Philosophy of Physical Education

What is Physical Education and how can we educate others about it? I’m sure that my philosophy of physical education will always be evolving as I gain more incite and experience into the world of physical education. As of right now I believe physical education is knowledge of both the body and the mind. The purpose of physical education is to provide physical activity to students regardless of age, gender, race or culture so that they can be healthy, get in shape and know the importance of health. I’m going to address the issues that bad health can bring like obesity, overweight, cardiovascular disease and other problems as well. I believe that physical education should enable students to learn subject matter from the teacher as well as the teacher learning from his/her students. I also believe that children need to be heard, this will encourage them to share their knowledge and participant openly with the class to gain more knowledge.

My philosophy is based on the idea that learning should involve real-life situations or activities. Learning becomes more concrete to a student when they apply it to real-life situations, as where learning things that do not connect to them has more of an abstract sense. Children have a better understanding for subject matter when they can get emotionally, physically and academically involved in the learning process. Personally, I would have to agree with Dewey when he said, “I believe that education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living.” (John Dewey) Physical education has different views of education that regular subjects do not offer. That’s why I plan to teach my students how to compete, how to deal with a loss, show sportsmanship, how to build a better body and how to live a healthy lifestyle.

Physical education is also a well-rounded education that gives us knowledge of the body and the mind. The most important part of my philosophy is managing my students while they learn. This will be the most crucial aspect of my philosophy, to keep the students focus as much as possible and make sure they learn the subject matter. In order for me to keep my students in tact, I will have an outlined list for what subject is being taught, what activities that will lead up to the final activity and the time we should spend on the activities and subject matter. I will also have rules posted on the gym wall for all of my students to view everyday that class is in session.

As a future physical educator I plan on being a role model, a coach, a motivator, and a guide to those students who need guidance. My goal as a future physical education teacher is to teach the students the importance of physical activities. Another one of my goals is to teach them that they can learn how to develop skills, how to think critically, how to compete in a sporting event and other physical education lifestyles. By accomplishing my goal I will have to be tuned in to their needs, I will also be enthusiastic, flexible and personable. While I’m tuned in to my students I will be involved physically and mentally at all times with them. I will also make sure that I’m being enthusiastic at all times. I will influence the students and show them that they are more important than the subject matter, game, or activity being taught. I will also show flexibility as a physical educator by adapting to each students needs and behavior.

I will also have other important factors that will fit into my curriculum as well. As a child and teenager during my years in school and being in physical education classes my teachers were perfect examples of my philosophy. I experienced their teachings and they have influenced me to study physical education in college as a major. My past teachers showed me that the most important thing in physical education is having a healthy lifestyle, knowing your body, and enjoying the fun and competition that physical activities bring. Another important factor I will teach my students is that having a healthy body equals having a healthy mind too. A few philosophers from the past would agree to this theory. One philosopher, Aristotle, believed that the health of the soul and mind was contingent on a healthy body and physical education was necessary to insure the health of the mind and soul.

I believe physical education is not only a lifelong style of living healthy, but it also has a social and intellectual impact on us for the rest of our lives. Physical education provides values, skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for an individual and/or cultural survival. Without physical education, our society will not live healthy lifestyles or have the proper knowledge of our bodies. So I think present and future physical educators should reintroduce the importance of Physical Education like the world knew a long time ago. In conclusion, I believe that physical education and management are exactly what they mean. It is education in the care and development of the human body, stressing on athletics and hygiene as well. Management is organizing the information being taught to the students and making sure the students learn.

MY POLICIES FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND MANAGEMENT

The physical education course will be the environment in which students learn, practice and receive assessment on developmentally appropriate motor skills, social kills and knowledge of the subject matter.

The physical education course will address health related issues like overweight, obesity, cardiovascular disease and Type II diabetes.

The physical education course would recommend that every student comes to class dressed appropriately and are required to participate in physical activities as part of the physical education curriculum.

REFERENCES

Bucher, C.A. and Krotee, M.L. (1998). Management of Physical Education and Sport Programs. 13th edition. WCB McGraw-Hill.