It is essential that HPERD professionals work together to be spokespeople for their areas at the local, state, and national levels. But what does it look like and how does it happen? The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of advocacy across these three levels, and to provide health and physical educators with some concrete…

It is well known that a large majority of school-age children and adolescents are not active enough to gain the physical and psychological benefits associated with regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Schools can play a pivotal role in reversing this trend due to the time students spend in this setting. The purpose of this article is to…

The rising prevalence of obesity in society has resulted in an increased need for physical education teachers to create learning opportunities that promote physical activity among children. However, the presence of anti-fat attitudes and a limited understanding of the challenges associated with being overweight in a physical activity environment…

Goal setting has been shown to improve student performance, motivation, and task completion in academic settings. Although goal setting is utilized by many education professionals to help students set realistic and proper goals, physical educators may not be using goal setting effectively. Without incorporating all three types of goals and…

Low motivation to participate in traditional or team sports, apathy toward competitive environments, and a low rate of transfer of skills to lifetime activities and wellness can be barriers for student pursuits of lifelong fitness. Adding an outdoor component can be a solution for some of these problems, while still accomplishing the National…

The importance of cultural competency in physical education is unmistakable. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) has identified elements of cultural competency within both the National Standards for Physical Education and the National Standards and Guidelines for Physical Education Teacher Education. Although there…

To change the public's negative perceptions, it may be necessary to change the nature of physical education programming. One way of doing so is by adopting "Cool PE," which refers to physical education that "moves" students, empowers students with choice, and is meaningful to students outside of the gym.

Bullying takes on many forms and occurs in all classrooms, and the activities found in physical education often provide fertile ground for these behaviors. For example, dodgeball is often played in physical education settings, even though the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance has clearly stated that dodgeball…

The first national youth fitness evaluation conducted in the United States was in 1958. Since that time, schools have continued to administer fitness evaluations using a variety of tests with no national-level assessment of youth fitness [Institute of Medicine (IOM), 2012]. However, in September 2012, the Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP)…

A fundamental objective for the physical educator is to provide students with effective, age-appropriate physical education (PE) in a safe environment. The importance of PE must be emphasized in light of the strong association between regular physical activity and health. Currently, 18% of U.S. children ages 6 to 19 are classified as overweight…

Whether an administrator, faculty member, classroom teacher, or specials teacher (Art, Music, and Physical Education), everyone wants students test scores to improve and know that they contributed to it. These improved scores validate the roles and influence of educators and administrators. The purpose of this article is two-fold: (1) to assist…

Implementing Hellison's "Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility" (TPSR) system can help students take responsibility for their own behavior by helping students understand what it means to demonstrate appropriate behavior at various levels of responsibility. The levels range from zero through five and include: 0) irresponsibility, 1) respect,…

The idea that participation in sport builds character is a long-standing one. Advocates of sport participation believe that sport provides an appropriate context for the learning of social skills such as cooperation and the development of prosocial behavior (Weiss, Smith, & Stuntz, 2008). Research in sport regarding character development has…

To be successful in game play requires students to do more than merely execute sport-specific movement skills well. Students should be learning how to read specific game situations while not in possession of the ball, respond appropriately with movements to reposition themselves to gain an advantage for their team or self, react to produce…

Cross-country skiing is a great activity for taking a physical education class outside during the cold winter months. It is also a diverse activity that appeals to students of all ages, and is an excellent cardio-respiratory activity to keep students active. This article has provided the first steps in preparing a cross-country skiing lesson in…