I can count on one hand the times I had to write in my PE classes. Actually, I don't even need one hand because I don't ever remember writing in PE.
America is obese! My job as a PE teacher is to get kids moving and hopefully help them develop a lifetime of fitness. Sometimes the only exercise students get is from PE. My methods teacher told us that most PE teachers talk to much and don't give students enough time to play. However, everyone is saying that I need to have my students write. I could have my students write journals, but as a student I hate journals. And as a teacher I'm sure I would hate having to grade all of them. I could have them write a workout plan, but how much time should I take to teach them how to do it? If I had a class that was a little more specific like fit for life or weights, I would definitely have them write a paper.
So here's the dilemma.....Do I take time out of my class to have my students write? Or should I just let my students get the exercise they need?
That is a dilemma! I couldn't agree more that kids need more time to play and exercise, but I think taking the time to write a fitness plan or how their fitness has improved over the semester, or writing about how to incorporate fitness into their life would probably benefit them.
ReplyDeleteP.S. THANK YOU for posting everyone's blog link...this is genius and so helpful!
I agree that in disciplines like PE and orchestra, writing will play less of a role than in FACS or science. However, is it your job to get people moving while they're in your class? Or is it also your job to get students to reflect on how they can maintain a sustainable healthy lifestyle after your class is over? If your job is the latter, then even asking them to make a realistic, sustainable fitness plan outside of class may be helpful for them.
ReplyDeleteIf you'd like to interview a PE teacher who integrates writing for your self-selected project, I can get you the name of one. He's the guy who asked his students to pretend they were talent scouts and to write a paper evaluating their sports performance. You might ask him what he sees the benefits of writing are and whether or not he thinks writing takes time away from what matters most--physical fitness. I honestly have no idea what he would say about writing overall, but let me know if you're interested in shooting him an email for your SSP.
Thanks for a great posting! I appreciate your commitment to your students' health. :)
I agree that kids need more time to be active. However, I think that students need to be instructed on how to make health a portion of their life. As a young student, I dreaded PE. I would get so nervous about going to PE that I would throw up; I didn't want other students to make fun of me because I was out of shape. I wasn't fat or not athletic, just out of shape and uncoordinated. I always wanted a teacher to sit down and make a plan with me, to spend some actual class time treating PE as a class instead of a military drill. That way I could have made changes to my lifestyle then.
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