Table of Contents
Girls in Action: Fostering Relatedness in and Beyond Physical and Health Education
– Jennifer Gruno, Sandra Gibbons, Richel Condie, & Deanna Wilton
This article describes a school initiative, Girls in Action (GIA), created to provide girls with the opportunity to be active in a supportive environment. Girls in Action has a goal of empowering young women to have a voice in planning physical activity events and participating in these events with other women outside of health and physical education. Steps on how to implement a program like GIA in a school are presented.
Articles
Utilizing Best Practices when Implementing the Cooperative Learning Theory in Secondary Physical Education Programs
– Emily Walker & Ingrid Johnson
The purpose of this article is to provide physical educators with a deeper understanding of the five key elements of the cooperative learning (CL) instructional model and provide examples of how to use and implement a variety of CL activities.
Applications for Constructivist Teaching in Physical Education
– Jennifer Butz
This article synthesizes research pertaining to past and contemporary physical education practices, with an emphasis on current views of constructivist teaching practices. It concludes with the identification and analysis of effective approaches to constructivist teaching in the modern physical education classroom.
A New and Improved Physical Education Setting for Children with ADHD
– Ashleigh Higgins, Brandon Sluder, Jessica Richards, & Alice M. Buchanan
In order to achieve maximum participation in physical education classes with students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the first step is to adjust the teaching environment and curriculum. This article offers ideas to assist the physical educator in making reasonable adjustments to the curriculum that are both easy to implement and beneficial for all students.
Booking It: Using Children’s Literature to Get Students Moving
– Deb Marciano & Sonya Sanderson
This article presents ways to combine literacy and physical education to foster health and literacy in children. A selection of appropriate children’s books is presented, as well as ideas for teachers to implement the cross-curricular integration of reading literacy and health and physical education.
Departments
THEORY INTO PRACTICE
Updates in Concussion Consensus Statement Offer Symptom-Limited Physical Activity
– Rich Bomgardner
In 2017, the Concussion in Sport Group (CISG) developed a new consensus statement from the 5th International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Berlin, Germany. The CISG, which defined Sport-Related Concussions (SRC) as “a traumatic brain injury induced by biomechanical forces”, reviewed several components of concussion management (e.g. recognition, removal, evaluation, rest, recovery, etc.) as well as issues relating to Return-to-Play (RTP) and Return-to-School (RTS). While this new consensus statement continues to strengthen existing protocols for concussions, one of the most interesting recommendations from the CISG pertains to symptom-limited physical activity.
ADVOCACY IN ACTION
Professional Development in Physical Education: University and K-12 Partnerships
– Ashley Phelps
OIn this article, I explore the development of PD relationships through my own experience with a focus on school-university partnerships. Advocating for these professional relationships opens the door for sustainable collaboration, quality continuing education, and mutual respect.
EDUCATOR’S CORNER
Yoga’s Flexibility in Math
– Dannon G. Cox
Whether using yoga as a physical activity break in a math class or measuring postural alignments and shapes in the gym, yoga and mathematics can complement each other. This article focuses on elementary school standards and outcomes of physical education and math, to help teachers use yoga as a math literacy tool.
COACH'S CORNER
Kids are Leaving the Game They Once Loved. What Can Coaches Do?
– Missy West
The “win at all cost” attitude shown by many youth sport coaches has caused many kids to drop out of sports. This article presents tips on how coaches can contribute toward their players’ development of life skills, leading to increased enjoyment of the game, team unity and ultimately team success.