Reading in Physical Education
Physical Education is an interesting subject to teach because unlike other disciplines, there is usually no textbook associated with it. This is not to say that students never have to read anything for physical education, as teachers will sometimes provide handouts or reference notes for students in order to prepare them for unit tests. The language used in physical education which appears on these handouts are often very hard for students to understand because of the different types of words that are associated with physical education. For example looking at the concept of invasive team games, the word invasive can be scary for some learners to see. It is important as teachers that we read out the handouts to the class and make sure that they understand what the words mean in relation to physical education.
One way for teachers to get students used to the words used in physical education is to have words written on pieces of paper around the gym with images beside them. This allows students to use see a visual understanding of the word which can help all students, including ELL students to understand what the words mean in physical education.By using these visual aids and by the teachers explaining the words out loud for auditory learners, students will be able to have a better understanding on what the words actually mean.
Another idea for physical educators would be to provide students with a vocabulary sheet that explains the key mortar terms for physical activity. Therefore, students will already have been introduced to the different words before they are used in the classroom setting.