Force Field Analysis Paper

The FitnessGram is series of tests used to measure the aerobic capacity, physical endurance, height, weight, and flexibility of students. These tests are administered to students by teachers in their physical education classes to gauge their student’s physical capabilities. These tests are mandatory for all able-bodied students to take. The FitnessGram isn’t particularly well liked by students, however many teachers do claim taking them allows students to make healthier choices in their lives. The following paragraphs will outline some benefits and drawbacks of FitnessGram testing.

The need for quality physical education in elementary schools is an important needed foundation for young children to maintain a future healthy lifestyle. The benefits of having physical education in elementary schools are endless. For example, physical education helps fight childhood obesity, lower the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and promote active children to be active adults. However, the rhetoric surrounding physical education in these schools are

Systematic reviews have suggested that those under the age of 18 years of age should have at least 60 minutes/day of physical activity in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle (Janssen & LeBlanc, 2010). As emphasized before, exercise should and may be incorporated whenever possible. Curriculums with physical education included may optimize what is already present, such as breaks between classes and programs that can be offered before or after school. Naperville, Illinois created an exercise model in which P.E. classes were scheduled before academic classes to give the children a boost and to create an enhanced state of attention (Ratey, 2009). These P.E. classes focused on the individual student’s fitness abilities and encouraged students to increase their heart rate by 80 to 90 percent, monitored by a heart monitor, at their own ideal pace. Exercising before the hardest classes allowed the students to relax and to clear their mind, so as to be able to focus on the next subject fully. Naperville’s model proved to be successful, and showed that a class of 230,000 eighth-grade students finished first in science in the world, and sixth in mathematics on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 1999 (Ratey, 2009). Not only that, 3 percent of an entire sophomore

As a child in elementary school, I always looked forward to one class and the was physical education. Being a little child, full of energy, I always wanted to run around and play a game of some sort. School districts are starting to cut these classes to make more time for the core classes, which are English, social studies, and math. One-third of students under the age of 17 are overweight, and 1/6 of the students, that are overweight are obese (Costanza par. 6). Cutting physical education classes are a big reason to blame for this. Many kid are not getting their recommended 60 minutes of physical activity in a day. Most kids get most of their recommended time of physical activity through physical education classes at school. So if physical

Despite this popular belief, the class of physical education truly is beneficial for students at the elementary level. Most kids like to run around and have a good time, which is exactly what physical education is for. As shown in the graph from “Percentage of Youth Who Were Physically Active, By Number of Days Per Week and Sex,” only about twenty percent of adolescents were active five days per week. By keeping the physical education program, students will participate in five days of physical activity per week, which is a healthy amount. If students play on sports teams instead of physical education, they may only have two or three days of physical activity per week. Additionally, the five days of activity per week could help lower obesity rates which was shown to be nearly twenty percent in adolescents ages twelve to nineteen in the graph “Prevalence of Obesity Among Children and Adolescents Aged 2-19, by Sex and Age: United

It is clear that childhood obesity is a rising epidemic in the United States, and one without a cure. The focus on this topic needs to be shifted to preventative measures in order to halt the increasing numbers. There are significant health consequences that come along with being overweight or obese, most of which do not show up until later in life, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, sleep apnea, and type II diabetes. On top of the risk of health conditions, carrying excess weight has also been linked to negatively impacting a child’s life psychologically and socially (Cawley, 2013). An extensive number of children are not getting any physical activity outside of school, advocating that physical education programs in schools across the nation need to be implemented to get young children moving. In order to impact the increasing numbers of childhood obesity, physical education classes need to be structured so that moderate to vigorous physical activity is attained for the majority of the class and that children are compliant with the activities in physical education classes. However, a staggering amount of research proves that participation in physical education classes will contribute to lower levels of obesity in children- when conducted at the recommended dosage- by getting children active, by teaching children knowledge of necessary health

“Almost seven in 10 parents say their child’s school does not provide daily physical education even though experts recommend 150 to 225 minutes per school week” (HSPH). Obesity is a major public health crisis among children and adults, and it is one of the leading causes of death. Over the years, childhood obesity has become an increasing and ongoing concern for many parents, in regards to their child’s health and well being. The lack of Physical Education in public schools has decreased over the years, and it is no longer mandatory for a student to take P.E or even some schools have banned P.E classes. U.S public schools have failed to comply with the recommended guidelines in the CDC for public school physical education, which states one should do “30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on all, or most, days of the week” (CDC). It is sad to see that most public schools can not even take 30 minutes to work out their students and as obesity concerns rise, physical education classes are being cut. It just does not make any sense.

One of the main ways to end child obesity is to bring back physical education. According to nationalacademies.org “nearly half of school administrators (44%) reported cutting significant time from physical education and recess” (Institute of Medicine). Since kids spend the majority of the day in school it would only make sense to include some sort of physical exercise at some point in their day. The removal of physical education has a detrimental impact on kids, branding in them that physical education simply is not as important as their academic education. The

Physical exercise is a necessity in schools because children and young adults need the physical exercise and the endorphin production. “Gym classes provide students with physical exercise on a consistent basis. It is particularly important for the physical well-being of children who do not engage in physical activities

Fitness in most schools is generalized to a class, called Physical Education also know as P.E. and besides recess this class will be the only time these students will exercise majority of their days. More often than not the students who actually participate in P.E. are those who are more “genetically gifted” while others are more reluctant to participate, due to many reasons such as being overweight, lacking of abilities or coordination, fear of being tormented or bullied by fellow classmates. This causes many students to do only the minimum amount of work in order to pass this class. While Physical Education is a required class for all students to take, most did not want to participate in this course. Acknowledging this

“Physical education hopes to accomplish, to engage all students, not just the athlete elite, in fun activities that will instill a lifelong commitment to fitness.” (Johnson, 264). Physical education in the classroom can be a vital steeping stone to the way that teenagers think about fitness. Lifelong fitness is something that everyone should be guaranteed, it mainly depends on the experience that a teenager has. Like many other subjects in school, the

As a person over 40 who is pursuing a career as Physical Education Teacher, I was a little intimated by the Fitnessgram test. I am a person is currently overweight in the process of getting back in shape. Even though, I am not in the best of shape currently, it is important that I have a better understanding of how to improve the overall fitness of my students and myself. As this paper goes on, I will discuss my results in aerobic capacity, muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility and body mass index. After I have discussed my results, the paper will end with my personal fitness plans.

For PDSA cycle I chose to use data notebooks during the Fitnessgram testing. I chose these because they are engaging, interactive, and they promote sharing, trusting, teambuilding, reflection, and coaching. (Pitas, 2000) In physical education I am always looking for ways for students to reflect on their exercise habits in and set goals for their future. I want to educate students to be healthy for a lifetime and what better way than for them to tract their own exercise and reflect on how it’s working. They would be sharing their beliefs with me along with their goals. They would trust me to help them achieve their goals as well as their personal information on how they want to portray

Lorenz, Kent A, et al. “Does Fitness Make the Grade? The Relationship between Elementary Students, Physical Fitness and Academic Grades.” Health Education Journal, vol. 76, no. 3, 21 Oct. 2016, pp. 302–312., doi:10.1177/0017896916672898.

Sedentary living is one of the biggest obstacles public education is facing right now. In fact, according to Nilofer Merchant, a board member for both public and private boards, and a professor at Stanford University, “Sitting is the smoking of our generation” (Merchant). To combat this issue, gym class has been implemented nationwide. Gym class is one of those courses every student must take at some point, but never enjoys. For a while now, students and parents alike have argued against the course, but is it more beneficial than they may realize? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Children and adolescents should do 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity each day,” something many children are unable to achieve otherwise (Centers). From its educational aspects, about both the individual student and about healthy living, to its required exercise components, gym class should continue to be mandatory for all students.