1. Advocacy in Physical Education

2. Advocacy, what is it and who is responsible for it? Communication for the purpose of influencing others about an idea, issue, or concern that is of interest to you Desire to motivate others to action We all are!

3. Types of Advocacy Macro Level: National, state, and local levels AAHPERD; CDC; PE4Life; IAHPERD; Midwest District of IAHPERD Micro Level: Program, School, District Fact sheets; data from assessments; district or state standards; local parks and recreation

4. Step 1: Begin in your own gym If you don’t have a program that effectively promotes learning then you don’t have anything for which to advocate! – Demonstrate appropriate and effective teaching that results in student learning – Use assessment to help educate and promote your program – Provide well planned lessons that promote learning and success for all students – Teach and assess all four learning domains – Demonstrate alignment with national, state, and district standards

5. Ask yourself the following on a daily basis: 1.What did my students learn today? 2.Did I prepare a quality lesson that advanced student learning? Or did I “roll out the ball”? 3.Have I contributed to the establishment of a progressive and student-centered curriculum? Or do I teach only what I like? 4.Did I assess student learning and have I used those results to inform students, myself, and others? Or do I only use assessment for grading?

6. Program Advocacy involves your administrator! Invite administrators to your class to observe, participate, or teach a lesson Provide administration with current best practices information (physical education is not athletics) Develop a sound assessment plan and provide feedback from assessment to administrators Provide administrators with observation tools that are more physical education specific Keep on talking to your administrator

7. Similarities when observing P.E. Expect a variety of skills and abilities Expect modifications to be made for lower-skilled and higher-skilled students Expect small group activities with an emphasis on a particular skill or tactic Expect a planned lesson and student outcomes to be recognized Expect all students to be engaged in the learning process (no lines, no elimination games) Expect assessment to occur Expect the teacher to observe and provide feedback during activity

8. Differences when observing P.E. Expect to see a large group of students moving in various directions, at different speeds, and with different equipment Expect a significant amount of noise (equipment, music, movement) Expect a lot of equipment to be used (all students should have equipment to max. learning) Expect safety concerns to be addressed and emphasized Don’t expect the physical education teacher to participate Expect to see teaching aids to be displayed on walls (directional signs, numbers, maps, station task cards) Don’t expect typical homework assignments

9. Start Small Get contact information for all students and their guardians (phone, email, address) Create a student birthday calendar and allow the student to take on more responsibility on that day Prepare a webpage and/or newsletter Always have a quality lesson Invite parents and administrators to your gym Try to integrate other curriculum into p.e.

10. Web Page Design http://www.castonline.ilstu.edu/henninger/K NR%20364%20Spring%202011.htm http://www.castonline.ilstu.edu/henninger/K NR%20364%20Spring%202011.htm

11. Start Small Be friendly with everyone; anyone who feels respected by you will be a supporter of your program Visit other teachers’ classrooms; show an interest in their content Invite the principal to join the physical education faculty for “coffee” to discuss views, etc. Attend other school events: get involved

12. Dos and Don’ts http://www.csuchico.edu/casper/quality_pe/ dos_and_donts.html http://www.csuchico.edu/casper/quality_pe/ dos_and_donts.html

13. REAL Physical Education Teachers' Pledge: I solemnly pledge to what I hold most dearly, that as a teacher I will practice my profession with honor and integrity. I will abstain from using teaching practices considered inappropriate and I will follow the standards and guidelines for my profession to the utmost of my power. Always reaching for excellence, I will continue to learn and enhance my teaching skills throughout my career. I will be a positive role model for children and youth and do all that I can to help them acquire the skills, knowledge and desire they need in order to enjoy a lifetime of physical activity. Written by Cathrine Himberg, January, 2003. Inspired by the Hippocratic Oath and the Florence Nightingale pledge.Cathrine Himberg

14. Keys to advocacy 1. Clearly define goals and objectives – Goals: desirable future outcomes for the program; very general (not measureable and observable) – Example: More students will participate in physical activity during and outside of physical education classes – Objectives: measureable outcome that should occur within a specified amount of time (SpecificMeasureableAttainabaleRealisticTimebound)

15. Keys to advocacy 2. Identify your target audience a. who do you want to influence? b. who will you focus on most? c. how does your audience shape your advocacy plan? WHO are we advocating to? School administrators; other teachers; parents; school board; community at large; legislators; students Cultivate coalitions with as many entities as necessary: be creative

16. Keys to advocacy 3. Gather data for your message Be able to state why physical activity is important and support that with facts Target your message to your specific audience Accurate, short, simple, targeted, specific, concise, comparative (more than one source), easily remembered and repeated

17. Resources http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/advocacy/gove rnmentRelations/toolkit.cfm http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/advocacy/gove rnmentRelations/toolkit.cfm http://www.aahperd.org/whatwedo/advocacy/ Action for Healthy Kids American Heart Association Centers for disease control and prevention: healthy youth

18. Keys to advocacy 4. Create a persuasive message Define the problem or situation in manageable terms Use bulleted points “5 minute” rule Avoid inflammatory words ( all students will become obese if we don’t improve pe.) Answer: why should my child take physical education; what benefits is she/he gaining from participation in your program

19. Identify the Problem What, specifically, do you need to address? – Child/Youth obesity – Schools not required to provide daily P.E. – Fewer opportunities for P.E. & P.A. – Waivers – Proposed changes to current law How can you address it? – Amend current law – Write new law – Department of Education or even local school district

20. Keys to advocacy 5. Identify potential action strategies How will you communicate your issues? 6. Review and Revise Keep what is working; get rid of what isn’t Don’t forget to acknowledge the successes Ongoing process