Let’s be honest, most people think negatively of gym teachers. There’s this stereotype towards them because many people assume that the only thing they do is tell little kid’s to run around and that it's an "easy job".
Sometimes, even I fall into that line of thinking and I have to take a step back and remind myself that it involves way more than that. Even as I was reading this article, the term “physically literate” came up and I made this little “ahh” sound. That honestly makes so much sense. It’s really an art and it’s an art that a physical educators have to teach.
I've inserted this cute video that I think sums the term physically literate quite well.
Questions
1. How do we remove this stereotype off of gym teachers?
2. Do you find that some school's fail student's in becoming physically literate?
3. Why do you think people just place disciplinary literacy in certain subjects? Why isn't physical education also included as one of these subjects? Do you think that goes hand in hand with question one? (I know that's like 3 questions, I'm sorry.)
Thanks! Have a great weekend!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis is extremely interesting. Gym teachers are teaching us a lot of things besides just running around.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, Madiha
DeleteBesan,
ReplyDeleteI feel that gym teachers are removing this stereotype themselves because many gym classes now incorporate other health topics such as nutrition and aspects of sex ed curriculum (depending on age group).
I do feel that many students are only receiving the physical outlet aspect of gym class and not learning valuable information about nutrition and eating habits.
Physical education is becoming more and more important now that schools have implemented more specific food types and kinds into their schools.
Hi Andrea,
DeleteBut do you feel as if they go into detail about these topics or are they very basic lessons? I never really went into depth in gym class. How do we get these students to be learning the valuable information that you speak of?
I think it really depends on what you see from your teachers. I know some PE teachers who hate when they are called gym teachers because of that negative connotation. PE is physical education and there are teachers that do educate you. I know my PE teacher in elementary school was a health crazed activist for children to eat healthy and get exercise. She also taught us about the brain and heart and all the valves inside it. But when she taught us it all, she incorporated physical activity while we learned it. I think if people saw what teachers actually did in class and didn't just see them playing games, then the stereotype might change some. I think that the thought of literacy in PE doesn't really exist because there are no textbooks or readings that you typically have to do. But there is a different language and terminology that is used in PE that you may not learn if PE is your only way to be around physical activity.
ReplyDeleteI think it really depends on what you see from your teachers. I know some PE teachers who hate when they are called gym teachers because of that negative connotation. PE is physical education and there are teachers that do educate you. I know my PE teacher in elementary school was a health crazed activist for children to eat healthy and get exercise. She also taught us about the brain and heart and all the valves inside it. But when she taught us it all, she incorporated physical activity while we learned it. I think if people saw what teachers actually did in class and didn't just see them playing games, then the stereotype might change some. I think that the thought of literacy in PE doesn't really exist because there are no textbooks or readings that you typically have to do. But there is a different language and terminology that is used in PE that you may not learn if PE is your only way to be around physical activity.
ReplyDeleteI see what you're saying. It really is all about the teacher and how far they go in a students education. I believe that there's a negative stereotype for general education teachers and just like physical education teachers, they need to see how much they go through. I agree with you. However, there may not be literacy but even being introduced to vocabulary is a form of literacy.
DeleteHi Besan,
ReplyDeleteI really loved your blog post. Great job! I am placed at Wells Prep right now and the P.E. teacher over there hates it when he is called the gym teacher. You have to call him the physical education teacher. I know the kids there do more than just work out. One of my students was telling me about how they do cardio in gym, and she explained to me what it was. I think that the games or workouts that they do in gym class are aligned with an exercise type and the students are education on a lot more. This can include nutrition, health, body etc. When I had gym in elementary school, I was taught about the heart among a ton of other stuff. I completely agree with Andrea when she explains that teachers are removing the stereotype themselves because of the way that they are planning their class and the content that they teach students in regards to physical education as well.
I really enjoyed your blog!
Resilda
Hey Resilda,
DeleteHe has a right to be called a physical education teacher. I agree. I refer to them as gym teachers sometimes so now I need to stop. Yes, definitely, it all falls back to something and we may see them running, but it's so much more than that.
Thanks,
Besan Mohammad
Besan I love the video! :D
ReplyDeleteI think that to break the stereotype we need to stress the importance of movement and physical literacy to our students to help them better understand exactly why PE is so important! We focus so much on the development of students cognitively that we forgot that students also developmentally have gross and fine motor needs to exercise too! PE has it's own domain of vocabulary and skill sets that are important knowledge for the students to learn as well.
Becca
Thanks, Becca!
DeleteYes, not only should teachers physically emphasize the importance but we should too. Definitely agree with you, girl!
Besan
I thought the gym teachers had it easy when I first did my observations at Smyth IB School during my freshman and sophomore year. The teacher would just bring out the basketballs, volleyballs, hula-hoops, and jump ropes and have the students just select whatever they wanted while she "observed" the students at her chair. That would be the only time that I thought of my gym teacher being lazy and having an "easy job". But after looking back at my own experiences and seeing how my gym teachers got us working, got us using our terminology, using our cognitive learning skills and etc. I think we need to remove the stereotype off of gym teachers but really allowing the students be reminded that doing exercise is something that kids and adults need to do to stay healthy and really emphasize that teachers even gym teachers are working hard to do what they do at their jobs. I believe that some schools fail their students from being physically literate and I say this because of the topics that a lot of schools are doing in gym class. What I mean is that the schools lack in resources, which can happen, but because of the lack of resources, some teachers don't take the opportunity to really sit down and talk with their students about health with or without equipment and just doing simple workouts or simple social skills/tasks that'll help them in the long run of their lives!
ReplyDeleteI was at Smyth, I remember. Now though looking at it from a different perspective I look at it the same way you do! Yes, resources shouldn't stop teachers from talking with their students about health.
DeleteThanks,
Besan
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Besan,
ReplyDeleteLove your post, it's so interesting. I think that gym teachers teach us more than just physical exercise. I remember our gym teachers in high school taught us the anatomy of our bodies, which included writing exams. In a way this incorporated disciplinary literacy, because we were reading and writing about anatomy. So we can remove the stereotype about gym teachers just making us do physical labor, by remembering the lessons they have taught us, whether it's related to anatomy or physical health.
Thanks, Eman! Love your comment! Yes, my high school teachers did the same thing! Do you feel that should be incorporated as a younger age?
DeleteHi Darin,
ReplyDeleteI love your post. I find this topic to be very interesting and important. During my field work I actually have noticed the students being physically active in gym. The teacher was introducing the students to the physical tasks they will be tested on (which I know is a little harsh considering not everyone is physically able to get the perfect gym score on a sit and reach test), but he was also teaching them about the anatomy of the body. Further, at McClellan, my teacher made the students stand up during the start of class, so they can stretch and do a couple exercising to stay focused. I found this to be very helpful to students, since they were very engaged after this activity.
Awesome questions Besan. I think there is a stereotype that P.E. teachers just have students run around and throw balls to each other, so it's seen as unimportant. A lot of other teachers seem to just see gym as a time for the kids to be active so that they will be calm and still the rest of the day. I think part of it is because health isn't that important for a lot of people in this country. This ties into the second question because there are so many adults who do not know a lot of basic things about their body. To me, that seems like the schools failed them. Maybe if P.E. was taken more seriously it would be considered to have its own literacy.
ReplyDeleteHi Besan! Growing up in China, I felt the same way that all the thing gym teachers asked us to do is running, running, running! But after I saw gym teacher in my placement, I changed my mind. I saw gym teachers asked students to count numbers while they are exercising, such as count by 5', 10', 15' to 100. I also saw teachers wanted students to read instructions on the board. Gym teachers are not only teaching physical stuff, they also combine other subjects in the activities.
ReplyDeleteBean,
ReplyDeleteI think one way to make pe more valid is by having pe incorporate a health class in it as well. The students can learn things about how the body works, what muscles are used during certain exercises and I think that's what will make it a more valid class. The students can be assessed later too to see if they're retaining the knowledge taught in class.