Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes

The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills demonstrates ways to implement and teach 21^st century skills to students in all grades across the United States.  There website http://www.p21.org/index.php supports the infusion of cores subjects and 21^st century skills.  They provide current information about their efforts to implement their lessons, strategies and resources to aid classroom teachers and schools looking to provide their students with the skills needed to succeed in a the ever-expanding technology-savvy world of the 21^st century.

Their mission http://www.p21.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=188&Itemid=110 to combine teaching the “three R’s” with the “four C’s” (Critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration and creativity and innovation) helped me development a better understanding of what it means to prepare our students for higher education and a workforce that demands technology skills that exceed the typical classroom today.  Teaching the “four C’s” within the core subjects is crucial for our students’ success after high school and supports collaborative efforts between schools and business.

I have one major issue with the organization’s idea of core subjects http://www.p21.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=57&Itemid=120 .  The problem I have is my subject area does not exist on their list.  They do not indicate the importance or even recognize physical education or health as a core subject.  However, they acknowledge health and wellness awareness as being one of the most “significant” and “emerging” 21^st century content areas.  If businesses and future jobs are looking for healthy and wellness aware individuals, wouldn’t physical education and health be a core subject in a student’s K-12 studies?  I thought the United States received a wake-up call when we became the most obese country in the world (now just one of the most), but people still question the importance of physical education and the lessons students are learning to develop and maintain healthy lifestyles.  It surprises me that experts in the field of education still do not understand the significant impact physical education has in aiding students to not only lead healthier lives, but cognitively support them in their other subjects.  Not only does physical activity support learning by engaging the cognitive, developmental and memory portions of the brain, making the most opportunistic time to learn anything being directly after vigorous activity, but the students are learning skills in the gym setting that 21^st century businesses are looking for.  Teamwork, collaboration, communication skills, leadership, self-direction, professionalism, life-long learning and social responsibility are all qualities, skills and assets that almost anyone would agree are critically important for the 21^st century.

I can go on forever about the important of physical education and health, because I teach these subjects so I obliviously understand the value of the lessons being taught and the importance of the skills being learned and how they directly support the needs of the 21^st century, but until people outside of the gym setting start looking at the improvements made in our subject area, they will continue to view at as the “roll the ball out” meaningless class they seem to think it is.

Stay active, eat healthy, feel healthy for the 21^st century!

Using blogs to expand the classroom

I teach eighth grade physical education at a middle school in Renton, Washington.  Although I am a complete novice to blogging, I feel confident enough to use this technology as a way to enhance my classes and expand the borders of the classroom.  Being a physical education teacher, I am constantly encouraging students to continue or become physically active outside of school.  The world we live in today has blessed us with tons of new and exciting forms of technology to make things easier or entertaining for us.  However, it has also made us lazier and sadly lazy does not equal healthy.  I would have my students showcase their outside school activities and use the blogging sites as a way for them to share their achievements with their classmates and myself.  I can post weekend goals/activities for the students to accomplish over the days off and they could respond before we see each other on Monday.  Another great time to make use of the blogging sites is during the extended breaks.  I generally see setbacks in students' fitness levels after breaks; holidays, large meals, vacations, tend to lead to less exercise.  I could post motivating messages, even if they are just reminders to get an hour of physical active everyday!

Finally a blog site that fits my taste

Hello blogging world!

This is the third blogging account I have created in a week and I finally feel comfortable; not to say the other sites were bad, this one just feels better for me.  For my colleagues that may be confused, this will be my final and more "official" blogging site for assignments, discussions and things of that nature.  Now it is time for more homework.