Analysis and Discussion

After reviewing the data collected, I was able to infer that a majority of the data was supported by existing literature. Student 1 was a boy that was good at physical education and enjoyed it. He appeared athletic and confident. He felt safe in his class all the time and was proud of his progress on the fitness testing. His mention of his name on the wall was a clue to just how proud he was of his progression. Having his name posted on the wall was a constant reminder to him and anyone else who saw it that he had done something of value.
Student 2 was a boy who also enjoyed it. He did not seem as athletic as student 1, but seemed content with his abilities. He stated that he did not always feel safe in his class. There were times that he felt that it was easier for him to not participate in order for him not to have someone “after him because of (PE) class.” This is an issue that teachers must be conscious of in urban areas. Students must be able to feel as thought they are in a safe environment at all times in order to maximize their potential. Like this student, if students do not feel safe, they will not participate to the fullest extent of their abilities. Having students go through the motions does not help to promote life skills. It is only when students are fully engaged and participating do they begin to use and develop these skills.
Student 2 also spoke about how much he enjoyed team activities. He mentioned how his team had to work together in order to accomplish their task. An important thing that he mentioned was how over time, his team was able to get better because they became more familiar with each other and learned to work together based on each individual’s strengths. This is a terrific example of the development and practice of life skills through physical education. Students are much more engaged in activities if they feel as though they can improve upon their past performances. According to Knop, “they [students] need to see signs of progress towards their personal goals” (Knop). The teacher must hold the students and himself/herself responsible for continued progress. “Three guidelines can help us in these decisions: we should aim to (1) create trust through content and delivery, (2) create a sense of community, and (3) create multiple ways for students to demonstrate progress” (Knop). Creating multiple ways for students to demonstrate progress is necessary for an inclusive classroom. Student’s strengths and weaknesses differ and one method of measuring progress may unfairly favor one student’s skills over another. Multiple ways to measure progress likely increases the number of students making significant progress and feeling successful. “Students demonstrated the greatest buy-in once they saw themselves making physical progress in the class. When students perceived that they were getting stronger, feeling fitter and better, and looking leaner, they gained trust and belief in the class and in the teacher” (Knop).
Student 3 was a girl who enjoyed PE; she appeared to be athletic. She felt safe in her PE class and liked to participate in the games and events. She mentioned that she was appointed captain for some of the relays. The fact that she mentioned this leads me to believe that this was important to her. Teaching leadership through physical education presents students with hands on leadership experience and decision making capabilities.
Student 3 also mentioned that she liked how one team was not “better at everything than the others.” They always were willing to try because they never knew who was going to be the best at different events. This balance of teams is crucial for student participation and enjoyment level. Students are much more likely to have an invested interest in games and events if they are close and competitive rather than one team dominating the others.
Lastly, Student 4 did not enjoy her PE class. She did not like participating, most likely because she did not feel as though she was in a safe environment. By creating a “safe place” for everyone, students can connect with others and know that their emotions and sense of self will be protected (Ennis). “This information reinforces the importance of trust and ability of the teacher to be able to relate to their students in order to provide them with a positive physical education experience and necessary life skills” (Ennis). The relationship between students and teachers in urban areas depend on the teachers’ ability to connect to their students. Understanding and connecting with students is vital in order to have a successful PE curriculum in urban schools.
In addition to providing a safe environment, the pedagogy should be culturally relevant so students feel as though they can relate to the task they are performing. If students are able to connect social concepts to disciplinary content, it will enhance their willingness to achieve (Ennis). According to McCaughtry, teachers expressed concern about providing culturally and contextually relevant teaching for their diverse students. One teacher McCaughtry observed in his study of urban educators stated that she decided to “spend time on traditional sports skills due to the social implications. Baseball, jump rope, football, and basketball are sports that have been with [the community] forever” (McCaughtry). Teaching students how to play sports that they will see often gives them a chance to know how to play them when they are out in the community. However, other teachers felt it was important to expose their students to non-traditional activities in the urban environment. This can be difficult because the majority of students will never have seen the sport introduced, causing them to have a lack of interest and be reluctant to participate.
According to the students I spoke with, all five of them had never played lacrosse or field hockey nor did they have the slightest interest in learning about or playing either sport. They answered quickly and assured me they had no interest in learning such sports. They seemed to be fine with the sports they knew and played, and there was little interest in learning a sport they have never seen. Furthermore, both of these sports require resources that many urban physical education classes lack, such as the equipment needed to play. Lacrosse sticks, goggles, padding, and balls are expensive; field hockey equipment is costly as well.
Despite differences in how to cultivate life skills, there is sufficient evidence supporting the idea that students need to feel as though they are in a safe environment, have a culturally relevant pedagogy they can relate to, and have a method for tracking their progress. In order to provide students with these skills, urban teachers must create an atmosphere in which students readily participate, are challenged, can measure their achievements. The existing literature and research both support the findings that by implementing these elements into their classroom, physical education teachers can play a significant role in instilling urban students with necessary life skills.