Philosophy Testimonial 1

Philosophy Testimonial

Megan Lee

Louisiana State University

Quality physical education is an integral part of all students schooling experience because

it gives them an opportunity to enhance their learning through the integration of all three learning

domains. Teaching the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains means that physical

education teachers have the opportunity to teach the whole child. Each domain is special as it

focuses on the different aspects of a student’s individual education. SHAPE America states that,

“Physical education addresses the three domains of learning: cognitive or mental skills related to

the knowledge of movement; affective, which addresses growth in feelings or attitudes; and

psychomotor, which relates to the manual or physical skills related to movement literacy”

(SHAPE America, 2014, p. 4). Being able to teach every aspect of the student gives physical

education the opportunity to teach students life long skills such as how to be physically active for

life as well as personal and social responsibility. The end goal of my physical education program

is for students to build a positive relationship with PA, learn how to become a success lifetime

learner, and transfer these skills outside of the classroom.

I believe that students should leave my classroom with a developed positive relationship

with physical activity. When I say relationship with physical activity I mean that students:

understand and apply the skills and tactics behind being physically active, know how being

physically active effects their lives, as well as understand what they personally enjoy about

physical activity. By building a personal relationship, I believe students will be more likely to

participate in physical activity for a lifetime. The purpose of building a relationship with physical
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activity is that it helps students find meaning in physical activity as it pertains to their own life.

Finding meaning, in turn, helps students value physical activity. The article “Assessing the

meaning standard in physical activity” helps us understand why valuing physical activity is

important, “Students who value physical activity are more likely to participate in physical

activity both as youths as well as adults” (Johnson 2016). To help student build this relationship I

will plan lessons that ask critical questions about students’ experiences with physical activity.

For example, I would pose the question “When participating in your favorite physical activity,

how does it make you feel?”. After the prompt, I would give the students time to write in their

physical activity journal. As students write in their journals they get the opportunity to

comprehend and reflect on how physical activity relates to their lives. The act of posing critical

questions about the students’ individual physical activity relationship helps the students begin to

internalize their experiences leading them to value physical activity. As said above valuing

physical education is the key to having students become active for a lifetime.

While students begin to value physical activity through the building of a positive

relationship with physical activity, they must gain the knowledge to become a lifetime learner.

All students are unique and learn in a variety of different ways. As a teacher I believe in helping

each student learn in a way that works best for them. To accommodate the range of learning

styles in each classroom, I will create a student centered environment. This means that I will

progressively teach students how to take control of their learning. To do this I will begin each

year directing the students and slowly give them more control as they show they are capable of

proper decision making. According to Goodyear and Dudley (2015) “Student-centered

approaches entail developing students’ ability to become their own teachers and supporting them

to know how to evaluate knowledge claims, and how to learn…”.

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Like the quote emphasizes, a student centered environment gives the children the opportunity to

teach themselves, which in turn teaches them how they learn. When students understand how

they learn they are given the tools to become a lifetime learner.

Becoming a lifetime learner and building a relationship with physical activity allow

students to transfer physical education outside of the classroom. When students are learners for a

lifetime, they are given the opportunity to learn new skills in many aspects, not just physical

activity. These learning skills can be used throughout life even after students are no longer in the

classroom. Just like learning for a lifetime transfers physical education outside of the classroom,

so does building a relationship with physical activity. Through the building of a positive

relationship with physical activity, students are more likely to become proponents of lifetime

physical activity. Becoming a physical active individual for a lifetime is something that you

carry with you far beyond the physical education classroom.

All students should be given the opportunity to participate in physical education as it is a

class that will benefit them for life. Through the building of a positive relationship with physical

activity and learning how to become a lifetime learner my students will experience a quality

physical education class.

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References

America, SHAPE. (2015). The essential components of physical education. Reston, VA: Author.

Goodyear, V., & Dudley, D. (n.d.). “I’m a facilitator of learning!” Understanding What Teachers

and Students Do Within Student-Centered Physical Education Models

Johnson, T. G. (2016). Physical activity stories: assessing the “meaning standard” in physical

education. JOPERD: The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 87(4),

11–17.