Part 1 of a multi-part series.
By John Kruse
What expectations do we set for our students in regard to cardiovascular fitness? Is it the ability to list it as one of five components of fitness? Is it to be able to run a certain number of laps to get a grade for the day and somehow gain a lifelong appreciation for physical activity and aerobic fitness? Or, do we expect students to simply know that it has to do their hearts and lungs?
Are the above examples a marginalization of physical education; or, can we expect our students to have a deeper and better understanding of what cardiovascular fitness is and why its important?
The National Board Certification Standards for physical education state that:
Teachers are knowledgeable about the organic, skeletal, and neuromuscular structures of the human body and how these structures contribute to motor performance. Fundamentally, teachers understand and can communicate to students how the human body functions and moves. They understand how principles of biomechanics and exercise physiology relate to a broad range of movement activities…Teachers understand components of health related physical fitness, such as body composition, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, muscular endurance, and muscular strength.
If we examine the science content for seventh graders in California, we see that they are expected to know the concept of respiration and photosynthesis. They cover the importance of oxygen in converting glucose to energy. They typically learn about human body organ systems with content that includes the skeletal system, the muscular system, food, digestion, circulation, respiration, excretion, the nervous system, the endocrine system and reproduction. They also learn about preventing noninfectious diseases.
This provides the physical educator with a rich opportunity to bring the physical education curriculum and the science curriculum together. In addition, the physical education teacher should recognize that their instructional context and teaching environment provides students with the best possible science laboratory for this content. Is there really any better way to learn the content having to do with respiration and circulation than to relate it to oneself?
The following will give the reader a deeper and more thorough understanding of cardiovascular fitness. Much of the information has been collected from a variety of resources and put into this review for your convenience. The reader should be able to use the information for the design of better lessons, communication of cardiovascular fitness to parents, measurement of cardiovascular fitness of students and exercise prescription planning.
Coming next week: What is the measure of cardiovascular fitness?
Tags: cardio, introductions, metrics
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