Albany Leadership is grateful to CDPHP for awarding a donation of $1,000 that supported the purchase of 20 heart rate monitors this year. These heart monitors are used in the Physical Education classes and specifically with the Russell Sage College in the High School Concepts of Fitness and Wellness class. Mr. Shields, one of Albany Leadership’s Physical Education teachers is teaching students to use these monitors to track and analyze their workouts. Students developed individualized fitness plans from the SMART Goal they each created. Through the fitness plan, students track each physical activity they perform in class, from everyday movements to full workouts.
Each student created an individual activity plan based on their level of ability at the start of the unit with the intent of reaching their SMART Goal. In the day-to-day activities, students increase their workouts and assess the rigor of the activity by collecting the data retrieved from the monitors. The data they assess includes their heart rate before, during, and after each workout activity as well as the number of steps taken. At the end of the unit, students will present their findings and progress.
Using the heart monitors, Mr. Shields has cultivated student learning by integrating the scientific method, the collection of evidence-based data, and SMART goal tracking into his Physical Education classes. He has also integrated community engagement into the course by asking students in the Russell Sage College in the High School Concepts of Fitness and Wellness course to assess which activities can be completed at home or in their neighborhoods. These students will present their assessment of whether their workout plans can be used to encourage community members to participate in a fitness activity.
CDPHP awards grants that support community health and wellness as well as disease awareness, education, and prevention which are all pillars of the NYS Physical Education course curriculum. With this donation from CDPHP, Mr. Shields has been able to provide his students with the tools and skills they need to live healthy lives now and in the future!
