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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 261 984 SP 026 486 AUTHOR Lumpkin, Angela TITLE The History of Elementary School Physical Education (1950-1985). PUB DATE 85 NOTE 23p. PUB TYPE Information Analyses (070) EDRS PRICE MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS. *Elementary Educationv *Movement Education; Perceptual Motor Learning; *Physical Education; Physical Education Teachers; *Program DevelopMent ABSTRACT Elementary school physical education in the 1950s espoused the aims of complete education through programs which emphasized mastery of skills in games, sports, dance, and similar activities. Since the middle of the 1960s, movement education has gained in popularity as both a methodology and as a program focusing on learning through efficient movement.' Several conferences have been conducted to develop conceptual frameworks for both the professional preparation of teachers of elementary physical. education and, the optimal implementation of the values of human movementas a medium of learning within the curriculum. "Essentiala of a Quality Elementary 'Physical Education Program," initially fOrmulated by members of the profession in 1970, states guidelines for the integration of elementary physical education as an integral part of the total educational-program. Brief annotations of significant writings on the topic are included in this review. (Author/JD) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ************************************************-*********************** THE HISTORY OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PHYSICAL EDUCATION (1950 -1985) Angela Lumpkin University of North Carolina Chapel Hill U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY CENTER (ERICI This document has been reproducedas received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made toimprove A.LuellOcA;\ reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this docu TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ment do riot necessarily represent official NIE INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." position or policy 1 Growing out of the new physical education of the preceding decades, elementary 410 school physical education in the 1950s. espoused the aims of complete education yet sought to achieve them through traditional programs. In the 1980s another new physical education focused more on'meeting the needs of children than on educating them to live in a democratic societyas Jesse Williams advocated. What curricula and methodology in elementary school physical education brought about these changes? How. have these factors influenced today's programs and future deVelopMents?This historical overview will analyze and synthesize selected writings, curricular trends, program objectives, and conference and convention presentations in elementary school physical education. Through this examination of the past third of a century, hopefully, those involved in elementary physical education may gain'insights into how to provide the best quality experiences for children plus how to innovatively lead into the twenty-first century. Before embarking on an examination of the curricula and methodology in 410physical education in the elementary schools, what has been and is the status of these programs in terms of number and preparation of teachers, numbers of students, facilities, length of program, etc? During the 1955-56 school year Elsa Schneider from the U.S. Office of Education conducted the first comprehensive study to determine the policies, practices,' and procedures used in physical education for children of elementary school age in city school systems. In this study it was found that classroom teachers provided the overwhelming majority of physical education instruction in all grades, as shown in Figure 1, but with help from physical education specialists over half of the time. In-service education was proyided to classroom teachers 35% more often when a specialist directed the program. Of the 5,225 persons employed as specialists, 72% actually taught children on a daily basis. In grader 1-3 only 23% and-in grades 4-6 only 28% of the children received daily instruction in physical education of at least 30 minutes.1 In a comparison between elementary,school physical education in 1968 and 2 1979, Sheila Caskey reported that in the interimyears between the two surveys 410 requirements had increased, while elementaryprograms continued to be taught by classroom teachers, the number of specialists increased,and the average minutes per week fell below the usual recommendation of 150 minutes.2The survey results are summarized in Figure 2. The National Children and Youth Fitness Studyreported that about 97% of the children in grades 5-6 were enrolled in physicaleducation. More students in these two grades took physical education twicea week than any other paradigm as shown in Figure 3. On a weekly basis, 54.6% of the students in grades 5-6 received an hour and a half or less of physicaleducation. These and other data verified that elementary schoolage children at the time of the study failed to meet the five objectives established in PromotingHealth/Preventing Disease: Objectives for the Nation in 1980. Focusing on 10-17 year olds, the study stated the three goals sou ht by 1990--60% will attend physical 410education classes daily, 70% will pe'riodically have their fitness levels tested, and 90% will participate in physical activities that help maintain an effective elcardiorespiratory system.3 Have th se always been the goals for children in elementary physical education programs? In the 1950s and 1960s when education was criticized for being too soft, for stressing literacy rather than learning, and for failing to emphasize math and science, the essentiality of physical education'in the elementary schools was also questioned. During these two decades as physical education sought to prove its.worth in.the development of the whole child, results of a comparative fitness study on European and American children threatened the field's credibility. Beginning in the mid-1950s a renewal of interest in physical fitness spread nationally as curricula broadened in scope of activities and fitness goals and 0objectives became paramount. The participants in the 1959 AAHPER National Conference on Fitness of 3 Children of Elemehtary. School Age expressed concern for the health, physical 411education; and recreation of children when they agreed to several basic assumptions. Specific to physical education, they recommended that the schools provide daily instructional periods which fostered creativity and vigorous physical activity - and included movement exploration, rhythm and dance,games, practice in sports skills, sports activities, stunts, tumbling, and apparatus, and when possible, swimming.4This conference along with the AAHPER's "Operation Fitness" in 1958, the development and initial implementation of the AAHPER Youth Fitness Test in 1958, and the promotional activities of.the President's Councilon Physical Fitness helped to promote youth fitness nationally. In the early 1960s tremendous progress was reported in the fitness levels of school children. For example, between 1961 and 1963 there was a 21% increase in the proportion of children (grades 4-12) who exceeded the minimum established standards for physical fitness. By 1963 eight states required every student to participate everyday 411 in a regular physical education. period, while in 10 other statesmore than 75% of the'students engaged in physical education daily. 5Unfortunately, following this-major emphasis on youth fitness and the successes measured in the 1965 administration of the AAHPER Youth Fitness Test, a slowdown andeven reversal occurred in the importance placed on this component of children'sprograms. Not until the 1980s did physical fitness become a majorprogram thruit, partly resulting from government reports, independent surveys, and the National Children and Youth Fitness Study which measured fitness and established goals for improvement. Since fitness was not consistently stressed, what comprised elementary schoof phsyical education programs? Most schbols and teachers offered a potpourri of activities which focused on traditional sports and games. Classroom teachers, who usually were responsible for these programs,'often received their only exposure to physical education through"one elementary methods course in college. 4 Textbooks of the 1950s offered minimal information aboutteaching methodology' 410and program planning while maximally emphasizinga diversity of activities. Three have been selected to illustrate this trend. Elizabeth Sehon in Physical 'Education Methods forElementary Schools devoted 75% of this text to an explanation of how toexecute gameS, sports, creative rhythms, folk singinggames and folk dances, social and tap dancing, subject-integrated activities, and classroom activities.6 Dorothy LaSalle discussed meeting children's needs, emotionaldevelopment, class management, and evaluation yet focused on specific curriculum materialsby grades in Guidance of Children through Physical Education,an elementary methods textbook first published in 1946.7 Although Elizabeth Halsey andLorena Porter in Physical Education for Children- A Developmental Program stressed the child progressing through movement experiences, still themajority of the book described games, dance, and self-testing