The Basic Concepts of Physical Education
The one experience common to almost all people in this country is attending school during childhood. Not all of us went to the same kind of school. Differences in some cases are substantial. Nevertheless, we have all been students, and most of us have taken classes in good on “fizzed.” That experience no doubt shaped partially what each of us believes physical education to be, or what we think it should be.
The theories presented may differ dramatically from the reality the student experienced. That is all right! Educational theories are typically idealized models of the way things could be, rather than descriptions of the way things are. But remember that, without visions of how things could be, it would be difficult to improve education
In physical education, the opposite is true. There is probably less agreement today on the basic meaning of Physical education than there has been at any time in our professional history.
In one sense, it is tempting to say simply that physical education is whatever happens in physical education programs.
That is not a satisfactory definition; however it is merely a simplistic one. We cannot say “physical education is.” or “sport is.”
What we can do, however, is to present the major contemporary points of view about physical education with as little bias as possible so that you can decide which point of view seems most logical and beneficial.
