Meghan’s Fun Facts Blog Post! September 9th

“The Journal of School Health revealed PE teachers are so biased against fat children they automatically assume they are less clever and have fewer friends than fitter pupils.”

 

Hard facts:

Worldwide:

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  • 42 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2013
  • The fasting growing areas are the low to middle income countries with emerging economies, particularly in urban areas.

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In Canada:

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  • The fastest growing provinces are Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia

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Global reasons:

  • Increased intake of energy dense foods that are high in fat and sugar
  • Increase in sedentary nature of many forms of work, modes of transportation and increased urbanization

What can we do?

  • Limit energy intake from total fats and sugars
  • Increase our consumption of fruits and vegetables
  • Engage in regular physical activity (60 minutes a day for children, and 150 minutes a week for adults)
  • Support each other in our endeavors
  • Educate ourselves and others

YOUR THOUGHTS?

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/

http://childhoodobesityfoundation.ca/what-is-childhood-obesity/statistics/O

 

 

 

 

Week 1 Movement Journal (Sept 9) – Shirin Kara

To be honest, I was slightly apprehensive about this first class of EDCP 320 – mostly as a result of a combination of not knowing what to expect as well as some negative memories of PE during my time in public education. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the open, relaxed and welcoming atmosphere that greeted me when I entered Osborne A.

As a very shy and uncoordinated child, PE (especially during my pre-teen/adolescent years) was generally a source of anxiety. This is not to say that there were never times I enjoyed PE. On the contrary, when we had classes that allowed for small group activities rather than whole class activities or team sports, I normally felt more comfortable and actually enjoyed myself, as I didn’t feel the pressure to “perform” or a sense of vulnerability. Likewise, when I had instructors or teachers who I felt were understanding or more inclined to listen, I was more interested in attending PE.

Therefore, since my personal experience with PE was not always positive, I think it is important and beneficial to share and hear other perspectives on PE experiences (as I am sure many of you have had very positive experiences!). This would allow us, as future teachers, to more effectively gain insight into the diversity of our future students (in terms of personality, learning styles and skill level) and how best to create a simultaneously fun, inclusive and productive PE environment.

Sep. 11th Movement Journal Post – Terence Wong

When I first found out we had a PE class in the Teacher Education Program, I got excited as I love being active and being involved in sports and activity.

Growing up, PE was one of the classes I most looked forward to (unless we were doing cross-country running or dance – definitely not my strong suit). But regardless, PE was like an extended brain break for me growing up.

I had a lot of positive experiences and some negative experiences. The negatives being participating in activities that felt like punishment (such as doing the beep test or having to run laps if something wasn’t done properly or if I was speaking out of turn). But these negatives were overshadowed by a lot of positive experiences I had sharing in activities and memories with fellow classmates. I feel like participating in PE class helped shape me to who I am today, and helped me recognize skills and the physical capabilities in which I value today.

In the case of fears about teaching PE, I’d have to say that I’m worried about ways in getting kids involved in activities they don’t want to do or lack interest in. This scares me because activity is essential and the purpose of PE is to involve and include all students to be actively engaged in activity. I’m hoping that through my own positive and negative experiences, I can learn from them and shape an effective PE environment for my own students in the future.

Week 1 September 9th (Fiona Szeto)

An “aha” moment I had during our first class was learning that Dodgeball and various other activities like Capture the Flag are classified in the “Hall of Shame” category. It came of a shock to me initially, but after it was explained in class that it is seen as a form of bullying, I can see how that is the case. As an active participant in PE classes back in elementary and secondary school, I never saw dodgeball from this perspective. In my view before, I just saw it as another fun activity where we had the chance to run around and throw things. However, looking back at it now, the remaining players on either side of the gym are always the individuals who were athletically gifted and the ones who were less gifted are eliminated immediately. Being able to see this issue in wider scope, it does make me wonder why dodgeball and other types of elimination games are allowed to be an activity that exists in school. It does not promote sportsmanship or teamwork in any way, and it literally puts a target on everybody’s back. As future educators, I think one of our challenges will be to derive lesson plans that encompass all the positive aspects of physical education, and that means creating an inclusive and comfortable environment among the students; the level of respect expected inside a classroom should be the same inside a gymnasium. The gym should be seen as an extension of a classroom and should not be a daunting and fearful space for students.

Sep 9th Movement Journal Yea Dun Ryu (Sienna)

I am not a very athletic person, so when I found out that I have to participate in physical education (PE) class after many years I was very nervous and worried. In Korea, students always know their standing in every class because they get ranked. During evaluations, students perform one by one in front of the class. Therefore, this gives me the knowledge of my terrible standing in PE class, causing me to be very passive and inactive. Other female students in Korea have a similar dislike to PE class as opposed to the male population. This is why our first PE class made an impression on me since all girls actively engaged in the activities: playing volleyball, basketball or Frisbee. I still have fears about teaching PE class because I am worried that my bias could affect my students. I do not want my students to perceive PE class negatively as I did. Physical Education is very important since it provided an opportunity to explore the importance of an active and healthy lifestyle by encouraging students to develop physical abilities as well as cognitive skills. One thing I have learned in the first class is that it is not a subject where we just teach sports. The ideal PE class I want to create is one where all girls and boys actively participate and do not think of PE class as intimidating.