Many paraeducators work with individuals with disabilities and follow them throughout their day to their various classes. In such cases, the paraeducator may be asked to attend physical education with the child with a disability and do tasks he or she is not trained to do. Paraeducators can be extremely helpful in many ways, but there is a need to…

Despite the recognized health risks associated with physical inactivity, most Americans are not active enough to achieve health benefits, and many report no planned physical activity at all. The Surgeon General's report on physical activity and health and several research studies have provided evidence that most Americans do not exercise and are…

Preservice students do not always see the relationship between the theories they learn in motor development class and the practical applications of those theories in the gymnasium. This article begins to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Within the theoretical viewpoint known as the ecological perspective, the authors identify the…

Standards define today's educational landscape. In physical education, standards at both the national and state levels have become a driving force that shapes curriculum and instruction. Although all students are expected to meet the learning standards, teachers are often challenged with offering instruction that allows students with disabilities…

The purpose of this article is to offer insights into the complex area of learning disabilities, to provide tips on how to recognize children with various types of learning disabilities, and to offer suggestions for teaching students who are learning disabled. The hope is that with some information and "teaching tips" in this area, more and more…

Children's natural play patterns provide opportunity for fitness development. Children typically do not care about the benefits of physical activity or the physiology behind the activities they perform, but they are very interested in participating in fun activities. Often curricula focus on how to feed children values that are important to…

A fundamental characteristic of a successful physical education program is that the students are interested and motivated to learn the intended objectives. Unfortunately, in many cases, students begin losing interest in physical education as they progress through school. In order to better understand this phenomenon, the authors explored the…

The concepts and principles of biomechanics are familiar to the teacher of physical science as well as to the physical educator. The difference between the two instructors, however, is that one knows the language of science and the other provides an experientially rich environment to support acquisition of these concepts and principles. Use of…

Individuals who are physically active express more confidence in their physical abilities, which leads to stronger motivation to be physically active. Therefore, educators need to find ways to develop confidence among youths in an effort to get them more physically active in and out of school. Self-confidence can be improved with psychological…

This article applies Stephen R. Covey's "seven habits of highly effective people" to physical educators. Although the habits were not written specifically for physical educators, they certainly do apply. The article focuses on how the seven habits can help physical educators work more successfully with administrators and other teachers. In…

This article shows how to explore children's perceptions of physical activity through content analysis of their artwork. Ninety-one children drew pictures of what they perceived to be "physical activity" and created a slogan for promoting physical activity in their community. Drawing content revealed types of popular activities, gender-related…

This article seeks to inform physical educators of a variety of teaching considerations when engaging a student with a cochlear implant in a physical education class. It provides the general physical educator with: (1) background information including statistics; (2) a general device description with safety precautions for the student with a…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a coaching and teaching methodology that develops knowledge, abilities, and skills. It also encourages participation, collaborative investigation, and the resolution of authentic, "ill-structured" problems through the use of problem definition, teamwork, communication, data collection, decision-making, planning and…

Software is available to record and analyze performance, evaluate physical parameters, monitor training programs, and perform scouting and scheduling tasks. Reduced paperwork frees teachers or coaches for quality time with students. Available software is discussed and selected vendors listed. (MT)

This article addresses the situations in which athletes with special needs and considerations participate in sports. The health problems discussed are diabetes mellitus, exercise-induced asthma, exercise-induced anaphylaxis, and epilepsy. (MT)