Project Fizz Ed: We Build Up - We Don't Tear Down

Johnson, Dennis A., Nelson, Kimberly, JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance

The public school priorities of the 1990s have nudged physical education even closer to the back burner of education, leaving many physical education departments understaffed and operating in overcrowded environments with inadequate equipment. Physical educators frustrated with their working conditions often compromise their efforts to promote student education, adopting instead the stereotypical approach of simply "rolling out the ball" and supervising a modified recess.

The physical education department at Sheffield Middle/High School in Sheffield, Pennsylvania is no different from any other public school. However, its staff has developed a program to effectively deal with the understaffed and overcrowded conditions, while enhancing the education of each individual student. The program, known as Project Fizz Ed, was developed out of necessity in the fall of 1993 when an entire eighth grade, numbering 78 students, was scheduled for one 40-minute class a day, five days a week, for a two-week-on, one-week-off cycle.

The staff at Sheffield refused to resort to the roll-out-the-ball approach, opting instead to establish and meet educationally sound goals. The goals for Project Fizz Ed were (1) to enhance the self-esteem of each student, (2) to improve the efficacy of each student, (3) to allow students to enjoy friendly competition …

Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information: Article title: Project Fizz Ed: We Build Up - We Don't Tear Down. Contributors: Johnson, Dennis A. - Author, Nelson, Kimberly - Author. Journal title: JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance. Volume: 67. Issue: 7 Publication date: September 1996. Page number: 4+. © 2009 American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD). COPYRIGHT 1996 Gale Group.

This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.