Historical and Theoretical Foundations of Physical Education (Spring 2025)
Course takes place from Monday January 27, 2025 - Friday March 21, 2025 (8 weeks). Registration ends Monday, January 27, 2025.
Course takes place from Monday, Jan. 27 - Friday, Mar. 21, 2025 (8 weeks).
Registration ends Monday, January 27, 2025.
Once you register, if you wish to apply for graduate credits, you will also be sent instructions to register at Adams State University. If you are obtaining graduate credits through ASU, there is an additional associated cost of $165. There is no required textbook for this course. Please register for the graduate credits DURING the course.
This course is non-refundable, by registering you are committing to the workload of an 8 week long graduate course.
Welcome!
We are excited about your interest in taking this graduate-level course from PE Central. Below you will find a course description, the instructor's biography, and course FAQs. This course will last 8 weeks and, if you wish, you can apply for 3 graduate credits (an additional $165) from Adams State University located in Alamosa, Colorado. Please be sure to complete your registration during the course as opposed to waiting until the course is complete if you’d like to take advantage of this option.
If you have any questions about the course, contact us at [email protected].
Best of Luck!PE Central and Human Kinetics Professional Development
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This eight-week course will assist teachers in understanding a more in-depth look into the history of physical education; including how the profession began, how it evolved, and why this is of great importance to how we teach in the current society and potential future. Students will be involved in examining research, reading articles, and discussing topics on the various theories that have laid the foundation for physical education as well as those currently used to guide professionals globally. Students will evaluate theories and understand how these theories may affect their pedagogical methods. This course is valuable for all current physical education teachers not only to understand the profession in depth, but also to be able to analyze and begin transforming their own theories and philosophies that will benefit their teaching and learning. Finally, students will more clearly understand the real purpose and value of physical education, and how this knowledge can assist them in advocating for their own students.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the history of physical education and why the history is important.
- Recognize how the physical education profession has evolved or changed.
- Understand a variety of theories that create the foundation of physical education pedagogy
- Identify theories that directly effect teaching and learning
- Realize the difference between theories and identify which models may be more applicable to their students.
- Evaluate the value and purpose of physical education and obtain the knowledge to become advocates for their own students.
TEXTS, READINGS, INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES:
All course materials such as readings and additional resources will be included in the weekly assignments. There will be articles, PowerPoint presentations, and additional types of information to review when learning the content and completing the assignments.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
In order to receive a passing grade, the participant must complete the following course requirements:
- Discussion Board Posts: You will complete 5 discussion board posts and be expected to respond to your classmates’ posts on a variety of topics.
- Quizzes: You will be completing two quizzes throughout the course to show your knowledge of what you have learned up to that point. These questions will be in short answer form.
- Model evaluation: You will complete a model evaluation in the form of short document
- Model comparison: You will compare and contrast a variety of curriculums models.
- Model Documents: You will complete three different assignments based on uploaded document question and answer formats.
- Midterm Assessment: You would complete the midterm Assessment consisting of 15 multiple choice, short answer, and T/F questions.
- Final Assessment: You will complete a final Assessment consisting of 5 short answer questions.
Your Instructor
Dr. Lisa Witherspoon is a full-time instructor at Tennessee Tech University in the Exercise Science Department, and a former Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida in the Department of Teaching. Dr. Witherspoon also develops and teaches several online graduate and self-paced courses for the PE Central Online School (pecentral.teachable.com) to assist teachers in gaining professional development opportunities in a variety of physical education content areas. She has served on National committees and Advisory Boards related to physical education, and was elected as an Inaugural iTeach Fellow at the University of South Florida to assist future teachers and current faculty in using technology in the classroom. Her continued passion is to assist teachers in learning how to improve their teaching and learning concepts in the physical education classroom. Currently, as an online specialist, Dr. Witherspoon believes virtual learning is extremely efficient and effective in order for working teachers to continue to progress in their profession as well as being able to reach eager teachers all over the world. Dr. Witherspoon is in the Virginia Tech University Hall of Fame, Catawba Valley Hall of Fame, Newton-Conover Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the ACC Legends class of 2011 for women’s basketball. Her past commitment and dedication to hard work as an athlete has certainly contributed to her commitment to educate teachers to continue helping generations of students become and remain physically active for a lifetime.
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