Susan Schwager

Structured Recess: Finding a Way to Make It Work

Time is a highly contested resource in todays schools. Proactive physical educators and savvy school administrators are acknowledging the benefits of devoting time during the school day, beyond regular physical education classes, for students to engage in physical activity with an eye toward enhancing students health and well-being, as well as improving classroom learning. This article describes how one physical education teacher worked with her principal to add two 30-minute sessions per week where students apply and practice skills taught in their physical education class with the assistance of paraprofessionals in a structured recess program. In addition, the article describes how to select activities that work, as well as ideas for how to include students in decision making, and how to train paraprofessionals to assist with the program. Further, the article points to the importance of physical education teacher education programs preparing physical education professionals who are ready to take on expanded roles within the school community.

Table Top Tennis

JOPERD • Volume 83 No. 7 • September 2012 I t is election day, and your gym becomes the voting place for the local congressional district. Paintings featured in the annual art show, or tables of books for the annual PTA book fair, occupy your gym for a week in the spring. During school assembly days your gym is filled with rows of folding chairs set up to accommodate the entire school body. On rainy days, there is insufficient gym space to accommodate all the physical education classes, so you and your colleagues must double up your classes. The temporary loss of use of the gymnasium is an unfortunate reality for most physical education teachers. The limited amount of time that teachers have with students is precious, so it is important to find ways to use class time efficiently, even when use of the gymnasium has been lost. This article describes a game that can be played in a classroom or lunchroom and can help students understand the importance of fair and responsible game play. The physical education setting is ideally suited for the development of social skills (i.e., sportspersonship) and a sense of responsibility in children. The nature of physical education—as a subject that includes action, team games, interaction, cooperation, competition, and the likelihood of experiencing strong emotions— provides plentiful opportunities for the development of these skills (Hellison, 2003a). Additionally, physical education classes are often conducted in an informal and relaxed manner that has the potential to facilitate the development of positive social skills and personal responsibility among students. However, the participation in sport and exercise itself does not promote the development of these skills in students (Hastie, 2003; Hellison, 2003a). Physical education programs and teachers must intentionally promote the development of students’ self-confidence, teamwork skills, responsibility, respect, and good sportspersonship through specific goals and instructional strategies (Hastie; Hellison, 2003a).