The power of play: the modern day spin on the good ole days
With the days of playing outside, building forts or just hanging out under trees long behind, children now need opportunities to socialize through play more than ever. For youths, these age old trends have not changed all that much with the boom of technology over the past few decades, but it is with adolescents where the most differences exist. The lifestyles, personalities, opinions and interests of the modern day teen are vastly different than that of the teens before them. This is why physical education is not only vital, but necessary for our students as they develop the skills, characteristics, behavior patterns and opinions which will begin to shape who they become as adults. Concepts like empathy, self-confidence, collaboration, advocacy and composure are just a sample of the terminology often used during physical education activities. Creating scenarios for students to apply social skills is the hidden benefit of PE that goes unnoticed, but deserves the same attention as the gains students can make in their fitness.
Below is a poster which we have hanging in the gymnasium. Students become very familiar with this poster as they explore the different units of PE and are regularly reminded of the social benefits of physical activity. It is in this standard where I believe students can make the most improvement in only one quarter of PE per year and thus is the focus of our curriculum. Of course getting students to understand, appreciate and hopefully enjoy fitness is a primary goal, but expecting students to make significant progress in this area can be unrealistic given the scheduling constraints. Instead, the PE curriculum at HMS uses physical activities and exercise to create situations which enable students to learn and then apply the skills as highlighted on the below poster.
Fore more research on how physical activity correlates to lifelong success, enjoy these links...
Psychcentral.com - Physical Activity Helps Improve Social Skills
Gophersport.com - Teaching Life Skills Through Physical Education
Below is a poster which we have hanging in the gymnasium. Students become very familiar with this poster as they explore the different units of PE and are regularly reminded of the social benefits of physical activity. It is in this standard where I believe students can make the most improvement in only one quarter of PE per year and thus is the focus of our curriculum. Of course getting students to understand, appreciate and hopefully enjoy fitness is a primary goal, but expecting students to make significant progress in this area can be unrealistic given the scheduling constraints. Instead, the PE curriculum at HMS uses physical activities and exercise to create situations which enable students to learn and then apply the skills as highlighted on the below poster.
Fore more research on how physical activity correlates to lifelong success, enjoy these links...
Psychcentral.com - Physical Activity Helps Improve Social Skills
Gophersport.com - Teaching Life Skills Through Physical Education