CRITERIA FOR THE SELECTION oF &
TEACHING MATZRIAL
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If the objectives selected are to be attained, it is essential that &S
there be first formulated definite criteria by which the teaching material
can be evaluated and the wheat sifted from the chaff. The following @)
criteria are proposed for tentative use: eo)

1. Physical education should be an integral part of the whole system ©
of education, with health, and with character and personality education &
as its primary field. Teaching material should be primarily adapted to
accamplishing these things, and should not encroach on other fields of Q
@dueation. The curriculum of physical education should be so organized QO
that it will co8perate with mental and moral education, and these other
fields of education should coSperate with physical education. At present
the physical educator knows too little about general education, and the ‘ay
general educator knows too little about physical education. The result
is too much water-tight-compartment organization in the educational

field, with resulting loss of educational efficiency. PB
2. Physical education should be 1. This does not mean thét

health and the purely physical values should be neglected. On the ae

contrary, it should be emphasized that the health of the body is of the

utmost importance, and the physical educator should have it in his ‘))

plans constantly. Most of the activities listed as physical education a

activities, however, have sufficient exercise content to be used as
health producers, but many of such activities have no other value. There ED

is a sufficient wealth of physical education teaching material to P
enable us to select carefully and use only those activities which will

give positive educational values as well as health. In other words, 1D
physical education teaching material should be selected for effectiveness ad)
as an educational tool, not just for exerciso. .

Se Every activity taught should be purposeful and useful, rether than
traditional. That is, it should be selected to accomplish the objectives
sought, and should be useful for that purpose. This would exclude more
than half of many curricula today, for in too many places, either there
is a blind teaching of the traditional, or the desire to "develop first-
team material" is the determining factor, This last leads to the seeking
only the immediate, and a neglect of the real objective, which is the
developing of a man. This criterion would call for the teaching of
activities for use in later life as well as for immediate educational use.
All activities should be utilized as a means to the end, not as the end
themselves.

4. All teaching material should be beneficial to the individual.
This would seem quiteopvious, But the promotion of not a little marathon
running and the use of men's basketball rules for girls would indicate that
the criterion is worth stating. In addition to the eliminating really
harmful activities, it would seem wise to emphasize the positive side.
Classroom education as well as the general high-tension life of today
burns more than a normal amount of nervous energy. It would seem wise
to endeavor in the physical education activities to give as few nerve
straining situations as possible; and where necessary to use them to se~
cure educational results, to present than in instinctive situations
where there will be as great a normal motivation as possible. The atten-
tion~straining response to artificial camand, and the memorized drill
work would seem to have little of value and much that is not in harmony