Current Issues & Critical Thinking

Discussions 1 & 2

Discussion 1: (Current Issues) Choose a current issue to research that can be related to providing quality physical education at the elementary school level.  Some examples of issues might be childhood obesity, budget constraints, family / home environment, nutrition, prenatal care, lack of medical care or other factors that either offer an advantage or disadvantage to a child’s motor development. Review several scholarly sources that offer information on the issue.    Include short summary of the issue in your initial post.  Also address the following questions:

1. 1. What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of this issue in regard to motor development?  
   2. Is this issue a more recent concern, or has it been an ongoing issue for many years? Explain.   
   3. Who (or what) has contributed most to minimizing the negative effects concerning this issue?

Finally, include at least one reputable website that offers strategies and/or resources to counter the negative effects of the issue.  Explain why you included this source. Guided Response:  Choose two classmates to respond to.  Review the resource each of your classmates provided in their initial post.  Comment on how you think the resource could provide support for parents and families.  Offer another resource that also provides support concerning that issue. Optional Extra Response:  If a classmate responded to your initial post and suggested an additional resource, respond and offer your opinion on the pros and cons of the suggested resource. Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your discussion.

Discussion 2: (Critical Thinking ) In this discussion forum, you will examine your critical thinking, inquiring, and communication skills as they relate to the subject of physical education. Questioning compels thinking and, as thinkers, you assess what you read and incorporate knowledge with your prior understanding of the subject. As part of this discussion, you will read about concepts surrounding physical education and evaluate your previous knowledge on this subject. Then, you will create your own question for your classmates to answer.  Complete each of the following sections:Section 1: KWL Chart  Before reading Chapters 1, 2, and 3, fill in the “What I Know” and “What I Want to Know” section of the following chart.  Then read the chapters and complete the “What I Learned” section of the chart*.  You will not include the KWL chart in your discussion post

1. Download an editable copy or the KWL Chart here.Section 2: Creating Your Own Discussion Question/Prompt For your initial post, you will create your own discussion prompt based on your own research and review of the chapter readings for this week.  Your questions need to originate from one of the concepts introduced in Chapter 1, 2, or 3.  These chapters cover a variety of issues that can be further researched.  After reading, use your completed chart and chapter readings to formulate a discussion prompt. Your discussion prompt should include all of the following:

• An opening question or statement to introduce the topic:
  • Examples: What are some subjects that a teacher can integrate into a PE lesson? OR List several academic subjects that can be integrated into a PE lesson.
• A question or statement that requires further research or thinking on the subject:
  • Examples: Do you think that PE teachers should integrate different subjects into their lessons? If so, how do you think this will help students? If not, why would this not be a good idea? OR Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of integrating academic subjects into physical education:
• A question or statement that requires the reader to apply it to their own situation, current or future profession.
  • Example: How would you implement academic subjects into a PE lesson? OR Give an example of how an academic subject could be integrated into a PE lesson.

Additional Tips:

• Use words such as: compare, contrast, discuss, evaluate, explain, how, why, or why not.
• Your prompt should be open-ended (i.e. it cannot be answered with just a "yes" or a "no" statement, a one-word answer, or a simple definition).
• Your prompt can require the reader to do further research on the subject, such as researching a website or outside source.  

Guided Response: Review and critically answer two of your classmates’ questions. Include any resources that you found to support your answer. You can also include questions in your response that will further the discussion on the topic.