Teacher education programs use a variety of assessment strategies to help their prospective teachers acquire the teaching skills necessary to teach physical education. Some educators have criticized teacher education for perpetuating the view that learning to teach is merely a personal challenge to acquire skills such as giving clear directions…

Physical education is a prime content area for interdisciplinary learning. The movement components of physical education can be used as a medium through which children are provided with opportunities to practice and strengthen language skills. Cone, Werner, Cone, and Woods (1998, p. 4) agree: "interdisciplinary learning is an educational process…

The Editorial Board of "Strategies: A Journal for Sport and Physical Educators" would like to encourage more practicing K-12 teachers and coaches to contribute to the journal. Although the submission rate for manuscripts remains steady, they would like to see a wider and more diverse collection of topics addressed in the journal. The purpose of…

Schools play an important role in public health, and the physical, mental, and social benefits of regular physical activity for youth are well documented. Leading public health, medical, and educational organizations have made important physical activity recommendations for school-aged youth. The National Association for Sport and Physical …

Integrating other content areas into physical education does not have to come at the expense of learning and practicing movement concepts, skill themes, or fitness concepts. Through the use of the content linkage approach, physical educators can reinforce classroom content in a physical education setting. This article discusses the content linkage…

Physical educators have a responsibility to motivate students to develop personal fitness. This is a critical concept as physical education is the only part of the curriculum capable of meeting the health needs of students regarding physical activity. Current physical educators must promote fitness in ways that motivate students to engage in…

The purpose of this article is to help better prepare pre-service/student teachers for the little things they should do during their student teaching experience, while at the same time give those who work with pre-service and student teachers (PETE faculty) a reminder of little things they can emphasize to help prepare students for the student…

Visual representation and viewing are integral parts of language arts, communication, and physical education. Time constraints often limit a self-contained classroom teacher, or even the language arts teacher's ability to adequately address all areas of language arts. Therefore, it is important to include language arts in other content areas.…

Quality physical education promotes small-sided activities that can provide a high rate of participation opportunities and skill practice. Because rundowns involve game skills, a small number of participants, and require decision-making, they can be a valuable learning activity in physical education. But what approach should be used to teach this…

Approximately 100 years ago, Clark Hetherington articulated the primary aims of physical education by identifying four separate areas: (1) psychomotor, which refers to motor skills; (2) organic, the fitness factor; (3) intellectual, or the cognitive component; and (4) character which refers to the affective domain. These categories can be used to…

It is common to begin a physical education class by having students run laps. Many teachers find that doing the same running warm-up day after day leads to boredom and a lack of interest in their students. This article provides teachers with developmentally appropriate warm-up activities that will not only motivate students, but also keep them…

The assessment of fundamental motor skills in early learners is critical to the overall well-being and physical development of the students within the physical education setting. Olrich (2002) has suggested that any physical education program must be designed to assess both measures of physical fitness and fundamental motor skills in all students.…

This article considers the recent arguments by practitioners, researchers, and families on the risks and effectiveness of plyometric training for children. The authors provide practical guidelines and examples of plyometric exercises for children to promote active and healthy lifestyles as well as the development of athletic achievement. By using…

Many professionals in the field of health and physical education are engaged in advocacy efforts for positive changes at the state levels. However, some professionals feel they are not equipped to carry on a strong advocacy argument, whether at the principal's office or at some higher level office. A great time to plan, prepare, and train for a…

Most state professional associations promote and fund at some level, an advocacy program. These advocacy programs usually aim to support or plead for a program, policy, or proposal. They can range from simple communication to complex strategies, from daily interactions to annual productions, and from position papers to onsite, legislative visits.…