Brent Corum's Thoughts on Online Phys. Ed.

Online Physical Education:

The idea of online physical education is somewhat confusing. It’s counterproductive when I think about the term. If a child has a PE class entirely online and there is no actual face to face time with other students and teachers then it not a true PE class. Why would someone want to take an online physical education class where they never see the teacher or other students? The only potential reasons and benefits of these classes is that they are convenient for those enrolled in them and they are less costly. In this case, the benefits do not outweigh the costs, which in most people’s mind would mean that the idea wouldn’t be initiated. In this case, the idea has not been only been initiated but expanded. From what we have heard, more and more schools and people are relying on online physical education for physical activity and learning about physical activity. Which makes me think about what the main setbacks of these classes would be?

The main differences between online and in-class PE is the amount of socialization that occurs , the amount of feedback students receive from teachers, and the accountability issue of the entire class.. First, PE classes should involve some sort of affective domain learning (socializing). However, when you think of online PE, where does the socialization exist? Students in these class won’t be working with other children, they will be by themselves (unless there is some sort of hybrid), which would severely hinder their social abilities in the future. PE is a great place to be active and socialize with friends and I could never imagine learning a new skill without other people around to help and work with. This lack of people would also decrease one’s ability to be able to understand and react with people during sports and games which is a necessity.

This lack of socialization also relates to socializing with the teacher. When one thinks of student-teacher communication they think of teacher feedback and face to face time. When do children really get feedback from the teacher in these classes? Maybe a few days after they send in a request for help or send in a picture or video of them performing the skill. This is not a viable option to help kids increase their skill level. They need immediate feedback from the teacher. They also need the teacher there to help demonstrate and explain a skill so students have the best ability to achieve high levels of learning. The teacher serves so many functions in a PE class, and their ability to teach is hindered by only being able to communicate online, which is completely out of the physical realm where they are most needed.

If a student is not seen in person, then how can they be held accountable for actually participating within the desired activities specified online? Teachers can’t see the student perform the activity, so no one will know if the person is really doing the activity except for the child. The teacher is nowhere to be seen so students don’t truly have to do anything, they can just say they do and get credit. This type of education is neither reliable nor valid; if students aren’t held accountable to be active then what is he point. They are not improving their physical ability or knowledge at all. Students need to be able to progress, and this does not ensure progression and achievement. You go to PE class to be active and learn about how to move and how to perform movement skills better. PE encompasses the physical, the cognitive, and the affective domains and from the looks of it, the only guaranteed domain covered in this online PE may be the cognitive.

But an overarching question comes to my mind that I must ask: As someone who has obtained teacher certification, would you teach one of these online P.E. classes if you made the exact same amount or more than an in-class teacher?

-Brent Corum