Wiemers 1

Andrew Wiemers

Arizona State University

PPE310

Currier

Final Draft
 Wiemers 2

Introduction

Why do some Special Ed kids feel more comfortable in their Gen Ed PE classes then

others? Not only do these kids move better in PE but they also interact with their peers better

than some other special needs kids regardless of their disability. Whats being researched is; does

early intervention in PE from a professional giving a student 1 on 1 help and in full class settings

not only help with the students movements, but also socially by helping the student learn how to

talk and interact with their peers in a non standardized classroom. By helping peers at a early age

learn that because someone may look or move different doesnt necessarily mean you have to

treat them differently.

Review of literature

In a article by Keith Price he did a research on whether students identified with

disabilities are better served in an adapted physical education class or included in a regular

physical education class; and did improving a students knowledge and skill level in games

played during physical education classes increase the students participation and social

interaction with other students in the class? In his research Keith observed 3 students named,

Matt, Kate, and Mick. During his conclusion he stated that, During the regular physical

education class, Mick actively participated every day. Mick enjoys being active and is not afraid

to perform in front of an audience. Matt actively participated sparingly two of the five days

during the regular physical education class before the pullout class. After the pullout class, Matt

actively participated all five days. Learning how to play the individual sports helped Matt to
 Wiemers 3

want to participate. Kate Benefits of Adapted PE would not actively participate in either of the

regular physical education observations. She did participate four of the five days during the

pullout adapted physical education class. (Price K. W., 2008) Keith determined that by having

the pull out adaptive class for the students they felt more comfortable in it because it was a

smaller setting and they were able to get more of a one on one interaction with the teacher and it

was easier to adapt the lesson for them. By getting the students to learn the activity better they

built up their confidence which led to better interaction with their peers in the general education

P.E. classes.

In a study by Connie C. Johnson she gathered information from other research articles

and complied them into one big research study asking 5 big questions which were (1) Do

Children and Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities Benefit from Physical Activity? (2)

What Is the Strength of the Research Studies That Examine the Benefits of Physical Activity for

Children and Adolescents with Disabilities? (3) What Are the Net Risks/Benefits of Participation

in Physical Activities for Children and Adolescents with Disabilities? (4) Does the Research

Support Recommendations for Physical Activity by Health Care Professionals? (5) What Are the

Future Research Needs in This Area? In her conclusion after compiling all her data she talks

about how even people with disabilities need to be physically active because not only does it

make them stronger but just like people without disabilities being active stimulates the mind and

can help with social skills. (Johnson, 2009) Peer and social relationships for children are an

important part of their development. Children with physical and motor disabilities may

experience barriers in proper development in this particular area. Children with physical

disabilities do not look the same as the other students and it can affect their overall confidence

to initiate social relationships with peers and children that may not understand a physical
 Wiemers 4

disability may be intimidated to initiate a social relationship with them as well and by being

active and stimulating the brain it can help with this process of making friends at an early age.

In a article by Nancy A. Murphy she goes on to say that, regular physical activity for

children with disabilities has been shown to help in controlling or slowing the progression of the

chronic disease, improving overall health and function. Not only is a child receiving P.E.

because it is a requirement in the school systems but it could actually help the student regress

his/her disability depending on how severe it is. Nancy continues to go on and talk about, by

having P.E. it can also enhance the overall well being of the student which includes the mental

state and happiness of the student by getting along with peers in their class. Participation of

children with disabilities in sports and physical activity programs promotes physical, emotional,

and social well-being regular fitness links to improvements in self-esteem, social awareness, and

self-confidence all essential for empowering the lives of young people with special needs.

In the study by Jing Qi and Amy S. Ha they did a Quantitative methods research in

developed countries about how stakeholders (i.e. parents and guardians) felt about adaptive P.E.

and inclusion P.E. The research concluded that the stakeholders decided by having a self-

contained class was beneficial to their students so that they were able to learn the foundation of

the movements along with the skills needs for the games, however they really enjoyed how their

students were getting social interaction with their peers in the inclusion classes. Students without

disabilities were seen helping the students in the wheelchairs with the activities and that both

students were being successful at the skill along with creating a friendship.

Synthesis of information

While looking through the articles each one all had the common understanding, that kids

with special needs, need some kind of adaptive PE. Whether it is in the form of a self contained
 Wiemers 5

class or in a inclusion class with an aid. In the Article by Keith Price, it talks about how the

students were in the main stream class the students only completed some of the requirements in

the PE classes and the Students felt down on themselves, after the students were pulled out of the

class to practice the skills in a self contained setting then intergraded back into the class not only

did they perform the tasks better but they also had better confidence in themselves and didnt

exclude themselves as much from the rest of the class. (Price K. , 2008) Adaptive PE is critical

for students with special needs, not only from reading the articles but also seeing it in a

profession, the students that get adaptive PE not only learn the tasks better, but they also build

confidence, they build relationships with their peers, and they even get an enjoyment of

movement and being healthy. A lot of the students with special needs will come out to

participate in Special Olympics because they love being active so much. Articles such as the one

from Connie C Johnson and Jing Qi and Amy S Ha, did research by going onto national data

bases and searched key words such as physical activity, exercise, sport, and fitness

in combination with disabilities and researching the benefits of A.P.E. The other authors did

actually experiments to see just how well students did in the two different environments. Nancy

Murphy met and studied students with special needs and students who did not have special needs

and found out that both students do benefit from physical activity, however having it adapted to

the needs of students with special needs could be even more beneficial because of how it could

slow down a students disability or help their muscles stretch more which the disability is

hindering them to do so. Nancy also concluded that just like in regular P.E. how kids build

friendships, the same process takes place in adapted P.E. and in the inclusion classes so that each

student looks pass the disabilities and looks for the ability the student can do. All sources

concluded that children with a physical or motor disability can struggle with learning skills that
 Wiemers 6

require motor movements. Everyday activities such as riding a bike, playing on the playground

with other peers appropriately and other tasks that not only require motor skills but emotional

and thinking skills as well can cause barriers for children that are not typically thriving

physically when compared to their peers. Children with physical disabilities spend a lot of their

time in the early stages of their life trying to keep up with their peers physically. With adaptive

P.E. teachers, they can help those students close the gap between their peers and create

friendship between the students.

Practical Implications

Sometimes when I talk to parents about adaptive PE for their children most of them think

its a great idea they just havent heard about it because their child has just started school, or the

parents had heard about it they just dont want their kids in adaptive PE because they dont see

the reason for it because its just PE right? After talking with parents and explain that its not

JUST PE that we work on gross and fine motor skills along with building their confidence that in

returns has positive aspects in engaging with their peers. In PE we could do self-contained,

inclusion or reverse inclusion which is great getting their peers involved with the students.

Marketing

By marketing to my parents and school how important adaptive PE for students with

special needs hopefully the parents and school will also do fundraising to get better equipment

for their students. By marketing to parents they will understand how important PE really is for

their children and that its not just all sports and games but we are actually trying to improve a

childs strength and their confidence. Marketing to fellow peers about Adaptive PE and coming

out and being a buddy to the special needs students and form a relationship and friendship with

them to help them grow and help them build confidence in themselves.
 Wiemers 7

Funding

In the school system we all know that there are little to no funding, and being in the

physical education world there is even less, AND being adaptive PE its even more less. But as a

PE teacher there are many grants that we can do with our special class room and still raise

money! As a PE teacher we can apply for jump rope for heart just like regular classes and raise

money and make our jump rope lessons just a little different but still fun and successful for the

students. Thats just one of the many grants that are out their for PE teachers and many more are

at ShapeAmerica.com and Sparkpe.org, by applying and implementing the grant qualifications

not only will the department earn money for new equipment for the students but the classes will

be doing what Gen Ed PE class will being doing just with a little bit of adaptations to the lesson.

Admin

In some schools, they do not have a inclusion or reverse inclusion class for students with

special needs to go to PE with their peers. By proposing the idea of having Gen Ed students

come and join the self contained class during PE can build relationships between the students

and the students with special needs can gain more confidence by having a peer there and not feel

so different, and the Gen Ed students can learn awareness about people with disabilities and help

them understand how to interact with them appropriately.

Educational Components

In Adaptive PE we will work on motor development, cognitive development, confidence,

healthy life style, and appropriate behavior. In motor development we will do activities

throughout the year that not only will work their gross motor but also the students fine motor

skills. To help build their cognitive development we will give the students certain tasks that they

may have to think about what they do first for the activity of have them thinking during the
 Wiemers 8

activity so that they complete the task through movement. As teachers we will be there helping

them making sure that they are able to succeed in the task we are doing and gradually make it

harder and harder as their confidence starts to rise and rise. As PE teachers we want to make sure

they still know the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle and know that 60 minutes of activity is

still good for them and that eating healthy foods can really benefit their bodies. Just because its

PE doesnt mean that students get to act wild, still teaching students appropriate behavior even

while movement will transfer over to the normal classroom and in life out in the world.

Engagement

Engagement in the school community is huge no matter what class you are trying to

teach. For adaptive PE I would talk with the Gen Ed PE teachers and see if we could coordinate

activities together such as a Jingle Jog and Turkey Trot around the holidays. We could get it

where for younger grades like k-3 we could have a buddy run with them that is in 5th-6th grade

and have the older grade students cheer them on and help them through the course. If some

students were in wheel chairs having other students help push them through the course would be

amazing and show the joy both types of students could have. Other types of engagement that a

school could so is having a annual sport games between students but having buddies help the

students with special needs and having the whole school come out and cheer for them as they are

playing. By bringing the WHOLE school together through these easy topics will not only make a

school a better place but also teaching young students how to be better people when they grow

up.

Recognition
 Wiemers 9

Just like Gen Ed teachers recognize the fastest runner during the mile test or the longest

runner for the pacer test, as adaptive PE teacher I want to do the same for my students with the

accomplishments they do in my PE class. I want to plaster their names all over the gym for doing

the best to THEIR ability. Not only do I want to recognize those students but if their peers are In

the class as well I can make up certain awards for them as well such as the best helper of the day.

Conclusion

Just like in General Ed P.E. kids experiences can change from year to year, some kids

may love P.E. and other may hate it because of running and the physical activities that they have

to do. However, for students with special needs P.E. may be the one time where its not so

structured and they are able to feel like a normal kid and learn how to move and how to play

games and be active. Just like with any other child, having early intervention can do wonders for

them not only physically but also emotionally. Children with physical and or motor development

disabilities are not any different than any other kid. Yes, they are not physically thriving when

compared to non-disabled peers, however; it is very important that the other important areas of

their social and emotional development are not negatively affected by it. By having inclusion and

reverse inclusion classes; students are able to have those connections with their peers and can

build confidence at a young age, and as they grow up not only do the students with a disability

know how to interact with their peers, but their peers will know how to interact with them and

hopefully any other person they may come across that has a disability. In the years to come, it

would be easy to build a strong and effective adaptive P.E. class. In the first year all it would

take would getting the word out to parents and students of Gen. Ed. Students to come be a part of

this P.E. class and help engage with students with special needs. By year three the teacher should

have a solid group of students that continue to help and get involved and now start a after school
 Wiemers 10

sports program for these students and get other schools involved so that schools can have

competition between the schools. By year five schools should be having sports teams, students

should be flowing in to help out with the classes and the sports and the students leaving can be

the teachers for the new students coming in to help. By having the same kids over and over again

the students with special needs will gain more trust for them and a better relationship. By having

good quality student helpers, they can be the eyes and the ears of the school and recommend this

program to their friends that may be up to the challenge of gaining a new friend.

jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj

jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj

jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj

jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj
 Wiemers 11

Appendix A

Arizona State University Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

 Wiemers 12

Teacher: Andrew Wiemers Grade(s): K

NASPE Content Standard(s) targeted (LIST ONLY THOSE YOU TARGET IN THE LESSON
FOCUS):

Lesson Objectives (Explicit, observable): By the end of the lesson students will be able to ... and/or
understand
Students will be able to hop over the ropes with on feet or two feet. Students in wheel chairs will be
able to be the turners for their classmates with the long jump ropes.

Organization Student (individual, partners, 3's, groups of?):

Groups of 3

Assessment/Evidence of Mastery (Include a variety of methods of checking for understanding &

creating a record of student performance): for the turners I want to see big arm movements so the
rope goes around the person jumping. For the student jumping I want to see if they can track the rope
to the ground and hop over it when they see it on the ground

Key vocabulary targeted: (CCR) Needed equipment and Set-up:

Single jump Jump ropes
Double jump
Big arm turns

CLASS MANAGEMENT:

Student grouping mgmt.: when students are told to go they will move and grab a jump rope from
the boundary and find their own space and I will group them up in threes.

Equipment mgmt.: students will only grab the equipment when instructed and when freezed will
have the rope on the ground and stepped away.

Fitness Development segment - Include Critical Elements, Teaching Cues, and Common Errors you
will likely need to address (IF APPLICBLE):
 Wiemers 13

For fitness we will do different types of Animal movements to make it fun for the students and do
different types of movements that reflect the different animals.

Technique Development content - Include Critical Elements, Teaching Cues, and Common Errors
you will likely need to address (IF APPLICBLE):

Big arms and wait to jump when the rope its the ground
Dont jump to high
Stay on balls of feet

Game Content- Include Rule Modifications and progression, rules, along with focus and rationale
for the game design:

Ship to Shore

HOW WILL YOU MAXIMIZE ALL STUDENTS OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE

THROUGHOUT THE LESSONS ACTIVITIES? All students will have a jump and be focused on
the given task. They will have different choices to choose from on which from they want to jump
rope so that they are being successful. Students who need hand over hand manipulation will be
helped when they need to turn the rope. Students in wheel chairs will get opportunities by going
under the rope and going under the gate.
 Wiemers 14

Appendix B

Class schedule: 31 minutes

Warm up: 3 minutes

Fitness:10 minutes

Lesson: 12 Minutes

Game:6 minutes
 Wiemers 15

Appendix C
 Wiemers 16

Appendix D
 Wiemers 17

References
Ha, J. Q. (2012). Inclusion in Physical Education: A review of literature. International Journal of Disability,
Development and Education .

Johnson, C. C. (2009). The Benefits of Physical Activity for Youth With. Fitness; Underserved Populations,
157-166.

Murphy, N. A. (2008). Promoting the Participation of Children With Disabilities in Sports, Recreation, and
Physical Activities. Pediatrics.

Price, K. (2008). The Benefits of Pullout Adapted Physical Education class for Students Identified for. A
Masters Research Project Presented to, 1-35.

Price, K. W. (2008). The Benefits of Pullout Adapted Physical Education class for Students Identified for.
A Masters Research Project Presented to, 32-33.

The Benefits of Physical Education for Children with Special Needs. (2016, November 15). Retrieved from
Spark: http://www.sparkpe.org/blog/the-benefits-of-physical-education-for-children-with-
special-needs/