After last week’s readings about The Physical Education Hall of Shame I thought about my own experiences in gym class. I always thought the more nerve-wracking or embarrassing aspects of PE (being put on the spot, competition, punishment, and allowing the best to run the class) were just accepted parts of PE we had to endure. I find it hard to think of any game/activity from my childhood that now does not fall into a ‘shameful’ category. Even trying to come up with an activity for our group teach is proving to be difficult as all of us can only come up with games/sports based on our past experiences in gym class. This reminds me that what we teach children in PE class really sticks with them and influences how they understand and view physical education. People that did/do not enjoy physical education probably have not had a positive experience and most likely endured some shameful teaching methods. I feel the Hall of Shame guidelines are something teachers need to consider when creating PE activities.
Secondly, my idea of a physically educated person is someone that is not just active, but also has an understanding of nutrition, is physically literate, and understands mental wellness and why it is important to be physically educated. To hear that Canada received a D- as an overall grade is disappointing. As a future teacher, I am hopeful that my fellow teachers and our schools can promote a better understanding of physical education and begin to value PE and daily activity as much as other subjects are valued.
I also found it hard to think of games as being “shameful”. It really never occurred to me games can affect a student that much. I think for me, the way we played dodgeball or other Hall of Shame games were not all that bad; or we just never really stopped to think about the implications of the game. I also believe that maybe my classmates were just super resilient and it never bothered us. But I definitely agree with ensuring that the Hall of Shame guidelines are something teachers should consider.
I was also taken aback by Canada’s over all D- grade! I honestly thought we were more active than that. But after reading this week’s reading about physical literacy, I think as future educators we have the resources to help promote it! While I do remember being taught in elementary school about going outside and being active, I don’t remember being that motivated. That may be part of the reason our grade is so low; there isn’t much motivation. As future educators, we can help change that!
Great post Jackie! I was also very unfamiliar with Hall of Shame games before reading the article. In terms of our group projects, I had all these ideas I wanted to portray. However, most of them turned out to be “shame games.” Therefore I completely agree that as aspiring educators, we need to consider the Hall of Shame guidelines before making a lesson plan. Teachers can have a strong impact on a child’s life and self-esteem. With that being said, highlighting games with bullying, and or exclusion tactics may potentially scar a child’s perception of physical education. Similar to what group one did with their presentation, we need to start thinking of different, or modified versions of games/activities and make them more appropriate for students.
On another note, I too believe that it is important to have a background in nutrition, physical literacy, and mental wellness as a student, and as an educator. Such factors can provide perspective on how our bodies operate, the importances of healthy eating, and realizing ones physical abilities. It is important for students/teacher to analyze these factors, as it will not only provide them with a purpose for physical education but portrays its importance.