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Physical education (PE) is the interdisciplinary study of all areas of science relating to the transmission of physical knowledge and skills to an individual or a group, the application of these skills, and their results. Included, among other subjects, are aspects of anthropology, biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, and sociology. Some treatments of the discipline also include spirituality as an important aspect.

In most educational systems, physical education (also referred to as physical training, PT, or gym), is a course in the curriculum which utilizes learning in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains in a play, movement, or sport setting. The term physical education is frequently used to refer to such a class; however, this usage denotes rather that "they have participated in the subject area, not studied it." In an academic context, the study of physical education is much more scientific than this common understanding of the term implies.

Many institutions are recognizing the limitations of the term "physical education," now opting to use more descriptive titles, for example, AAHPERD, the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, was, in 1903, known as simply the American Physical Education Association. Many universities have done the same, renaming what were traditionally united as physical education programs to a wide variety of titles, some more specific, and some more general. Departmental examples include Sport, Health, and Physical Education, Applied Life Sciences, Applied Health Sciences,, and Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies.

The primary aims of physical education vary historically, based on the needs of the time and place. Often, many different types of physical education occur simultaneously, some intentionally and others not. Often it is assumed a topic like physical education only concerns athletes and students, but many social roles are actually involved in the study; Kenyon's Model of Some Social Roles Associated with [...] Sport Involvement, further included spectators, indirect viewers, listeners, readers, instructors, coaches, management, team leadership, the sports governing body, rules committees, referees, other officials, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, promoters, wholesalers, and retailers awkward. It should be noted that this solely refers to the complexity of levels of involvement in sport——physical education as a field covers much more.

Ancient history


Physical education has existed since the earliest stages of humanity, in areas as simple the transmission of knowledge of basic survival skills, such as hunting. Motor learning also played a large role in early physical education (see also: psychomotor learning). For example, young needed to be educated in motor skills. These included both fine and gross motor skills, such as food preparation, crafting of early weaponry, and the creation of various objects and tools, utilizing motor skills such as knitting, and twining involved in the manufacture of clothing and baskets.

Academic study of the history of physical education often focuses particularly on the changing methodologies used to transmit physical skills and, to a lesser extent, the varying intentions of the educator.

"The concept we term physical education has existed, at least informally, since humans began to move upon the earth. Cultural survival was dependent upon the ability of human beings to improve their movement capabilities; consequently, efforts to improve and understand the capacity for movement have never diminished in importance to any society. The emphasis on the particular aspects of physical education has shifted from time to time, but the constant thread, or theme, of physical education throughout history has been humans moving dynamically."

- Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Physical Education

The first known literary reference to an athletic competition is preserved in the ancient Greek text, the Iliad, by Homer. While by no means is this the beginning of physical activity, it marks an important point in the study of the history of physical education. Other cultures that existed before the Greeks, including the ancient Chinese, Indian, and Egyptian civilizations had traditions of physical education and activity, but the Greek influence is argued to be the most fundamental to how the discipline is viewed today. The ancient Greek tradition of the Olympic Games, which originated in 776 BCE, even continues today.

Athens and Sparta
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Modern history
The rate of participation in physical activity by American adolscents has decreased dramatically over the last decade.

1814 Denmark's School Bill of 1814 introduced by ?Franz Nachtegall establishes first ever mandatory physical education

The first collegiate institution in the world to offer a formalized academic programme in physical education was Harvard University in 1826, founded by Dr. Charles Follen.

Important topics in the study of physical education
(Some of the below articles are not representative solely of their applications to physical education, and some are in need of desperate work and cleanup.)

Sport sociology Exercise psychology Exercise physiology Growth, both biological and psychological Motor development (improper redirect) Education Governance of sport and exercise Gender issues in sport and education Sports medicine Law Metrology (better term?) - Related areas of accuracy and precision, test methods and data analysis, due to the complexity of the study and measurement of the complex, and sometimes convoluted, processes physical education is concerned with. The study of the complexity of measurements associated with the scientific study of physical education awkward

ACSM

Physical education as a class


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Physical education (often referred to in this context as Phys Ed, PE, or gym) is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting.

The primary aims of physical education have varied, based on the needs of the time and place. Most modern schools' goal is to provide students with knowledge, skills, capacities, values, and the enthusiasm to maintain a healthy lifestyle into adulthood. Activities included in most programs are designed to promote physical fitness, to develop motor skills, and to instill knowledge and understanding of rules, concepts, and strategies. Students learn to either work as part of a team, or as individuals, in a wide variety of competitive activities.

Physical Education trends have developed recently to incorporate more activities into P.E. Introducing students to lifetime activities like bowling, walking/hiking, or frisbee at an early age can help students develop good activity habits that will carry over into adulthood. Some teachers have even begun to incorporate stress-reduction techniques such as yoga and deep-breathing. Teaching non-traditional sports to students may also provide the necessary motivation for students to increase their activity, and can help students learn about different cultures. For example, while teaching a unit about Lacrosse (in say Arizona), students can also learn a little bit about the Native American cultures of the Northeast and Eastern Canada, where Lacrosse originated. Teaching non-traditional (or non-native) sports provides a great opportunity to integrate academic concepts from other subjects as well (social studies from the example above), which is required of every P.E. teacher these days.

Self-defense, an ancient aspect of physical education, is also integrated into some curricula as martial arts classes. Examples include wrestling in the United States, and Pencak Silat in France, Indonesia and Malaysia. Martial arts are often incorporated in curricula for purposes beyond purely self-defense, including fitness and confidence-building. Many countries also include education about community resources related to physical education in order to foster a continuing involvement outside of the school itself.

There are also many different models that have been created as of late that change the face of P.E. One example of this is the Health Club Model. Teaching with this model is very different from the "Organized Recess" of 20 or 30 years ago. Spun off the boom in the health club industry, a P.E. class provides many of the same "classes" that are found at a health club. Monday a student could be doing kickboxing, the next day is yoga, Wednesday the student is doing Spinning. This type of program provides a great variety of activity for students, a lot a high intensity exercise, and helps introduce these activities for use later in life. The Sports Education model is another example of a new model were the class is run like a sports league, with students taking the role of coaches, scorers, referees, and reporters as well as players. Using this model, students practice management skills, mathematic skills, and writing skill all while learning sports skills and being active.

Another trend is the incorporation of Health and Nutrition to the physical education curriculum. The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 required that all school districts with a federally funded school meal program develop wellness policies that address nutrition and physical activity. While teaching students sports and movement skills, P.E. teachers are now incorporating short health and nutrition lessons into the curriculum. This is more prevalent at the elementary school level, where students do not have a specific Health class.

Specific curriculum (to be pulled):

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