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This article was downloaded by: [Feauture Editor Bryan Mccullick] ... Bryan McCullick a. & Ang Chen .... The feature editors would like to thank Murray Mitchell of.
This article was downloaded by: [Feauture Editor Bryan Mccullick] On: 27 January 2013, At: 09:46 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

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Introduction a

Bryan McCullick & Ang Chen a

b

Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602

b

Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina–Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402 Version of record first published: 26 Jan 2013.

To cite this article: Bryan McCullick & Ang Chen (2008): Introduction, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 79:6, 46-56 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07303084.2008.10598199

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Curriculum Alignment

and Kinesiology

of K-12 Physical Education

—Part 1

Introduction BRYAN MCCULLICK

ANG CHEN

Downloaded by [Feauture Editor Bryan Mccullick] at 09:46 27 January 2013

FEATURE EDITORS

Does the kinesiology curriculum in higher education adequately prepare physical educators to teach the K-12 curriculum?

W

ho are we? What should our profession be called? What should our content be at the K-12, collegiate, and physical education teacher education levels? These are but a few of the questions that many have asked, are asking, and will continue to ask about the field of physical education. At the heart of these questions is the issue of whether the field is a unified one. The focus of the questions points to the fact that the curricular content being taught in K-12 schools and in colleges as kinesiology or exercise sciences is inconsistent, at best, or sometimes even totally different. This discrepancy in the content has created curriculum misalignment, which may have unprecedented consequences for physical education. Many professionals probably agree that K-12 physical education is in a crisis. The Shape of the Nation Report (National Association of Sport and Physical Education [NASPE], 2006) documented a steady decline of daily attendance in physical education, a decline in the number of schools that require physical education, and a decline in the number of schools that offer daily physical education. The public perception of K-12 physical education is not in favor of the profession: the content can be taught by almost anyone and can be replaced by ROTC, varsity sports, or marching band! Although the recent emphasis on the development of health-related fitness and on physical activity behavior change has brought about a more optimistic outlook, the fundamental issues that have led to the crisis—such as marginalized status of physical education in K-12 schools—have not been addressed. The curriculum misalignment issue is unique to our profession. Almost all K-12 subject areas can be clearly aligned with the curriculum of its core discipline at the university level. Not only is this true for the academic content areas (math, sciences, language arts, social studies, etc.), it is also true for areas often called “related arts,” such as music and fine arts. Even though as a discipline physical education rapidly evolved into kinesiology after Henry’s (1964) influential article, the K-12 physical education curriculum is still not meaningfully aligned with the curriculum of kinesiology offered at the university level. So the question arises: “Does curriculum misalignment lead to the marginalization of physical education at all levels of schooling?” To answer this question, the former Curriculum & Instruction (C & I) Academy (now C & I Academy Committee) of NASPE organized a forum, A Dialogue on Curriculum Alignment Between K-12 Physical Education and Kinesiology, during the 2007 AAHPERD National Convention in Baltimore. A panel of distinguished scholars came together to discuss and debate this topic. The assembled panel could be compared with the 1927 New York Yankees lineup, which is arguably one of the greatest teams ever to be amassed and which, ironically, included Baltimore native, Babe Ruth. Continues on page 56

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JOPERD • Volume 79 No. 6 • August 2008

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we need to be competent in theory places and with theory problems, theory equipment, and theory rules. But because practice also informs theory, we need to be competent in pedagogical locations and movement places too. Hopefully the message would be clear for teacher candidates. Good thinking is what counts—whether intuitive or reflective, verbal or non-verbal, context-specific or contextgeneral, in a laboratory or on a soccer pitch. These kinds of dichotomies, about which too much has been made in higher education and in which too much power has been invested, need to be reconceptualized as complementary, interactive aspects of a whole education (Kelso & Engstrom, 2006). Complementary thinking helps us to see that exercise, perhaps unsurprisingly, leads to better cognitive functioning in math places and English places and logical reasoning places. This reduces the irrelevance of physical education for promoting core educational goals. But skilled physical activity, like artful teaching, is a form of good thinking in its own right, a brand of thinking that is cultivated by practice, judgment, and the acquisition of a great deal of folk knowledge. This realization helps to reduce irrelevance in a second sense—the irrelevance of theory for enhanced folk knowledge and, conversely, folk knowledge for stronger theory.

References Castelli, D. M. (2005). Academic achievements and physical fitness in third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students [Abstract]. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 76(1, Suppl.), A-15. Center on Education Policy. (2006). From the Capital to the classroom: Year 4 of the No Child Left Behind Act. Retrieved June 13, 2008, from http://

McCullick Continued from page 46

This is a fair comparison because the group of scholars was a veritable “Murderer’s Row” of minds on par with the skills of Ruth, Gehrig, Lazzeri, and Meusel: Chuck Corbin, Lynn Housner, Scott Kretchmar, Dan Landers, Amelia Lee, Larry Locke, Thomas McKenzie, Jerry Thomas, and Kathleen Williams. The forum was one of the best-attended early sessions in NASPE’s recent history. In fact, the feedback was so overwhelmingly positive, the scholars were asked to put their talks into article format for this feature, which will conclude in the next issue of JOPERD. Be forewarned that in these articles the scholars do not always agree with one another. Regardless of their position, they provide the profession with food for thought. As organizers of the forum, we hope you will not only enjoy reading these articles, but will also start a conversation with your colleagues about the central issue: what should be taught in K-12 physical education?

Acknowledgments The feature editors would like to thank Murray Mitchell of the University of South Carolina and the two reviewers for their support, comments, and critiques.

References Henry, F. M. (1964). Physical education: An academic discipline. Journal of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, 35(7), 32-33, 69. National Association of Sport and Physical Education. (2006). Shape of the nation report. Reston, VA: Author.

commongood.org/assets/attachments/CEP-NCLB-Report-4.pdf. Gould, S. J. (2003). The hedgehog, the fox, and the magister’s pox. New York: Harmony Books. Kelso, J. A. S., & Engstrom, D. A. (2006). The complementary nature. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Landers, D. M., & Arent, S. M. (2007). Physical activity and mental health (pp. 469-491). In G. Tenenbaum & R. C. Ecklund (Eds.), Handbook

Bryan McCullick ([email protected]) is an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA 30602. Ang Chen is a professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina–Greensboro, in Greensboro, NC 27402.

of sport psychology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Midgley, M. (1994). The ethical primate: Humans, freedom and morality.

Corbin

London & New York: Routledge.

Continued from page 50

Pereira, A. C., Huddleston, D. E., Brickman, A. M., Sosunov, A. A., Hen, R., McKhann, G. M., et al. (2007). An in vivo correlate of exerciseinduced neurogenesis in the adult dentate gyrus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(13), 5638-5643 Polanyi, M., & Prosch, H. (1975). Meaning. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Sibley, B. A., & Etnier, J. L. (2003). The relationship between physical activity and cognition in children: A meta-analysis. Pediatric Exercise Science, 15, 243-256.

Dan Landers ([email protected]) is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ 85287. Scott Kretchmar ([email protected]) is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA 16802.

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Children and fitness: A public health perspective. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 58, 300-307. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1991). Healthy People 2000: National health promotion and disease prevention objectives. Washington, DC: Author. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1996). Physical activity and health: A report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Charles B. Corbin ([email protected]) is an emeritus professor in the Department of Exercise and Wellness at Arizona State University in Mesa, AZ 85212. Thomas L. McKenzie ([email protected]) is an emeritus professor of exercise and nutritional sciences at San Diego State University in San Diego, CA 92182.

JOPERD • Volume 79 No. 6 • August 2008