Why are fundamental skill development and assessment is so important to our profession and health of our students?

(http://www.fotosearch.com/illustration/physical-education-class.html)

Fundamental skill development is learning the basic movements involving two or more body segments categorized in three sections, stability, locomotor or manipulative movements.  Examples of each would be twisting and turning, running and jumping, and striking and throwing.  Learning these skills are very important, they all lead to more complex movements used in sports and everyday activities to stay fit.  If a student doesn’t learn these at an early age he or she might feel insecure about activities that include physical e activity.  If a person doesn’t feel comfortable in physical activity and doesn’t participate in these activities they are more likely to be overweight and have health problems. 

                Assessment is how the teacher knows what level his students are at, during that activity or period of time.  A teacher can test in the begging of a lesson, the first day.  This will tell the teacher where his students have started.  Then the teacher will teach the lessons and let the students practice.  At the end of the lesson the teacher can test once again and show the students how far they have came.  This will keep their moral up and they will be more likely to take the next lesson you have planned with a positive attitude.  “It’s not where you start, it’s where you end.”(Dr.Jeff Walkuski) Teachers love to see progress, that’s all that matters, we do not want to see all our students make it to the NFL but we would love to see all the students get better and take what they have learned and use it in their life.
-Albert A. Mercado