In PE this week we learned about the origins of Physical Education classes in Canada. I had never really thought about \u201cthe point\u201d of PE, and how it has changed over time. I was especially interested to learn that PE classes originally consisted of military drills and were designed to create obedient children. Looking back on my own experience as a child in PE classes, I realize that there has been a large shift even in the last 10\/15 years in the curriculum. Most of my PE classes as a child we based on sports like softball, floor hockey, etc. We also did lots of testing, like seeing how many laps we could run or push-ups we could do within a minute, and we played plenty of \u201cshame games\u201d like dodgeball. I actually enjoyed most of these activities as a child, although in hindsight I realize why they can be harmful to children, especially kids who are less athletically inclined. Learning about the new curriculum and it\u2019s focus on encouraging a healthy lifestyle makes me much more excited to teach PE. I think it\u2019s so important that there are also units in nutrition and mental health. Not everyone is destined to be a sports superstar\u2014but everyone (even children!) can have an interest in their own mental and physical well-being. Teaching a more holistic and inclusive version of Physical Education to this generation of Canadians will hopefully eventually lead to a much healthier Canada.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In PE this week we learned about the origins of Physical Education classes in Canada. I had never really thought about \u201cthe point\u201d of PE, and how it has changed over time. I was especially interested to learn that PE classes originally consisted of military drills and were designed to create obedient children. Looking back … Continue reading WEEK 2 – MOVEMENT JOURNAL<\/span>