2005 APEQ/McGill PHYSICAL 2005 APEQ/McGill PHYSICAL EDUCATION CONFERENCEEDUCATION CONFERENCE

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Dr. Jennifer Wall Dr. Jennifer Wall Keynote AddressKeynote Address

Opening the door to a lifetime Opening the door to a lifetime of physical activityof physical activity

Through physical education and Through physical education and physical activity programsphysical activity programs

Who is at the door?Who is at the door?

Our youth . . .Our youth . . .

Three consistent findings (Stone, et. al. 1998) 1. A substantial proportion of children and

adolescents are not sufficiently active. 2. Considerably smaller proportion of girls

than boys are sufficiently active. 3. Activity declines with age during

adolescence.

Using a standard of Using a standard of 60 min or more 60 min or more of MPA 5 or more days per week, of MPA 5 or more days per week,

Campagna et. al. 2002 Campagna et. al. 2002 determined determined

– Grade 3: 92% of girls 90% of boys

– Grade 7: 28% of girls 45% of boys

– Grade 11: 5.1% of girls 8.7% of boys

Findings from the Canadian Community Health Survey.

Physical activity and bone healthPhysical activity and bone health

What about joy . . .What about joy . . .

The setting having the most promise for a public health impact are the schools, because virtually all children can be reached in school.– Sallis, 1992

Schools can not do this aloneSchools can not do this alone

What about girls and young What about girls and young women?women?

What would life be like if you woke What would life be like if you woke up tomorrow morning as a girl?up tomorrow morning as a girl?

Boys said . . .Boys said . . .

“Being a girl sucks, now instead of playing basketball I have to play boring jump rope”

Now that I am a girl, they won’t let me play football. But I’ll play anyway, I’ll play in a dress if I have to”

“So many times in the night I wish I was still a boy because of all of my dreams to become a baseball player. But now they have perished into the night, and I’m a little old bag lady sitting in a cardboard box. And whenever I go to a baseball game I cry my eyes out because my dreams have been lost forever.”

Girls said . . .Girls said . . .I could become the

presidentI would have more

confidenceI wouldn’t care

what people thought

I could do more sports

In general physical activity and sport are highly valued for males and not so for females

Young women participate less often than men in physical activity and consider themselves less likely to be physically active by age 20

Girls are less likely than boys to be given adequate coaching in sport, to be exposed to a wide variety of physical activity experiences in their youth, or to have visible role models

What is it like to be a girl in a What is it like to be a girl in a physical activity setting?physical activity setting?

“Any serious consideration of the relationship between gender and education is likely to generate questions which go to the heart of our teaching and our curriculum in physical education”

John Evans, 1984

“As a student going into Grade 10, I know first-hand that having phys.ed classes more often will not solve the problem. All I ever did was the same sports over and over---- basketball,

soccer, hockey etc. Not all kids enjoy being pushed around, demeaned and shamed because they are not good at

competitive sports, me included. Why not create alternative phys.ed classes that offer programs such as outdoor education, hiking, bike riding and

jogging?”

“Let’s say in phys-ed class you are playing basketball, the guys will just pass the ball to the other guys, never to a girl . . .unless you are on the school team and then they might pass it to you, but usually you never get the ball. The other team won’t even cover you because they know, they just know you will never get the ball - - - even if you are free”

“I went to high school in the late 1980’s. I never got to play a base in four years of high school physical education. The boys relegated the girls to the outfield because they said we made mistakes and the team might not win. I think physical education was the most gender biased class in high school”

Too often . . .Too often . . .

Girls and boys perceive boys to be more highly skilled even when they are not!

Boys limit girls opportunities by “hassling” them

Girls limit their own opportunities to learn by accepting the behavior of the boys

Closing doorsClosing doors

The majority of young women “opt out” of physical education at their first opportunity to do so, and many would leave sooner if given the opportunity.

How can we enhance the experiences of girls and young

women?

Should we treat girls equally?Should we treat girls equally?

The same as the boys?? The same as the boys??

Perhaps we need a Perhaps we need a differentdifferent approachapproach

Equality focuses on creating the same starting line for everyone.

Equity has the goal of providing everyone with a full range of opportunities and benefits----- the same finish line.

(Bruce Kidd, University of Toronto)

Start by listening . . .and then Start by listening . . .and then initiate actioninitiate action

This is what I have to say . . .– So what does this say about physical

education classes and physical activity experiences?

– Now what should be done?

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I mean how often do you ever have anyone come to your school and ask what do you think? You know it is usually tell them what you should be doing and thinking

. . . they never ask you”

ExposedExposed

““I want to be her”I want to be her”

“ I took this picture because she is my idol. I taped it to my dresser so that she is the first thing I see every morning. She is so beautiful, I want to be her. Whenever I look at this picture I see myself but 1000 pounds bigger”

“This is a picture of my bikini. I am way too fat to wear it, but I keep it around just in case I lose a ton of weight. My mom says I look great, but you know she is my mom, she has to say that.”

“I remember in grade 9 I had algebra first class and during that class the whole thing I could think about was ‘Oh no, I have gym next’ I made myself sick just thinking about it, I hated it so much. I just did not want to go. I felt so awkward wearing that uniform and then I had to change in front of everyone and then we had to shower, Oh God it was so awful. All during Algebra I could not do any work, I just sat there thinking about having gym next”

“If there is a bigger girl running around the gym and the girl is running a bit slow– the guys are dashing by thinking they are so good, they then say something like, ‘thump, thump, thump, there must be an earthquake”

So what does this say So what does this say

Physical activity settings often put girls and young women into situations in which they feel “exposed”

Issues of body image and “social physique anxiety”

How do I feel in and about my body in a physical activity setting?

What can we do . . .What can we do . . .

Establish a “safe environment”We need to teach and model that beauty

comes in all shapes, sizes and colors and that a beautiful body is a healthy one!

What images are posted in physical activity settings?

Teach everyone about growth and development

Encourage girls to talk about how they feel about their bodies

Review clothing policies, change rooms etc

The Dream . . .The Dream . . .

“I wish that everyone could go to phys-ed do the best they can, have

fun and feel comfortable. I know that sounds like a dream, but I think

feeling comfortable is so important. If you don’t feel comfortable you can’t be yourself, you can’t do as

well.”

““I belong here”I belong here”

Exclusive language . . .Exclusive language . . .

Man to man defense

Sportsmanship“Guys”Girls skates,

push-ups etc

Feeling accepted . . .Feeling accepted . . .

“This year our teacher respects us and treats us better than anyone ever did. She doesn’t treat us like we are lazy and not good at stuff. She has respect for us, and she is so friendly and everything. You know what it is? She acts like she is excited about what we are doing . . . and we are not on a team or anything---- for the first time I feel like I belong here”

A tough place to be . . .A tough place to be . . .

“It got so bad last year that most of the girls in my class would not change for phys.ed anymore. There were only two of us left who ever took part in phys.ed. One day some of my friends in the class told me, “I feel like an idiot out there.” So I really tried to encourage them and I really tried to pass them the ball, but they got intimidated when the boys would groan or roll their eyes if they missed a basket or a pass. After that they didn’t want to play anymore”

So what . . .So what . . .

What are the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of those who teach girls and young women?

What about boys and young men?What messages are being sent to girls and

young women? What policies are in place that may effect

the participation of young women?

Now what ?Now what ?

An inclusive safe environment is essential; “ no tolerance for behaviors that frighten, demoralize or negatively effects self esteem”

Connect with young women: Try to seek out girls and young women who usually “get lost” in physical education classes

Be genuinely excited about their accomplishments

Many girls and young women need someone to believe in them . . .

“ Don’t make us feel like we aren’t as good as other people,

because you know what? After a while I think we start believing

that we aren’t ”

We need to We need to workwork on Fun! on Fun!

“If I was the one in charge of phys-ed you know the one that makes all of the decisions, I would tell them to make physical education fun. The best thing we could promise someone is that they would have fun. Fun is the most important thing.”

So what . . .So what . . .

If girls and young women are not having fun they are not likely to continue to participate in physical activity.

However, girls and young women may have a different idea of fun than their physical education teachers . . .

For many girls and young women For many girls and young women fun is . . .fun is . . .

“Learning new skills and getting better

at stuff”

Being active and having a choice.

“We want to do things, we really do”

Being with friends and doing new things

Working with people not against them

Now what . . .Now what . . .

Offer a developmentally and instructionally appropriate program, be aware that many girls and young women may need to “catch up”– Build a strong foundation of

movement expertise – Increased opportunities to practice

skills with high rates of success

Provide opportunities for young women to learn new skills and to incorporate physical activity into their lives

“ . . .For as long as I can remember I have hated gym. However this year is different. I really enjoy gym now. Because of this program I have learned fun activities and have been doing much better in being physically active. I doubt that I will take gym after grade ten, but at least I won’t have a memory of how much I’ve hated it like my mom does . . .”

““If you could be the If you could be the one in charge . . .”one in charge . . .”

– Somewhere where I can be with my friends and have fun.

– A place where I feel welcome and play some kind of modified game . . .no competition

– If I am worried that I am not good enough, someone will help me

– Run by someone who will hear what we want to do, set things up, and keep things peaceful.

Some doors are difficult to open . . .

Children are always the only future the human race has

Teach them well

Thank you!Thank you!