Variety can be a good thing. In education, it can sometimes be a great thing too. I recently read this article on thejournal.com about successful online PE classes in: Minneapolis Public Schools Online.
http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/01/08/virtual-pe-no-sweat.aspx?sc_lang=en
The district was trying to find a way to deal with the effect of increasing course loads, which resulted in as many as 1,200 students a year being allowed to opt out of their P.E. course if they met a minimum activity requirement. Its becoming more common for athletes to opt out of their traditionally structures PE classes as well. My cousin is a catcher on his varsity baseball team and has "baseball PE" daily.
Now, I am an aspiring PE instructor, so when I say that online physical education can be a good alternative for some students... I'm really sticking my neck out there. But the deal is that sometimes different setups work great for students individual needs.
“Education is clearly changing,” says Frank Goodrich, another of MPS’ online P.E. teachers, who developed the online PE course over the past five years. “There continues to be more demand from students in terms of getting more out of the same length of the school day.”
In my personal observation, I have noticed that most PE programs dont allow enough actual time for physical activity to see significant health benefits. There needs to be supplemental PA at home or in the form of after school activities if we want our kids to get enough exercise. This type of non-traditional format could be used as that "booster" for students who dont play sports, have special exercise needs or just need a change of pace. It could be an enrichment tool for a PE program as well.
My point is that various modes can be good options for the specific learning needs of the student, whatever their circumstance might be. We need to be open minded! A good reminder for me.
Another topic of discussion has to do with using video games in PE classes. With the right equipment, teachers can project a Wii game onto a wall and have students playing these games for part of their activities. There are a number of issues that can arise here, such as the motor learning during traditional activities that is essential, but generally something like this might work out as a different option for doing physical activities in PE classrooms. Maybe even as part of a rewards system.
See this article for examples:
http://drilly.wordpress.com/2007/07/07/exergaming-fad-or-fit-for-purpouse/
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ReplyDeleteYou made a great point about alternative setups addressing the needs of different students. Schools have different classes to accommodate students with varying academic abilities, so it makes sense to give them more than one option to fulfill P.E. requirements. I think online classes would be especially good for kids who feel self-conscious about exercising front of other kids.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to me how technology can change the way PE is done. Online PE courses don't make much sense to me. How do they do that? What do students need to do in these courses?
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