Vision and Health/Physical Education - Report Example

Section/# Vision and Health/Physical Education Education in and of itself is not merely learning for the sake of learning. Likewise, education should not be understood as a process of memorizing and regurgitating nonrelated factoids that allow an individual to progress to a different stage of education or their own lives. Instead, education must be understood as a very relevant and important process by which understanding, exemplification, and strong relationships to the way in which decisions and choices should be made are continually and perpetually reflected so that the purpose and vision of education is directed at benefiting the well-being, knowledge, and understanding that the student will represent both in the present and in future life. According to this interpretation for the nation of education and vision that it seeks to leverage, the following quote accurately describes the way in which the Ministry of Ontarios Health and Physical Education Curriculum sees its role: “The revised health and physical education curriculum is based on the vision that the knowledge and skills acquired in the program will benefit students throughout their lives and help them to thrive in an ever-changing world by enabling them to acquire physical and health literacy and to develop the comprehension, capacity, and commitment needed to lead healthy, active lives and to promote healthy active living in elementary schools” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013, p.3). Accordingly, the following discussion will be concentric upon presenting a reflection on how physical education and health lesson planning relate to the way that curriculum should be represented; both in a universal sense and within a personal and experiential standpoint. As education is specifically focused on providing the student with useful information that they can utilize within their own lives, health education and physical education is an essential component of this process. Whereas instruction in terms of how the physical world operates and detailed education with respect to the mechanics of grammar, analysis, and literature is no doubt essential in providing a well-rounded student with the tools that will allow them to engage with society in an effective manner, it is arguable that the most important element of education, at least within the early years, is concentric upon how the individual views their body, understands health, and utilizes the lessons that they are provided in terms of protecting their own health and those around them. In such a manner, both physical and health education serve a fundamental role in defining who the individual is, how they will value their own health, and how they will relate with issues concerning health and well-being as their education progresses. As a realization of these important determinants, my own professional practice as a teacher has been affected positively. In essence, I quickly came to realize that lesson planning and the provision of physical or health education could not be related to the students in the same light that education concerning other aspects of the world is often provided. What is meant by this has to do with the fact that modern education traditionally takes a universal approach to the way in which understanding is represented and replicated within the mind of the student or students. However, even though it is possible to teach mathematics in terms of absolute universal, human health and issues that relate to it are not nearly as universal and should be understood or in the categorical and personal sense. Essentially, it is painfully obvious that there are certain health conditions that are currently afflicting a very large, albeit still and minority, of individuals. With this in mind, health education and physical education must be adjusted so that it correctly ascribes to relevant concerns and dynamics that are exhibited within the current era. For instance, whereas health education and physical education could place a certain degree of focus upon schizophrenia, Crohn’s disease, and/or any other condition that impacts upon a certain small number of individuals, the broad majority of time and focus should be spent on issues pertaining to diabetes, obesity, heart health, and a generally increased level of activity. The underlying reason behind this has to do with the fact that these are the most prominent and relevant issues to the current generation. As obesity, lack of activity, and rates of diabetes and other diseases have spiked over the past several decades, it is necessary to place a primary level of focus upon these issues before attempting to discuss and analyze in-depth aspects of other related health concerns (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2012). Although no doubt relevant, these priority issues have been utilized within my own lesson plans as a means of raising awareness and engaging students with the importance of personal engagement rather than a universal level of awareness. Similarly, in terms of developing an engaging physical education lesson for primary level, this could necessarily involve a graphical illustration of two groups of students: those that have very little physical activity as compared to those that are very active. Following this plan to even a further level of depth, the students could be presented with a group representation that shows numbers of the non-active group that experience obesity, high blood pressure, and/or diabetes. This could be effected by shading individuals within the group and representing them as having been affected by these health concerns; as compared to those that maintain a healthy lifestyle. This strategy is of course beneficial and positive to engage the mind of the student; yet, an even further level of engagement that could be tied to this is to follow the presentation of this material with a certain level of exercise; either within the classroom building itself or by taking this into the gym or the outdoors – depending on weather and time. In such a manner, the activities of the students will be linked to the understanding concerning human health and activity that they heard during the presentation component of the lesson plan. Safety factors will also need to be considered in terms of who will be overseeing the exercise portion of the lesson plan and whether or not the lesson plan has been approved by the school nurse and/or requisite physical education authorities prior to being implemented. A certain requirement of physical activity can also be put forward and told to the students that they should attempt to meet this minimum. In this way, metrics can be tracked and individual performance can be measured, tabulated, and retained for future lesson plans on the topic of health education and understanding. Regardless of the seeming complexity of this plan, it can be, at least within the mind of this educator, conducted in a relatively basic and straightforward. This is an approach in which the students can come to grasp the importance of health and physical activity; as well as creating an understanding of how inactivity can impact on human wellbeing – even at young ages. Finally, in terms of potential risks, it should be understood that the educator should not force or disparage any student that does not wish to or is unable to participate. This process is ultimately meant for educational purposes only and could have negative impacts upon the psychological maturity and growth of the student if they feel as if they are under pressure to perform or that their worth as a child or as a student is diminished as the result of non-participation with the physical activity portion of the lesson plan. For these students, this risk can be dealt with by assigning an additional level of coursework and/or reading to engage their minds concerning the gravity and importance of the assignment. References Ontario Ministry of Education. (2013, October 12). Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/growsuccess.pdf Ontario Ministry of Education. (2012). Health and Physical Education Interim Edition(4). Read More