Characteristics of a quality instructional program

Next Page: Implications of Mandates. In This Edition. Choice in Involvement: Students, teachers and staff choose to be at the school: they are not placed there as a "final option. Focus on the Whole Student: Alternative schools focus on personal, social, emotional, and academic development.

Many programs also provide, or make available, services students may need to stay in school, such as counseling or day care. Warm, Caring Relationships: Warm, caring relationships with teachers are a central part of the alternative school culture. Similar relationships are also fostered among students in order to create a supportive peer culture.

Expanded Teacher Roles: Teachers act not only as teachers, but also as advisors, mentors, and counselors. Sense of Community: Alternative education programs strive to create a sense of community among teachers, staff, and students that fosters the relationships described above as well as student affiliation with the school. High Student Expectations: Teachers have high expectations for students, but these expectations are flexible, allowing for change according to student needs.

Small Size: To facilitate the personal attention necessary to foster a sense of community in the alternative school, both schools and classes are small. Relative Autonomy: Most successful alternative education programs have some degree of freedom from standard district operating procedures. Teachers, and often students, participate in management and decision making, both in establishing the school's goals and direction and in its ongoing functioning.

Comprehensive Programs: Alternative education programs include experiential learning and vocational components to link what the students learn in school with their future life and work. Section One: Learning Climate A safe environment supported by the teacher in which high, clear expectations and positive relationships are fostered; active learning is promoted.

The teacher and student collaboratively gather information and reflect on learning through a systematic process that informs instruction. Uses multiple methods to systematically gather data about student understanding and ability.

Revises instructional strategies based upon student achievement data. Guides students to apply rubrics to assess their performance and identify improvement strategies. Provides regular and timely feedback to students and parents that moves learners forward.

Allows students to use feedback to improve their work before a grade is assigned. Reflects on instruction and makes adjustments as student learning occurs. Teacher instructs the complex processes, concepts and principles contained in state and national standards using differentiated strategies that make instruction accessible to all students.

To do this, programs must be guided by current research, thinking, and philosophy. One of the unique characteristics of physical education is that it is informed by many other disciplines.

The information and curriculum provided in this book are deeply grounded in research from exercise physiology, psychology, motor control, and pedagogy and teaching. All these disciplines, and others, are interwoven to provide students with a quality physical education experience designed to teach students skills, provide them knowledge, and develop positive attitudes toward all physical activity.

Again, a strength of physical education is that it applies the evidence from a variety of areas to provide evidence-based practice. This is a complex and difficult task that physical educators must implement for the benefit of youth. Based on this large body of evidence from many areas, quality physical education programs must address several essential components that interlock to form a program that will be valued by parents, teachers, and students.

Each component is described briefly here, whereas in-depth coverage is provided in the chapters referenced under each point.

Figure 1. Quality physical education programs are organized around content standards that offer direction and continuity to instruction and evaluation. A quality program is driven by a set of content standards. These standards are defined by various competencies that children are expected to accomplish. Standards are measurable so that both teachers and students know when progress has been made.

Comprehensive physical education content standards are presented later in this chapter. Chapter 8 offers some strategies for teachers who evaluate whether they and their students are meeting the standards. Quality programs are student-centered and based on the developmental urges, characteristics, and interests of students. Children learn best when the skills and activities they must learn match their physical and emotional development. Teachers must teach new activities outside their comfort zone to present a comprehensive program.

Chapter 4 discusses the urges, characteristics, and interests of children and the way that they affect the creation of a quality physical education program. Chapter 6 offers many ideas for understanding and teaching to the personal needs of students. Apply market research to generate audience insights.

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