Prior to becoming a PE major, I probably would not have even recognized what could possibly be wrong with the game of dodgeball. Sure, some students may not like to get hit, but if the teachers simply changed the type of ball being thrown, this will take away all of the problems of the game. Right? Wrong.
Being a PE major has opened my eyes and my understanding of positive and educational PE. And while I can see the pros and cons of dodgeball, in my personal opinion the negative aspects of the game stand out a bit more than the positives. Dodgeball is a game that's pretty self-explanatory...the students are to dodge a ball. In the new and improved field of physical education, we should be encouraging our students to do anything but that. The Hall of Shame article makes many valid points that future PE teachers should be aware of, and if we want to continue to make positive changes in this field then we need to make positive and influential changes in our lesson plans and assessments. And to say the least, this all begins with eliminating games that use our own students as throwing targets. There are tons of games out there that can help students develop motor skills such as throwing. Dodgeball is the nothing but an easy way out. As mentioned in Mr. Yangs post along with the Hall of Shame article, any individual without a degree can tell the students to play dodgeball, but can anyone without a degree assess motor development skills? Probably not. This is the beauty of being a future PE teacher. We have the power to help students develop proper skills that will help them live healthy and active lives, and we need to appreciate this!
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