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Physical Education

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Physical education



 
 
In most educational systems, physical education (P.E.) class,Phys Ed, is a course that utilizes learning in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains in a play or movement exploration setting. The term physical education is most commonly used in this way; however, this denotes rather that "they have participated in the subject area, not studied it."

The primary aims of physical education have varied, based on the needs of the time and place.






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In most educational systems, physical education (P.E.) class,Phys Ed, is a course that utilizes learning in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains in a play or movement exploration setting. The term physical education is most commonly used in this way; however, this denotes rather that "they have participated in the subject area, not studied it."

The primary aims of physical education have varied, based on the needs of the time and place. Most modern schools' goal is to make students with the knowledge, skills, capacities, and values along with the enthusiasm to maintain a healthy lifestyle into adulthood. Some schools also require physical education as a way to promote weight loss in students. Activities included in the program are designed to promote physical fitness, to develop motor skills, to instill knowledge and understanding of rules, concepts, and strategies, and to teach students to work as part of a team, or as individuals, in a wide variety of competitive activities. In the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, the physical education curriculum is designed to allow school pupils exposure to the education with the use of pedometer
Pedometer

A pedometer or step counter is a device, in modern times usually portable and Electronics or Mechatronics, that counts each step a person takes by detecting the Motion of their Hip s....
, GPS, and heart rate monitors. Some martial arts
Martial arts

Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. While they may be studied for various reasons, martial arts share a single objective: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat....
 classes, like wrestling
Wrestling

Wrestling is part of the martial arts. A wrestling match consists of physical engagement between two people in which each wrestler strives to get an advantage over, or control of, the opponent....
 in the United States, and Pencak Silat
Pencak Silat

Pencak Silat is the official name used to indicate more than 800 martial arts schools and styles spread across more than 13,000 islands in Indonesia....
 in France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 and Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
, are taught to teach children self-defense and to feel good about themselves. This allows kids through 6th grade to be introduced to sports, fitness, and teamwork in order to be better prepared for the middle and high school age. In 1975, the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as "the House", is one of the bicameralism of the United States Congress; the other is the United States Senate....
 voted to require school physical education classes include both genders
Coeducation

Mixed-sex education , is the integrated education of males and females in the same institution. The opposite situation is described as single-sex education....
. Some high school and some middle school PE classes are single-sex. Requiring individuals to participate in physical education activities, such as dodgeball
Dodgeball

Dodgeball is a traditional team sport played in physical education classes in the United States and Canada. It is typically played in elementary school, but has emerged as a popular middle school, high school and college sport as well....
, flag football
Flag football

Flag football is a version of American football that is popular worldwide. The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the mainstream game , but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end a down....
, and other competitive sports remains a controversial subject because of the social impact these games have on young children.The primary aims of physical education have varied, based on the needs of the time and place. Most modern schools' goal is to make students with the knowledge, skills, capacities, and values along with the enthusiasm to maintain a healthy lifestyle into adulthood. Some schools also require physical education as a way to promote weight loss in students. Activities included in the program are designed to promote physical fitness, to develop motor skills, to instill knowledge and understanding of rules, concepts, and strategies, and to teach students to work as part of a team, or as individuals, in a wide variety of competitive activities.In Singapore
Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands....
, pupils from primary school through junior colleges are required to have 2 hours of PE every school week, except during examination seasons. Pupils are able to play games like football, badminton, 'captain's ball' and basketball during most sessions. Unorthodox sports such as tchoukball, fencing and skateboarding are occasionally played. In more prestigious secondary schools and in junior colleges, sports such as golf, tennis, shooting, squash are played. A compulsory fitness exam, NAPFA, is conducted in every school once every year to assess the physical fitness of the pupils. Pupils are given a series of fitness tests (Pull-ups/ Inclined pull-ups for girls, standing broad jump, sit-ups, sit-and-reach and 1.2 km for secondary/2.4 km for junior colleges run). Students are graded by gold, silver, bronze and fail. NAPFA for Year 2 males in junior colleges serves as an indicator for an additional 2 months in the country's compulsory national service if they attain bronze or fail.In Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
, pupils are expected to do two periods of PE in first year, one in second year and two in third and fourth year. In fifth and sixth year, PE is voluntary. In the Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
, some schools have integrated martial arts training into their Physical Education cirriculum.In England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
, pupils are expected to do two hours of PE a week in Year 7, 8 and 9 and at least 1 in year 10 and 11.In Wales
Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
, pupils are expected to do one hour of PE per fortnight.Nepal
Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and is the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by India....
 has passed through many educational changes recently. It has not gone very far in the sector of education because the educational history of Nepal is very short. Before 1951, it had a monarchy. The monarchy did not wish to provide education to the citizens as it did not wish them to be educated and therefore politically aware. Institution of democracy did not result in a modern educational system; what education there was walked like a lame turtle. After 10 years of democracy the country again plunged into an autocratic monarchy. In 1990 democracy was restored and the education sector started to flourish.Since then, Physical education became part of the school curriculum. At the primary level (1-5), some minor and local games are taught, like hide and seek and some athletic based local events. In lower secondary level (6-8), the students are taught general concepts on major games like football, volleyball, basket ball, Kho-Kho and Kabaddi. They also learn some athletics like 100m race 100*4m relay race and some other minor and lead up games. In class Nine and ten it is an optional subject where they specialize in some games like volleyball, basketball, handball, cricket, Kho Kho Kabaddi, Badminton, table tennis and some athletics are also taught. In college it is taught in the education stream. Even though it is included in school curriculum, Nepal is not able to produce any worthwhile products of games and sports for reasons ranging from poverty to decentralized government.

Clothing

The majority of schools require pupils to change into a different set of athletic shoe
Athletic shoe

An athletic shoe is a generic name for footwear designed for sporting and physical exercise, and is different in style and build than a dress shoe....
s or go barefoot
Barefoot

Going barefoot means for a person not to use, or to go without, any type of foot covering. It is traditional to go barefoot in many Developing country, but less common in Developed country due to greater societal taboos, fashions, or peer pressure against going barefoot....
 depending on the sport. Some schools allow students to change into athletic clothes of their own choosing while others require a uniform. A common uniform consists of a white t-shirt and shorts in the school color, but this is not a universal rule. At some Catholic schools, modest clothing is required. For safety, some schools require males to wear a jock strap as part of the physical education uniform. Some schools allow male students to go barechested
Barechested

Going bare chested refers to a man wearing no Clothing above the waist exposing the entire torso and chest area. It is also known as "stripped to the waist", or "being shirtless"....
 when they are outside during a hot day. Most uniformed classes require the student to label their clothes with their names.

Certain activities require a special uniform. For example, some schools require swimming as part of the physical education curriculum. In this case, students have to wear a bathing suit in either the school color or black with a swimming cap of the same color. Also, in games with two or more teams, students usually have to wear colored jerseys or cape-like garments over the usual uniform as a way of identifying team member.

Some schools are more lenient and pupils can wear tracksuit bottoms, three-quarter lengths or even shorts, with a t-shirt of their choice as long as there is no football, rugby etc colours.

In Australia, students are often allowed to participate barefoot. Classes are also often held outside on the "oval" or playing field. Because of this, a large-brimmed hat is often a required part of the uniform to protect students from the Sun.

Some gym classes in the U.S. have begun to restructure gym classes so that they can allow more time for academics. These new 'classes' only require that students log a certain amount of time spent doing physical activities (of which athletes are exempt). Once a student has logged enough time on school grounds in either a fitness center or in the gym itself, they gain a gym credit and don't have to take the class again. Proponents of this new system say it allows for more time to be allocated for academics. Those against this new gym class say that its not enough and that gym should occur as its own class over the four years a pupil is enrolled in the school. This new theory is most prevalent in northeastern states as it originated in Maine.