Essay/Term paper: Philosophy of secondary physical educatio

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Term Papers

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.