How To Motivate Students Education Essay

What is physical education? What do people nowadays know about the importance of health fitness? Physical education is a course taken in primary and secondary education which involves physically learning and psychomotor learning. People nowadays take everything for granted; they take their own health for granted. They don’t really care about fitness and psychomotor learning. This is why physical education not treated seriously in every educational institute. Based on some researches, there is a survey has been conducted by “Singapore sports council in 2001 shows that most of the students does not exercise regularly.” Besides, there is another survey on the new intake of 800 students conducted in ITE East (Yishun) in 2001 showed that up to 94% did not like PE and never exercised regularly. ( adapted from “innovative ways in motivating students in physical education class- HUSSAIN KADIR (SH/PE/YS)

TAN MENG HUAY (SH/PE/MP)).

Our education system is concentrates more on academics instead on students’ physical development. Schools in Malaysia rather to say neglected the importance of physical education. Based on the timetable in every school, physical education class seems likely to be once a week and 40 minutes. Students get demotivated and lost their interest in physical education class. Based on a teacher who mentioned that “People did, and maybe still do, think of physical education as recess time,” said Shelley Randall, a P.E. teacher at Obsidian Middle School and a member of the Oregon Department of Education committee developing the standards. ( Adapted from Taylor, Ted. (December 4, 2000). The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon.).

This shows that people still in their conservative’s mind which academic ways too important than anything else that they neglected that physical education plays an important role in academic as well. According to an article, Judith Young, executive director of the National Association of Sports and Physical Education, said she wasn’t sure P.E. ever had a major academic role. “But frankly, we are seeing a need for it now because our lifestyles are getting increasingly sedentary,” she said, citing many young people who would rather play a football game on a computer than go outside and toss the pigskin around with friends. ( Adapted from Taylor, Ted. (December 4, 2000). The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon.). These are the evidences show that physical education wasn’t really treated seriously in school that is why demotivates students in their physical education class.

Why students weren’t interested in physical education’s class?

The whole worldwide is encouraging that in reinforce the education system by emphasize the importance in physical education. As we know that physical education not just only helps to improves health but skill development, which allows for enjoyable participation in any physical activities in a proper appropriate techniques. But, why students nowadays weren’t interested in physical education class?

Many factor either from internal or external bring huge impacts on the school kids’ interest in school. Firstly, the school plays an important role in taking care of students’ academic performances. The school concerns their students’ academic performances and their school well built reputation. This is the reason how the school pushes the students and teachers so hard to maintain their performances in such a stressful situation. The class timetable consisted 9 periods a day, and each period is 40 minutes. Apparently, the whole day in school was sedentary activities instead of having any physical activities. Students were all day packed with lectures in class and stuck on the chair almost half a day non-stop. The only thing they will move their body is when they have to attend to the washroom or their 20 minutes recess times which they will just sit and eat. Initially, school cut down the physical education class into 2 periods once in a week for each class. Basically, once a week the students have their physical education class or the entire one and a half hours. The time schedules for physical education is simply unfair, either they arranges the class to after recess time or 2 periods before the school end.

In the morning session, some physical education class arranges after recess time or in the middle of 3rd or 4th period right before the recess time. This odd timing discourage students’ interest in participate themselves in the class. Students need times to get change and took up half of the time that affected the teaching process in the class. Besides, some teacher who might took up the extra times after the bell rang, and this is one of the issues that affected the physical education class. Thus, students have insufficient time to get change and gather at the gym or school field. P.E teacher always faces this kind of problems, insufficient times to finish her teaching syllabus. Plus, students hates to get change again and again for that one hour plus. They think it was really troublesome especially for girls. Students need to wait in a long line to get change back to pinafore under the sweaty, uncomfortable situation. Girls especially who have menses problem will try their very best to avoid participate in P.E class.

School’s environment also is an issue in discouraging students participates in P.E class. The school environment such as the washrooms, the location for P.E class, and so on. School that have insufficient washrooms may affect the students learning mood and enthusiastic in learning. If the washroom is too small or insufficient, students face problems in waiting in a long line to get change. Maybe there are 20-25 girls in a class and they might need some times to get change and wait in a line. This will affect the time management in P.E class, and the whole teaching procedure. Besides, if the washroom’s condition was unhygienic is such a turn off for students to go in and change into their P.E suits. Students will find excuses such as left their suits at home, or not feeling well just to avoid get change and join the class. Moreover, some school doesn’t possess with full equipment such as spacious field, equipment room, basic games’ courts. Students and teacher always cracks their head looking for places to have their class. Students will feel tired and demotivated and get bored easily. Incomplete equipment such as insufficient of balls and so on might affected the teaching activities and students will get distracted because have to wait for their turn to play the game.

Next, the teacher and students’ parents think that physical education wasn’t a real subject. But, the fact is vital. On the school field, there are 30 over students surrounding their P.E teacher. But, when the teacher carries out an activity with the students the responds from the students are so direct and clear that whether they are enjoying the class. We can see that there are a lot of kids standing around and socializing or waiting in line or watching other children play. This proves that the basic lesson plan wasn’t really well prepared. Besides, experts have determined what’s wrong is that in most schools, the P.E. teachers are undertrained. In my opinion, I doubted that Malaysia do have sufficient trained P.E teachers. Malaysia’s schools system considered rather odd, they simply offer the P.E class to some teachers who are not trained in this field. So, is really common that mathematics teacher or maybe English teacher who are teaching P.E as well. Those untrained teacher definitely conducted the class by using the textbook and ball games weren’t really teaching the correct and accurate techniques and skills to the students. That is why lesson plan wasn’t really well planned and prepared, and situation such as students wandering around, socializing with one another, rather stares at the grass, lack of interest in participating in the class occurs. The main reason is the class is boring and not well managed.

Parents on the other hand, who thinks academics are highly important that determined their children’s future. In fact, when a real trained P.E teacher was conducting the class parents should come in and see that there’s real instruction going on. Quality physical education is not roll out the ball and play. Parents always thinks that eat healthier will improve health. Although they knows that exercise regularly is the best way to keep healthy and fitness, deep down in their mind was that such a waste of time for their kids to run along and roll with the balls. Physical education not just educates students but parents as well. According to Welscher from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “They need to know that what it’s going to teach is things that are going to make them live longer, a whole lot happier, protect them from a lot of negative behaviors, improve their mental health and this is at least as important as many of the other subjects.” Parents should have encourages their children participate in P.E class. As a parent, it is important for them to maintain involvement in children’s education so that can ensure he or she attains the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to lead a healthy, active and productive life.

How to motivate students to take part in physical education’s class?

There are few tips that show that benefits in taking part in physical activities, such as it helps to improves health. Regular exercises helps to circulate our blood circulation and our joints won’t turn to rusty. It helps to prevent heart diseases, counteracts with the risk in obesity, diseases, inactivity and hypertension. With 20 minutes walk can help to circulate the blood circulation around our heart and enhance the function of our heart in healthy condition. Obesity and hypertension can prevented with 30 minutes jogs. After some physical activities, it helps to refresh a person’s mind. After discussing the benefits of regular physical activity and all the factors that demotivated students participating in P.E class, there are ways in motivates them in the class. How to encourage and motivate students take part in their P.E class?

There are many ways in motivate students take part in the class. Of course we opted for long term solutions instead of short term solutions. Short term solutions such as bribes the students by using extravaganza’s prizes or maybe cashes to allure the students in taking part in the class. This will never work out. They are temporally attracted students for a short time and the objectives will never achieve. The school, teachers, students and parents have the responsibility to overcome this problem. The school should try to see this as serious matter by not just emphasizes in academic performance. School should have tried to work out some programs to encourage students take part in physical education class. They should have planned to have their sports day during the weekdays as attendance is compulsory. Many schools normally have their sports day during weekend. Weekends supposed to be non school day, this is the main reason that students will never turned up and shows the initiative to participate in any sports programs. Even the teachers were lack of motivation to conduct the event or activity in a proper manner. In my opinion, the school should organize some sports programs or activities for the whole week. In the whole week, half of the day students are occupied with all sorts of programs. Such as interclass games competition, some in charge of having healthy and fitness mini seminar. The school can invite professionals to give talks or seminars to the students. This whole physical education week should organize consistently, is meaningful and education purposes.

Besides, students felt bored in P.E class is because of the teacher is untrained and wasn’t specialized in this field. This may cause confusion to the students. The best thing that can do is, have the teachers attend the workshop in physical education. A productive and knowledgeable teacher is a successful educator. Teacher who are specialized or not in this field should educate themselves more in this field, they should prepares themselves in any situation such as teaching the subject that they may not familiar with. Teacher should prepare interesting lesson plan and activities in order to let learning progress takes place. Teacher should be willing to learn and gain more Knowledge: As a physical education teacher have to learn about new activities and games, and apply them into their lesson plans. P.E teachers should learn new games and bring them into class. By bringing in new games it will not only broaden students’ knowledge of new skills, but they will also have fun learning new and different skills. The teacher’s attitude is also very important in teaching. Teacher should know how to handle classroom management so that students will respect he/her and take things seriously in physical education. Teachers should always possesses with positives attitude, always encourage students, never give up easily, and should influence the students in what is meant to be good for them. The most important thing is get to know them, understand them, and get to know what their needs are. Caring is always the most effective ways in teaching progress.

Next, parents and schools bond with each other in an indirect way. Parents play an important role in this issue. Most of the parents thought that P.E class is such a waste of time, and a burden to a child for bringing extra clothes to school. Most parents have irrational thoughts such as, a lot of laundry to do if bringing extra P.E suits and so on. Parents should have encourage their children how important P.E is and should participate fully in the class. Besides, parents should often exposed P.E activity to their children since young or daily. It is a necessity to expose physical activity to children daily so that they will keep it as a habit.

While the school environment also important in solving this problem. School should concern and take this seriously in improving the facilities in school. Such as, the sport’s field, the equipment room and etc. Especially the field, school authority should take care of the field as in trim the grass or mend the holes on the ground. This can reduce the risk of injury among the students. With a well cared field, students will love the field and willing to stretch their joints in any conditions. The equipment room should always updates. Balls especially always a problem for every school, insufficient amounts of balls always create havoc in P.E class. The school person in charge should check the remaining stocks consistently. Replace those equipments which are dysfunctions with new, add in better equipment in order to enhance the quality in teaching. The school environment such as renovates the toilet into spacious space for students able to get change or built in sports shower room for students to take a shower before they continue their next class.

Besides, government should take this seriously as in promoting how important P.E is and encourages the society starts to concentrate in P.E activity. The government should promote scholarship schemes or better offer in sports academy for every student who contributes in sports or P.E class. The government should encourage each school to have a certified certificates to show attributes to all the students who did well in their P.E class. This will encourages and motivates the P.E culture in Malaysia soon. “The best P.E. class and program will keep students in mind that this knowledge can last for a lifetime.” ( Adapted from article: I hate P.E)