Annotated Bibliography: Modern Urban Parks

Young, T. (1995). Modern urban parks. Geographical Review, 85(4), 535-551. 

This article discusses the evolution of park spaces in urban environments.  According to the author, parks in urban areas were originally created to  be monuments of nature in congested urban environments; places where people could relax and be at peace with nature.  Modernization eventually caused a shift in the purpose of these spaces as they began to be used more for recreational programs.  The author cites San Francisco's Golden Gate Park as a case study, but claims that this trend has been taking place in urban parks all over the country.  Parks are now primarily used for recreation and usually feature things like courts, playing fields, and playgrounds.  They are seen as a valuable way to "guide" youth and help them develop beneficial social and life skills.

Physical activity and preventing anti-social behavior

Sandford, R. A., Duncombe, R., & Armour, K. M. (2008). The role of physical activity/sport in tackling youth disaffection and anti-social behaviour. Educational Review, 60(4), 419-435. doi:10.1080/00131910802393464

This article was written to highlight and summarize research findings from studies which looked at the link between physical activity programs and improving student behavior.  The article states that it is fairly obvious that many governments have put faith in the ability of physical activity programs on preventing youth delinquency and anti-social behavior, however the reasons why such programs work has not been extensively studied.  Studies such as HSBC/Outward Bound and Sky Living for Sport are highlighted, both of which examined physical activity interventions and both of which demonstrated short-term and long-term improvements in student behavior.  The article suggests that it is the processes within these programs such as teaching personal responsibility that make the biggest impact on preventing anti-social behavior.

It's TPACK, Jack!

Here is a VT explaining how to use TPACK for integrating technology into your lessons to make them as awesome as possible.

Annotated Bibliography: Physical Activity for Urban Students

Physical Activity Programs for Underserved Youth

Hellison, D. (2000). Physical activity programs for underserved youth. Journal of Science and

Medicine in Sport 3 (3): 238-242.

This article briefly summarizes the lack of opportunities there are for “undeserved” youth in urban environments to participate in organized physical activity programs.  The scarcity of youth physical activity programs leads to more time spent unsupervised for youth who already lack supervision.  The author describes the current efforts being made to increase programs such as Soccer in the Streets and Midnight Basketball.  These programs are effective in decreasing crime rates and boosting academic performance but are not especially tailored to meet the learning styles of most undeserved youth.  The author briefly explains his Social and Personal Responsibility Model (RM) that he designed for urban physical education, and how to apply it to urban physical activity programs to make them more effective for undeserved youth.

Annotated Bibliography: Sports and Delinquency

SPORT AND DELINQUENCY: EFFECTS OF PARTICIPATION IN SPORT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADOLESCENT ANTISOCIAL AND DELINQUENT BEHAVIOUR

Rapagna, P. (1996). Sport and delinquency: effect of participation in sport on the development of antisocial adolescent and delinquent behavior. Informally published manuscript, Department of Physical Education, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec. Retrieved from http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/-?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=26756&silo_library=GEN01');

This manuscript described a longitudinal study that was performed on a large sample of students from age 11 to age 17.  The study tracked their level of participation in sports and their tendency towards delinquent behaviors.  The hypothesis for the study was that there is a relationship between level of participation in sport and degree of delinquency.  The study found that general participation in sports during the adolescent years does not necessarily lead to lower levels of delinquency.  However, for students who increased their level of participation in sports over their adolescent years, there was almost always a marked decrease in delinquent behavior.  This study can be used as a rationale for increasing youth physical activity programs in urban environments.

UbD Stage 1: FITNESSGRAM

Youth Subcultures: "420"

For people who advocate for the legalization of non-medical cannabis, April 20th (4/20) has been an important date for quite some time now.  People gather in places around the world (mainly college campuses) to smoke pot on this date, at 4:20 in the afternoon.  The term "420" has actually evolved beyond just a date and a time; it is now used to describe this particular subculture.  Youth who say that they are "420" are saying that they are avid cannabis users and implying that they are also advocates for legalizing the substance.