Preparing Prospective Physical Educators in Exercise Physiology

Abstract

This paper addresses the need for the continued assessment of the course content and instructional methods traditionally employed within physical education teacher education programs to deliver theoretical and applied information from the foundational subdiscipline of exercise physiology. The current literature suggests that physical education teacher educators must implement alternative instructional strategies in order to help students effectively inteprate exercise physiology theory into the practice of teaching physical education. An innovative course at West Virginia University has heen designed to facilitate students' ability to bridge the existent gap between theory and practice in the area of exercise physiology. The infusion of developmental exercise physiology subject matter knowledge, pedagogical knowledge. and pedagogical content knowledge into a single course is intended to ultimately enhance prospective teachers' readiness to foster school-aged children's appreciation for regular physical activity as an essential component of a healthy lifestyle.