Mind the Gap!

Disconnects between the PE High School Course I and the PE CSET

The three subtests for the Physical Education CSET ask for much more from a teacher than the content standards in High School Course I.  For example, teachers are required to know the history and development of physical education as well as philosophies, current research and the relationship between activity and values.  There are also sections that require teachers to know effective evaluation techniques, how to give feedback and teach students to give peer feedback and individual feedback. 

Sections such as how "development differences affect motor skill acquisition" and "conditions affecting growth, motor development and learning" have more to do with my understanding of my students and how they learn rather than being a disconnect with the standards.  It will aid in most of the standards in the course standards I examined.  Yet, there are some sections having to do with kinesiology and anatomy/physiology that I think are important.  In the content standards, students are not really required to learn (although we throw as much in there as is applicable) about how their bodies function and work in conjunction with physical fitness and activity. 

In my experience, there is at least one standard in every lesson.  We are not required by our site to have detailed lesson plans mapping out where and when we are using each standard.  Instead, our department goes over the units and block plan for the year and see what standards we are hitting and missing.  There are a lot of standards that require reaching the emotional, psychological and affective parts of the student and we have implemented programs (such as Career Choices, Toward No Drug Abuse and Link Crew) that address these standards adequately.  Also, there are so many life lessons and social aspects of challenging and social situations that occur in each class period that I think are very important.  I am not sure if we can call these deviations, but they very well might be.  The biggest deviation that I recognize is in rhythm and aquatics.  In the framework, there are references to aquatics being difficult to teach if you do not have a pool, yet there are ways to teach the students different strokes without a pool.  Looking back, I don't think that I have taken the time to teach or even talk about aquatics in the past several years.  This is definitely something that I should look into.  Our school uses a community pool for our swim and water polo teams; it would be interesting to look into whether we could use it for a swimming unit.


Bridging the Gap: High School Course I & II, Individual/Dual Activities

High School Courses I and II are very similar.  The main differences have to do with evaluating knowledge, skills, etc. rather than examining.  The other main difference is that course one mentions aquatics and rhythm/dance while course two mentions gymnastics, tumbling and combatives.  Both courses include individual and dual activities as their main components.  I have a definite gap in my knowledge in aquatics, dance, gymnastics and tumbling.  Combatives can be defined as a self defense course which is one that I have taught for about five years.  We used to have a fabulous karate instructor who used to come in a teach very basic and instinctual techniques to mainly our female students about protecting yourself.  She taught me her curriculum and I have been teaching it to my students through a two week unit ever since. 

Other gaps:

High School Course I, 2.8 - Analyze consumer physical fitness products and programs.

High School Course I, 2.10 - Identify and list available fitness resources in the community

High School Course I, 3.8 - Recognize the value of physical activity in understanding multiculturalism

High School Course II, 2.8 - Explain how to evaluate consumer physical fitness products and programs

High School Course II, 2.9 - Identify and evaluate ergogenic aids that claim to enhance body composition, appearance, physical fitness and performance

High School Course II, 2.10 - Evaluate the availability and quality of fitness resources in the community

High School Course II, 3.8 - Identify the effects of individual differences, such as age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and culture on preferences for and participation in physical activity.

High School Course 3C: Individual and Dual Activities, 1.1 - Archery, Gymnastics/Tumbling, Skiing, Surfing, Squash

Specifically to address the gaps in identifying fitness resources in the community, I can start by researching what the community has to offer.  I can talk to colleagues that live in the area, coaches on campus that might be involved in off campus recreation and talking to different groups, organizations and health clubs to get more information.  I can also talk to my students to see what kinds of things they are involved in in order to get more of an idea of what students in the area are doing in their free time.  Once I have done this research, I can compile a list of credible resources and create a lesson to make these resources available to my students.

In order to address the gaps in standard 3.8 for both high school courses, I would have to do research in that topic. The research would center around how physical activity effects individual differences (different cultures, ethnicity, genders, etc.)  Also, I would need to find out the demographics of the school and then narrow it down to the students that I teach in my sections.  This way, I would be able to really reach my population and use current information to teach them this standard.