physical education homework help

physical education homework help

The Importance of Physical Education in Schools

1. Introduction to Physical Education

Physical activity is composed of multiple components, all of which are included in a quality physical education program, which is taught by a certified physical education instructor who follows clearly articulated academic standards, course outcomes, and lesson objectives. It is important for physical education personnel to help individuals recognize and affirm the benefits of physical activity in order to help them sustain an active lifestyle. The counseling community can help promote physical activity and sports in schools, school-based extracurricular clubs, and in counseling settings for individuals of all ages. Physical education teachers can work effectively in promoting sport and activity with school athletes, other students, and families. Regular participation correlates with progress in cognitive ability, attitude, and achievement. It is time to move individual students from sedentary habits to foster a love of sport and physical activity. Also highlighted are strategies, techniques, and best practices used in promoting sportsmanship, cooperative learning, and teamwork in physical education. Open- and closed-skill sports, which will be useful for enhancing student growth in maintaining cardiovascular health and fitness.

Physical education, often paired with health education, is required in most U.S. settings in teacher preparation programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In many other countries, it too is offered within teacher preparation programs and is a required part of the national curriculum in schools and universities. Physical education is an integral part of the educational program in many countries, constituting a critical element in public schooling for the purpose of improving students’ physical health, self-worth, and overall quality of life.

2. Benefits of Physical Education

Physical Education is an academic subject that promotes physical activity and fitness. It intends to promote physical capabilities and skills that assist in maintaining and promoting a strong and healthy body. Physical Education as a subject helps transverse through an individual’s lifespan benefits. Partaking in physical activity improves an individual’s overall social attributes, including self-esteem, decision-making abilities, and values like respect, cooperation, self-control, and participation. The self-esteem and confidence resulting from sports and exercise tend to help people perform well in academic, personal, social, and business settings. Cognitive abilities are strong, and they perform better in school because they are more confident and active. A 2016 study found that when children were allowed to play and be active during school hours, they performed better on memory and attention tasks than when moderated in sedentary activities. Several researchers across different settings have also agreed that children who were allowed to be physically active cautiously improved their academic performance, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. In conjunction with the study, the American College of Sports Medicine suggests that allowing physical activity during school hours offers a lot of benefits for children during their school life and also later.

One of the pressing concerns in schools and educational institutions is the sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activities among young children. To improve this trend, the first measure was to introduce Physical Education as one of the main subjects to be taught in school. The main purpose of having Physical Education as a subject is to help students gain knowledge and acquire abilities and skills in physical and mental development. Thus, it has become increasingly apparent that to raise a happy, enthusiastic, and disciplined student, physical education is of equal importance as any other subject. This article aims to discuss the significance of introducing physical education as a part of the curriculum in school.

3. Challenges and Solutions in Implementing Physical Education Programs

One of the main reasons behind these failures is the diversity of these programs. As a result, most of these are only effective in specific areas lacking universality. High costs for initiating these programs can discourage educators to continue this educational journey. Numerous solutions were proposed for integrating physical education in schools, emphasizing the significance of factors such as resources and durations, and stakeholders’ belief in their values. An effective physical education program clearly defined teaching strategies, which should be implemented via a resource management process. First, it is necessary to exploit all available resources and encourage educational institutions to establish more complete physical education programs. Second, it is vital to eliminate barriers to teaching strategies. The executed strategies should be practical for students and school staff. The process of designing new educational innovations usually faces hindrances; however, promoting them is necessary.

Though the importance of physical education is inarguable, yet it is rather a challenging task to incorporate comprehensive physical education programs in schools due to numerous reasons. Teaching staff often faces barriers in cultivating physical educational programs due to being highly cognitive and time-consuming. The studies have also pinpointed the complexities involved in measuring the effectiveness and outcome of these programs requiring substantial resources and funding, which is hard to accomplish at the initial stages of promoting physical education. Managing the balance between academics and physical activity is also a major challenge for these programs, which also need to be considered. Pressures from stakeholders can interrupt this process, and student and staff retention may become a stressor. Various strategies have been proposed for ensuring the sustainability of physical education programs for the desired outcomes. However, in practice, these strategies have been reportedly unsuccessful.

4. Innovative Approaches and Best Practices in Physical Education

Sex differences, cultural patterns, health fitness, and different types of play are all essential elements for the design of contemporary physical education programs. Many of the issues central to the current concerns about the efficiency of physical education are also central to the concept of best practices. There are wonderful things happening in physical education programs throughout the United States. Technology can be found in gymnasiums and parks, on playgrounds and websites. Some schools have purchased pedometers or heart rate monitors, while others use simple starting and stopping horns or patterns of movement to help students make connections between music and movement. These creatively designed programs utilize pedagogical methods that are consistent with new national, state, and local education reform. They use structural task grids and principles that are intended to foster mastery learning – from patterned, massed practice to random, distributive practice to varied, divergent practice. They focus on both health and skill-related fitness. Some are transforming their programs to mirror the Naperville Model, interdisciplinary programs that use physical education as a springboard to academic achievement.

There is an increasing recognition that old methods of providing physical education may not work well for the 21st century and that new approaches are called for. There is also a growing recognition that both external and school factors influence the nature and content of physical education programs, making it more difficult to pinpoint the impact of physical education (at least in comparison with the past). At its best, physical education programs are student-centered and focus on the whole child, while striving to refine skills, knowledge, and understanding as much as possible to prepare children for lifelong physical activity.