MTEL Physical Education (22) cheat sheet

Fitness components split into health-related (cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, body composition) and skill-related (agility, balance, coordination, power, reaction time, speed).

FITT principle: Frequency (sessions per week), Intensity (effort or %HRmax), Time (duration), Type (mode); for cardiorespiratory gains, adolescents need about 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity daily per national youth guidelines.

Target heart rate: Karvonen method = ((HRmax − HRrest) × intensity%) + HRrest; estimated HRmax ≈ 220 − age; moderate intensity is roughly 50–70% of HRmax, vigorous 70–85%.

Progressive overload requires increasing load, duration, or intensity gradually; the overload must exceed habitual demand to produce adaptation, while the specificity principle says training adaptations match the type of stimulus.

Muscular strength is best developed with high resistance and low repetitions (roughly 3–8 reps at 70–85% 1RM); muscular endurance uses lower resistance and higher repetitions (15+ reps at under 50% 1RM).

Flexibility improves most through static stretching held 15–30 seconds after a warm-up, or PNF stretching; ballistic stretching before activity raises injury risk in untrained students.

BMI = weight (kg) / height (m)²; it screens for weight status but does not measure body fat directly, so a muscular student can register as overweight without excess adiposity.

The five classic components of a complete fitness session are warm-up, conditioning or fitness work, skill or game play, cool-down, and assessment or reflection; the cool-down returns heart rate and blood flow gradually to resting levels.

Motor development proceeds cephalocaudally (head to toe) and proximodistally (center to extremities); fundamental movement patterns (locomotor, nonlocomotor, manipulative) emerge in early childhood before sport-specific skills.

The stages of motor learning are cognitive (understanding the task, many errors), associative (refining technique, fewer errors), and autonomous (automatic, attention free for strategy); feedback should shift from frequent external cues toward internal self-monitoring.

Motor skill classification: open skills occur in unpredictable environments (defending in soccer), closed skills in stable ones (free throw); gross motor skills use large muscle groups, fine motor skills small ones.

Biomechanical principles: force = mass × acceleration; increasing the time or distance over which force is applied raises impulse (impulse = force × time); a wider base of support and lower center of gravity increase stability.

Newton's third law explains propulsion in running, jumping, and swimming; the stretch-shortening cycle (eccentric then concentric contraction) underlies plyometric power training and is why depth jumps build explosive strength.

Skill-related fitness components are best trained with drills that mirror game demands: agility with change-of-direction drills, power with jumps and throws, reaction time with stimulus-response drills, and balance with stable-to-unstable progressions.

The principle of reversibility (detraining) means fitness gains are lost when training stops; measurable cardiorespiratory decline can begin within about two weeks of inactivity, and strength declines more slowly.

Individual differences and the principle of diminishing returns mean identical programs produce unequal results; teachers modify intensity, equipment size, and rules so students of differing maturation and ability all reach moderate-to-vigorous activity.

A quality physical education program provides students with at least 50% of class time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA); teachers use class-time audits or heart-rate monitors to verify this.

The SHAPE America National Standards (2013) have five: motor skills and movement patterns; concepts and tactics; health-enhancing fitness and activity; personal and social behavior; and valuing physical activity for health, enjoyment, and challenge.

Physical literacy is the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activity for life.

Differentiated instruction in PE uses tiered tasks, modified equipment (larger balls, lower nets), varied grouping, and choice boards so every student works at an appropriate challenge level within the same lesson objective.

Formative assessment tools common in PE include teacher observation checklists, peer assessment rubrics, exit tickets, heart-rate or pedometer data, and student self-reflection journals; summative tools include skills tests and fitness testing.

The FITNESSGRAM battery includes PACER or mile run (aerobic capacity), curl-up and trunk lift (muscular fitness), push-up, back-saver sit-and-reach (flexibility), and skinfold or BMI-based body composition; results are reported as Healthy Fitness Zone rather than percentile ranks.

Inclusive practice: students with disabilities participate in the least restrictive environment, with IEP or 504 accommodations such as adapted equipment, peer partners, or modified rules; the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) governs this.

Class management for safety and engagement: instant activity on entry, small-sided games to raise participation, clear protocols for equipment and transitions, and grouping strategies that avoid elimination games where students sit out.

First aid priority sequence: check responsiveness and breathing, call 911 or activate EMS, then begin CPR; for an adult use compressions at 100–120 per minute, at least 2 inches deep, with a 30:2 compression-to-breath ratio for one or two rescuers.

For a child or infant, the compression-to-breath ratio is 15:2 with two rescuers; an AED should be applied as soon as available, and compressions resume immediately after each shock.

Heat illness spectrum: heat cramps (salt and fluid replacement), heat exhaustion (cooling, fluids, remove from activity), heat stroke (core temp above 104°F, altered mental status - a medical emergency requiring immediate cooling and EMS).

Exertional heat stroke is treated with cold-water immersion; do not rely on antipyretics. Heat acclimatization takes roughly 10–14 days, and hydration before, during, and after activity reduces risk.

Concussion management: any athlete with suspected concussion is removed from play immediately and not returned the same day; return follows a graduated stepwise protocol under medical clearance, per the Zurich/Berlin consensus.

RICE for acute soft-tissue injury: Rest, Ice (about 15–20 minutes, never directly on skin), Compression, Elevation; newer protocols add Protection and avoid anti-inflammatory overuse in the first 48 hours.

Sudden cardiac arrest in sport: commotio cordis (blunt impact to the chest during a vulnerable electrical phase) can cause arrest in a young athlete with a structurally normal heart; immediate CPR and AED use are the only effective response.

Legal duties of a PE teacher include proper supervision, safe facilities and equipment inspection, matching activities to student readiness, warning of known risks, and documented emergency action plans with accessible communication and AED locations.

Aerobic metabolism yields the most ATP per glucose (about 30–32 ATP) but slowly; anaerobic glycolysis is fast and yields 2 ATP plus lactate; the phosphagen (ATP-PC) system supplies the first ~10 seconds of maximal effort without oxygen.

The aerobic system dominates in activities lasting more than about 2–3 minutes; the lactate threshold is the intensity at which blood lactate rises faster than it can be cleared, and training raises this threshold.

Muscle fiber types: slow-twitch (Type I) fibers are fatigue-resistant and oxidative, suited to endurance; fast-twitch (Type IIa and IIx) fibers produce high force quickly and fatigue faster, suited to sprint and power work.

Acute responses to exercise include increased heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, ventilation, and blood flow to working muscle, plus a rise in body temperature and sweat rate; chronic adaptations include lower resting heart rate and greater stroke volume.

Cardiac output = heart rate × stroke volume; during maximal exercise it can rise from about 5 L/min at rest to 20–25 L/min in trained adults, driven more by stroke volume than heart rate in trained individuals.

Energy balance: weight maintenance requires intake equal to expenditure; a deficit of about 3,500 kcal corresponds to roughly one pound of fat, so sustainable loss targets 1–2 pounds per week through combined diet and activity.

Nutrition timing for activity: carbohydrates are the primary fuel for moderate-to-high intensity exercise and should be replenished within about 30–60 minutes post-exercise; protein supports repair, and hydration replaces sweat losses.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) peaks 24–48 hours after unaccustomed eccentric work and resolves with light activity; it is distinct from acute injury and does not respond to stretching alone.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs, including athletics; compliance can be shown by proportionality, history of program expansion, or meeting interests and abilities.

The three-part Title IX athletics test: (1) participation opportunities proportionate to enrollment, (2) a continuing practice of program expansion for the underrepresented sex, or (3) full and effective accommodation of interests and abilities.

The Amateur Sports Act of 1978 created the U.S. Olympic Committee and national governing bodies; it also established dispute resolution for athletes and prohibits certain discrimination in amateur sport.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA require that students with disabilities have equal opportunity to participate in physical education and athletics; reasonable modifications must be provided unless they fundamentally alter the program.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) governs student records, including fitness test data and injury reports; parents have the right to inspect records and schools must protect confidentiality.

Liability in PE turns on negligence: duty of care, breach, causation, and injury. Defenses include assumption of risk, contributory negligence, and sovereign or statutory immunity; proper supervision and warnings reduce exposure.

FERPA and HIPAA differ: HIPAA covers health-care providers and insurers, while schools generally fall under FERPA for education records, including student health information maintained by the school.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) recognizes physical education as part of a well-rounded education, and the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grants fund equipment and program improvement.

Assessment in PE should align with standards and objectives; a skills rubric typically rates a student on cues, consistency, and use in game play, not just isolated drill performance.

The four levels of the psychomotor domain (or the standard beginner-to-advanced progression) are often described as precontrol, control, utilization, and proficiency; instruction should match the student's current level.

Authentic assessment in PE includes game-play observation, portfolios, fitness logs, peer coaching, and student-designed routines; these measure application rather than recall.

Reliability and validity: a fitness test is reliable if repeated trials give consistent results and valid if it measures the intended construct; a 1-mile run is valid for aerobic capacity but not for flexibility.

Criterion-referenced assessment compares a student to a standard (Healthy Fitness Zone); norm-referenced assessment compares a student to peers (percentile ranks). PE programs increasingly favor criterion-referenced reporting.

The cognitive domain in PE covers rules, strategies, biomechanics, and health concepts; the affective domain covers sportsmanship, cooperation, and self-responsibility, often assessed with rubrics and self-reflection.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and state licensure frameworks expect teachers to use data to adjust instruction; a common PE data cycle is plan, teach, assess, reflect, and reteach.

Grading in PE should be based on standards-based evidence (skill rubrics, fitness knowledge, participation and effort criteria) rather than on athletic talent or fitness test scores alone, which can penalize students with different starting points.

The historical roots of physical education include German and Swedish gymnastics (Ling system), the YMCA and Turnverein movements, and the play movement; the first U.S. college PE programs appeared in the late 1800s.

The 1990s and 2000s shifted PE from a fitness and sport focus toward a public-health focus, with the Surgeon General's reports and the CDC recommending 60 minutes of daily MVPA for youth.

Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAP) have five components: physical education, physical activity during school, before and after school, staff involvement, and family and community engagement.

The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model integrates health and education; PE teachers collaborate with school nurses, counselors, and nutrition services to support student wellness.

Physical education is distinct from physical activity: PE is a planned, sequential, standards-based curriculum, while recess and activity breaks are unstructured opportunities for movement.

The CDC and SHAPE America recommend that schools provide recess daily and that PE not be used as punishment or withheld for academic remediation, since activity supports cognition and behavior.

The national youth physical activity guidelines: children and adolescents (6–17) need 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity daily, including muscle- and bone-strengthening activity at least 3 days per week.

Advocacy and program survival depend on evidence: documenting MVPA time, fitness-zone improvement, attendance, and academic correlates demonstrates program value to administrators and school boards.

Sport pedagogy models: Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) and Sport Education (SE) are alternatives to traditional skill-drill teaching; TGfU uses modified games to teach tactical awareness, and SE uses seasons, teams, roles, and culminating events.

Tactical games categories: invasion (soccer, basketball), net/wall (volleyball, tennis), striking/fielding (baseball, cricket), and target (golf, archery); each category shares tactical problems such as creating space or defending space.

The TGfU tactical model progresses through game form, tactical awareness, skill execution, and decision making; questioning is the primary teaching tool, and small-sided games maximize touches and decisions.

Sport Education features: seasons, affiliation (persisting teams), formal competition, culminating event, record keeping, and festivity; students take roles such as player, coach, referee, statistician, and trainer.

Cooperative learning in PE uses structured group work with individual accountability and positive interdependence; students teach and assess peers, which builds communication and social skills.

The Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model has five levels: respecting others' rights and feelings, participation and effort, self-direction, helping others, and transfer to life outside the gym.

Skill cues should be short and observable (e.g., 'step with opposite foot,' 'elbow high'); cueing paired with demonstration and immediate feedback improves acquisition more than verbal explanation alone.

Differentiated and station-based instruction, peer tutoring, and task cards let one teacher manage varied skill levels; the teacher circulates and gives specific, corrective feedback rather than general praise.

The three learning domains are psychomotor (movement skills), cognitive (knowledge and tactics), and affective (attitudes and social behavior); quality PE objectives address all three in each unit.

Bloom's taxonomy (revised) orders cognitive objectives: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create; PE teachers use it to write higher-order questions about strategy and game analysis.

The affective domain (Krathwohl) runs from receiving to responding, valuing, organizing, and characterizing; sportsmanship and fair-play rubrics target these levels.

Motor learning variables that affect acquisition: practice distribution (massed vs. distributed), practice variability (blocked vs. random), feedback frequency, and transfer of learning from one skill to another.

Random (interleaved) practice generally produces better retention and transfer than blocked practice, even though blocked practice looks better during practice - a key finding for skill instruction.

Feedback types: knowledge of results (outcome information) and knowledge of performance (technique information); beginners benefit from more frequent, specific feedback, while advanced learners need less to avoid dependence.

The zone of proximal development (Vygotsky) applies to PE: tasks slightly beyond a student's independent ability, supported by scaffolding such as modified equipment or peer modeling, promote learning.

Self-determination theory identifies competence, autonomy, and relatedness as needs that drive intrinsic motivation; PE teachers support these through choice, appropriate challenge, and belonging.