VIDBE-Q 2025 Volume 70 Issue 4
The self-rating scale is a student-driven tool for honest self-reflection in each
area. Students assess their own strengths and interests, identify what they want to
work on next, and set goals in partnership with their teachers. This approach
ensures that students are not just passive recipients but are active participants in
their own learning and health journeys.
Foundational skills are introduced at the start of the class to ensure all
students have proper body positioning and movement. Circuit work helps refine
these skills, and as the class progresses, students expand their activity repertoire to
include both the familiar and the unfamiliar. The overarching message is that being
active is not just about sports or gym class; it is about having more energy, feeling
good about oneself, and being prepared for life's challenges. Research supports
that people who maintain an active lifestyle experience better health, increased
confidence, and greater happiness in daily life (Lieberman et al., 2010; Shapiro &
Martin, 2010).
In addition to formal physical education, recreation and leisure is a
specifically targeted area within the Bridges School curriculum. This course is
integrated into the academic day and is also a component of the residential life
program. During the school day, students participating in the recreation and leisure
class are introduced to a variety of units that encourage them to explore and engage
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