Be The Change

I feel it is important to begin to make the connections between what I am learning in my education classes as I work towards my teaching degree and what is being taught in my activity courses on the physical education side of things. Putting my obvious bias aside, it appears that physical educators  that instruct prospective practitioners (at least here at Brock University) are rather innovative when it comes to bringing physical education into the 21^st Century. We learn by doing, value multiple intelligences and concentrate on a holistic education that engages the cognitive, affective and of course physical, domains. Furthermore, physical education seems to lend itself to new story pedagogical means of implementing effective curriculum, instruction and assessment (Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2012).

For example, lets consider those who subscribe to the importance of the emerging passion-based learning, where students direct their studies based on interest and intrinsic motivation. Why not have a Genious hour in physical education (Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2012)? Students could choose the activities they wish to engage in, explore movement for themselves and present their findings to the class. Better yet, if they feel they have mastered a specific movement skill or important concept, why not have them teach the rest of the class?

How about the next example? As technology continues to play a more prominent role in 21^st Century education, physical educators must consider how to incorporate handheld devices, educational applications and social media into the gym. Yet, the process becomes simpler when instructors recognize there are programs out there that help students examine and study human movement. There are apps that monitor levels of physical activity. Moreover, students can use technology to reflect on their movement experiences or capture their rich performance assessment tasks, both of which can then be shared online with the rest of the world. The way education is trending, physical educators are not immune to the need to be creative and adapt to the next generation of learners.

OK, one more example and then I promise I will stop. Physical education, like other disciplines, is plagued by the lack of connectedness as students navigate from one topic to the next. In elementary school, students learn to play basketball, then volleyball, then soccer, then hockey. When they get to high-school, they do it all over again! And at the end of it all, they may say something like, “why did I learn all these sports? I’m never going to be a professional athlete.” But, if physical educators get away from activity-based curriculum, and coordinate instruction and assessment around Big Ideas or 21^st Century skills (Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2012), like movement as a form of expression or communication, the importance of a life-long commitment to physical activity, or the notion of developing problem-solvers, students are afforded the opportunity to make sense of their educational experiences. More significantly, there is an increased chance of deep learning occurring.

The list of ways that physical education can be brought into the 21^st century goes on. The flipped classroom? Integrated curriculum? Developing student resiliency, persistence and grit (Drake, Reid & Kolohon, 2012). Check, check, check.

Why then, when school programs face budget crises, the first things to go are physical education and the arts? Why is physical education not valued as much as say math or science? In the U.S., certain states have enacted “no pass, no play” legislation, that prohibits athletes from engaging in sports if their marks in various subjects do meet certain standards. The legislation promotes student balance between academics and physical activity. It makes sense…sort of. What if the roles were reversed? Can you imagine a physical educator walking into the English department and telling the teacher that their students have to miss English class until their grades in PE go up (Kretchmar, 2005)? Somehow, I don’t think that would go over so well.

The only explanation I can offer for the negative connotations associated with physical education is to suggest there is a discrepancy between the research and teacher practice. I have demonstrated above how physical educators can bring physical education into the 21^st Century, but that certainly doesn’t mean that these approaches are being implemented in every school across the country. Drake, Reid & Kolohon (2014) describe this is our living contradictions or the inconsistency between what teachers aspire to be and how they teach in the real world, on a day-to-day basis. For me, this means when I finally get the chance to stand in front of my students in the gymnasium, I need to limit my living contradiction and demonstrate that there is more to physical education than running around in shorts.

Last week, one of my physical education professors wore a shirt to class with a powerful message that is echoed by Drake, Reid & Kolohon. No, she didn’t wear the shirt because it was part of her regular laundry rotation. Yes, she wore with purpose. And yes, it was directed at her students. The shirt read: “Be the change.” Message received.

References:

Drake, S.M. & Reid, J.L. & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21 Century Learner. Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press.

Kretchmar, S. (2005) Practical philosophy of sport and physical activity. Windsor, ON: Human Kinetics.

Images courtesy of:

Susan Drake, Lecture 2014
The Ontario Health and Physical Curriculum (Gr. 1-8)