Designing the Concepts Curriculum

Exit Outcomes Program Outcomes Course Outcomes Unit Outcomes Lesson Outcomes

Concepts Model Goal: Development and maintenance of individual student fitness and physical activity habits Physical education used as a means to contribute to the well-being of individuals –Education in its application to the development and care of the body –The physically educated person knows about the effects of exercise on the body and applies this knowledge by exercising

Diverse Activity Elementary Middle High Choice Foundation skill

Develop a Scope & Sequence What should students know by the end of their learning experiences in a program? –K-5 –6-8 –9-12 How will you sequence those learning experiences?

Suggested “Concepts” Demonstrates active lifestyle Demonstrates choice/preference in activity Participates regularly through many forms of movement Achieve/maintain levels of fitness Goal setting/ Recognizes differences in people Demonstrates knowledge of principles

Curriculum Development Criteria for selecting activities to include: –Relevance to goals and desired outcomes –Is it personally meaningful to students? –Is it practical to the program? Can you teach it?

Relevance Issues Obtain information to help guide decisions on curriculum development –From research and current literature –From observation and visitations of exemplary programs –Expert opinions of people who are members of your curriculum group

The scope of this model: knowledge of exercise, exercise activities related to specific physical activities/sports –Units teach health benefits, diagnosis, evaluation, and development of personal physical activity plan Is this too narrow of a focus for physical education?

Qualitative Issues To what extent is ‘living in’ the program a pleasurable, fun experience? While we look to long-term benefits, we must also consider is present life ‘in’ the program enjoyable? Make an effort to select activities that provide a focused, meaningful experience for students

Appropriateness of activities A dilemma often is whether to limit a program to current student interests or to expand their interests Do students have the pre-requisite skills, conditioning, or knowledge for experiences you want to include?

Practicality Are the necessary resources available to implement activities? Are the activities socially and politically acceptable to the community?

Sequence Decisions Attempt to provide continuity and progression within each unit of instruction as well as from unit to unit and year to year Things to consider: –Developmental readiness of students –Interest/motivation of students This may peak at certain ages or times of year

Quality programs are not limited to conditioning activities, but provide an educational perspective that emphasized understanding as well as performance –Cognitive knowledge about the relationship between health and affective development –Affective dispositions to pursue regular activity

–Which skills and knowledges are pre-requisite to learning of other skills? Where on the Stairway to Lifetime Fitness are students? Vertical sequencing: how will content progress from year to year Horizontal sequencing: order of content within a semester or year

Deliver “Up” Do lesson outcomes lead “up” to achievement of exit outcomes? Do you tie a fitness concept to a physical activity? How well do you use a “set induction” to introduce the lesson, explain the lesson content, and provide a closure activity for assessment of outcomes?