Week 2 Reading Summary (September 23^rd, 2015)

Physical Literacy – Chp 13, PHE Canada Article

Julie Russell, Emily Warner, Gemma Galbraith

Chapter 13 – Physical Literacy

• “The overarching characteristics of a physically literate individual are that the person moves with poise, economy and confidence in a wide variety of physically challenging situations. Furthermore the individual is perceptive to reading all aspects of the physical environment, anticipating movement needs or possibilities and responding appropriately to these with intelligence and imagination.”- Margaret Whitehead on physical literacy (241)
• This is based on PHE Canada’s ‘recommendation’ that an educator has a responsibility to the development of the whole child (fitness & skill development, cognition & affect).
• Physical literacy focuses on three domains:

• Keep in mind though, fundamental movement skills are the basic building blocks of physical literacy – once a child achieves this, you can then start to work on some of the other qualities/skills.

• Physical literacy is a goal that is always in progress, one does not become physically literate and then stop, as there is no real end state
• Physical literacy encourages the inclusion of alternate activities. E.g. hiking, climbing, hula-hooping. An interdisciplinary approach can also be used to teach physical literacy (Science, math, history can be incorporated)
• What blocks physical literacy curriculum reform is assessment that focuses on the acquiring of techniques related to traditional sports. *See Case Study 2
• The Visual Assessment Chart (Figure 13.2) was used (and can be used) to help seasoned educators see learning beyond the more common dominant sport education. The four quadrants of the visual chart include: knowledge & understanding, communication, thinking & inquiry, application and are evaluated from Level 1 (function) to Level 4 (flow).

Putting Physical Literacy into Practice

• Almond and Whitehead suggest in their article that participation be rewarding for all participants and encourage a sense of self-realization and self-confidence, as one of the main tenants of physical literacy is making sure each student is valued as an individual.
• It should be noted that this competence is understood on a person-by-person basis and there is no universal definition of competency within physical literacy
• To first implement physical literacy in class, the teacher must be knowledgeable of their learners and be ready to work with young learners as an encouraging and nurturing model. Pedagogical skills are required of the teacher: Building trust with students, creating an exciting environment, promoting motivation on the subject.
• This function, form, feeling and flow is presented through multiliteracies/modalities (visual, audio, gestural, spatial), aimed at accounting for diversity and inclusion (local diversity and global connectedness mean there can be no standard) ex: movies, books, drama, social networking
• Teachers then must connect with students: generating enthusiasm, involving learners, focusing on individuals making progress
• Finally teachers must act by creating appropriate challenges, engaging their students, listening, and then encouraging the risks students are taking to step out of their comfort zones.
• We believe that valuing participation in purposeful physical pursuits, and experiencing this as important in their lives, is the way for people to develop and maintain a personal commitment to lifelong participation

Today’s P.E. class left me very impassioned.  Reading about how far P.E. curriculum has come over the past several decades, and then learning of its current redevelopment to include more “health” education (rather than solely “physical”) gets me excited, because I believe the future of P.E. has great potential.

To be specific, knowing that one of the foundational objectives of P.E. is to teach children how to live healthy, active lifestyles, and understanding the current context of remarkable childhood obesity and inactivity, I hope for greater integration of nutrition into P.E. curriculum.

Considering my own journey towards a healthier lifestyle–though I have always been physically active–my unhealthy habits stemed from ignorance in regards to nutrition/body sciences.  I had to learn outside of school about how blood sugar and fibre work, to read ingredients, and understand how to fuel my body and prepare my own foods so that I would have the energy to support my activities.

Many kids are addicted to candy and processed foods, things that will take away their ability to focus in school, or keep up in gym class.  Moreover, in the same bed as obescity lie eating disorders like anorexia and bulemia.  All of these issues stem at a young age, and can not be overcome without strong nutrition education.

Though there are some whispers of “nutrition” in class readings thus far, it seems movement is currently the dominant focus of P.E. class.  I believe teaching movement skills is essential in education and don’t want to take away from that.  I simply mean to say that there are multiple keystones to healthly living.  Perhaps future curricular models will further reflect that.

I think it’s really comforting to know that many of us were in the same boat with our experiences with PE. Just like many, I have had my share of negative feelings towards PE while going to school, which was why as soon as PE became optional in grade 10; I decided to take dance instead. My problems revolved around many of the social issues that are often associated with PE. These include the practices that humiliate students for their abilities. For instance, the process of “trying out” for sports doesn’t really create equal opportunity to participate regardless of ability. I remember a list of names was posted on a wall indicating all the people who had made it on the team, and I remember how embarrassed I felt when my name wasn’t on that list. Not being able to participate because I wasn’t good enough took a huge toll on my self-esteem and self-confidence.

However, I am so excited to be moving forward with teaching PE while this steady shift has been taking place in health and physical education classes with more and more educators adopting a broader, more balanced approach to health and physical education as a reflection of the new curriculum. I believe careful planning by educators is needed in order to structure programs to promote the development of social values within sports. I believe all students should be encouraged to participate in a wide variety of physical activities, such as sports, dance, and fitness to learn which ones they enjoy most and thus create a commitment to active living throughout their lives.

Today I had a sudden realization when Steve briefly talked about ‘free play’ and ‘risky play’ today. At first I was having nostalgic moments of me as a kid doing pretty reckless activities (for a kid anyways) and wondering why wouldn’t anybody just want to have freedom to play. Then it hit me when I started to look at this approach from another standpoint. Looking at this from a lifeguard and first aid point of view, where I’m taught to be paranoid about all injuries and think safety first at all times, I began to see why P.E. has been on the decline. Yes there is also technology that affects it but if you think about all the other subjects in the curriculum, they can be taught with minimum risk and teachers feel more in control when they are in the classroom. In contrast with P.E., students are allowed to run wild and free in a space that the teachers are not 100% accustomed to.

There is a very familiar saying, ‘prevent it before it happens.’ In a sense, maybe some teachers do not want to deal with students getting injured because it could cause a lot of concerns from the parents. So the best way they can minimize injuries is to decrease P.E. time. However this is just my random thought so feel free to let me know what you guys think!

A large number of people can attest to the fact that I was a ball of nerves this morning, but thanks to the collaborative effort of my group members and everyone in the cohort, I feel that our group teach went well!

During the initial planning stages, my group and I had considered a number of concerns that could potentially crop up during our lesson. For instance: how many people per team for the game of 21? This wasn’t just a matter of making sure we had enough equipment, but we also wanted to make sure that everyone was having a frequent opportunity to participate versus having to stand off to the side just to wait their turn—an unfortunate characteristic found in some Hall of Shame games.

We had some potential activities planned in the circumstance that we did have to do large groups, but it just so happened that we didn’t have to mobilize these plans. As with any lesson though, I think it’s incredibly important to have the ability to adapt and switch things around as needed. Had the weather taken an unexpected turn for the worse this morning, we could have just as easily done the activities inside instead of outside—we were open to do some readjusting if the situation ever called for it.

I’m definitely looking forward to all the group teach presentations to follow! I have no doubt that you’ll all be fantastic, and I’m ready and willing to participate and learn!

The first class of EDUC 320 was a great experience, and has me excited for teaching physical education to my future students.  However, reading the PE Hall of Shame articles gave me some particular insight into what to keep in mind when thinking of lessons – games such as dodgeball and capture the flag that I had played as a child, and then proceeded to facilitate for children I worked with as an adult, do not encourage involved, active participation or teamwork, which can leave students feeling frustrated and disengaged from physical activity.

Thinking of my own experiences, I was always more comfortable doing solo activities (ie. hiking), where I could set the pace and goals for myself.  However, I used to (and largely still do) avoid team sports (ie. soccer), mostly because of a fear of failing at the activity in front of my peers.  I have below average depth perception so some activities such as catching or kicking tended to be challenging for me.  However, I often found that I would not be given any accommodation for this and would instead feel judged.  I think this mindset is reflective of many learners who may dislike their physical education classes – PE that doesn’t take into account the unique needs of each learner does not set them up for success to be confident and participatory.  The purpose of PE should be to give kids opportunities to explore different physical literacies and learn how to keep themselves healthy, not to discourage physical activity.

At first, and from my experiences with Physical Education teachers, my understanding was that in order teach PE, you had to be experienced in some form of athletic action, be it a basketball player or triathlon participant, etc. This comes from my previous PE teachers being coaches as well of my school’s athletic teams; I have never had a PE teacher who did not coach a team after school. This fuelled my knowledge and assumption that all PE teachers were experts in some sport that allowed them to not only teach general PE, but also be the coach of their own team. This kind of pushed me into being a teacher in a weird way because it made me want to show my fellow students who are not as physically active or capable as the star basketball player that you don’t have to be an expert or perfect at a sport in order to be a PE teacher or athlete.

I am no expert in any sport in the capacity to coach one myself except for Quidditch, but that is not a popular enough sport to garner me as an expert in any way. I always knew I would have to teach PE as an elementary school teacher and that terrified me because I was no such expert. I was afraid of going into a classroom and being seen as a phony for not being able to be an expert.

Hi all!

This is the reading summary from the Target Games group! This briefly covers chapters 1, 2, and the Hall of Shame readings. We hope you all enjoyed yourself today!

Teaching Physical Education Today – Chapter 1

• Physical education was initially intended for the purposes of war
• Historically focused on instilling discipline and moral values in youth
• Medical exams revealed many men and women were unfit for service
• 1943 National Fitness Act to promote physical fitness in schooling
• PE philosophy changed after WWII to an approach that nurtured development of the whole child: physical, social, and cognitive
• More student facilitated and greater variety of movement forms

Teaching Physical Education Today – Chapter 2

• Need knowledge of content (what to teach) and pedagogy (how to teach) + need knowledge of child and youth development
• Need to understand students’ social and emotional needs
• May have certain degree of physical literacy; need to recognize that just because it comes easily for you does not mean it may be the same with your students
• Have a vision for teaching: be aware of the goals, connect various elements of teaching, explain to students purpose of learning activities, and explain teaching approach to students, parents, etc.
• If students understand reasoning behind tasks, they are more likely to find personal meaning in education
• Can be very difficult for pre-teachers to overcome/change beliefs from their own schooling

The Physical Education Hall of Shame

Characteristics of PEHOS games:

1.   Absence of purported objectives of the activity
2.   Potential of embarrassment
3.   Focus on eliminating students from participation
4.   Overemphasis on having ‘fun’
5.   Lack of emphasis on teaching motor & lifetime physical fitness skills
6.   Extremely low participation time factors
7.   Large groups where getting a turn is based on luck or competitiveness
8.   Extremely high likelihood for danger, harm, or injury

The purpose of physical education is to promote and support the physical, emotional, cognitive, and affective development of the students.

Discussion Questions:

1. In the past P.E. was initially created to ensure people were fit for the military. How have expectations shifted since then? What does the future of P.E. hold for students?
2. Do you agree with the PEHOS? Which games you would take off?
3. Do you have any suggestions for alternative games or modifications?

Post #1:

My fear walking into this course came from two letters, P.E. The context around which I know this subject falls into what I would categorize as negative. I have never really enjoyed P.E. and it has strayed quite far from those subjects in which I would consider favorites. To write that I was walking into this course with even a semi-positive frame of mind would be like a smile, the same smile one carries on their first day at a new school, the one that hides the nerves… I was not looking forward to what was to come.

As you begin to meet people however, and discover friendly faces among the crowd, the nerves slowly dissipate and the fears you had fade to a minimal existence. This is how I felt as we began our free play. I began to remember what P.E. was like as a child, and as a joined in on a game of passing a volleyball around, my new friends became reassurances that we were in this together.

By the end of the day I found a new respect for P.E. that I had lost somewhere along my journey through school. Perhaps it is that I am now considering it from the perspective of a teacher, or that I feel comfortable enough with the people I am around to know that P.E. is not a competition and therefore I do not have to be the best. This experience is about growth and so my new found appreciation for P.E is just the beginning.