Girls put off exercise for life
by PE lessons
Many young girls in Britain
are put off physical activity by their experiences of school sport and PE lessons.
This is the outcome of a study by the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation
(WSFF). According to the study, one third of the girls say that their PE
teacher only pays attention to the best pupils in the group. Girls think sport
is too competitive and believe girls who are sporty are not feminine. It is not
popular for girls to be sporty and girls do not like to get sweaty. Half of the
least active girls do not like the activities they are offered in PE and being
self conscious of their body does not help them either, because girls feel like
their body is shown during PE. WSFF chief executive Sue Tibballs admits that
there is a problem amongst school children being less active, especially for
girls. She offers to help head teachers on how to make PE lessons more attractive
for female students. She believes schools and government need to acknowledge
the problem and they must focus on providing a solid health program at schools.
It is a shame that most girls
at English schools do not like the lessons they are offered in PE. How is that
possible? I think it is a problem of the teachers and that they need to have a
close look on how they operate. It is impossible for teachers not to notice
such a development amongst British school children. They must have seen the
declining motivation and should have taken some action. Now suddenly it becomes
a national problem. I think the competitive nature of most sports is a major
culprit. Because of that, sport is no longer fun for a lot of children. Just imagine
that you lose all the time, and people react very disappointed. The next time
you will have to play the game you are less motivated or even worse you do not
want to play the game at all.
This is so recognisable! In gym class the students that are not very good just have to play along and there is no attention to the fact that they may be insecure or scared even. There should be extra attention for these girls because PE is important for them as well.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenIt certainly is a shame that many girls are put off by the PE classes in high school, but I doubt whether this is a contemporary problem. I believe this problem already exists much longer. I don't believe it is fair to immediately point the finger to the teachers, isn't PE not a bit a case of "You like it or you don't"? Whatever causes that feeling is an interesting question...
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI have always been taught that P.E. lessons complement a healthy lifestyle. Of course some students don't like it but I think these are girls that don't normally participate in a sport. Recent studies prove that by doing P.E. at school, students get smarter. Surely teachers should be aware of that!
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