Learning and loving - homework #1

Too many people today are blind to how important physical education is. It amazes me that America has an obesity epidemic yet PE classes are STILL being cut from schools. To me it has always been obvious why fundamental skill development and assessment is so important for this profession. The most important factor is the health of the children. Somewhere along the line true “healthy lifestyles” got lost. Majority of the world fails to see why children develop the way they do, and what can be done to help it get better. We need to understand how a child develops and then asses what we can do to make sure they develop well rounded. Most adults pick just one domain and focus in on it. While a lot of schools choose the cognitive domain, the psychomotor and affective are lacking attention. Life is about teamwork, respectfulness, honesty, and many other great qualities. Without a well life, our children will not even see the true potentials they have. Physical fitness can be defined as the ability to perform daily tasks without fatigue and to have the energy reserves needed to participate in additional physical activities as well as to meet emergency needs. The NASPE standards are what hold the future for children physically. Our goal is to become all of those 7 standards in order to accomplish a physically educated world. It is necessary for not only teachers, but everyone to be aware of how far behind most children are today. It is more common to see a child panting for breath after two laps around a gym rather than competing against another to be faster. Children learn through movement and it can enhance their motor, cognitive, and affective domains. Physical activity is a quality factor in creating a positive self-concept and positive socialization. Through physical education children can learn new concepts, strategies, and other was to solve problems. Accurate assessment needs to be a daily task for this profession. If we know where our students are developmentally, we will be able to plan according to their ability. We must select specific movement experiences and consider the individual appropriateness of the movement activities in order to see the best results in the children.