Physical Education Methods for Elementary Teachers - Softcover

Katherine T. Thomas, PhD, is an associate professor of health and human performance at Iowa State University, where she teaches a variety of teacher education and motor development courses. Dr. Thomas also has taught at Arizona State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, and Southern University at Baton Rouge. Her research and numerous publications focus on skill acquisition in sport and exercise and the relation of physical activity to health. She has external grant funding in excess of $800,000 to study physical activity and is the physical activity consultant for the USDA’s Team Nutrition. However, Dr. Thomas says that the most relevant experiences to the writing of this book were her early positions as a graduate assistant and as an instructor in elementary schools and a college teaching laboratory. These experiences enabled her to find out firsthand what does and doesn’t work in a physical education class.

Dr. Thomas is a member of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) and the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA). She received her doctorate in physical education from Louisiana State University in 1981.

Amelia M. Lee, PhD, is a professor and chair of the department of kinesiology at Louisiana State University. In addition to her 25 years as a teacher educator, Dr. Lee has 10 years of experience as a physical educator at elementary schools in Louisiana and Texas. She has published many articles on children’s learning and motivation in physical education and has served as a physical education consultant to more than 20 school districts. Dr. Lee is a member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and she has received the Scholar Lecture Award from the AERA’s Special Interest Group on Learning and Instruction in Physical Education. She is a member of AAHPERD and has received an Honor Award from AAHPERD’s Curriculum and Instruction Academy. Dr. Lee earned her doctorate in physical education from Texas Woman’s University in 1972.

Jerry R. Thomas, EdD, has taught elementary physical education methods and children’s motor development for more than 30 years. He is a professor and chair of the department of health and human performance at Iowa State University. Dr. Thomas also has been a professor at Florida State, Louisiana State, and Arizona State Universities. He has written more than 125 published papers, including many on children’s motor skills. Dr. Thomas is former president of the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education and NASPSPA. In addition, his scholarly work in physical activity has earned him the titles of C.H. McCloy Lecturer for children’s control, learning, and performance of motor skills; Alliance Scholar for AAHPERD; and Southern District AHPERD Scholar.