Running head: LITERATURE REVIEW – DOMAIN B 1

Carly E. Wudel

Literature Review – Domain B

TED 690: Capstone Course

March 21, 2018

National University

Dr. Carol M. Sheperd

LITERATURE REVIEW – DOMAIN B 2

Abstract

This paper contains a review of Fun and Creative Unit Assessment Ideas for all Students in

Physical Education by Mathew Fencl. This article was very interesting to me because Fencl

suggests that assessment in P.E. can be fun and interesting, just like the activities that the

students engage in during class. The author presents multiple modes of assessment that cater to

the specific needs of the students in each class and even suggests that students ought to be

allowed to choose their version of assessment. This paper also includes a personal reflection

about how the information presented in the article relates to my own teaching practices at this

point in my career.
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Literature Review – Domain B

Assessment is a very important part of the education world we are teaching in these days,

regardless of the subject being taught. In his article titled, Fun and Creative Unit Assessment

Ideas for All Students in Physical Education, Matthew Fencl presented several alternative modes

of assessment that can be adapted to meet the needs of the Physical Education curriculum, the

teacher, and/or the students. Fencl (2014) claims that assessment in P.E. classes can be just as

“fun and interesting” as the activities that are actually taught and performed in class. He also

claims that “a variety of authentic alternative assessments… can have a profound effect on

student satisfaction and success in the classroom” (Fencl, 2014, p. 16). As educators, we want

students to feel empowered to take charge of their own learning and feel motivated to want to

continue to learn.

Assessment is a vital component of physical education courses because assessments

provide teachers with information that will help to identify the effectiveness of the class

curriculum, determine if a lesson or unit needs to be retaught, and to show the progress of

individual students (Fencl, 2014, p. 21). Results from assessments can also be utilized by

teachers to help design appropriate instruction. Since assessment is such a critical component in

P.E., it is important to design authentic assessments that are engaging and even somewhat fun.

As the National Standards and Grade-Level Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education state, “the

goal of physical education is to develop physically literate individuals who have the knowledge,

skills, and confidence to enjoy a lifetime of healthful physical activity.”

It is widely accepted that students in one single class could have a variety of different

learning styles and/or possess a unique set of skills in a particular subject. By offering various

assessment methods, the teacher “may more appropriately assess” students because the different
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assessments could meet the needs of the numerous learning styles and preferences of the students

(Fencl, 2014, p. 16). According to Fencl (2014), Howard Gardner published the Multiple

Intelligences Theory, which theorizes that each individual person possesses nine intelligences

with some being stronger than others (p. 17). The nine intelligences that Gardner identified are

linguistic, logical/mathematical, musical, visual/spatial, body/kinesthetic, interpersonal,

intrapersonal, naturalistic, and existential. As teachers, we can use these different intelligences to

build meaningful assessments for our students (Fencl, 2014, p. 17). For example, even though

Physical Education is a class that heavily appeals to kinesthetic learners, we still need to create

assessments that meet the needs of the students who more strongly rely on their linguistic

visual/spatial intelligence.

Fencl (2014) offers 13 different methods of alternative assessment that could be

implemented specifically in a Physical Education curriculum. The first suggestion is to “create a

poster illustrating how to perform a specific skill, strategy, or tactic” (Fencl, 2014, p. 18). This

would be a great assessment for the visual/spatial learners and it also connects to other

disciplines such as art or technology (depending on if the poster was hand-drawn or computer

generated). Another suggested assessment is to “compile a list of sports or activities that require

a specific skill or concept and identify the similarities and differences among those

sports/activities” (Fencl, 2014, p. 18). This assessment would most likely appeal to the students

who rely most on their linguistic or intrapersonal intelligences and the assessment also

incorporates skills from Language Arts. I found the following assessment idea to be one of the

more interesting assessments: “create and perform a song, rap, or dance that explains a specific

skill or concept” (Fencl, 2014, p. 18). Although it is something that would put me out of my

comfort zone, students who rely on musical intelligence would thrive because their creativity and
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musical talents could be put to use in another realm. This assessment could also address

interpersonal or intrapersonal intelligences, depending on how the assessment was actually

implemented. Other ideas that Fencl (2014) suggested were to have students create a video, take

pictures of another student performing proper technique of a skill at various stages of that skill,

teaching a skill, strategy, or tactic to other students, modify the rules of an existing game or

activity to allow for more accessibility by people of different abilities, “plan your own personal

fitness program,” or to give a motivational speech on the value of physical education/physical

activity (p. 18-20).

After reading Fencl’s article, I am actually really excited to try many of his assessment

ideas in my own classes. I truly believe that my students would actually enjoy most of the

assessments and it would be a fun way to end a unit or even a semester of learning. I could make

a list of all the different types of assessments mentioned above and allow the students to choose

which one they would like to complete so that each student can pick the assessment that will

showcase their strengths and match their intelligence profile. In some instances, I would also

want to allow the students to choose to complete the assessment project alone or with a partner

because it will allow them to decide to use their intrapersonal skills or their interpersonal skills. I

think both are important to develop. I think it would be a great way to aid students in the process

of developing their skills in those realms while also creating a fun learning environment. By

implementing alternative yet authentic assessments, I truly believe that students will demonstrate

increased enthusiasm toward being physically active for life. It will also help to make the

Physical Education experience more fun for both the students and myself as the teacher! Plus, I

think including examples of these types of assessment into my PDQP (professional development

quest portfolio) would be a great addition.

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References

American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. National standards &

grade-level outcomes for K-12 physical education (3rd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human

Kinetics.

Costantino, P., Lorenzo, M., & Tirrel-Corbin. C. (2009). Developing a Professional Teaching

Portfolio: A Guide for Success, 3rd Edition, Pearson Publishing.

Fencl, Matthew J. (2014). Fun and Creative Unit Assessment Ideas for All Students in Physical

Education. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 85(1), 16-21.