1.7: Physical Education and Pedagogy

Learning Objectives

1. Be able to describe what pedagogy is.
2. List 3 ways a student may be more motivated to participate in PE
3. To be able to create an inclusive PE lesson plan.

Physical education (PE) is often looked down on by other professionals in the education world because they mistakenly think that PE is monitored recess, requiring no thought or skill as a teacher. They could not be more wrong.

Successfully motivating young children to be physically active while teaching complex motor skills oftentimes with limited and minimal equipment could be the hardest thing in kinesiology.

Critical thinking

As a college student taking kinesiology classes you likely enjoyed PE in middle school and high school. Reflect on what you liked about it, what you think could have been improved, and importantly why do you think some of your classmates did not like PE classes.

Pedagogy, the method by which teachers or coaches teach theories, concepts, and movements is included in college-level physical education curricula. It is important to understand the method of how things are explained and why that method is used. It is the development of how to become a good teacher or coach. An Olympic heptathlete may be a phenomenal athlete but without pedagogical education, they may not be a good coach to upcoming athletes because they cannot accurately or efficiently transfer knowledge to their students. Content knowledge and usually experience playing the sport is also critical for the ability of a teacher to teach. In upper-division college pedagogy classes, much of the class time is spent actively playing sports to allow future teachers the experience to understand and adjust drills or sports rules to allow for learning in their classes. If a person has never played lacrosse, it will be hard for them to design a lesson to teach a student how to throw a lacrosse ball using a lacrosse stick. This activity content knowledge becomes even more important when a teacher needs to adjust or modify standard drills quickly to account for students struggling with the concept or picking up the skills quickly.

Physical Education was first deemed an academic discipline in 1964 by Franklin Henry for collegiate study, but the inclusion of physical activity and education in an academic school setting dates to at least 386 BC. Plato included physical lessons on wrestling and boxing at his school named Akademia starting at age 7.

As previously discussed, countries have used physical education classes to prepare their boys for the physical requirements of war. After the American Civil War, many states passed laws requiring schools to include physical education programs. This theme continued when a third of all military recruits were declared physically unfit for combat during World War 1.

By World War II physical education for men and women had become common in American schools and President Roosevelt introduced the National School Lunch program to help improve school children’s nutritional intake.

In more current times PE classes are being cut or reduced across the nation to allow students more time to focus on academic pursuits. Many students are not meeting the recommended 60 minutes of aerobic activity per day due to these PE class reductions and cultural changes away from a lot of outdoor play at home. Physical activity during school hours is associated with many positive benefits for students including on-task behavior, academic achievement, and cognitive functions. This is also correlated with increased childhood obesity. A PE teacher will have to be the student’s #1 advocate for the importance of physical activity. Working with school administration to retain or extend PE hours will be a constant part of the job.

With limited time, limited funding, and likely limited respect at grade school, a PE teacher's job can be very difficult, but essential and if efficiently managed a great benefit for the students.

The old stereotypical PE teacher of dodgeball tournaments and just rolling a cart of basketballs into the gym to let the students is how PE earned a bad name, and the goal of modern PE teachers should be to create an inclusive educational setting for students to learn and develop physical skills and fitness.

There are many concepts to overcome in PE to create an ideal lesson for students to learn and be physically active, here are a few:

Skill or fitness differences: With a large class of students there will be a range of preexisting skill abilities, fitness levels, and enthusiasm. Kinesthetic sense is the ability of a person to effectively understand how their body is positioned and moving in space relative to other parts of their body or equipment. Development of a student’s kinesthetic sense with movement and skill drills will improve how the student performs difficult abilities across multiple sports. A high level of kinesthetic sense is usually what makes some people more “athletic” than others.

Increasing students’ enthusiasm to participate in physical activity can be challenging. There are a lot of unseen social pressures that students will try to adhere to. What if a girl is the best athlete in the class? What if you play so hard that you sweat and smell bad in class after PE? Are students “cool” if they try hard?

Depending on the rules of the school, a few easy ways to increase student motivation is by giving them a bit of responsibility over the social dynamics of the classes. Equally, divide students into long term teams (more on this in the next paragraph) and allow them to pick team names, colors, and a group cheer. Maybe during an art class, they could work together to create a team logo that will hang in the gym. In some sports at older ages, it may be appropriate to alter the rules based on gender, making female participation more valuable to the team’s success to encourage full group participation. Without a locker room for changing students should be active enough during lessons to sweat which may cause some social anxiety. This will require some creative thinking between the PE teacher, school administration, and the student’s parents for each unique situation.

Students with lower skill or fitness abilities are often pushed to the side by more skilled or fit students that can take over the entire game. This will often cause these marginalized students to lose interest in PE. The PE teacher needs to select teams that equally distribute the higher skill and fitness students between all groups, and redivide teams as needed. There can also be an alteration of rules for all sports and activities. There is no reason that a basketball unit needs to follow the NBA rules. Maybe all the players on a team need to touch the ball before it can be shot for a goal.

It might also be a good idea to not give an exhaustive list of all the rules of any sport (see the ultimate frisbee rules), focusing on 3 or 4 important rules to make sure the game is played the same by everyone is more important than memorizing all of the rules. Lots of rules can be bent or broken to meet the needs of the PE teacher.

Critical thinking

How would you motivate a middle school PE class during an ultimate frisbee unit? Standard rules here. How would you encourage motivation? How would you select teams? Would you implement any unique rules?

A non-traditional physical education “alternative” that has grown in popularity is Adventure Based Learning (ABL). ABL is an experiential learning approach that combines outdoor activities, problem-solving, and teamwork to promote personal and group growth. It is a learner-centered, activity-based approach that emphasizes practical and hands-on experiences.

In adventure-based learning, participants are taken out of their comfort zones and placed in novel and challenging situations that require them to work together, communicate effectively, and solve problems collaboratively. The activities are usually designed to be fun and engaging, but also offer opportunities for learning and growth. These activities are usually physical in nature, but not the traditional sports practice for a PE lesson.

Activities in adventure-based learning may include a range of outdoor activities such as rock climbing, camping, canoeing, hiking, and ropes courses. These activities are designed to challenge participants physically, mentally, and emotionally, and often require them to overcome fears, take risks, and work together to achieve a common goal. While a PE teacher may not have access to a rock-climbing course or a river to take students canoeing, very similar outcomes of ABL can be found with activities performed in a school with very low budget costs. Splitting a class of students into a few groups, asking each group to stand on a tarp on the ground and then see how many times they can fold it in half without stepping off the tarp would be an ABL lesson.

The activities in adventure-based learning are usually structured to promote reflection and discussion among participants. This is often facilitated by a trained instructor or facilitator who helps participants debrief their experiences and connect them to broader learning goals. Through reflection and discussion, participants can identify their strengths, areas for improvement, and strategies for future success.

Benefits of Adventure-Based Learning

Adventure-based learning has been shown to have a range of benefits for participants. These benefits include:

1. Personal Growth: Participants in adventure-based learning often report increased self-confidence, self-awareness, and self-esteem as a result of overcoming challenges and achieving goals.
2. Teamwork and Collaboration: Adventure-based learning requires participants to work together and communicate effectively to achieve common goals. This can lead to improved teamwork and collaboration skills that can be applied in other areas of life. ABL also allows lower-skilled or fit students to feel like a valuable part of the team leading to greater class participation.
3. Problem-Solving: Adventure-based learning activities often require participants to solve problems and make decisions under pressure. This can help develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
4. Physical Fitness: Many adventure-based learning activities are physically demanding and can promote physical fitness and well-being.
5. Environmental Awareness: Adventure-based learning often takes place in outdoor settings, which can help promote environmental awareness and appreciation.

Equipment and participation: One of the largest challenges that may be outside the power of the PE teacher to change is what equipment and facilities are available to the students during PE. It's pretty hard to teach a swimming unit without a pool. While fundraising or asking for an increased budget may allow the purchase of additional sports equipment it is best to assume that equipment limitations will not allow each student to have their own soccer ball, baseball bat, or badminton racquet.

Lessons need to be planned around what equipment or facilities are available to allow for many touches per student of that equipment. An 11 on 11 full-field soccer match with 1 ball is not an example of a good PE lesson because most of those 22 students will not interact with the ball or develop any skills. A lesson like this will quickly be taken over by the most confident students and most will turn into bystanders. A much better example of a soccer lesson would involve groups of 3 students working together to dribble a ball down a small length of the field before shooting at the soccer goal. Multiple groups could be active at the same time as you “release” each group to go every 10 seconds. If you have a large class, then you could divide the field into two sections left and right and have 2 groups progress down the field every 10 seconds. This adjustment will include many more students in the activity and give each student more touches on the equipment allowing them to develop skills for game time.

Content Knowledge of the sport/activity: It is crucial that a PE have some content knowledge of the activity they plan to teach. How do you hold the hockey stick? What is the “kitchen” rule in pickleball? Teaching physical movements must come from at least a basic experience of performing those skills oneself so they can be properly explained and demonstrated. This personal experience with the sport is valuable when quickly modifying drills or activities to make them more difficult if a student or group of students is overly successful and becoming bored with the challenge. Or if an activity is more difficult than anticipated and many students are continually failing, how can it be adjusted to make students successful? Finding a balance between what is challenging but still usually achievable will reward student success without making the victory hollow.

How long would a group of students stay motivated shooting layups in basketball? Or how many missed half-court shots would it take to dissuade students from continuing to try?

A typical sport unit in PE could be 4-6 weeks long (depending on how many days per week the students have PE) with most of that time being spent in skill development and practice of the sport. Older students can even practice theory and strategy. Ending a sport unit with a round robin tournament day can allow for a demonstration of learned skills and teamwork. Knowing that a competitive game is how each unit ends may motivate some students to practice and work hard during the skill development lessons. These competition days should still have modified rules and even teams to encourage as much participation from all students as possible.

The minutes per day and days per week that students can be physically active in PE classes are diminishing, unfortunately. Understanding what is possible with the time available and adjusting the lesson and unit plans to fit within the time restraints is important for developing a K-12 PE program. Hopefully, the school administrative bodies will reverse the trend to minimize school PE programs.

Traditionally PE was “an easy A” if you showed up to class and put some effort in. Today a successful PE teacher should have ways of assessing their students as they learn and develop relevant skills and fitness in each unit. These assessments should be used as a rubric for students to earn their grades rather than a grade being given based on how sweaty a student got during class time. Here is an example of throwing a ball.

Student Name: ______________________ Date: ______________________

Criteria	Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor	Score
Grip	Holds the ball with the correct grip and hand placement	Mostly holds the ball with the correct grip and hand placement	Occasionally holds the ball with the correct grip and hand placement	Incorrectly holds the ball
Wind-up	Uses a smooth, efficient wind-up to generate power	Mostly uses a smooth, efficient wind-up to generate power	Occasionally uses a smooth, efficient wind-up to generate power	Does not use a wind-up or uses an inefficient wind-up
Footwork	Uses proper footwork to transfer weight and generate power	Mostly uses proper footwork to transfer weight and generate power	Occasionally uses proper footwork to transfer weight and generate power	Does not use proper footwork or uses incorrect footwork
Throwing Motion	Throws with a fluid, overhand motion, using the whole body to generate power	Mostly throws with a fluid, overhand motion, using the whole body to generate power	Occasionally throws with a fluid, overhand motion, using the whole body to generate power	Throws with a choppy or awkward motion, using only arm strength
Accuracy	Throws with consistent accuracy and hits target consistently	Mostly throws with consistent accuracy and hits target mostly consistently	Occasionally throws with consistent accuracy and hits target occasionally	Does not throw with consistent accuracy or misses target frequently
Total Score

Comments:

• Excellent: Student consistently demonstrates mastery of the skill and performs at an exceptional level.
• Good: Student demonstrates a solid understanding of the skill and performs well, but may have some areas for improvement.
• Fair: The student demonstrates a basic understanding of the skill but needs more practice and improvement in some areas.
• Poor: The student has difficulty with the skill and needs significant improvement in several areas.

This assessment sheet can be used by the instructor to grade each student's throwing ability based on specific criteria. The instructor can provide feedback to the student on their strengths and areas for improvement and can use the scores to track progress over time.

Critical Thinking

Create your own assessment chart for a skill or movement other than throwing.

Taking all of that into account you will need to design flexible (what if it rains?) daily lesson plans.

Critical Thinking

Here is an example PE lesson plan, what is good what would you change?

Title: Soccer: Dribbling and Passing Fundamentals

Grade Level: Middle School (6th-8th)

Objectives:

• Students will be able to demonstrate proper dribbling and passing techniques in soccer.
• Students will be able to apply these skills in small-sided games.

Materials:

• Soccer balls
• Cones
• Pinnies
• Goals (optional)

Procedure:

1. Introduction (5 minutes)
   • The instructor introduces the lesson by explaining that today's focus will be on the fundamental skills of dribbling and passing in soccer.
   • The instructor reviews the rules of soccer and explains that these skills are essential to playing the game effectively.
2. Skill Development (20 minutes)
   • The instructor demonstrates and explains proper dribbling and passing technique, emphasizing the importance of using the inside of the foot and keeping the ball close to the body while dribbling, and passing the ball with the inside of the foot while aiming for a target.
   • Students practice these skills in pairs, dribbling and passing back and forth to each other while moving around cones or other obstacles.
   • The instructor provides feedback and corrections as necessary.
3. Small-Sided Games (25 minutes)
   • Students are divided into teams and play small-sided games (3v3 or 4v4) on a reduced-size field or grid.
   • The instructor emphasizes the importance of using proper dribbling and passing techniques during the game and encourages students to work together as a team to score goals.
   • The instructor observes the games and provides feedback and corrections as necessary.
4. Cool-Down (5 minutes)
   • Students perform a brief cool-down activity, such as light stretching or walking, to reduce heart rate and prevent injury.

Assessment:

• The instructor assesses students' progress based on their ability to demonstrate proper dribbling and passing technique during the practice activities and small-sided games.
• The instructor may also use a rubric or checklist to assess student's performance on specific skills.

Modification:

• The instructor can modify the difficulty level of the activities based on the skill level of the students.
• For example, beginners may need more practice with basic dribbling and passing skills before playing small-sided games, while more advanced students can be challenged with more complex game situations or drills.

Critical Thinking

Design a lesson plan for your favorite sport. Make variations of the lesson plan for working with children vs skilled adults. Also, how would your lesson plan need to change if you had either unlimited equipment vs minimal equipment (as in how would you teach soccer if you only had 2 soccer balls, or how would a basketball lesson change if you only had one hoop).

Share your lesson plan with a fellow student and discuss why you designed it the way you did.

Moving forward in this career path may also require a teaching credential to teach at a public K-12 school. Different states and private schools could have different requirements so make sure and research the school and local laws at which you would like to work.

Earning a teaching credential is similar to going to graduate school, and a certain amount of student teaching hours are required. Here is a quick look at how to earn a teaching credential in California.

Chapter 8 will get us off the field and back into the lab looking at human biomechanics.