Physical Education Professionals Developing Life Skills in Children Affected by Poverty

Abstract

Physical education (PE) professionals must believe that all students can learn, and they should equip themselves with the knowledge and expertise to instruct each student effectively. This article focuses on the effect that a PE teacher can have on the lives of students who come from low socioeconomic status (SES) households. It provides PE teachers with specific ideas and examples of how to teach life skills effectively within the PE setting to marginalized children affected by poverty. PE teachers often must intentionally influence the development of life skills, and some feel that practitioners are responsible for implementing ways to encourage that development. Personal and interpersonal skills are essential developmental factors that can be influenced through PE. This article highlights ways of incorporating proper affective assessments, developing a growth mind-set, and giving exposure to specific PE curricular models that focus on life skill growth. Finally, it provides a practitioner’s example to further elucidate the effect that intentional life skill instruction may have on students of low SES. Subscribe to TPE