Achieving Physical Function through Orthotic Management

Bracing and orthotic management for children with disabilities is often overlooked in physical education. Orthotics may be defined as custom-made devices that are fabricated to address musculoskeletal deformities, deficits, or discrepancies, while attempting to increase function or regain mobility of a specific musculoskeletal structure.

Orthotic wearing schedules, maintenance, and compliance are among some of the most important components leading to successful orthotic interventions or treatment plans. Physicians, orthotists, and therapists work diligently to select the most appropriate orthotic device for a child while considering his or her diagnosis, physical limitations, level of cognition, gait abnormalities, range of motion (ROM), skin sensitivities, and environmental factors. Because children wearing orthotic devices spend most of their time in school settings, it is important for adapted physical educators to understand the basic components of orthotic management in order to meet treatment goals, increase physical function, and most importantly to ensure the safety of the child.

Wearing Schedules

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The Geometric Shape of Physical Education

I just returned from a successful weekend road trip. I say successful because of the 5 hours that I personally drove; I only missed one exit, resulting in a short 10-minute detour from our destination. For those of you who know me this is a huge accomplishment. In recent years, I rarely make it to a destination without multiple U-turns. The worst was when my husband woke from a nap in the passenger’s seat to find that I had traveled three quarters of the way around the Washington D.C. loop and was heading back north on our trip from New York to North Carolina! I emphatically insist that if the co-pilot stayed awake during the entire trip these things wouldn’t happen. But the truth is that once I get on the highway and point my wheels between the dotted white lines, the driver in me goes on autopilot and my mind travels elsewhere toward solving the problems of the world.

Okay, maybe I am exaggerating. Truthfully, I could be thinking about grocery shopping, my next bulletin board, or our new puppy, but over the last 2 years I have also had a recurring philosophical debate with myself – “What geometric shape best represents physical education in today’s society?”

This internal discussion began after reading Knowledge/Skills and Physical Activity: Two Different Coins, or Two Sides of the Same Coin? (Blankenship, 2013). In it, Bonnie questions the direction of physical education. She refers to physical education and physical activity as being two sides of the same coin. The image of physical education as a coin with two sides got me thinking about my beloved Springfield College Triangle and the Humanics Philosophy.

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The Promise and Reality of Physical Education in Controlling Overweight and Obesity

Physical Education (PE) has great potential for helping to control overweight-but only if it is implemented AND actually engages students in ample amounts of physical activity. Unfortunately, very few states even report how many minutes of physical education are required in schools. PE is rarely scheduled daily and even when scheduled is often not held (about 20% of lessons are cancelled for various reasons-no substitute for PE teacher; gym not available; academic testing during PE time). When held as scheduled, actual PE length is only about 78% of the time scheduled for it. Clearly there is an obvious need for additional and more specific PE policies at many levels (state, district, school) together with consequences for not following them.

Meanwhile, the quality of PE is not uniformly optimal, and this got us thinking: If schools actually met the Society of Health and Physical Educator’s (SHAPE America) and the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) recommendations for quality PE, how much could PE contribute to caloric expenditure and the potential for controlling for overweight and obesity?

Presently, we really don’t know much about this because we often talk in units (METs, % MVPA [moderate-to-vigorous physical activity]) that don’t translate well to students, parents, principals, school boards, and other stakeholders. Incorporating calories into the conversation may transform how PE is viewed. To start this question we needed data, and we did this in a recently published article, The Potential and Reality of Physical Education in Controlling Overweight and Obesity (Kahan & McKenzie, 2015).

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Shelly Hoffman Teacher of the Year

“The kids are the future, we have to make sure we invest in the future…show them how important they all are.show them to be more than their upbringing.”- Shelly Hoffman

In 2014, Shelly Hoffman of Franklin Elementary School in Wichita, Kansas was recognized as SHAPE America’s National Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year (TOY). Shelly has been with her current school district for 26 years.

“I love teaching. I love seeing that light bulb turn on when the kids finally get it. That moment when they achieve it, that is what I love the most. I am the toughest teacher, but it’s because I love the kids and want to see them excel.”

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Physical Education is all about Improving Lives

“Where is your passion?” I recently asked this of a group of physical education undergraduates who were halfway through their student teaching. In putting together my presentation to them, I wanted something that would grab their attention right away and get them thinking about their chosen profession. I think this question did the trick.

Kids Playing

When I asked for their answers, I got many of the response I anticipated. Most of them said something along the lines of “physical activity,” or “physical fitness,” or even “teaching kids about sports and fitness.” But then one of these students gave me the answer I was hoping for. His answer was “to teach kids.” When I pressed him to tell me more, low I thought he would say something PE related. I was both surprised and impressed when he answered by saying “anything!” That was the answer I was hoping for and what I wanted to get all of the students to think about.

You see I believe that there is a big difference between our passion and our expertise. Our passion needs to be kids. First and foremost our main focus should be on the kids we are fortunate enough to see daily (even the ones that seem to go the extra mile to make our jobs difficult). We are there to create an environment where our students can thrive. As basic as that sounds I believe this should be our main focus.

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Principles and Axioms for Effective Coaching of Fitness and Conditioning

There are many basic principles to follow when teaching sports skills, strategies, and fitness for athletic competition. In this article I’m going to share a few of these basic principles. It’s a review of what must happen when you coach if you want your athletes to be able to perform effectively as individuals and as team members. Over the years, these principles have served successful coaches and athletes well and are effective in all sports programs. My experience is that many highly successful coaches employ them daily in their coaching without even thinking about them. Such coaches are so passionate about young people and their sport and are teaching with such high intensity, they never take the time to consider the actual principles that serve as the foundation for the way they teach.

The principles I want to focus on relate to getting the most out of your athletes in the area of conditioning and fitness training. These principles of coaching fitness training are presented to you with the hope that you can recognize the coaching concept more clearly. Newer coaches can then use them intentionally and coach more authentically. I’m also going to share key concepts in getting athletes more engaged in their training regimens.

One of the most important of all reasons why we have sports programs is to provide young people and adults with avenues to improve and maintain physical fitness. It’s not just for the sports they play but also for a lifetime of active living. Fitness conditioning involves three major principles: overload, progression and specificity. Any coach in any sport who conditions for fitness should be very aware of how all three of these principles work together to produce effective results. A warning to all coaches: it is critical that when conditioning young people in progressive resistance training (PRT) one should never employ one of these three principles without knowing about and implementing in concert the other two principles.

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Game Recognizes Game: Women Coaching Men

Title IX, federal legislation passed in 1972, prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs that receive federal money (Acosta & Carpenter, 2014, p. 5). Since the law’s inception, girls’ and womens’ participation in sports has increased annually. Today, more females are participating in sports then ever before. In comparison, a notable decline in female coaches has occurred (LaVoi, 2013). In 1972, [approximately] 9 out of 10 coaches for women’s teams were female (Acosta & Carpenter, 2014, p. 10). In 2014, the number has dropped to approximately 4 out of 10. In addition, only approximately 3% of coaches of men’s teams are women (Acosta & Carpenter, 2014).

“Sport is inextricably linked to the American ideal of meritocracy that if you are good enough, work hard enough, and make sacrifices, you will have the opportunity to achieve and succeed. Although this ideology has prevailed for athletes, does this same ideal of meritocracy apply to the coaching profession? Does it apply to all coaches both male and female?” (LaVoi, 2013, p. 1).

It has long been thought that playing experience determined coaching opportunities. But with more girls and women playing then ever before, and yet declining numbers of women in coaching, this long held belief is today being challenged. Interpretation of the data as to why women are not coaching may relate to economic biases, social myths, or personal reasons (Stoll & Van Mullem, 2010, p. 7).

Source: http://www.nba.com/2015/news/08/03/becky-hammon-spurs.ap/

Trailblazer, pioneer — words we use to describe a person who paves the way for new opportunities for others. Becky Hammon is a trailblazer and a pioneer. A 16-year veteran in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), Hammon spent 8 years with the New York Liberty and 8 years with the San Antonio Stars (Voepel, n.d.). A decorated athlete, she was a seven-time WNBA All-Star, two-time All-WNBA First Team honoree and three-time NCAA All-American [at Colorado State University] (Voepel, n.d).

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