For all of those doubters out there

As PE majors, we are constantly being questioned about the integrity of our profession.  I came across a website that has a list of websites that are all about making PE as credible as possible.  Some of the articles include things such as how physical activity improves academics, how to fight obesity in schools, and why dodge ball should not be played in schools.  PECentral has this list of websites, or can be found by clicking here.  I hope this helps!

Reasons for what we learn

PE at SUNY Cortland put a large emphasis on knowing things such as educaating the whole child, adaptive services, and appropriate measurements.  All of these things make sense, but on the AAPHERD website all of these documents are laid out along with the reasons of why they are important.  The most interesting part of the website that I found is the section on looking at PE from a developmental perspective.  I liked this part of the website because it offers a set look at why we teach in a developmental pattern and all of the aspects of it.    

Fun PE Site!

I was searching the internet for some cool PE sites, and came across a woman, Susan's, private site.  This website has information on activities, resources, and adaptive aspects of PE.  My favorite part about Susan's site was the Human Ladder activity.  This activity is basically like the continuous railroad activity, but with more of a project adventure twist.  This activity would be good for kids who don't care to be physically active because they would be more focused on keeping their teammates up in the air rather than the amount of physical activity they are experiencing. 

More Lesson Plans

As my Cortland Career is ending, I am searching for resources where I can get lesson plans from.  I came across a site teachers.net this website has a lot of specific lesson ideas that can be used in part, or in total for lessons.  The lessons are broken down with objectives, anticipatory sets, and everything else necessary for a successful lesson.  The website also offers lessons from other subjects, so if I am subbing for a teacher that is not PE I have a resource for last minute activities. 

Be fit for life with NASPE

Right now, there is a huge emphasis on keeping kids fit for life.  A great way to teach kids this is by using the 12-15 class lesson called Fit For Life. The  FIT for life lesson plan  can be found here and comes equipped with objectives, list of materials, and breakdowns for each lesson in the unit.  at the end of the document, there is an area that says what kinds of assessments can be used, and how the lesson correlates to each of the 6 NASPE standards.  This unit is great for teaching kids personal responsibility while creating a fitness plan. 

SOARing to new territory

With the job market in today's PE word, it is important for phys ed undergrads to think of other things they can do with their degrees.  While researching this topic, I came across a program called SOAR.  SOAR stands for Success Oriented Achievement Realized and helps teens and young adults who have learning disabilities and or AD/HD.  In the program, kids are taken out into the woods to camp and try high adventure activities.  With a PE degree, many of our orienteering and project adventure units would help us to know how to handle the kids, which activities are useful, and be able to keep the kids physically active.  

Are kids good movers?

In schools today, kids are moving, but not as well as they should be.  There are many things (TV, video games, etc) that keep kids from participating in physical activity, and these things cause them to be inefficient movers.  If kids are physically active, they are usually put in one sport and spend their time only developing skills for that activity.  To create better, more efficient movers we need to teach kids how to move in a variety of different ways.  By teaching kids a large variety of skills, there is a better chance that they will find an activity that they can use for lifelong physical activity.  Staring kids out moving at a young age is very important so be sure that if you are an elementary PE teacher, you encourage a variety of activities that can appeal to many different children, even those who are not motivated or physically fit.  New units such as adventure activity and exergaming can help to reach the kids who are mot motivated or need a lot of teaching by invitation.