Sports & Classroom Management

Teaching physical education is a challenging task because classroom management can be quite demanding. There are many required necessities of a physical education educator to help students benefit from the course while keeping everyone safe. Strong classroom management teachers in physical education have a thorough understanding of safety, health and sports that promote a learning environment.

  1. Know the Subject

    • Know the rules

      There is more to being a physical education teacher than rolling out the ball and blowing the whistle. It requires a plethora of knowledge. These educators must know the rules of many games and be able to teach these rules to the students. Teaching health and nutrition is also a requirement of some physical education instructors. Understanding physical development and physical fitness is another core desired component in this type of teacher.

    Setting Ground Rules

    • Rules are an absolute must in a physical education classroom. There are risks and liabilities associated with physical education, and without rules, these risks would multiply. Some necessary rules to ensure safety are dressing in the correct attire and wearing the proper type of shoes at all times. The rules of each sporting event introduced should be taught and enforced to protect participants. There should be rules set for each location in which the class will participate, including the gymnasium, outdoor fields and courts.

    Teaching Respect

    • Respect is a characteristic that should be taught in physical education. Students should have respect for the teacher as well as for their classmates. Some students are better athletes than others, but respecting others' abilities will ground the top performers and help prevent those in the general population from becoming discouraged. Each student should have the right to learn and improve her health and skills through taking part in physical activities. The more instructors foster mutual respect, the greater student participation should result on a daily basis. If students see the activities as non-threatening, they will join in.

    Reacting in an Emergency

    • Know when to act

      Physical education instructors must be aware at all times because accidents occur. First aid may need to be administered on a regular basis. Teachers and coaches must be prepared further for the rare cases when cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) will need to be administered to individuals who go into cardiac arrest on the field or court of play. Other emergency situations to which instructors need to be able to react include heat stroke, heat exhaustion, episodes of fainting and broken bones. With all these risk factors involved, physical education teachers should be quick to react to emergency situations and ready to make immediate decisions.

    Understanding Student Safety

    • Teachers should be on the lookout for risk factors at all times. Fields and gymnasiums should be surveyed on a regular basis to make sure there are no evident risk factors present. Factors as minor and apparently unthreatening as ants and rocks on the field to severe issues such as the threat of flooding or extreme heat in non-air-conditioned conditions all should be noticed and heeded. Examining equipment to make sure it is in good working condition is also a necessity. There are prudent person laws to which can coaches and schools can he held liable.