Advanced National Physical Education Standards
Standard 1. Professional Knowledge
Artifact: Scope and Sequence for Third Grade Physical Education
Creating a scope and sequence for third grade physical education in HPEP 530 required an extensive knowledge of the developmental abilities of 3rd grade students, understanding of the requirements of the Virginia Department of Education standards of learning for 3rd grade students in physical education, and the structure and restrictions of large group regular physical education class. This scope and sequence is the plan that I follow for my 3rd grade students and address all of the required VA SOL’s while allowing students adequate time for mastery. Another highlight of this scope and sequence is it gives students the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of sports and physical activity with enough time to truly find activities that they enjoy.
Standard 3. Professional Leadership
Artifact: Classroom Management Checklist for Educator and Administrative Use
Being a leader in physical education requires an extensive knowledge of classroom management at physical education classes generally have more students than any other class in school. During my EDUC 571 course, I created a checklist that can be used by teachers and administrators to determine if the classroom, or in case the gym, is being managed in such a way as to lead to student success. This checklist has become something that I use on a regular basis to evaluate my own management of the learning environment as well as how my teacher assistants are able to manage the small groups that I give them.
National Health Education Standards
Standard 2: Students will analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors.
Artifact: Community Health Assessment
Health 575 gave me the opportunity to analyze multiple influences on health behaviors by developing a Community Health Assessment. This assessment was meant to understand how certain aspects of a community’s infrastructure might affect the overall health of individuals. The assessment could be easily modified for a variety of communities, including a school, and addressed various factors such as access to exercise space, transportation and access to healthy food. I used forms of this standard community health assessment for my research proposal and my needs assessment for my internship.
Standard 8: Students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family, and community health.
Artifact: Internship Program Plan
During my Health 684 course I was actively engaged with a program called Starting Strides created by J&A Racing. Starting Strides is a physical activity based program, specifically running, that aims to teach students in Title I schools about the connection between their health and physical activity and given them the resources to reach and maintain a healthy level of physical activity. I was able to take an in depth look at how the program was created and implemented and then create a plan to increase the effectiveness of the program. By doing so, the Starting Strides program could increase it reach, effectiveness and promote health and well being for students in particular at-risk school communities. The plan also detailed how to strength the partnerships between the company and the community that they serve to further the spread their message of health.
Responsibilities and Competencies of a Health Education Specialist
Area II: Plan Health Education
Artifact: Health Curriculum
In the HLTH 525 course, I created a health education curriculum with a detailed unit on infectious diseases. Creating this curriculum allowed me to plan for the overall health education of students in kindergarten through twelfth grade while focus in depth on a unit for ninth grade students. I included a philosophy of health education, a description of the different health promotion models that I used to build the curriculum and an explanation of the specific need for an infectious disease unit. The curriculum features sample lesson plans, assessments, and differentiation techniques to address each learner.
Area IV: Conduct Evaluation and Research Related to Health Education
Artifact: Research proposal on the effects of food insecurity on the academic success of school-aged children.
During my EDUC 502 Course I conducted extensive literature reviews and research to determine if there might be a correlation between lack of nutritious food and the academic outcomes for children living at or below the poverty line. During this time I was able research the health disparities found in children who live in low-income homes compared to their more affluent peers. Additionally, I gained insight into the programs that are currently offered to children who suffer from food insecurity, steps that can be taken to alleviate the problem and areas where further research is necessary. I have been able to share this information with colleagues and leaders in my school district and during the Longwood Graduate Research Symposium.