MOVING INTO THE FUTURE(National Standards for Physical Education)

by N.A.S.P.E.

Dr. Devinder K. Kansal, Ph.D.Head,

Deptt. of Physical Education & Sports Sciences (D.U.) and

Principal, Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education

& Sports Sciences

Current Public Health Concerns

Among children and teens aged 6 to 19 years,15 percent (almost 9 million) are over-weight,according to the 1999-2000 data from the U.S.Centres for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), or triple what the proportion was in1980. The CDC estimates sick care costsassociated with obesity, such as diabetes andheart diseases, at $100 billion a year, about 8percent of the national health care budget.

Current Public Health Concerns (Contd.)

The lack of physical activity among Americans of all ages isso critical that it is considered a major health risk factor.Physical inactivity is associated with many diseases,including stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure,osteoporosis, various cancers, diabetes, depression, andobesity. Inactivity and poor diet cause at least 300,000deaths a year in the United States – more than the numberof deaths caused by infectious diseases, firearms, motorvehicle crashes, and illicit drug use combined. PhysicalActivity and Health : A Report of the Surgeon General (U.S.Department of Health and Human Services, 1996) reportsthat Americans become increasingly less active with eachyear of age. Research links inactivity among children tosedentary living among adults. Thus, it is criticallyimportant that children and teens become more active.

Vision for Physically Educated Persons

All children and youth will display the skillsand practices of a physically active lifestyle,knowing the benefits of their choice to beinvolved in physical activity. They will bephysically fit and have a mindset that valuesphysical activity and its benefits in sustaininghealthy lifestyles.

Beliefs

• Providing children and youth with physicalactivity opportunities both in and out of school iscritical.

• Helping them develop the knowledge and skills toselect and participate in physical activity safely,competently, and with personal satisfaction is aresponsibility of physical education.

• Physical education should also be a place wherestudents learn to value physical activity(Siedentop, 1996).

Beliefs (Contd.)• One of NASPE’s key beliefs is that every student in our

nation’s schools, from kindergarten through grade 12,should have the opportunity to participate in qualityphysical education.

• It is the unique role of quality physical education programsto help all students develop health-related fitness, physicalcompetence, cognitive understanding, and positive attitudeabout physical activity so that they can adopt healthy andphysically active lifestyles. Quality physical educationprograms are also important because they provide learningexperiences that meet youngsters’ developmental needs,which in turn helps to improve their mental alertness,academic performance, and readiness and enthusiasm forlearning.

• Accordingly to NASPE guidelines, a high-quality physicaleducation program includes the following components:opportunity to learn, meaningful content, and appropriateinstruction.

Opportunity to Learn

• Instructional periods totaling a minimum of 150 minutesper week (elementary) and 225 minutes per week (middleand secondary school).

• Qualified physical education specialists providing adevelopmentally appropriate program.

• Related NASPE document that lists qualifications forteachers in physical education : National Standards forBeginning Physical Education Teachers, 1995.

• Adequate equipment and facilities.• Related NASPE document that ensure students the

“opportunity to learn” in physical education : Opportunityto Learn Standards for Elementary Physical Education,2000; Physical Education Program Improvement and Self-Study Guide for Middle School, 1998; and PhysicalEducation Program Improvement and Self-Study Guide forHigh School, 1998.

Meaningful Content

• Instruction in a variety of motor skills that are designed to enhance thephysical, mental, and social/emotional development of every child.

• Fitness education and assessment to help children understand,improve, and/or maintain their physical well-being.

• Development of cognitive concepts about motor skill and fitness.

• Opportunities to improve their emerging social and cooperative skillsand gain a multicultural perspective.

• Promotion of regular amounts of appropriate physical activity now andthroughout life.

• Related NASPE documents that specify what students “should knowand be able to do” relative to physical activity and exercise : Movinginto the Future : National Standards for Physical Education, 2nd edition,2004; Concepts & Principles of Physical Education : What Every StudentNeeds to Know, 2003; Active Start : A Statement of Physical ActivityGuidelines for Children Birth to Five Year, 2002; and Physical Activity forChildren : A Statement of Guidelines for Children Ages 5-12, 2004.

Appropriate Instruction

• Full inclusion of all students.• Maximum practice opportunities for class activities.• Well-designed lessons that facilitate student learning.• Out-of-school assignments that support learning, practice,

and establishing life-long habits.• No use of physical activity as punishment.• Use of regular assessment to monitor, reinforce, and plan

for student learning.• Related NASPE documents that offer appropriate

instructional practice at elementary, middle, and highschool levels : Appropriate Practices for Elementary SchoolPhysical Education, 2000; Appropriate Practices for MiddleSchool Physical Education, 2001; and Appropriate Practicesfor High School Physical Education, 2004.

Taken together, the documents included inthis list describe standards for quality physicaleducation at elementary, middle, and highschool levels, in addition to standards forthose training to teach physical education inour nation’s schools.

Physical education is an integral part of the totaleducation of every child from kindergarten throughgrade 12. Quality physical education programs areneeded to increase the physical competence, health-related fitness, self-responsibility, and enjoyment ofphysical activity for all students so that they can bephysically active for a life-time. Physical educationprograms can provide these benefits only if they arewell-planned and well-implemented so that theyinclude the following :-

• Skill development : Physical Education develops motorskills that allow for safe, successful, and satisfyingparticipation in physical activities.

• Regular, healthful physical activity : Physical educationprovides a wide range of developmentally appropriateactivities for all children and youth. It encouragesyoung people to choose to be physically active andaware of the benefits of such a choice.

• Improved physical fitness : Quality physical educationimproves cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength,flexibility, muscular endurance, and body composition.

• Support for other subject areas : Physical educationreinforces knowledge learned across the curriculumand serves as a laboratory for application of content inscience, math, and social studies.

• Self-discipline : Physical education facilitatedevelopment of responsibility for personalhealth, safety, and fitness.

• Improved judgment : Quality physical educationinfluences moral development. Students learn toassume leadership, cooperate with others, andaccept responsibility for their own behavior.

• Stress reduction : Physical activity becomes anoutlet for releasing tension and anxiety andfacilitates emotional stability and resilience.

• Strengthened peer relations : Physical education is amajor force in helping children and youth socialize withothers successfully and provides opportunities to learnpositive social skills. Especially during late childhoodand adolescence, being able to participate in dances,games, and sports is an important part of youth andpeer cultures.

• Improved self-confidence and self-esteem : Physicaleducation instills a stronger sense of self-worth inyoung people based on their mastery of skills andconcepts in physical activity. They become moreconfident, assertive, independent, and self-controlled.

• Experiencing goal setting : Physical education giveschildren and youth the opportunity to set and strive forpersonal, achievable goals.

New Research to Support Physical Activity

The landmark Physical Activity and Health : A Report ofthe Surgeon General (U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services, 1996) identified the substantial healthbenefits of regular participation in physical activity;they include reduced risks of dying prematurely fromheart disease and of developing diabetes, high bloodpressure, and colon cancer. According to the SurgeonGeneral, the health benefits of physical activity are notlimited to adults. Regular participation in physicalactivity during childhood and adolescence helps buildand maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints;controls weights; builds lean muscle; and reducesfeelings of depression and anxiety.

In 1998, NASPE introduced the first-ever physicalactivity guidelines for children 5 to 12 years ofage, calling for a minimum of 30 minutes ofphysical activity per day. That recommendationwas recently revised to include a minimum of 60minutes and up to several hours of physicalactivity per day (National Association for Sportand Physical Education, 2004). Theserecommendations are not surprising given thatinactivity has contributed to the recent epidemicof obesity in the United States and that sedentaryliving is a known threat to health.

In 2002, NASPE completed its lifespan physicalactivity recommendations by releasing physicalactivity guidelines for babies, infants, andtoddlers (National Association for Sports andPhysical Education, 2002). Adopting a physicallyactive lifestyle early in life increases the likelihoodthat infants and young children will learn to moveskillfully. Promoting and fostering enjoyment ofmovement and motor skill confidence andcompetence at an early age helps to ensurehealthy development and later participation inphysical activity.

It is hard to change sedentary habits that havebeen formed. Experts agree that childhood isthe time to begin development of activelifestyles, and adolescence is an importanttime to prevent the decline that traditionally isobserved in physical activity levels. Therefore,it is important to equip our young people withthe fitness levels, knowledge, motor skills, andpersonal/social skills they need to be activenow and in the future.

There is a relationship between habits in early life andphysical activity in adults. In a recent study, Taylor,Blair, Cummings, Wun, and Malina (1999) analyzedvarious components of activity during childhood andadolescence and compared them to activity habits inadults. A positive relationship was found between teenskill level and adult activity levels, as well as betweenparticipation in team sports as preteens and adultactivity levels. Providing young people with qualityphysical education to improve their skills andconfidence appears to have positive consequences forlater activity.

THANK YOU

FOR YOUR PATIENT HEARING