Promoting Physical Activity in Physical Education: Key Strategies

1. Promoting Physical Activity in Physical Education Aaron Beighle

2. Role of Physical Education • Unique • Physically Educated • Standards • Twofold • Promote lifelong physical activity • Teach social and personal responsibility

3. How can physical education promote physical activity? • Provide a positive experience for students within the context of physical activity. • Teach students the skills they will use to be active for the rest of their life. • Expose students to a variety of physical activities.

4. Promoting physical activity during physical education • P – Perceived Competence • R – Relatedness • A – Autonomy • I – Individual • S – Social Support • E - Enjoyment

5. Perceived Competence • Success • Difficulty of task – easy to difficult • Maximize repetitions and refinement • Consider physical characteristics • Modify activities and games • Incorporate appropriate activities • Provide meaningful feedback • EMPHASIZE THE PROCESS

6. Relatedness • Connection • Connect with students • Explain why the activity is being used • Explain the role of physical activity in lifelong health • Be a positive role model

7. Autonomy • Choice • Have students choose workload • Provide several activities for students to choose within a lesson • Easy to difficult • Allow students to choose a “P.E. package” • Implement an “opt out” option for students • Twice per semester

8. Individual • Treat students as individuals • Stress that physical activity choices are personal • Provide workload choices • Understand that physical performance varies • Consider the student’s attitude, likes, and dislikes • Treat students fairly

9. Social Support • Understand the importance of peers • Involve family members when feasible • Incorporate social time into lessons • Be a role model • Start physical activity clubs • Understand the importance of social groups • Positive and negative

10. Enjoyment • Change units often during middle school • Use longer units during high school • Use a variety of activities • Implement a balanced curriculum • Safe, comfortable environment • Management • Ask students what they enjoy • Start easy and progress slowly

11. Beyond Physical Education • Turn students on to physical activity during physical education first • Assess physical activity levels • Pedometers • Teach students to assess their own levels • Value of physical activities • Individual interventions • Self-management

12. Take Home Message • Start by turning students on to physical activity during physical education • P.R.A.I.S.E. • Make all physical activity an enjoyable, successful experience for all students • Progress to monitoring and self-managing behavior • During Physical Education • Outside of Physical Education

13. Thank You!