Thanksgiving week... Lots to be thankful for. Professionally I'm thankful for the opportunities to help different Physical Education organizations. I've been translating webinars for Head Start Body Start, and documents for the American Heart Association related to Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Heart, I continue to translate the physical activity calendars that NASPE publishes monthly, and I'm looking forward to new and exciting opportunities of networking in the field.
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At the beginning of the school year, and after long holidays, the development of cardiovascular endurance should start slowly, increasing as the days go by.
My students are allowed to walk or jog during this part of the class. If they walk I encourage them to walk faster than "window shopping pace", and to pump their arms vigorously. I might mention what a healthy fitness level might be for a child of his age and gender, and motivate the student to reach this standard. I also explain that we do not always reach this standard at the first try, and that consistent hard work is what will help him/her achieve the established goals. My most used tool in this cases is self-competition (working to improve and "beat" their own previous scores). We do not mention who is the fastest or strongest. I do let students know if they are winners when they manage to improve any of their scores. This way we have a lot of champions and everyone has the chance to excel! Another useful tool is giving them implements to use while they walk/jog. This can be a soccer ball to be dribbled, a tennis ball to be tossed between partners, a frisbee to pass back and forth, or even tossing the frisbees in different holes located around the cardio circuit for them to walk/jog and toss, retrieve, and continue. Anything to keep them moving happily and not necessarily counting laps, which can get to be quite boring for them. There is some controversy regarding the topic of competition in Physical Education classes. While some may view it from the standpoint of competing against others, together with issues such as winning, loosing, self-esteem, etc., I view it from the standpoint of competing against oneself. |
Blog it!AuthorPhysical Education has been my passion and my life for 30+ years. Providing children with a wide variety of movement opportunities and skills that will allow them to be healthy, and enjoy being active is what drives my classes. Archives
April 2015
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