Description: Unfortunatly i believe that PE is like this everywhere. There is a complete neglect on the part of the teachers and a total lack of motivation by the students. PE coaches are tired of beating their heads against the wall. They are tired of students not participating so they have given up on even trying to teach them or keep them active. Students don’t want to do the same activities everyday so they get bored. They stop participating and they don’t care about being active.
Analysis: I believe that you can’t blame either side for this problem but it must be fixed on the coaches side first. As a PE teacher you must vary the activities for your students. it is not enough to roll out a basket full of balls and tell them to play. You must teach them how to play different sports. Not everyone knows how to shoot a basketball. If a student doesn’t know how to shoot a basketball or even dribble how long do you think that student is going to participate. Students need to show more of a willingness to be active. they need to be willing to learn different activities. the problem now is that when you ask them how to shoot a basket ball they light tell you its “B” on the xbox controller. Students need to be more active.
Reflection:
John, thanks for the honest posting. I can tell that the issue is very personal and important to you. As I read your comment, I would also add that students need to know WHY they should be involved in activities. Yes, they need to know HOW, but they also need to know the rationale/reason for doing something. So, I would think that discussion about obesity and disease would be a regular part of a PE teacher’s talk with the students. “If you don’t move / exercise the body, you will be sick.”
I would encourage you and your fellow intern to ask for more teaching time. Now, since there are three teachers in the room, the students can receive more personalized attention. Consider doing stations with the students. NB