PHYSICAL

EDUCATION
and HEALTH I
(History, Definition, Objectives and
Overview of Physical Education and
Physical Fitness)

Liceo – De La Salle Senior High School

Online Fitness Class
AY 2020-2021

Prepared by:
Mr. Jade C. Alarcon, LPT
Subject Teacher
I. HISTORY OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

From the late 1700s to the mid-1800s, three nations–Germany, Sweden, and
England–influenced the early development of physical education in the United States.
 German immigrants introduced the Turner Societies, which advocated a
system of gymnastics training that utilized heavy apparatus (e.g., side horse,
parallel and horizontal bars) in the pursuit of fitness.
 In contrast, the Swedish system of exercise promoted health through the
performance of a series of prescribed movement patterns with light apparatus
(e.g., wands, climbing ropes).
 The English brought sports and games to America with a system that stressed
moral development through participation in physical activities. The influence
of these three nations laid the foundation for sport and physical education in
America.
The 1800s were an important time for the inclusion of physical education in
schools across America. The Round Hill School, a private school established in 1823 in
Northampton, Massachusetts, was the first to include physical education as an integral
part of the curriculum. In 1824 Catherine Beecher, founder of the Hartford Female
Seminary, included calisthenics in her school's curriculum and "was the first American to
design a program of exercise for American children" (Lumpkin, p. 202). In 1866
California became the first state to pass a law requiring twice-per-day exercise periods in
public schools.
In 1893 Thomas Wood stated that "the great thought of physical education is not
the education of the physical nature, but the relation of physical training to complete
education, and then the effort to make the physical contribute its full share to the life of
the individual" (National Education Association, p. 621). In line with the work of Wood
in physical education, and the theoretical work of prominent educational
psychologists, The New Physical Education was published in 1927 by Wood and
Rosalind Cassidy, who advocated education through the physical.

CURRICULUM

According to the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation

and Dance (AAHPERD), a quality physical education program for grades K–12 includes
instructional periods totaling at least 150 minutes per week at the elementary level and
225 minutes at the secondary level, qualified physical education specialists, and adequate
equipment and facilities.
More specifically, the elementary curriculum should include many enjoyable
activities that lead to the acquisition and refinement of fundamental motor patterns (e.g.,
running, skipping, jumping, catching, throwing, striking, balancing) that can be applied in
game, sport, dance, and gymnastics contexts. This curriculum pattern teaches children to
move while challenging them to explore, modify, and refine motor patterns, and it can be
used as a vehicle for teaching physical education. The activity based approach is the most
common curriculum pattern used in both middle schools and high schools. This curricular
 pattern uses activity units in sport, fitness, and dance (e.g., volleyball, aerobic dance,
swimming) to teach physical education.
Middle school curriculums should include a wide variety of team and individual
sports utilizing motor skills introduced and refined at the elementary level. High school
curriculums should focus on lifetime sports skills (e.g., golf, tennis, aerobic dance), with
a secondary emphasis on team sports. During the high school years, students should
become highly proficient in one (or more) sport and/or fitness activity of their own
choosing. However, regardless of the level of schooling, fitness forms the base of the
curriculum and it is an integral part of the program.

IMPORTANCE OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Physical education is beneficial for both the bodies and minds of students. By
being more active, students will also benefit by being able to better avoid injury, they will
have more confidence, and they can see improved mental health. It's important to educate
students on the benefits of playground and in-school physical activity and instruct them
on issues related to the human body and other health-related issues to give them a better
understanding of how their body works.

II. DEFINITION OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION

It is an integral part of education program designed to promote the optimum

development of the individual physically, socially, emotionally and mentally through
total body movement in the performance of properly selected physical activities.
Physical education helps students develop physical skills and confidence. For example:
 Elementary and middle school curriculum includes activities that help kids obtain
and improve skills, such as running, catching, throwing, and striking, applicable to
sports such as baseball, volleyball, or karate. Balancing skills could be applied to
dance or gymnastics.
 High school curriculum should focus on lifetime sports skills like tennis or aerobic
dance, with a secondary emphasis on team sports.
Physical education develops fitness and fosters the desire for lifelong participation in
physical activity. High school curriculum prepares students to become highly proficient in
one or more sport and/or fitness activity of their choice.
Physical education classes teach the health benefits of regular exercise and healthy food
choices along with the risks of inactivity and poor diet. Students of all ages might be asked
to dedicate themselves to making a few small improvements in diet and exercise for a period
of six weeks. They would be expected to journal about how they feel during the process and
reflect on how these changes affect performance and mood.
Physical education also helps students develop social skills. For example, team sports
help them learn to respect others, contribute to a team goal, and socialize as a productive
member of a team.
III. FOUR OBJECTIVES OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION
1. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Through careful selected physical activities an individual who participates actively
will develop and maintain good health and a high level of physical fitness. The
acquisition of physical skills can motivate an individual to participate, further in physical
activities hence his growth and development will be enhanced.
Goals: Developing control over the body, particularly muscles and physical
coordination.
2. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Participation in the physical education activities provides opportunities for the
development of desirable social traits needed for adjustment to the social life in general.
Goals: Process of change exhibited by individuals resulting from their interaction
with other individuals, social institutions, and social customs.

3. EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The informal nature of physical education activities offers opportunities for self-
expression and emotional mastery.
Goals: Combination of learning diplomacy and truthfulness to interact with
individuals or groups in a manner that contributes positively to members of society.
4. MENTAL DEVELOPMENT
Through participation in physical education activities individual develops his mental
capacities as he learns the mechanical principles underlying movement, as he acquired
knowledge and understanding of the rules and strategies of the games and sports, and as
he discovers the ways of improving his movement in different physical activities.

Goals: Construction of mind activity such as thought processes, memory, problem

solving and decision making as well as overall intelligence

IV. DEFINITION OF PHYSICAL FITNESS

Physical fitness refers to a set of attributes which enable an individual to

be physically active. Being physically fit enables you to more easily meet the physical
demands of everyday living and respond positively to increased physical demands
under stressful conditions.
The term is often associated with health and well-being, since being physically fit
is usually associated with improved health such as heart and lung function
(cardiovascular fitness). Another attribute of physical fitness, muscular fitness (muscle
strength, endurance and flexibility) contributes to ease of movement when completing
everyday tasks, and also protects your body from injury when performing daily
activities.
 Your physical build (body weight, body mass index, body composition, and waist
circumference) is also considered an attribute of physical fitness as the components of
your physical build can positively or negatively affect your physical fitness and health.
This definition of physical fitness is often referred to as "health-related" physical
fitness: physical fitness that most people can attain and maintain throughout life by
being physically active.
Physical fitness refers to the ability of your body systems to work together
efficiently to allow you to be healthy and perform activities of daily living. Being
efficient means doing daily activities with the least effort possible.
 A fit person is able to perform schoolwork, meet home responsibilities,
and still have enough energy to enjoy sport and other leisure activities.
 A fit person can respond effectively to normal life situations, such as
raking leaves at home, stocking shelves at a part-time job, and marching in
the band at school.
 A fit person can also respond to emergency situations - for example, by
running to get help or aiding a friend in distress.

V. REFERENCES:

 https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2324/Physical-
Education.html?fbclid=IwAR0Nq15QNS8-fwNyvgvqhGvxx-
0cMWUHN4G4LRurKQUURs2tJNK1ca7PwCU#ixzz6Wi2lSM59https://us.humankineti
cs.com/blogs/excerpt/what-is-physical-fitness
 https://ahealthyphilosophy.com/article/defining-fitness
 Bouchard, C., Blair, S. N., & Haskell, W. L. (2006). Physical activity and health.
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetic.
 LUMPKIN, ANGELA. 1994. Physical Education and Sport: A Contemporary
Introduction, 3rd edition. St. Louis: Mosby.
 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR SPORT AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION. 1992. The
Physically Educated Person. Reston, VA: National Association for Sport and Physical
Education.