Physical education has yet to become an established and important feature in Australian and English school programs. At one level physical education has enjoyed considerable political support, acquired support from athletes and secured a place on Australia and England's national curriculum. However on another level physical education has been the subject of crisis meetings in Australia, on the verge of being wiped out in later secondary school education in England and had numerous reviews. So why is physical education important? The major factor being the increasing rise in obesity, but also children appear to have less knowledge of physical skill, lack fitness and are very inactive is a few reasons why physical education needs remain in the curriculum but also gain greater priority.
The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the national curriculum for physical education (PE) in Australia and England and comment on any developments that could be made. The areas of interest with in the curriculum are learning objectives of the curriculum and the time allocated with in the curriculum. These areas have been chosen for various reasons. The learning objectives and content of the physical education curriculum have been chosen so that a comparison can be made between the objective of the curriculum i.e. is the objective to just teach sport or is to teach sport and knowledge? Also with in this area are attainment targets. These will be looked at to see how both countries assess the pupils under the curriculum. Time allocation was the other factor chosen, and this was because it follows on from learning objectives and content. Looking at time allocation will show how much time is spent on physical education and the amount of ...
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... schools must start to offer more extra curricular activities. This is an issue which both Australia and England have left off their physical education. There could never be a case for making extra-curricular activities compulsory for children but it could be added to the curriculum and state that schools most give the option of after school activity. Regular curriculum checks need to be done to make sure schools are following the curriculum.
To bring to a conclusion there are certainly many differences between physical education in England and Australia. However both countries have fallen prey to the notion that physical education isn't considered important and therefore has deteriorated somewhat. England has recently made physical education a priority but unfortunately with the lack of information able to be gained a proper conclusion can't be drawn on Australia.
Talbot, M. (2007) ‘Valuing Physical Education – Package or Pedagogy?’ Physical Education Matters, 3 (3).
The Australian curriculum assessment and reporting authority (ACARA) contains high morals for valuing movement in the health and physical curriculum. Valuing movement is the third of the five propositions to deliver this commitment in the ACARA curriculum. Learning objectives have been situated to increase the participation of children in physical activity. It is to encourage ongoing participation throughout one’s life. Valuing movement focuses on students developing movement skills with confidence and competence. The Australian curriculum and reporting authorities, (2013) allows opportunities for students to enhance a range of social and personal skills, through chal...
... physical education (J. Sproule, Ed.). Retrieved February 25, 2014, from Sage Journal website: http://epe.sagepub.com/content/11/3/257.short#cited-by
The textbook mentions curriculum trends and changes as it relates to physical education. Listed below are those changes compared with the current SHAPE National Standards:
Throughout an educational discourse, inclusion is a highly debated subject throughout the curriculum. During the past decade, there have been exceptional levels of funding and resources solely aimed at physical education and school sport within the United Kingdom (UK). The DFE suggests that 57% of children with SEND attend a mainstream school (DfES 2007). Physical Education (PE) has been a rising topic of discussion due to decrease in activity and an increasing level of child obesity within the UK(Coates and Vickerman 2009). There are various implemented strategies such as Physical Education School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) and Physical Education and Sports Strategy for Young People (PESSYP), which are instruments to ‘direct and guide practice and policies’ (Fitzgerald and Stride, 2012). Using these governmental strategies, schools try and challenge and attempt to increase participation and engagement with the aim of providing ‘high quality PE lessons’ (Griffin 2012), which targets the government initiative particular the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games to encourage an promote inclusive PE and school sport (Green 2009). Additionally, Fitzgerald and Stride (2012) distinguish on the concluding issue of inclusion should be recongised as part of a broader international concern to promote inclusive education (Forlin et al. 2008). There are various aspects, which are of high debate within inclusion regarding the national curriculum, initial teacher training and experiences of student and teachers.
Gabbard, C., LeBlanc, B., & Lowy, S. (1994). Physical Education for Children: Building the Foundation, 2nd edition. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, inc.
eight to ten) should be applauded for this, but frowned upon for not enforcing it on senior high school students (grades 11 and 12). Physical Education is defined as “the process of education that develops the human body, specifically fitness and movement skills” (Baker, 1990, p. 14). This teaches students valuable skills that would be applicable to life, present and future. Students also learn how to work and interact with others to pursue goals in a way which academic subjects, such as mathematics and science, may not provide. Physical Education should be a requirement for all British Columbia high school students because it provides physical skills necessary for effective social functioning, offers educational value and teaches healthy habits reducing health risks.
Siedentop, D. Introduction to physical education, fitness, and sport. 7. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2009. Print.
Over the past decades our culture has changes dramatically. To which our nation was once a physically active nation. Yet now it seems that society discourages physical activity. The human race has been dependent on automobiles, discouraging people to walk or bike, increasing the chance of a poor life-style. Yet there are many factors that affect the achievement and maintenance of a healthy life. Young people are growing into a diverse society, which is characterized by rapid change, inactive work and leisure practices that influence unhealthy behaviors. By incorporating physical activity into peoples daily routine will increase their chances of being healthier, reducing certain diseases and learning how to avoid injuries. Physical education helps students improve their knowledge about health issues and practices that will lead to a more enjoyable life. Students playing and working in a team together develop social skills, teamwork, achieving goals, and development of self-esteem. Overall physical education provides the potential for a better life style.
Physical education must be mandatory for students all over the world. It provides many conveniences for children later in life. Sports in school encourage kids to play more outside of school and from there, their health increases. Unquestionably, physical education improves kids’
Patterson, Joan. “Many schools cutting back on physical education”. Review Journal. Stepens Media LLC, 2013. Web. 28 April 2014
Physical education is an important area in schools today. If taught correctly, it can develop physical and mental skills as well as develop a sense of self. By participating in physical activity, a student’s skill will naturally increase to the demands placed upon it. If a student never tries then their skill will never grow. The mental skills one develops in a physical education class are proble...
‘Beyond 2012 – outstanding physical education for all’ makes recommendations for schools and the Department for Education to secure the quality of PE in schools and draws out improvements made to PE and sport over the last four years. The Department of Education are looking on making improvements which have generated from the London Games in 2012. They are hoping to make a new strategy for PESS to help pupils become more engaged in sporting activities in their school curriculum. The Government are advising class teachers to raise their expectations by setting more challenging and competitive PE lessons, so pupils increase their performance to a higher level. Also, to engage them in regular and high intensity activities for the full period they have been given in their timetable. As previous studies have shown, when schools were visited, teachers set activities that were too easy for children which led to boredom and lack of motivation and had no planned extra curriculum activities for the pupils. However, schools with the best PE provision had excellent PE lessons with extra curriculum hours set up for them. In 2014, there was a funding of £360,000 to train primary teachers to specialise in PE. This was to ensure children developed ‘a sporting habit for life’. Children's minister Edward Timpson said: "We have announced extra funding to create a second intake of specialist primary PE
“Physical education plays a critical role in educating the whole student. Research supports the importance of movement in educating both mind and body. Physical education contributes directly to development of physical competence and fitness. It also helps students to make informed choices and understand the value of leading a physically active lifestyle. The benefits of physical education can affect both academic learning and physical activity patterns of students. The healthy, physically active student is more likely to be academically motivated, alert, and successful. … Throughout the school years, quality physical education can promote social, cooperative and problem solving competencies. Quality physical education programs in our
Physical education provides a variation of motor skills aimed to enhance the physical, mental, social and emotional development. The obesity statistics of 2009 quantified that childhood obesity rates have more than tripled since 1980 and in addition to concerns regarding chronic diseases, overweight and obesity incidences have even led to poorer levels of academic achievement (Taras & Potts-Datema, 2005). Additionally, in order to teach students the importance of preventing these ailments, those who oppose the amount of time in physical education or want to cut it out altogether should reconsider. Instead, time in physical education should be as equal as core subjects are seen. Physical education can help children in the classroom as well. The physical educator can incorporate math or science in to their lessons. If they are jump roping, they can skip count...