Deaf Learners: Development in Curriculum and Instruction

Revisiting the Role of Physical Education for Deaf Children

75 D A V I D A . S T E W A R T M . K A T H L E E N E L L I S Revisiting฀the฀Role฀of฀Physical฀ Education฀for฀Deaf฀Children P ERHAPS IT SHOULDN’T COME AS A SURPRISE that for the past 20 years or so, physical education (PE) has been derided as the ugly duckling of the curriculum . This is true in many public schools where elementary age children take PE in their street clothes and, after doing a few minutes of stretching and running, play kickball, dodge ball, and other simple games (Sammann, 1998). Deaf children fare worse than their hearing peers. In public schools, PE is often used as the subject from which they are pulled for support services provided by audiologists and speech therapists (Stewart & Kluwin, 2001). Even in schools for deaf children where PE is usually seen as an important part of the curriculum, there is evidence of children’s fitness getting shortchanged. One school for the deaf we contacted has had a different PE teacher in each of the past 5 years, none of whom were certified to teach PE. Moreover, in this same school, classroom teachers hold back their students from attending their PE class if they have not completed their school work or as a form of punishment. All of this is occurring at a time when the media and medical professions are calling America a nation of overweight children and adults. In fact, today’s generation of children are slated to be the first generation not to outlive their parents because of reduced life expectancy related to diseases associated with overweight bodies and inactive lifestyles. This is in sharp contrast to the growing availability of exercise equipment , TV fitness programs, community sports opportunities, and recreation facilities. Plus, there are constant reminders for people to eat better, and wherever there is food you can find reams of nutritional information. Schools, too, are taking steps to create healthier lunch programs and reduce or eliminate the proliferation of candy and soft drink vending machines. However, schools must go farther and investigate why many of their PE programs now favor activities that are not physically challenging and ultimately do little to increase fitness levels of students. In this chapter, we review the status of physical fitness in light of today’s world—a world where computers and the entertainment industry are conspiring to entrench us into an increasingly sedentary lifestyle—and review what we know about the fitness 76฀ David฀A.฀Stewart฀and฀M.฀Kathleen฀Ellis levels and motor performance skills of deaf children. Following this we describe changes that are occurring in PE curriculum and how teachers and schools can make the curriculum more amenable to the physical needs of deaf children from elementary through high school grades. What฀Teachers฀Should฀Know฀About฀Physical฀Fitness Physical fitness is a measure of the ability of the body to effectively function physiologically and is categorized as being either skill-related or health-related (Hastad & Lacy, 1998). Skill-related physical fitness involves components related to sports and athletic performance, such as balance, agility, coordination, and power. Healthrelated physical fitness refers to components of everyday functional fitness, such as cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, body composition, and flexibility. Although both types of fitness are important, medical professions have emphasized health-related physical fitness the most because of its connection to various diseases and disabilities (Public Health Service, 1990). In general terms, health-related physical fitness is defined as the physiological functions that offer protection from diseases and disabilities associated with inactive habits (Wilmore & Costill, 1994). To experience such protection from disease and disability, minimally appropriate fitness levels are required, which are defined as performing at or above the 20th percentile on individual measures of health-related physical fitness (Cooper Institute of Aerobic Research, 1999). Research has indicated that being above the 20th percentile, especially with respect to cardiorespiratory endurance and body composition, provides the greatest overall benefits to achieving and maintaining appropriate health-related physical fitness levels. Although it is desirable to have at least moderate levels of physical fitness, the gains in fitness that push the individual past the 20th percentile may have effects that are just as positive as those that would occur with performance at a higher level of fitness. This level of fitness is an important concept for encouraging and motivating children and adults alike to improve fitness levels...