| The traditional view of gym class is changing all over | | | | dominated physical education, today's gym classes |
| the United States. While most of us remember the | | | | take advantage of the greater variety of individual |
| endless games of kick ball and calisthenics, students | | | | activities that make the most use out of student |
| at all grade levels are having a very different | | | | exercise time. Activities like yoga, martial arts, bike |
| experience in elementary schools, middle schools and | | | | riding, and jogging have come to the forefront in |
| high schools across the country. The traditional gym | | | | modern physical education where the new focus is |
| class is shifting from team sports and group oriented | | | | on tailoring gym class to meet the needs of the |
| activities to more independent and individual activities | | | | students who take it and, hopefully, help them to |
| to keep kids active all year round. | | | | develop lifelong habits of regular exercise. |
| Reasons Behind the Change | | | | While many students get embarrassed by their lack |
| Two factors most influence the change in the | | | | of coordination in team sports, there is a much |
| traditional gym class. On the one hand, the | | | | greater variety of activities that students can |
| increasingly competitive standardized testing is taking | | | | participate in, taking the attention off of performing |
| class time away from physical education. Many | | | | in a group and onto establishing strong personal |
| schools recognize that the way to bolster test | | | | exercise and fitness goals. By encouraging |
| scores is to devote more time to core subjects, like | | | | independent physical activities, physical education |
| math and reading, and often gym class is the place | | | | programs encourage more students to take |
| with the most room to cut from busy school | | | | responsibility for their personal fitness and feel better |
| schedules. This trend is taking place in schools in all | | | | about themselves when they exercise. |
| areas, including urban and suburban schools. | | | | Taking it Online |
| The second issue behind the shift from traditional | | | | Many schools are taking the gym student completely |
| gym class is the focus on the obesity rates of | | | | out of the gym by making it an independent study |
| children in the United States. Educators agree that | | | | class. In this way, students get credit for doing |
| traditional formats, particularly combined with large | | | | physical activities outside of school, such as taking a |
| class sizes, don't give students the amount of | | | | martial arts class or jogging a certain amount of time |
| exercise that they need to lead healthy lives. The | | | | each day before school. Such programs take the |
| average group oriented gym class usually only | | | | pressure off of the student's class schedule, allowing |
| engages a child for a few minutes out of the | | | | them to focus more on academic areas in school and |
| average hour long gym class. Think about how much | | | | enjoying physical activity outside of school. Student |
| time a student stands around waiting for their turn in | | | | and physical education teachers track progress and |
| a game of kickball and you'll see how much time the | | | | work together to set goals without using valuable |
| student actually participates in physical activity during | | | | academic time in school. Schools across the country |
| a traditional gym class. | | | | have set up online monitoring programs where |
| Independent Physical Activity | | | | students can measure their individual activities while |
| Unlike the team sports that have traditionally | | | | keeping everyone healthy and happy. |