, and understanding •Models equitable and ethical behaviours toward others Others Level 5 Accomplishes the purposes of the task •Possesses the motor skills, knowledge, and understanding needed for success in physical activities •Selects activity appropriate to personal capabilities •Shows ability to accept and respect achievement level of self and others Level 4 Completes purpose of the task substantially •Displays movement proficiency with limited transfer of learning to other activities •Demonstrates willingness to experience new activities •Applies rules, vocabulary, strategy, and etiquette most of the time in activity Level 3 Purpose of the task not fully achieved; needs some strategies perhaps ineffectual or inappropriate; assumptions about the purposes perhaps flawed •Movements more consistent but unreliable •Demonstrates limited acceptance of individual differences in self or others •Interacts positively most of the time with others in small groups. Level 2 Important purposes of the task not achieved redirection of work perhaps needed; completion affected by approach to task • Movements inconsistent and unreliable • Ongoing affirmation required to attend to the task • Teacher direction required for basic cooperation Level 1 Purposes of the task not accomplished • Shows little evidence of ability to control or replicate a movement • Is unable to verbalize needs •Displays unstable, inappropriate and aggressive behaviour Conclusion The instructional design concept developed for public schools with particular attention to the kindergarten through grade 12 category offers what could be a comprehensive, effective and successful framework for a sound physical education curriculum among public schools more as a wholesome sphere of academic and physical activity than a form of engagements in competitive sports. The guide could prove very useful to secondary and college teachers in conduction physical and wellness education in their schools. The child student in the kindergarten through grade 12 is expected to become one of a physically educated person with the acquired knowledge for personal growth and development which is expected and proven to offer them impetus for a personal charge to a healthy lifestyle at later stages. The relevant prerequisite materials necessary for smooth implementation of the curricular to be developed from this framework has been highlighted and discussed in details. Also the important stakeholders particularly the facilitators and beneficiaries have been mentioned including their expected roles and contributions. The importance of teacher development and student continuous assessment schemes formed an important feedback process for efficiency in delivery to achieve the detailed expected outcomes. It is expected that competent participants be involved in the development of the final curriculum which would be the new teaching guide for physical education in public schools. References NESPA, 1990: Physical education framework -for California public schools kindergarten through grade 12.Deparment of Education. Sacramento. California 1994. National Association for Sport and Physical Education NASPE, 1992: Outcomes of Quality Physical Education Program. Reston, Virginia: pp. 6–7. Journal of Health Education. A “Report of the 1990 Joint Committee on Health Education Terminology,” Vol. 22, No. 2 (1991), 104. Curriculum frameworks-physical education frameworks. Indianapolis public schools. curriculum writing team,1992. Physical Education Technical Assistance Guide, May 2003- for Virginia Public Schools. © Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Education P.O. Box 2120 Richmond, Virginia. 23218-2120 Read More