american society of exercise physiologists
[4] the US History of Exercise Science Board a steering committee of the North Carolina Council of Public Instruction a task force for public high school health and physical education
North Carolina’s physical education reforms in the early 1900s [5] structures for many North Carolina PE-related units, from the athletic programs to PE classes and health education courses human movements instruction for physical education teachers, based in movement science [6] activity assessment forms [7] diagrams and measurement tools to show how physical activity is viewed as part of the overall structure of health and fitness [8] research and the legitimization of exercise science by the scientific community In the early 1930s, physical education programs were identified as an asset to the education system. As a result, the creation of a physical education program, though not a requirement, was supported.
It was first recognized that physical education was “sporting” (i.e., competitive) rather than “pursuit of intellectual interests” (i.e., non-competitive). The school year calendar was changed to designate the months in which physical education (PE) could be implemented.The provision in Title I that schools establish a minimum number of hours of physical education per week per student was removed from the NCHS and replaced with “sufficient hours” of physical education per week. Additional PE hours could be purchased from the state for an additional charge.Peer pressure to stay active became very strong after World War II, as a means of fighting the “Russian Bear” mentality of “use it or lose it”. Educators and athletes viewed physical education as an important training and test of mental and physical toughness.Physical education teacher training was renamed “P.E.” and enrolled students in courses on “physical education” (PE).
PE was defined as the “combination of physical and mental training” (Dr. Dwight Kinslow, Pathways to Physical Education). It was thought that students “should not participate only in activities that were formally prescribed, but should be exposed to activities that encouraged or required effort”.Kinslow stated that students’ leisure time activities could not be competitive.Some educators questioned if it was “physically right” for PE teachers to spend so much time teaching students how to become physically active, as opposed to engaging them in active sports. Increased knowledge of physical education practices (the value of competition, for example), and the importance of physical activity became apparent.During the 1970s, the teaching of PE was enhanced with the introduction of the Physical Education Curriculum in the North Carolina high school curriculum.
The new curriculum contained many goals for physical education in a broad range of areas. These goals helped educators identify the areas that best addressed the needs of students. In some schools, curriculum plans are required to meet these goals.One goal was the inclusion of specific health and fitness objectives, such as that schools should teach physical education that promotes “harmony of mind, body and spirit”. “The whole of physical education, as designed for the purpose, involves the use of action as a means to the achievement of some end. As such it is not a way of making men happy. . . . It has no aim at the moment of making the student happy in the proper sense, and to make him so in the long run we must come back to what we were after in the first place-gives him a chance to do something worthwhile.”
Dean of Students, Thomas L. Jennings Some schools have established activities for PE students, where PE teachers teach students how to engage in physical activity. The activities require different levels of physical fitness from all levels of students. Some students choose to join a sports team that teaches competition in an organized and competitive environment. These teams involve students’ personal physical fitness. These teams also involve the use of equipment that allows more appropriate participation for students with physical disabilities. Other students choose to join a team that requires no special equipment. These teams are very social and work to improve each team member’s fitness. For example, student-athletes must meet a minimum fitness level, with coaches determining how that level is achieved. Many schools also have students in physical education classes.
“P.E. in the North Carolina Curriculum is valuable, not only as a means to strengthening the weak and graceful, but also as a stimulus to physical and mental activity in the student.” Thomas L. Jennings The work of physical education instructors has continued to be closely involved with the development of athletic fields and practices, and with organizing schools’ participation in interscholastic athletic programs. Activities in the physical education classes have involved developing facilities for physical activities, finding funding
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