Utilizing Physical Education to Support Principals of Biomechanics
Keywords:
National Biomechanics Day, Physical Education, Physical LiteracyAbstract
Purpose: We aimed to engage middle school students in science standards (NGSS) and physical education standards (SHAPE America). We employed targeted physical activities that emphasized both SHAPE America physical education and NGSS standards in an effort to improve middle school level students’ understanding of biomechanical principles.
Methods: Fourteen 8th grade children (age 12-14 years; 9 female, 5 male) participated in the NBD activities. As a group, students first participated in physical activities designed to emphasize principles related to forces. Students were then divided into 2 smaller groups in order to rotate through 2 additional sessions designed to quantify/analyze movement.
Results: We hypothesized that physical education activities that explicitly emphasized elements of physical and life sciences would help provide 8th grade students with a more meaningful understanding of the content. By using physical education activities as a pedagogical tool; we hypothesized that students would enjoy learning and would make meaningful, real-world connections between biomechanics and everyday interests.
Conclusion: Children were able to improve their knowledge of interrelated STEM areas. Targeted physical activities emphasizing biomechanical principles appear to be viable pedagogical tool for enhancing the understanding of physical and life sciences in middle school curricula.
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Copyright (c) 2023 Emily Clapham, Karie Orendorff, Kimberly Fournier
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
