Dream Paper

By Tina Robles
1/28/2011
 During the course of this class I became saddened to think of the futures of our children,

growing up in an educational system that is lacking educational values in the importance of

physical education. I see that the activities for very similar if not the activities we ourselves

partiapated in as children. However; whether the activities where appropate or not they where at

least utilized on a daily bases. I strongly believe any physical education is better than none.

Through this class I have opened my eyes to the fact that a lot of the activities we participated in

as children could cause emotional scars for some children, but even with that said the lack of

time spent do any type of activity is going to leave physical scars. These scars are going to have

names like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Not to say on scar is more

damaging that another but with the way physical education is being value in the educational

system children may end up with both scars.

My understanding is that state guide line mandate that children are allotted a required

amount of time per day for physical education, however, the educational system feels there is a

bigger need to emphasize the standards for state testing. Maybe physical education needs to be

one of the standards of state testing, in order to get it put back in the daily schedule of schools

across the country. If physical education was implemented the way it is indented according to the

state standards for physical education, there would be a lot less concern with how well children

perform on state testing. For the known fact that physical activity help with brain development,

the single most important reason for implementing a physical education program. Its important

for children to learn loco motor, non manipulative and manipulative skills, but knowing that all

this elements play a part in the childs over all learning process should be the number one reason

to do their best to implement a quality program for children of all ages.

I work in a preschool program funded by the state and we have strict guide line to follow
when it comes to physical education and would result in funding cuts if we deviated from the

plan in even the least. It should be the same for all educational programs, and I know that it is.

However, the state needs to invent a new monitoring system.

The benefits are not limited to motor skills and brain development as I mentioned before

about physical scars, children that dont develop an awareness of physical fitness will carry at

with them to adulthood. When children develop a since of wellness and learns what it means to

be physical fit at a young age, it become part of their life style. Which in return will be passed on

to their children and so on and such forth? Another benefit in physical education is cognitive

skills also known as problem solving skills. When a child is able to put together coordination

skills need to move the body in a control manner, to perform a variety of different motor skills,

they are also developing cognitive skills. The brain works in the same exact manner it would if it

were work a math problem as it would put the movements together to move through a physical

activity motion.

I dont plan to change grade levels when I obtain my degree for the very reason that my

current grade level has what I see as a very supportive child based program. That I have seen

very little of in the elementary school system. Child development programs focus on the children

as individuals, with different needs. My view on elementary school curriculum it that children

are grouped together by grade level and there is little to no tolerance for children that dont fit the

ideal profile of learning abilities for that pacific grade level. Perhaps I have worked in the child

development perfection to long, because I firmly believe that children learn at their own pace and

have different ways of learn different skills. Physical education is the only teaching element of

school aged children that Ive heard the words developmentally appropriate mentioned. I could

be wrong but I believe it to be the only subject in which the teacher takes this in to consideration.
 Children need to start with the basic skills and build on them to learn new and more

advanced skills. Without these basic skills they can not move to more advanced skills and

become proficient in them. The five basic skills I would focus on would be balancing, stretching,

twisting, turning, and transferring weight. All other skill the child will learn will need one if

these basic skills to be perform at the pre-controlled or controlled skill level.

Weeks Day Activity

1 1 Balancing on a wide base of support

2 Balancing on different base support

2 1 Balancing on a boards

2 Travel across low balance beam

3 1 Balancing on different base of support

2 Balancing on a boards

4 1 Balancing on a wide base of support

2 Balancing in different body shapes

5 1 Travel and stopping in balanced positions

2 Balancing in different body shapes

When planning a physical education lesson is critical that you take note of what the children

will be learning, what cues you will give, and what observation tools will you use. If it a activity

your introducing for the first time to a new group of children, its a good idea to write down the

cues you plan to use and keep that paper with you to not only refer to but add other cues that

were used during the activity. The flow of the activity is always an indicator whether or not the
activity is appropriate for the particular group of children, but using observation tool like a check

list or practice recording sheet are also useful to see in writing how well the activity went.

Another thing to remember when observing how an activity went is how you deal with the

children. Physical education is another chance to teach social skills. When children display

negative behavior, fist take a look at yourself and what you may or may not be doing. The most

important thing to do consistently is stay positive and give children positive statements, after all

they are just children and we are the adults.