Physical

Education
Liam and Grayden
 Inquiry Question:
To what extent should physical
education be prioritized amongst
other school subjects?

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 Why is physical education important in schools when
there are rising obesity rates, problems with nutritional
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awareness and more youth inactivity?
▹ Children are future leaders and hold power in our lives
- Physical Education and health classes create lasting impacts on the future
lifestyles of children
- Children are able to spread the word to their friends, family and community
▹ Obesity rates continue to rise in children, adolescents and adults
- PE classes encourage youth to get active at a young age
- Get in good habits before anything can stop those habits

Sollerhed & Ejilertsson (2007) Article

School #2 experienced slower BMI increase
Neither had effect on other school subjects, children in school #2 had less behaviour
issues in class
 Why is physical education important in schools
when there are rising obesity rates, problems with
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nutritional awareness and more youth inactivity?
▹ Healthy food leads to a healthy lifestyle
- Even if we think we are experts there is always room for more learning in all ages
- Knowledge is key, and children’s brains are longing to be filled with knowledge
- Certified instructors are able to give students proper and useful information and
it is recommended that 30 min a day be set aside for this time.

▹ There are always factors that students are not able to control
- It is better to be known then kept in the dark about healthy habits
- Children will always strive to achieve goals that are set out (Canada’s food guide)

▹ The benefits of physical education are limitless and it is important that

children understand that a healthy body means a healthier mind
 What are some of the benefits that students can experience by
incorporating more physical education in schools?
5 Physical Benefits
▹ In recent years, children & adults have become less physically active
▸ Activity & fitness levels in childhood tend to track into adulthood
▸ The frequency of PE lessons in schools have been less than desirable
▹ Current guidelines state that children should participate in 60m or more of moderate to
vigorous physical activity
▸ Can be of a general nature as opposed to a planned exercise regime
▸ Can be accumulated in different ways and vary in type, setting, intensity, duration
and amount
▹ Evidence of a distinctive role for PE in the acquisition and development of children’s
movement skills and physical competence
▸ Role of P.E. in promoting engagement in lifelong physical activity has become widely
accepted
⬩ Necessary, if not deterministic conditions of engagement in lifelong physical
activity
⬩ Young people need to gain appropriate knowledge, understanding and
behavioural skills to ensure regular physical activity
 What are some of the benefits that students can experience by
incorporating more physical education in schools?
6 Social, Emotional and Cognitive Benefits
Skills Benefits Developments
▹ Leadership ▹ Reduced crime, truancy, ▹ Develop resilience against
▹ Decision making drug abuse, antisocial difficult life circumstances
▹ Social relationships behaviour ▹ Develop respect for the
▹ Focus on the learning ▹ Reduced stress, depression, body, integrated mind and
process anxiety body development,
▹ Cooperation and cohesion ▹ Increased social and ▹ Understanding of the role of
▹ Personal responsibility socio-moral skills exercise
▹ Empathy ▹ Increased social capital ▹ Gains for students, schools
▹ Trust ▹ Improved attendance, and communities
▹ Tolerance and respect for behaviour and attitude ▹ Contributes to personality
others ▹ Improved self-esteem, development
▹ Team building self-confidence,
self-perception
▹ Improved psychological
health and well being
7 What happens when you incorporate more P.E. time in schools?
▹ Study in France where schools incorporated
more P.E. in place of other academic subjects
▸ Researchers reduced academic
curriculum time by 26% replacing it with
P.E. time
▸ Despite the loss of 45-60 minutes of
classroom teaching time per day
⬩ No signs of adverse effect on
numeracy and literacy
⬩ Academic results did not worsen
⬩ Fewer discipline problems,
greater attentiveness and less
absenteeism
▹ Increased levels of P.E. does not interfere with
student’s achievement in other subjects even
though time available for these subjects is
decreased
▸ Other studies found small improvements in academic
performance with increased P.E. time
⬩ Typically performance is maintained, only
sometimes increases
▸ P.E. and physical activity levels are higher in relatively
high-performing schools than in low-performing
schools
▸ Any improvement in academic performance
following physical activity reflects changes in
cognitive functioning
⬩ Increase of blood flow to the brain, increased
brain development stimulation
▸ Positive relationship between increased P.E. and
concentration
▸ Learning physical activities demands concentration
and requires the learner to be disciplined in a similar
way to learning other subjects
 Conclusion
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▹ Physical Education should be seen as
equally important as other academic
school subjects
▹ We should try to incorporate more
nutrition related concepts into PE
classes so that students are able to take
that knowledge into the community
▹ There are numerous physical, social and
cognitive benefits to incorporating more
physical education into a school setting
▹ Even if schools allocate more P.E. time at
the expense of other subjects, it has
been shown that it does not decrease
academic performance
“The physical inactivity problem does not begin at the school
gate and does not end on the way out of school. However,
school physical education is the societal program responsible
for training and socializing the nation’s youth to be physically
active”

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10 Sources

Copeland, K., Short, Blackett, & Gardner. (2009). Vascular health in children and
adolescents: Effects of obesity and diabetes. Vascular Health and Risk
Management, 973. Doi:10.2147/vhrm.s7116
Sollerhed, A., & Ejlertsson, G. (2007). Physical Benefits of Expanded Physical
Education in Primary School: Findings From a 3-year Intervention Study in
Sweden. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 18(1), 102-107.
doi:10.1111/j.1600-0838.2007.00636.x
Researchers Say Lack of Physical Education is Harming Kids. (2000, September
17). Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA. Retrieved from
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A66461275/HWRC?u=leth89164&sid=HWRC
&xid=cbb376d3
Bailey, R., Armour, K., Kirk, D., Jess, M., Pickup, I., Sandford, R., & Bera
Physical Education And Sport P. (2009). The Educational Benefits Claimed for
Physical Education and School Sport: An Academic Review. Research Papers in
Education, 24(1), 1-27. doi:10.1080/02671520701809817