Overview
Physical Education: Physical education is a school-based instructional opportunity for students to gain the necessary skills and knowledge for lifelong participation in physical activity. Physical education is characterized by a planned, sequential K-12 curriculum (course of study) that provides cognitive content and learning experiences in a variety of activity areas. Quality physical education programs assist students in achieving the national standards for K-12 physical education. The outcome of a quality physical education program is a physically educated person who has the knowledge, skills, and confidence to enjoy a lifetime of healthful physical activity. Highly Qualified, trained teachers teach physical education.
Highly Qualified Physical Education Specialists base their teaching on the national standards for K-12 Physical Education (NASPE, 2004) in order to provide students a foundation of skills and knowledge that can apply to many activities so that students are willing, able, and interested in seeking a lifetime of physical activity. Highly qualified physical education teachers understand the importance of meeting the needs of all types of learners and will use the outcomes provided in the national standards to elicit ideas for a variety of instructional strategies to do so. By relating the national standards to developmentally appropriate physical activities, highly qualified teachers give a purpose to their curriculum and illustrate that physical education has meaningful, educational, and significant content.
Arizona K-12 Physical Education Standards
Standards are critical to develop physically-educated individuals who have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to enjoy a lifetime of healthful physical activity. The purpose of the Standards document is to provide the framework for a quality physical education. Arizona has recently revised the K-12 Physical Education Standards.
The Physical Education Pilot Program was a study conducted by the Arizona Department of Education in conjunction with Arizona State University. The final report can be found here. A summary of the report can be found here.
Resources
American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) is an organization whose mission is to promote and support leadership, research, education, and best practices in the professions that support creative, healthy, and active lifestyles.
National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) is an organization whose mission is to enhance knowledge, improve professional practice, and increase support for high quality physical education, sport, and physical activity programs.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Adolescent School Health (DASH) promotes the health and well-being of children and adolescents to enable them to become healthy and productive adults.
The Physical Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (PECAT) will help school districts conduct a clear, complete, and consistent analysis of written physical education curricula, based upon national physical education standards. The PECAT is customizable to include local standards. The results from the analysis can help school districts enhance existing curricula, develop their own curricula, or select a published curriculum, for the delivery of quality physical education in schools.
PE Central is a website full of resources for physical educators whose goal is to provide the latest information about developmentally appropriate physical education programs for children.
Discovery Education/ Health and Fitness offers a broad range of free classroom resources that complement and extend learning beyond the bell. Foster deeper engagement and opportunities for students to take charge of their own learning with high quality, engaging, relevant tools designed for today’s busy teachers and parents
Arizona Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance is an organization whose mission is to promote healthful lifestyles through quality education for populations and provide leadership to school, community and statewide programs in the areas of health, physical education, recreation, dance and other movement-related programs. AzAHPERD is an educational organization that achieves its mission by supporting, encouraging, and providing assistance to members statewide as they initiate, develop, conduct and promote programs of health, physical education, recreation, dance and other movement-related programs.
Active School Neighborhood Checklist
Where schools are located can influence the health and wellbeing of students that attend it. Use the active school neighborhood checklist to assess the physical surroundings at your school and identify barriers to safe walking and biking to and from school.
Arizona Middle School Athletics Association –AMSAA is a member of The National Middle School and Junior High Athletics Federation (NMJAF) which produces annual state championship events in middle-school sports plays a critical role in fostering middle-school athletics. AMSAA, a nonprofit organization, was created to foster, fund and promote Arizona middle-school athletics.
Children’s Action Alliance has recently completed Weighing In, a report illustrating the connection between physical activity and academic performance in children. Weighing In also offers a list of practical options for schools to adopt which can help increase physical activity and healthy eating among their students.
Overview
Physical Activity: Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Physical Activity helps build and maintain healthy bones and muscles, helps reduce the risk of developing obesity and chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease and reduces feelings of depression and anxiety and promotes psychological well-being.
Resources
Physical Education Teacher Apps- Today, more and more teachers are looking for ways to integrate their smart phones and iPads (and other tablets) with their physical education and health courses. Click here for a list of apps that are designed for Physical Educators.
Center for Disease Control- Physical Activity for Everyone
Regular physical activity helps improve your overall health and fitness, and reduces your risk for many chronic diseases. Fitting regular exercise into your daily schedule may seem difficult at first, but the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans are more flexible than ever, giving you the freedom to reach your physical activity goals through different types and amounts of activities each week. It's easier than you think!
California Project Lean has created a video that provides guidance in learning how to implement low-cost strategies to improve the quantity and quality of student physical activity during the school day through recess, lunchtime, and classroom activities.
A-B-E (Activity Bursts Everywhere) for Fitness
By popular demand, we're pleased to announce the availability of a new Turn the Tide program, A-B-E for FitnessTM – a free, web-based exercise program designed specifically to help adults increase their physical activity throughout the day. These days, most adults are well aware of the health benefits of physical activity but many find it difficult to make time in their busy day to exercise.
Let's Move Child Care
Adventure To Fitness
Arizona elementary classroom teachers are joining teachers across 38 states who are using a FREE $3.8 million dollar resource, Adventure To Fitness, to get their students up and moving. Introduced to Arizona schools in September, Adventure To Fitness provides k-5 co-curricular programming streamed directly into classrooms using computers, interactive whiteboards, projectors, monitors, or closed system technology. Each adventure provides 30 minutes of high-quality, story packed, moderate to vigorous activity aligned to Arizona State Standards in Core subject. The Adventure to Fitness resource allows schools to track and report real-time classroom physical activity down to the second.