Physical Education Philosophy Statement
Physical Education is the process through which young people develop skills,
knowledge, experience, and a positive attitude to lead a healthy lifestyle. A physical
education program must include three domains: cognitive, psychomotor and affective
ways of learning. In the cognitive domain, students will learn information of how to keep
themselves physically fit and how to live long and healthy lives. In the psychomotor
domain, students will meet fitness standards and develop the proper skills to participate in
all movements patterns through physical activities. In the affective domain, students will
be taught how to work with and respect one another while participating in physical
activity. They will also learn values through this domain such as, being on time to class,
dressing properly, and learning what work ethic is through physical activity instead of
just going through the motions. In order for a successful physical education curriculum
to be implemented these three domains must be evident on a daily basis through the use
of objectives. Now that Physical Education has been defined, it is important that I
discuss why it is necessary for all students.
The current status of Physical Education is that there is a need for teachers, and by
2010 the country will need more that one million new teachers (NASPE, 2001). Physical
Education is considered an elective among the core subjects and is one of the first
subjects that gets cut due to financial issues. Currently, Illinois is the only state that
requires daily physical education for all K-12 students. It is also one of the major states
experiencing high obesity rates, as well as having many other students that are over
weight. It is my belief that all states should require daily Physical Education among all
K-12 schools, because I believe it would be a major step to reaching the goals set by
Healthy People 2010.
I feel that Physical Education is necessary to sustain health. A large number of
adults and students do not participate in a regular physical activity program to keep
themselves free from developing diseases. Physical activity implemented during the
childhood years stimulates growth and motor development. If sustained throughout
adulthood it may prevent the onset of degenerative diseases. Regular physical activity
reduces the risk of dying prematurely, heart disease, high blood pressure, developing
cancer, and many other things. It is also important to include physical activity at a young
age because it can help develop social interactions and successful academic experiences.
If implemented correctly it can also promote eye-hand coordination, balance,
communication skills and sportsmanship. Another reason that Physical Education is
necessary is that students need to be able to understand how to manage their personal and
community resources. When they learn how to do this they will be able to acquire the
knowledge and ability to create and maintain a safe environment for themselves.
Through Physical Education students will to learn how to perform a variety of physical
activities, be physically fit, participate regularly, understand the benefits of involvement,
and the values of physical activity with its contribution to a healthy lifestyle.
Now that a basis of why physical education is necessary has been discussed it is
important to share how it has impacted my life. Through physical education I have
learned how to perform in lifetime and outdoor activities that will keep me active and
most likely in-shape for the rest of my life. Physical Education helped me develop many
relationships, because the majority of my friends are people who I have participated with
or against in activities throughout my life. Physical Education has also me many life
lessons, and has taught me how to have fun with physical activities out side of class, by
gathering friends to go out and play. Lastly, Physical Education has taught me many
values such as how to be responsible for my own actions, the importance of being on
time and prepared, and it has taught me how to use teamwork to achieve a common goal.
I owe a lot of my successes in life to the Physical Education Curriculum taught at my
high school, and I hope I’ll be able to give something back to my community some day
by teaching others how to achieve and maintain health through physical activity.