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Regional institutions may lack diversity due to a largely local enrollment base. Cross-university collaborations offer a unique way to introduce students in these isolated settings to peers from different regions and backgrounds. This study involved 72 students from three universities who were paired up to complete course assignments and reflections. After the conclusion of the semester, students' written reflections were downloaded and analyzed to identify common themes. Simultaneously, the three professors involved formally debriefed and recorded their reflections. Five student themes were identified, including: (a) challenges, (b) recognizing diversity, (c) acknowledging assumptions, (d) noticing connections and (e) positives. The findings of the present study suggest cross-university collaborations can be an effective way to introduce students enrolled at regionally isolated institutions to some sense of diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to share qualitative findings about a study that examined the factors that school leaders value when hiring physical education teachers. A second objective is to discuss the categories and themes that emerged through focus group interviews with school leaders, current PE teachers, recent physical education graduates, and Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) students. Finally, tips and suggestions are provided for individuals who are involved in the hiring process or looking for physical education teaching positions. The results of the focus group interviews generated four themes: (1) job application criteria; (2) interview factors; (3) hiring concerns in physical education; and (4) mixed responses on "weight matters".

The purpose of the qualitative study was to explore Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) undergraduate students' perceptions about working with individuals with disabilities while performing Service Learning (SL) at two community-based sites. Using a grounded theory research design, data from field notes, supervisor evaluations, and focus groups were coded and analyzed to identify five themes of perceptions and level of competence: social emotional climate, prior preparation, delivery of instruction, career readiness, and developing leadership.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about unprecedented changes in our approach to delivering educational development (ED) programming. In this article we discuss how our dual ED centers pivoted during the sudden switch to online learning, highlighting how we overcame challenges such as a small staff, tight timelines, and faculty anxieties. Particularly, we explore how we adapted to the university's investment in technologically advanced Hybrid-Flexible (HyFlex) classroom spaces and utilized a multi-pronged team approach to provide effective and timely ED to faculty. By identifying key faculty leaders, identifying multiple sources of data, and using multiple modalities, we supported the faculty in their mission to effectively serve their students during this difficult and stressful time. In pivoting from a triage approach to more tactically focused development, the two ED centers discovered that they could more effectively serve faculty (and by extension students) by shattering the structural silos that had previously defined them and instead working as a unified entity.

A positive social and emotional climate in the classroom allows for students to communicate and interact in beneficial ways. Positive peer interactions are necessary for academic and career success, as well as for success in physical education. This article provides physical educators with principles and guidelines for developing, implementing and assessing effective strategies for promoting social and emotional learning within their programs. The five core competencies of social and emotional learning as described by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning's (CASEL) will be discussed.

Creating a positive social-emotional climate must be the backbone of a quality elementary physical education program. The need to belong, have friends, and feel emotionally safe are basic needs everyone has, but meeting these needs in the classroom can be challenging at times. Strategies regarding how to implement a positive social-emotional climate, examples, and reasons for its importance will be provided in this article.

Teachers want all students to succeed. As physical educators, the goal is to create physically literate students. However, what does a physical educator do when regular differentiation techniques are not enough to provide success for each student? This article provides a description of how one elementary school met the needs of low-performing physical education students who did not qualify for adapted physical education services. A step-by-step approach is explained regarding how any physical educator can implement such a program in his or her school. Potential steps for implementation include: (1) baseline assessment; (2) administrator, teacher and parent buy-in; (3) selection of little and big buddies; (4) follow-up assessment strategies; and (5) reflection and program evaluation.

The article discusses the "teaching the whole child" educational initiative started by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) in 2007, focusing on the use of the Multiple Intelligence Theory (MI) and interdisciplinary teaching in physical education. Topics include an overview of the seven intelligences recognized by MI such as interpersonal and visual-spatial, suggested teaching methods and strategies, and the example of Central Connecticut State University (CCSU).