Diversity Paper

Physical Education has a long history, dating back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans.  Throughout time, many cultures have placed different values on Physical Education.  This paper is going to address the beliefs and attitudes various cultures have towards physical education.  As well as the way teachers value cultures other than their own. 

In the article, Communicating with Hispanic Parents of Children with and without Disabilities, by Columna, Senne and Lytle, they discuss the appropriate approaches a teacher should use to communicate with parents of Hispanic children.  The first and most important step to communicating with parents is to initiate the contact.  Some Hispanic parents may be very knowledgeable of the services their child has the right to, and some parents may have no idea.  As a teacher and service provider, it is your responsibility to inform the parent of what services are recommended for their child.  Once the parents are informed, they can then give their input of what they want their child to work on in order to live an enjoyable, active lifestyle.  The authors suggest many ways to contact parents; verbal communication, written communication, technology, and school functions.  Often, parents of the Hispanic culture love to mingle with teachers, staff and administrators during school functions or gatherings.  As an Adapted Physical Education Teacher, a school event would be a great time to speak with parents, guardians and family members of your students.  Lastly, it is the teacher’s responsibility to sell the service they are providing to the student.  While talking with the parent, you must give the parent descriptive details of all the great things you will show their child how to do, which will leave them with lifelong skills.  

Another article addressed the barriers that come in the way of teaching in a multicultural setting. The article, Multiculturalism in Teaching Physical Education, talks about the attitudes Physical Education teachers have towards different cultures.  The authors give the example of the Development Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (Choi 15), that shows the six levels of cultural appreciation.  The first level is denial, this is the least accepting, and does not recognize cultural differences.  Level two is defense, at this stage one sees the differences, but views them negatively.  Levels three and four (minimization and acceptance) start to show the shift from discrimination to understanding.  In level five, adaptation, one is able to adapt behaviors to fit the norms of the opposite culture.  Lastly, level six is where we all strive to be, integration.  Here one is able to shift your personal frame of reference and integrate another culture into your own personal plan, for example, a physical education lesson plan that teaches folk dances relevant to that students culture.  Although it is great to respond to cultural diversity by changing the curriculum, a teacher must first adjust their own personal frame of reference and strive to reach Level Six: Integration to be one hundred percent accepting of all their students, and sensitive to their values and beliefs. 

Many studies have also been done to find the amount of value children put on physical education and physical activity.  In the article, Subjective task value in physical activity

participation: The perspective of Hong Kong schoolchildren, children were interviewed about their views towards Physical Education.  For the most part, the children did not put as much value on Physical Education as they did on academics.  In the discussion of the article, the authors suggested that Physical Education teachers should work hard to incorporate academic meaning into their lessons, that way it keeps the students interest.  They also expressed that if students are willing to excel in physical education, it will make them a well rounded individual, which will look better for future educational goals, like college and graduate school.  The professionals of Hong Kong are working hard to create this mentality in the Chinese population, hoping one day the culture will make physical activity one of their top priorities. 

Much research has been done on using culturally relevant pedagogy, providing us with tools and strategies which can assist the physical education teachers to become culturally responsive teachers.

The Philippine “Hip Hop Stick Dance” by Lisa Lewis introduces the Philippine folk dance,

Tinikling, and the Philipino martial arts, Arnis. The two are combined to create Hip Hop Sticks Dance, an activity which incorporates a contemporary combination of rhythm, dance, and fitness activity. With the usage of modern hip hop music, this activity has been found beneficial for the nondancers to have the opportunity to perform a traditional Asian folk dance with the modern culture they are very familiar with. This activity addresses several national dance standards and physical education standards.

Debra A. Ballinger reminds us that in order for us to create an effective learning experience where students feel valued, supported by teachers and classmates, and connected to one another, we must have knowledge and understanding of the various cultures in the class for acceptance and inclusion to begin. In her article, So, You’re a Muslim? (Not That There’s Anything Wrong With That), Ballinger addresses some myths about Muslim and Islam and offer strategies that teachers can use to help meet the needs of Muslim students in Physical Education. By becoming informed about the values and belief systems that guide Muslim students, teachers can go beyond tolerance and lead to advocacy for the rights of all students. Dress codes, class times that coincide with religious holidays, and creating a space for prayer are some of the areas that physical education teachers might consider when working with Muslim students. Finally, Ballinger suggests us to “challenge [our] own conventional and traditional thinking, and become aware of personal prejudices and myths perpetuated by ignorance. Creating a climate of acceptance and a caring classroom environment often requires teaches to rethink practices of the past.”

Slingerland, Borghouts, and Hesselink discuss the total physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) during a regular school week in Dutch adolescents in their article, Physical Activity Energy Expenditure in Dutch Adolescents: Contribution of Active Transportation to School, Physical Education, and Leisure Time. Detailed knowledge of PAEE can guide the development of school interventions aimed at reducing overweight in adolescents. This study investigated the contribution of the three scenarios that physical activity takes place, and examined which areas contributed the most and the least in the lives of the selected population. The subjects wore an individually calibrated combined heart rate-acceleration monitor and kept an activity diary during a regular school week. Results showed that Physical Education was not a significant predictor of total PAEE for all students in all levels of physical activity involvement, which is probably because of the low frequency of lessons per week. He article concludes with the suggestion of increasing the number of PE lessons per week, and if not, increase the amount of physical activity during the existing PE lessons.

Teaching Diverse Students: How to Avoid Marginalizing Difference, by Cruz and Petersen, provide us with strategies for positive interactions with various groups: Students of difference races and ethnicities, who are economically disadvantaged, of different genders, different religions or political beliefs, and who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. “The unique nature of the content in physical education and the seemingly informal nature of interactions in a physical environment put physical educators in a position either to nurture, support, and encourage, or to alienate, embarrass, or otherwise marginalize students.” (Cruz, Petersen, 2011) With that said, the various teaching strategies to foster an effective learning experience for the groups presented are key tools for teachers to create in include environment that is safe and welcoming for all students, and to not marginalize any of them. Physical Education is a subject that has been seen unimportant or “not academic” for a long time. Cruz and Petersen points out, “If we no longer want to be marginalized in physical education, we need to ensure that we are not marginalizing our students or their families. When teachers feel marginalized and believe their subject matter is marginalized, they do not feel good about themselves. The same is true for students who are seen and treated as ‘different.’”

Finally, in the article Roles and Responsibilities of Adapted Physical Education Teachers in an Urban School District by Patrick B. Akuffo and Samuel R. Hodge presents their finding on their study which examined the roles and responsibilities of itinerant APE teachers at an urban public school setting. After the data collection and interpretation of their findings, Akuffo and Hodge recommends providing teacher candidates with multiple hands-on practicum in a diversity of physical activity contents. Districts should hold APE teachers accountable for participating in professional development workshops and attend conferences, and also show proof of effectiveness and efficacy of their performance through documentation (unit/lesson plans, assessment records, etc.) and on-site evaluations.

As we can see, cultural diversity is a concept that varies so greatly, and it is something that cannot be ignored or not considered when creating and providing an effective and positive learning experience for the students we encounter. Though there is an abundance of perspectives, beliefs, and practices in any single class, there is also a large number of resources with information that can aide us in working with the diverse population.