Student learning outcomes and engagement

Students and Learning

The learner-based outcome that I've chosen for this paper involves all students being able to successfully complete a physical education curriculum designed to enhance overall physical strength, improve dexterity and increase stamina. For this learner-based outcome, it is important to create a rubric so that students understand the criteria involved for measuring success. Toward this endeavor, it is important to include concrete, attainable and measurable goals for all students.

Such a physical education curriculum involving learner based outcomes is justified given the importance of physical activity for children. Childhood obesity is a serious social problem in America. The effects of obesity in childhood are well documented in both the social science literature and medical journals. During the last 30 years, the percentage of obese children between the ages of 6 and 11 has risen 200% while the percentage of obese children between 12 and 19 has tripled (CDC, Preventing Childhood Obesity, 2010). Obesity in the United States has increased among all cohorts and ethnicities, spans across generations, and is not limited to income or educational levels.

Rink (2001, p. 123-124) notes that while there "may be no one best way to teach, there may be a best way to teach particular content to particular learners." McCaughtry & Rovegno (2003) observe that while poor or inexperienced teachers may be aware of student diversity, they tend to rationalize this as the students' problem. Golder (2003) suggests that without a developmentally appropriate pedagogy that appropriately identifies and targets the level of each child in a physical education program, educators are likely to inhibit the meaningful physical activities of children at school. In this regard a differentiated instructional model is able to accommodate learners of differing abilities, backgrounds, and interests.

While there are many different types of learner based outcomes that are appropriate for school aged children in the subject of physical education, for the purposes of this paper, I have chosen to focus on one California content standard: participate three to four days each week in moderate to vigorous physical activities that increase breathing and heart rate. This general learner-based outcome is relatively easy to monitor and measure, and allows for a great deal of variety in the types of exercise that can achieve this learner goal. Further, this learner-based goal allows students to engage in a wide range of activities that are of interest to individual students. For example, while some students may not enjoy playing football or basketball, the learner-based outcome of "moderate to vigorous" physical activities can be achieved with swimming, playing soccer, running track, or, for students who have physical challenges, even a brisk walk around the school track may be sufficient to achieve this goal.

It is important to note that in implementing and maintaining such a standards-based goal, students should be measured according to objective criteria that take into account personal abilities and interests, so that each student is assessed and performances gauged by the well-defined criteria, rather than comparing students to one another. In other words, in implementing this learner based outcome standard, I wouldn't compare Nancy to Nora, or Michael to Michelle, but instead a well developed, standards-based rubric that allows for each student to monitor their own progress. In measuring student achievements in such absolute terms allows educators to assess performance indexes according to the ever important state standards.

So, the plan I would implement simply involves bringing students out for the PE class, and informing each student of the need to "participate three to four days each week in moderate to vigorous physical activities that increase breathing and heart rate." This is an easily conveyed concept to a diverse classroom, as students are able to pursue a wide range of activities that are appropriate to students with varying abilities and interests. Whipp (2004) observes that teachers who use continuously measurable diagnostic assessments that allow for alternative opportunities to demonstrate learning and knowledge acquisition are better able to provide for a differentiated educational program.

As a class, I would directly instruct on warm up activities, such as breathing exercises and stretching activities. Students would be assessed on their engagement in the warm up activities, taking into account the abilities of each individual. Instructional variations would occur given the abilities and interests of each student; should Bobby choose to play soccer, instruction might involve teaching body positioning and sprinting exercises; while Susy, in choosing to run track, would receive instruction on proper breathing exercises to maximize performance.

Clearly, then, each student would have some measure of control over their own physical activities, catering to special interests and individual abilities, thereby allowing for diverse populations of students to achieve success in the identified learner-based outcome. With a wide range of activities available to students, I believe that it is essential to provide students with appropriate environments that can serve to maximize student participation, and, consequently, increases student interests in the physical education class.