Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.

Authors Ray Breed and Michael Spittle, long recognized as experts in the game sense model and teaching games for understanding approach, have created a complete resource for physical educators and coaches of games and team sports. Their new book, Developing Game Sense in Physical Education and Sport, provides both the theoretical foundation and the practical application that teachers and coaches need to confidently teach their students and athletes the skills and game sense they need to successfully compete in games and sports. This text, inspired by the authors’ previous book, Developing Game Sense Through Tactical Learning, offers new material since the publication of that 2011 book, particularly in relation to curriculum, assessment, and physical literacy. “Our version of a game sense model has been modified over time and adjusted to meet the changing needs and requirements of learners and programs,” Breed says. “This book is an updated and improved variation of our original book, and it will assist teachers and coaches in integrating game sense into their sessions and curricula.” Through Developing Game Sense in Physical Education and Sport, teachers and coaches will be able to do the following: Provide a logical sequence and step-by-step instructions for maximal learning, skill transfer, and game skill development Accelerate learning by linking technical, tactical, and strategic similarities in three thematic game categories (There are 19 invasion games, 13 striking and fielding games, and 14 net and wall games.) Save preparation and planning time by using the extensive planning and game implementation resources Set up games with ease and effectively relate game sense concepts by following the 90 illustrations and diagrams created for those purposes The text includes curriculum ideas and specific units for children ages 8 to 16. Unit plan chapters provide six sessions for each of the two skill levels (easy to moderate and moderate to difficult). The book also offers assessment tools and guidance for measuring learning as well as links to different curriculum frameworks. The appendixes supply teachers and coaches with useful tools, including score sheets, performance assessment and self-assessment tools, session plan outlines, and more. Developing Game Sense in Physical Education and Sport takes into account regional differences in the game sense model and teaching games for understanding approach. Its organization will facilitate users’ ready application of the material. The text first provides an overview and theoretical framework of the concepts of skill, skill development, game sense, and assessment. It then goes on to explore the links between fundamental motor skills, game sense, and physical literacy. Later chapters offer thematic unit and lesson plans as well as assessment ideas. Practical resources, game ideas and descriptions, and assessment ideas are supplied, along with the practical application of game sense, teaching for skill transfer, structuring games, developing questioning techniques, and organizing sessions. Developing Game Sense in Physical Education and Sport will allow coaches and teachers to develop the tactical, technical, and strategic skills their athletes and students need in game contexts. Coaches and teachers will also be able to help learners develop personal, social, and relationship skills. As a result, learners will be able to more effectively participate in, and enjoy, team games.

This text makes an important contribution to our understanding of the socio-cultural issues associated with assessment in PE, in terms of its systemic development as well as at the level of pedagogic relations between PE teachers and their students.

Sustainable development star ts with safe, healthy, well-educated children. Par ticipation in qualit y physical education (QPE), as par t of a rounded syllabus, enhances young peoples' civic engagement, decreases violence and negative pat terns of behaviour, and improves health awareness. Despite evidence highlighting the impor tance of QPE to child development, the world is witnessing a global decline in its delivery and a parallel rise in deaths associated with physical inactivit y.

This book presents a breakthrough achievement-based curriculum (ABC) model designed to guide physical educators step-by-step through the process of translating curriculum theory into functional practice. The ABC approach provides curriculum designers with a systematic decision-making process for developing a curriculum that addresses unique and diverse needs. And it allows designers to incorporate national, state, and local content and assessment standards in their curricula. The book takes teachers through every phase of curriculum design: foundational understanding of design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Further, it shows teachers how to document that their curriculum is working—a valuable asset in an era of budget cuts. Other outstanding features include: Opening Scenario, Expected Outcomes, and Making It Work special elements in each chapter to help future teachers understand how to apply the book’s content in school settings; instruction on implementing the curriculum and sharing it with others; strategies for planning, implementing, and evaluating a curriculum and establishing credibility for it; emphasis on student achievement as an indicator of a quality physical education program; forms and worksheets (completed examples and blanks) that give future teachers a hands-on approach to developing, assessing, and revising a curriculum.