2010 Shape of the Nation Report
Reading over this report reminds me of the abysmal condition of health and physical education (HPE) in Australia. The status of PE in the US is appalling, it hardly seems possible that it could be worse in Australia. How can the health and wellbeing of Australian children be relegated to a lower priority than English, Mathematics or the Arts? The first two stages of our new national curriculum do NOT include a HPE component, it is not considered a priority by the Federal Education Minister, Julia Gillard or the current State and Territory Education Ministers, incredible! Chair of the National...
read moreExergaming as a P.E. Solution
By Dan Lawler, originally released on the Exergame Fitness blog 02/06/10 Thinking on the Move What all school administrators are facing today is an increased demand for higher test scores, often times at the expense of reducing physical education or the amount of recess time elementary students receive each day. As a principal for over 30 years, I have to say that I certainly was victim to that pressure until I realized that the approach was fundamentally flawed. We, as educational leaders, have moved too far away from the thought of a sound body and sound mind....
read moreGroup Fitness for Adults, Kids Everyone!
Group fitness has been around for decades with it being popularized in commercial gyms around 1989 with the introduction of Step Aerobics. Today we can see simple varieties of Group Fitness ranging from traditional step classes to Les Mills “Body” sessions, Fitness Boxing, Pilates, Spin or RPM, to Zumba and outdoor and indoor boot-camps. Group Fitness can utilize a multitude of equipment from bikes, to body-building plates and bars, weighted bags, resistance bands or simply just lots of floor space. Most group activities include music and an instructor or some rhythmic component...
read moreFighting Fire with Fire – Part 1
Australia has a long history of dealing with summer forest fires. We’re all very familiar with the devastating affect fires have on our countryside, our flora and fauna, our homes, our lively-hoods and the terrible loss of lives that occurs on far too many occasions. But we’re a hardy and resourceful country which is continually looking toward new methods and technologies to tackle this seasonal threat. Controlled burning is a method of reducing the impact of fires and their devastation. Reducing the fuel which fires need to spread just makes sense, essentially, fighting fire with fire....
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