|
Home / Health
Gym Goes Online
By:Stacy Andell
The traditional view of gym class is changing all over the United States. While most of us remember the endless games of kick ball and calisthenics, students at all grade levels are having a very different experience in elementary schools, middle schools and high schools across the country. The traditional gym class is shifting from team sports and group oriented activities to more independent and individual activities to keep kids active all year round.
Reasons Behind the Change
Two factors most influence the change in the traditional gym class. On the one hand, the increasingly competitive standardized testing is taking class time away from physical education. Many schools recognize that the way to bolster test scores is to devote more time to core subjects, like math and reading, and often gym class is the place with the most room to cut from busy school schedules. This trend is taking place in schools in all areas, including urban and suburban schools.
The second issue behind the shift from traditional gym class is the focus on the obesity rates of children in the United States. Educators agree that traditional formats, particularly combined with large class sizes, don’t give students the amount of exercise that they need to lead healthy lives. The average group oriented gym class usually only engages a child for a few minutes out of the average hour long gym class. Think about how much time a student stands around waiting for their turn in a game of kickball and you’ll see how much time the student actually participates in physical activity during a traditional gym class.
Independent Physical Activity
Unlike the team sports that have traditionally dominated physical education, today’s gym classes take advantage of the greater variety of individual activities that make the most use out of student exercise time. Activities like yoga, martial arts, bike riding, and jogging have come to the forefront in modern physical education where the new focus is on tailoring gym class to meet the needs of the students who take it and, hopefully, help them to develop lifelong habits of regular exercise.
While many students get embarrassed by their lack of coordination in team sports, there is a much greater variety of activities that students can participate in, taking the attention off of performing in a group and onto establishing strong personal exercise and fitness goals. By encouraging independent physical activities, physical education programs encourage more students to take responsibility for their personal fitness and feel better about themselves when they exercise.
Taking it Online
Many schools are taking the gym student completely out of the gym by making it an independent study class. In this way, students get credit for doing physical activities outside of school, such as taking a martial arts class or jogging a certain amount of time each day before school. Such programs take the pressure off of the student’s class schedule, allowing them to focus more on academic areas in school and enjoying physical activity outside of school. Student and physical education teachers track progress and work together to set goals without using valuable academic time in school. Schools across the country have set up online monitoring programs where students can measure their individual activities while keeping everyone healthy and happy.
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: gyms, schools, gym
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
Stacy Andell is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. Stacy has a nose for research and writes stimulating news and views on school issues. For more on schools visit www.schoolsk-12.com
|
|
| Top Health Articles |
- 1). Collarbone Injury By : Frank Vanderlugt
The clavicle or “collar bone” connects the scapula bone in the shoulder to the sternum in your chest. It functions to hold the shoulder upward and backward.
Clavicle fractures are common bone injuries. A break in the clavicle bone is usually a closed fracture that normally takes approximately 6 weeks to heal in an adult, 4 weeks in a child. The injury rarely requires surgery.
|
- 2). The Hottest Hair Trends And The Sexiest Hairstyles For 2007 By :
Copyright 2006 David Maillie
Hair has become unequivocally important as it can literally make one look like a movie star or a has been from Hee Haw, which died out many years ago. It is big enough that it is a multi billion dollar industry and the average bill in a salon is approaching $100. In the big cities with a hot hairstylist like Jonathon in Beverly Hills prices can easily top $500 for a cut and style.
|
- 3). Muscle Imbalance And Chronic Injuries By : Jeff P. Anliker, LMT
Injuries can occur anywhere and at anytime, but the most prevalent place of occurrence is in the workplace. The reason for such a high rate of injury is that people spend 8-18 hours a day, 5-7 days a week performing unidirectional (one-way) movement patterns, causing an imbalance in the musculoskeletal system that results in the overuse and under use of certain muscle groups.
|
- 4). Why Whey Protein? By : Sandy Knoll
With all of the recent negative press given to body supplements, it makes good sense to be cautions about using different nutritional supplements as a part of your body building efforts.
Whey protein has been lauded as a safe, natural and simple supplement. It's use has become popular for those genuinely interested in good health through physical fitness and body building.
|
- 5). Autism and its Generated Behavioral and Mental Impairments By : Groshan Fabiola
Autism is a complex neurological disorder that dramatically affects people’s behaviors and social interactions. The disorder can be revealed in early childhood, by the age of 3. Although the first signs of autism can sometimes be identified in infants, the disorder is usually discovered at a later stage of life. Autistic children present a wide range of behavioral abnormalities, and they can be easily identified among normal children.
|
- 6). Why Asbestos Cancer Affects More Men? By : Alfred J.James
Who needs to be examined?
Individuals who have been exposed (or suspect they have been exposed) to asbestos fibers on the job or at home via a family contact should inform their physician of their exposure history and any symptoms. Asbestos fibers can be measured in urine, feces, mucus, or material rinsed out of the lungs.
A thorough physical examination, including a chest x-ray and lung function tests, may be recommended.
|
- 7). The Benefits of Martial Arts Training By : Clint Leung
As any martial arts practitioner will tell you, there are multiple benefits in martial arts training. Of course, the most obvious benefit is a knowledge of self defense which is one of the major reasons why the martial arts were developed in the first place. Knowing how to defend oneself and loved ones in a potentially dangerous situation is an asset in today’s world just as it was hundreds of years ago.
|
- 8). Study Says Obesity May Be Caused By Virus By : Rick Hendershot
In new study published this month, a research team claims to have found evidence that a contagious virus can contribute to obesity.
The team found that a specific human adenovirus Ad-37 seems to trigger obesity in chickens. Previous studies had linked other adenoviruses -- Ad-36 and Ad-5 -- to obesity in animals.
These and other adenoviruses cause colds and other common illnesses in people.
|
- 9). How Long Will It Take To Gain Muscles| Build Muscle Mass By : Chris Chew
There are many factors to consider when you want to know how long will it take for you to gain and build muscle mass. Questions like are you eating enough and the right nutrients to accelerate muscle growth, are you exercising correctly and regularly and do you have the genes for quick muscle growth need to be addressed.
In this article, we shall discuss whether you have the genetic make up to gain and build muscles quickly.
|
- 10). Breathe Easy: Some Asthma Relief Tips By : Nick Carter
Asthma is the seventh-ranked chronic health condition in the United States and the leading chronic illness of children. It is a chronic inflammatory disease that makes airways (bronchial tubes) particularly sensitive to irritants.
During an asthma attack, tightening of the smooth muscles around the bronchial tubes causes them to become inflamed, narrow inside, and produce excess mucus.
|
| New Health Articles |
- 1). How To Break An Addiction By : John Morris
You need to evaluate the problem and find what triggers your addicts and what specific need it is using. Once you have determined that, you can begin breaking yourself of the habit one step at a time...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 5). Make Your Heart More Healthy By : Dan Sherman
Does it seem like there are more health risks these days than there were in the past? Well, the plain and simple truth is, there are. Now, more than ever, people around the globe grapple with various heath afflictions.
|
- 6). The Best Ways To Quit Cigarette Smoking By : Jonty Smith
The author packed in his 40-a-day habit within a few hours. He did it quickly, easily and painlessly. Why then do so many other smokers struggle to quit? In this article, the author explains the best ways to quit cigarette smoking, and why many of the established methods are counter-productive.
|
- 7). Can Chocolate Really Kill Your Dog By : Gregg Hall
We have all heard this all of our lives but how big a threat is it really? Is it life threatening or will it just make him sick? How much chocolate does the animal have to eat for it to cause a negative reaction?
|
- 8). The Attraction Of Magnetic Therapy By : John Morris
Magnetic therapy is an alternative treatment for common ailments. The most commonly treated ailments for that magnetic therapy is used for are arthritis, pain, inflammation, muscle tension, migraines, tumors, asthma, allergies, diabetes and many other joints or healing complaints...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
