Improving the Physical Education Experience through Activity Based Learning: The Role of the Flipped Classroom in PE215: Foundations of Physical Fitness

Abstract

The instruction of physical education comes with challenges not typically experienced in a class containing more traditional material e.g., Physics or History. While these academic courses place rigorous demands on the cognitive abilities of students, physical education and lifetime physical activity courses, as taught here at West Point, place a far greater demand on the biomotor capacities and abilities of students. With a flipped classroom, students can be assessed prior to initiating in-class activities to ensure comprehension of cognitive aspects of content. Utilizing a blended environment, or in the case of West Point, the Thayer Method, instructors provide cadets a brief opportunity for questions at the beginning of class prior to assessments [1]. Providing multiple points of review beyond a simple mid- and end-of-year assessment, retention and comprehension of course content will improve relative to a more traditional, lecture-style method [1,2]. The primary intent of this review is to discuss the role of varying pedagogical strategies in the post-secondary physical education setting, specifically as it pertains to a foundations of physical fitness course, at the United States Military Academy, West Point.