Teach for life: September 2011

Summary of Chapters 1-3

Devon Howard

PED 201 Section 600

Professor Yang

September 19, 2011

Howard 1

Today, our youth doesn’t get near the enough physical activity that it should. This needs to change. Examples used in the book like increases of obesity, early puberty, school violence make a convincing argument that the kids of our youth are not doing things right. From chapter one, movement skill learning and physical fitness are crucial to lifetime wellness and play. Learning the fundamentals like learning to move and setting goals for children are associated with lifelong success and is a way to steer clear of obesity and violence in children. Motor development and motor skills closely correlate to physical fitness and health related fitness. Skills these kids learn early in life carry along with into adulthood. Cognitive learning is based on thinking. By means of physical education, thinking plays a large role in learning. Attitude, character and moral are aspects of positive socialization. P.E, sports, or recreation forces students to interact with others; mostly by play. Play should be carried out through life, not just childhood in my opinion.

During adolescence, kids grow differently physically and on different scales. Some factors that affect childhood growth are nutrition, physical activity, illness and the lifestyle at home. Growth retardation is a terrible thing that is influenced by malnutrition. Mostly in the first five years of life. Childhood obesity is a huge problem in today’s society and is not getting better. Obesity and it’s affect on or children impact motor development. The parents are to blame in my opinion. In children, activity promotes muscle development. Physical activity is necessary for strong, healthy kids. Secular trends means that our lifestyles have changed; causing or children to be heavier, taller

Howard 2

and to mature sexually at an earlier age compared children generations ago. Children’s development is based a lot on basic locomotor skills and motor, cognitive, and affective characteristics.

Young kids might not understand the importance of developing movement skills. But teachers teach through play. There are three categories of movement. Stability, locomotion, and manipulation can be organized according to different sport skill themes. Stability movement skills are basic like stretching. Locomotor are easy as walking/running. Manipulative skills consist or catching throwing or bouncing. These stability, locomotor and manipulative skills are choreographed into a sport or the art of making a layup in basketball. The best part is that students from a young age learn these skills through play. The most important part of this chapter in my opinion is encouragement. Us as teachers need to encourage encouragement! Kids need to believe they are needed and have support. Motivating kids is important to benefit learning and being a positive role model to the students.