Physical Education

Physical Education, instruction in various kinds of physical activity to promote the physical development and well-being of the individual. Physical education is generally taught in U.S. schools from kindergarten through college and involves organized sports, gymnastics, dance, aquatics, and calisthenics. Games that foster competition and stimulate play behavior are often used as a means of enabling students to understand and practice specific physical skills so that a high level of fitness can be maintained.

Originally, in ancient times, physical education consisted of gymnastics to improve strength, agility, flexibility, and endurance. The Greeks considered the human body a temple that housed the mind and the soul, and gymnastics kept that temple healthy and functional. Eventually, structured gymnastic and calisthenic exercise was abandoned in favor of sports.

In modern times, especially from the 19th century on, in the U.S., physical education was a required course in most school programs. As school curricula became less formal and structured, physical education became an elective subject. Because physical education is the only subject that is directly concerned with motor behavior, it has, however, maintained its popularity. Emphasis on the meaning of human movement, physiology of exercise, sport sociology, and aesthetic appreciation of movement, as well as the acquisition of skills, are included in today's curriculum. Athletic and purely recreational programs are only incidental to a school's physical education offerings.

In the U.S., the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance promotes the development of health and physical education and recreational programs. Organized in 1885, the alliance today has 50,000 members and has its headquarters in Reston, Virginia. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) also considers physical education programs an important part of its mission.

Teachers of physical education must have at least a baccalaureate degree. Required study includes courses in human biology and behavior. Today, besides school appointments, an increasing number of physical education jobs are available in industry and business.