Essay/Term paper: Physical education in secondary schools

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Research Papers

Physical Education In Secondary Schools


My philosophy of physical education in the secondary setting deals with
students becoming physically fit. Also that students learn how to communicate
with others, especially in a team setting. My philosophy also holds in it
different teaching methods. Methods that physical education teachers can use to
get the most out of their students. With this philosophy of physical education I
plan to use it toward becoming a good teacher.
The major reason for having physical education in secondary schools is
to lead the students toward a better lifestyles and to be physically fit. There
was an article published In 1992 by, The National Association for Sport and
Physical Education (NASPE), stating what "The Physically Fit Person" should
consist of. This article states five factors of a physical fit person. One
factor is that a physically fit person "has learned skills necessary to perform
a variety of physical activities". The second factor, "is the person physically
fit". The third factor is "does this person participate regularly in physical
activity". The fourth is a physically fit person "knows the implications of and
the benefits from involvement in physical activity". The last factor is that a
physically fit person "values physical activity and its contributions to a
healthful lifestyle". The plan as physical educators is to have each child be a
physically fit person, by their exit of high school. This will take some work
but I believe it could be done.
Another very important issue to be learned in secondary physical
education is teamwork. This is a very important aspect in everyday life. This
helps people think of others as much, or more, than themselves. Today some work
places are going to the team oriented style of work. The worker needs to be
able to express ideas amongst his/her teammates and come with solutions together.
A good activity that could be introduced in secondary physical education
programs is a ropes course. Rope courses are great for students to get into the
teamwork mentality. This could help students be dependable on each other and
trust each other.
Education is not only a necessity, but a major part of life. Some
children perceive school as a punishment. Including myself, that was the way I
felt as a child. But as I grew older I found out that learning can be fun.
Some children seem to take education for granted. When I was a school boy, I
never realized how much I was learning. The only thing that got me through
school was the two days of physical education that I had per week. If I knew
then how much I was learning, I probably would have enjoyed school more.
Educators need to be aware of this and make children realize that they are
accomplishing something every time a fact is embedded in their head. A good way
of letting children no they are learning is by positive feedback.
Positive feedback can work wonders with struggling students, as well as
achieving students. In my own experiences of playing sports I had two very
different coaches. One coach was very positive and one was very negative. The
coach who offered positive feedback is the coach I admired more, and is also the
coach I listened to the most. The coach who said negative things, I didn't care
to listen to. By giving positive feedback the teacher or coach allows the child
to be a believer in his/her self. When the learner starts believing in
themselves then learning becomes easier and more learning occurs.
I would like to make physical education an enjoyable learning
environment. A place where children can look forward to coming. Especially in
the secondary setting. Students have so many other things to think about. Guys
think about girls and girls think about guys. Some students even have to worry
about their after school job. Physical educators need to be able to express the
subject matter in a interesting way for the learners to better understand. If
teachers made an effort to make their classes as enjoyable as possible for
learning, students may eventually love attending physical education classes.
Every student has the ability to learn. Some students learn at a more
rapid pace than others. In physical education class we will be teaching them
all. Our job as physical educators is to bring out the best in each student.
Even if the student doesn't learn easily. For example, special education
students have trouble learning, if they can accomplish just a simple task it
would be great. The teacher could give that student feedback on a job well done
and the student would be very happy and want to accomplish more. Physical
education teachers need to know were every student stands on their ability to
learn. The teacher be able to adjust to each individual students needs and
fulfill those needs.
Each student has his/her on preference as to what he/she wants to
learn. In that preferred subject the child usually excels. In most cases
physical education relates more to males than females, this needs to change. We
need to introduce more activities that females like to do such as: dance,
aerobics, and gymnastics. Gymnastics was once a big part of physical education,
but has since diminished. Rollerblading could also be a good sport for both
sexes and good also fit in as lifetime activity.
Students should also practice aerobic activities in their secondary
physical class. Students should know about (THR) Target heart rate, what it is
and how to use it. Physical education should teach a variety of life long
activities. Golf and Tennis are examples of lifelong activities. There are
thousands of senior citizens playing golf and tennis every day.
Students in secondary physical education should know the benefits of
living a healthy lifestyle. As well as the hazards of living a non-healthy
lifestyle. Both of these should be taught in physical education classes before
the students graduate high school. Students should be taught that the benefits
of a good cardiovascular work out and maybe want to participate in one.
Students should also note that smoking cigarettes is a non-healthy habit to get
in to.
In conclusion everyone has a different philosophy about education. But
most of them, nowadays consist of the same qualities. During this discussion of
my philosophy I found out that the physical education classes I went through
doesn't fit my philosophy. So things need to change if I want physical
education to fit my philosophy. Hopefully more teachers will start to get a
"physically fit" philosophy and stop rolling out basketballs in every class. If
this could be taught around the country then people could be better fit
physically. If the population is in better shape then doctor bills will
diminish and the government wont spend so much money on health care.