THE IDEAL OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Physical education a practical discipline means a systematic development of the body, its health, strength and capabilities. However there are many such disciplines and each one of them has a philosophy of life behind it. There are, for example, systems, which regard the body as a complete fact in itself and then try to cultivate it as such and make it a more efficient physical instrument. There are also systems, which regard man as not only a physical body, but as an active mind also. They seek to develop the body but make use of the mind, to enhance and develop the health, strength and capabilities of the body. This standpoint is now becoming increasingly popular.

But man is, in fact, a spiritual reality,a soul, a 'Psychic' Being, with mind and body as its instruments. Obviously then body could be cultivated as such and thereby given the benefit of the force and power of the deeper spiritual reality. And if that is done, it will more and more acquire the deeper equality of the soul, its forbearance, fortitude, endurance and invulnerability to external forces.

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We can thus, it will appear, have a system of physical end, which will seek to develop a spiritual quality in the body. This quality will naturally be different from the one where body is taken as the. sole fact and also from that where body and mind are taken together. Here our aim is to create a conscious contact between the body, mind and the soul, to open out the body and the mind to the influence of the soul, to let the soul act on the body and the mind or through one on the other. The result is that the force of a higher order, the spiritual, is able to work more and more on the other members and thereby lend some of its own immortal qualities to them. The way to achieve it is to act in the best possible consciousness of these facts, i.e., to seek physical education in the awareness of oneself as being a spiritual reality with mind and body as its instruments. Or at least to pursue the activities of physical education in the best of one's consciousness, with the fullest available awareness, in the midst of best cooperation of one's will and the spirit of joy and harmony and all this as self-giving and consecration to the soul within and the Divine in the universe. This psychological situation progressively works out a change in the physical of the body and makes it more and more open to the influence of the spirit, which begins to trans- form the essential being and quality of the body. The ordinary body is egoistically organised and it works and develops on the basis of the quantum of energy egoistically obtained and possessed by it The changed psychological situation involving self-giving and consecration makes it open to the universal source of energy and that means a new and a vast basis of life and energy. Evidently the possibilities of physical perfection will then become much greater. In fact this psychological approach initiates a process, which working through many grades of physical transformation is capable of realising a new quality of body as a whole, which Sri Aurobindo calls the Divine Body. The Divine Body is a body human in form, but fully possessed of the qualities of divine consciousness. It has an awareness, a sense of delight and a will which are divine in their nature and character. In the highest sense the realisation of such a body must be recognised as the ideal of physical education. But the way to it and the stages leading to it themselves afford a high foretaste of the great taste ultimately aimed at There is a clear and growing sense of the increase in energy, well being, health and capacity for physical performance.

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Ordinarily sportsmen achieve excellence by limiting their energy and application to one or two games. When physical education is pursued in the best possible consciousness as above described, then such a breadth and intensity develops in consciousness that a limitation of the object of attention to achieve excellence in does not remain necessary. It becomes possible to command a many-sided excellence.

Such a pursuit of physical education, which involves the growth of consciousness in breadth as well as intensity, also becomes a means of the intellectual, moral and aesthetic growth of man. The reason is pretty obvious. Physical exercise and games are to be done with the fullest possible consciousness, i.e., with due intellectual, moral, aesthetic and spiritual appreciation. They would then naturally become means of these higher cultural aspects of life and by doing so would themselves occupy an important place in the integral education of man. And that is as it should be. The body is an integral part of total human personality and as such has its relation to other members of personality and therefore must be capable of making its contribution to their well-being, as they must be able to do to the well-being of the body. The body is not merely a mass of matter like any other. It is a matter that has been evolved and adapted to be able to bear the impact of human mind and soul and be their instrument and vehicle. As such it has a hand in their being and working and therefore it can be so cultivated as to help and facilitate their growth and working, as it can also be handicap and hindrance to them.

The ideal of physical education can thus be very high and large. It is not merely relative health, efficiency, strength and excellence in certain physical performances. Its proper aim is the growth and development of the body so as to make it a conscious participant in the full life of the integral personality. Our body is only imperfectly conscious of some of its functions. However, if the consciousness grows in it, we can be- come more and more conscious of them and then their power and efficiency improves. And if the integral personality also grows on it, we can become conscious of the different parts of our personality and being and achieve a proper unification amongst them, we begin to live a life, which is not limited to our conscious surface only but which comprehends the

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subconscious too and unites the subconscious to the conscious to the super conscious. In this integral consciousness and life the body-conciousness begins to take a place of privilege, so far as embodied existence on earth is concerned. Such a place of plenitude and perfection of (he body is the legitimate right and ideal of physical education. And while directly aiming at this status of perfection, it does also make a contribution to the growth of the integral personality too.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND PHYSICAL EDUCATOR

Qualities of the physical educator.

Alt the essential qualities of an instructor are embraced in one word - LEADERSHIP.

Leadership depends upon simple and straight-forward human dualities. These are partly innate and partly acquired. In every first-rate instructor, there is some outstanding quality that defies definition and analysis. How far this particular quality is natural and how far it is acquired, is not easy to say, but certainly it is neither completely one nor the other. Above all, an instructor must have the confidence of the students his instruction. He will gain their confidence by commanding their respect - respect for his determination, for the clearness and simplicity of his orders and the firm way in which he insists that they should be carried out, for his sense of justice, for his keenness, energy and sense of humour. Students always have confidence in himself. The selfish and self-centred instructor, no matter how great his technical knowledge and skill, will never gain the real confidence and respect of the students under his instruction.

To be successful, an instructor must stand in a certain relation to the class which he is instructing. He must be in sympathy with it-"in tune with it. To be in sympathy with it, he must be a man of character and personality.

Probably the most important single factor in leadership is the personality of the leader. Personality has been aptly described as "the ex- tent to which the individual can. connect his abilities and energies into habits and actions which successfully influence others." Personality is

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closely linked with self-confidence and force of character". These are qualities which can be developed and every instructor should try to develop? them to the greatest possible extent.

Amongst other qualities which the instructor must develop are patience and a sense of duty, in order to bring out the best in the least promising material, so that every student may be trained to a reasonable state of efficiency. The instructor must also be tactful and have good sense of judgment. These two qualities are closely allied and a sound sense of judgment can only be acquired by experience. The importance of enthusiasm and the ability to communicate that enthusiasm to others has already been stressed. A class under instruction always acts as a mirror of its instructor. If he is enthusiastic, keen and energetic, then his class will be the same. A lack of enthusiasm on his part will be apparent to the students immediately, and physical training lessons will be just so many minutes of time wasted. Even though an instructor may possess knowledge, sound judgment, good reasoning faculties and great ability, without enthusiasm and the power to communicate this to others, he will never be a really successful instructor.

Successful leadership demands knowledge and the instructor of physical training has much to learn if he is to keep himself continually up to date. To acquire knowledge necessitates hard work and constant study. Bluff cannot take the place of knowledge and is bound to be found out sooner or later. The instructor of physical training needs continually to think about the development of his work. Constructive thinking entails thinking for oneself and often has to be carried out against oppositions as represented by the theory and practice of the moment To think constructively in the face of oppositions often calls for considerable courage, but an instructor who has foresight will never be afraid of doing so.

The instructor must realise that to lead he must set an example. His bearing, carriage, enthusiasm, and smartness in turnout and appearance, as well as his ability as a performer, should inspire the spirit of emulation. He should be the living embodiment of what he wishes to develop. He must never doubt success in training. He must create a vital and positive atmosphere, which will overcome anxiety and obstacles. His enthusiasm will

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permeate. His imagination and methods will awaken the interest and enthusiasm of his class and will lead to an increase in the confidence of every individual student in his physical powers and his will to act

METHODS OF OBTAINING DESIRED RESULTS

RIGHT TEACHING

1. METHOD OF TEACHING DETERMINED BY RESULTS OF TEACHER'S STUDY OF CLASS, WHICH WILL SHOW THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS. MAY CONSIDER THIS UNDER THE THREE HEADS MENTIONED BELOW-PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SOCIAL AIMS.

a. Physical Aims - to ensure efficiency and co-ordination of bodily organs. Study of class will show degree of ability already obtained and defects which must be remedied - whether effort must be directed toward increase of strength or co-ordination of muscle groups, or towards increasing flexibility of joints - special attention necessary for certain muscle groups opposed to others well-developed, or to those muscles maintaining the posture which best allows efficient working of internal organs.

In each lesson study of individuals necessary - each exercise determines nature of next - an exercise which is likely to cultivate bad posture must be followed by a compensating movement - strenuous exercise by a mild one - a mild exercise by one more exacting - a formal exercise by a free one, and vice versa.

b. Mental Aims - to build up brain muscle connections and ensure mental activity. Each lesson should contain work requiring conscious effort to coordinate various muscle groups, to coordinate sight and action, as well as hearing and action, and to build up reflexes which control posture. Bodily movement and posture is governed by nervous centres, - establishment of mental control therefore essential - but when control has been established in one direction new material must be introduced to ensure former thought and further development of ability Prolonged repetition, over a number of lessons, removes need for thought and results in automatism and boredom - introduction of something new gives food for thought- introduction of something unexpected arouses and maintains interest

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Important on mental side is the method of teaching new exercises - elementary teaching suitable for young children possessing simple brain co-ordinations is visual teaching and copying by children, with repetition -with older boys and girls emphasis required on oral teaching and mental activity by pupils to understand and to transfer result into physical activity. Careful teacher will therefore diminish visual teaching as children grow older.

c. Moral or Social Aims - exercise of characteristics valuable to social individual. Spirit of lesson even more important than other aspects - good teacher arouses enthusiasm by appealing to natural desires and by directing them along right channels (not by forcing students to work under penalties) - aims at providing for students circumstances which require the exercise of individual characteristics like courage, strength, initiative, self-respect etc. in various and gradually increasing degrees to test the ability of students to react properly not by adopting the easier method of teaching a lesson and allowing those who say they can't to stand out) - aims also at demonstrating how much more easily certain results are to be gained by co-operative effort and teaches the best methods of co-operation.

In the formation of character the teacher or leader is all-important - which is one of the values of leadership and class work as opposed to individual work from books or charts. The teacher's example and personality are likely to have' profound effect upon students - relationship with class is based on respect and liking of students - appreciation of his work shown in ready and willing response to his desires. Leader must therefore be a model in appearances, in actions, in ideas, for his pupils adopt, perhaps unconsciously, certain of his characteristics.

2. MATERIAL TAUGHT DEPENDS UPON OTHER THINGS BESIDES AIMS; FOR THE LATTER MUST CONFORM TO NEEDS, NOT ONLY OF STUDENTS BUT OF ENVIRONMENT. TEACHER'S AIMS, IDEALS AND METHODS MUST BE ADOPTED TO THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH HE WORKS.

a. As already indicated students must be studied. Age -of students is therefore of primary importance in methods to be used.

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b. Space at the disposal of the teacher often requires modification of work which has been learned in better surrounding's.

c. Apparatus may be limited in amount, and method of using what is possessed must therefore be studied so that it may be used to best advantage and adapted to requirements other than those for which it was originally intended.

d. Climate is a factor which must be taken into account Teacher must study weather conditions and change type of work according to his views on what is possible or desirable.

e. Size of class is important, for both teaching and organisation may have to be changed in working with large numbers.

METHOD OF SELECTING ACTIVITIES

FACTORS WHICH DETERMINE TYPE.

1. Physical Aims - Exercises chosen must be active and vigorous - exercise all parts of the body - must be systematically arranged - must be adaptable to the needs of the individual - must avoid danger of strain and injury - must assist postural habits, increase strength, and produce flexibility and co-ordination. For this gradation of exercises is necessary, and free exercise seems to be indicated.

2. Mental Aims - Exercise must require thought, concentration, and progression. Work under a reacher or leader brings this about, for personal work tends to become automatic.

3. Social Aims - Exercises must require responses likely to cultivate characteristics already indicated. For this, class or teamwork is best

THE SELECTION OF SUITABLE TYPES

1. The above seems to point to class work conducted by a teacher as the best means of teaching physical activities. Attention to fundamentals under proper supervision, maximum work for large numbers, economy of time, full use of existing apparatus and space, progression, and correction of mistakes are made possible.

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2. The teacher, then, should be in charge and his work is so to select and teach activities that the fundamental aims receive proper attention.

3. Variety leads to sustain interest, and the possible variations in arrangement of a series of lessons are large in number. But the amount should only be as much as is consistent with careful progression and increase of physical ability.

4. In all cases the teacher should plan the work with a definite purpose, taking into account the factors already mentioned (age, facilities, climate, etc.), and developing systematic work.

5. But in the endeavour to be systematic, he should not forget that interest is his best ally and that he may occasionally depart from the lines he has fixed to meet certain needs.

PLACE AND TIME

Every class must be assigned a definite place to assemble at the beginning of a period, either under a tree, or by the side of a building or in the football field etc. The formation in which they assemble must be marked if possible, so that no delay is caused on this score. Students do take time to report at the stipulated place as they have to invariably come from far away. A fixed time must be allowed in all such cases and once this understanding is arrived at between the teacher and pupils, it must be insisted on in the interest of orderly conduct of the class. It is a poor practice if the teacher is strict on some days about starting punctually and then is lax on other days. It is equally important to dismiss the class on time so that students may not be late to their next engagement A physical education teacher, dressed smartly in the professional costume, with all the required equipment and markings ready at hand and waiting at the meeting place to receive the students, provides the best motivation for the whole class.

GENERAL HINTS TO TEACHERS OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION

1 Prepare the lesson with care. Think out and plan every detail in advance. Develop confidence through preparedness.

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2. Report a little ahead of time; inspect and prepare the places where you are going to take the class.. Keep all equipments close by.

3. Be properly and neatly dressed. Have a whistle.

4. Receive and take the class with confidence. Start off work with the least possible delay.

5. Inspire the class through your enthusiasm. In carriage and performance be a good example to the class.

6. In formal work insist on precision. Repeat exercises for several times for physiological effect

7. Give greater freedom and encourage free and happy participation during play. Do not, however, permit unruliness and slackness of response.

8. Speak only when necessary. Make all explanations brief. Activities are of primary importance.

9. Treat children with consideration and regard.

10. Always put in your best

THE APPLICATION OF PHYSIOLOGY TO PHYSICAL

EXERCISES

An important physiological effect of physical exercise is to promote the functional activity of the various parts of the body, either directly or indirectly. Increased activity will, within limits, produce increased efficiency. It is necessary to a right understanding of this matter, which lies at the foundation of the science of physical exercises, that a brief consideration should here be given to the elements of physiology which are chiefly concerned. A subsequent section will deal with the application of this knowledge to the work of the Syllabus.

PRELIMINARY NOTE ON PHYSIOLOGY -

THE BODY FRAME WORK

The framework of the human body is made up of a number of bones of various shapes and sizes. Wherever two or more bones meet

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one another we find a "joint". These joints may be "fixed" such as those between the bones of the skull; or "movable" such as the elbow or hip joint, and these movable joints are the important ones from the point of view of physical exercise.

MUSCLES

The bones and joints are clothed with muscles. A muscle usually arises chiefly from one bone; it then passes over a joint, and is attached or inserted into another bone by means of a toughed fibrous extension which is called "tendon". Each muscle is made up of a large number of muscle fibres, arranged in separate bundles, which in their turn are bound together to make up the entire muscle. Each muscle fibre possesses the property of contraction, and thus may become shorter and thicker. When contraction occurs the muscle as a whole also becomes shorter and thicker. The tendon, which does not contract, is then pulled upon, movement takes place at the joint on which the muscle acts, the bone to which the tendon is fixed moves, and the limb is bent or straightened as the case may be. Such muscles are known as "voluntary" muscles because they can be made to contract at will. There are also muscles over which the will has no control, and which are therefore, called "involuntary" muscles. Such, for example, are the muscles of the heart, the stomach, and the intestines. When a muscle contracts, and so does work, certain changes occur; for example, some substance in the muscle is used up to supply the energy necessary for performing this work; and there remain also in the muscle, as a result of the work, certain waste materials, which if they are allowed to accumulate, exert a harmful and poisonous effect

THE CIRCULATION

Among the muscles and muscle fibres and in nearly all other parts of the body, we find a network of blood-vessels. These blood-vessels start from and return to the heart, which is placed in the chest, between two lungs, and which acts as a force pump to drive the blood along the vessels through out the body. The blood as it is received from the lungs and as it leaves the heart is "pure", and contains nourishment for the body, derived from the air in the lungs and the food taken into the digestive

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organs. As it passes along the blood-vessels it gives up to the muscles and other tissues of the body the oxygen and the other nourishing substances that it contains, while at the same time it receives from the tissues on its way back to the heart the carbonic acid gas and various waste products that have resulted from the work done by the body. The blood, therefore, when it returns to the heart from the system is "impure", and must be purified before it is fit to be distributed to the tissues once more. This purification takes place to a large extent in the lungs.

As the blood circulates through the smallest blood vessels, some of it oozes through their walls and thus carries nourishment direct to the tissues; this fluid is called lymph. The lymph absorbs from the tissues poisonous waste material which has resulted from their activity and afterwards passes into lymph-vessels, which are similar to small blood- vessels. They unite to form larger vessels, and in the end join one of the large veins near the heart In this way the lymph, with the impurities which it has collected from the tissues, passes back into the blood-stream and goes to the lungs for purification.

RESPIRATION

The lungs consist of innumerable tiny bags or sacks, the extremely thin walls of which are covered with a network of the smallest blood- vessels. it is there air sacks, or air vesicles, which, during respiration, become filled with air. Each act of respiration consists of three parts: inspiration, expiration, and then a short pause. In quiet inspiration the muscles between the ribs contract and pull the ribs upwards and outwards, so that the chest as a whole becomes shorter and wider than it was before. At the same time the diaphragm a large, thin, dome-shaped muscle which forms the floor of the chest and at the same time separates it from the abdomen also contracts and becomes flatter and less curved. The floor is thus lowered while the sides of the chest are raised and widened, and as a result of this the capacity of the chest is increased and there is more room in it for additional air. As the diaphragm contracts and becomes flatter, however, it enlarges the chest at the expense of the other portion of the body cavity - the abdomen. Some pressure is there- fore necessarily caused on the organs contained in the abdomen, and to

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relieve this the muscles of the body wall relax somewhat. The air that is breathed in is in this way able to pass quite easily downward into the lungs, which at once expands. In ordinary quiet expiration the muscles of the ribs and diaphragm simply and the chest resumes its original shape, the abdominal muscles simultaneously acting. The air is expelled partly by the muscular action and partly by the general elasticity of the lungs. In forced or hurried breathing other muscles are brought into action, such as those of the upper part of the chest, neck and shoulder (for inspiration) and of the abdominal wall (for expiration).

Air should be breathed in through the nose and not through the mouth. By nasal breathing, the air, before passing into the lungs, is warmed, moistened and filtered, and thus is less likely injure or irritate the air vesicles.

Pure air, as it is breathed into the lungs, contains a large amount of oxygen and only a small percentage of carbonic acid gas. When this air reaches the air-sacks the oxygen passes through the thin wall of the vessels covering it. This is impure blood from the tissues, which is poor in oxygen but rich in carbonic acid gas. The blood receives this fresh supply of oxygen from the air and it gives up the carbonic acid gas, which passes into the air-sack to replace the oxygen and is breathed out, while the blood returns to the heart purer and again in a fit state to convey nourishment to the body. Thus expired air differs from inspired air in that it contains less oxygen and much more carbonic acid gas and other waste products. It is also warmer.

EXCRETION

Besides the carbonic acid gas there are other impurities in the blood which must be removed, and this removal, or excretion, as it is called is accomplished chiefly by the kidneys, and to some extents by the skin.

In the skin we find large numbers of sweat-glands which have minute openings on the surface, the 'pores'. These sweat-glands separate from the blood in the skin a watery fluid, the sweat or perspiration, and this contains some of the impurities of the blood. It is constantly escaping on to the surface, where it either evaporates or is absorbed by

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the clothing, and eventually the last traces are removed by washing. The skin has also an important action in regulating the loss of heat from the body, and so helps to maintain the body at an even temperature. When the skin is flushed with blood and feels hot, heat is rapidly lost from the surface of the body. When, on the other hand, the skin looks pale and feels cold, the loss of heat from the body goes on much more slowly.

The kidneys act on a larger scale in a somewhat similar way to the sweat-glands, and remove many other waste products or impurities from the blood. The watery fluid they excrete is called the urine, and this is also expelled from the body. The skin and kidneys act in harmony; when the skin is hot in the summer, for example, the formation of perspiration goes on actively, while the urine is diminished; in the cold weather the excretion from the kidneys is increased, while the sweat is reduced in quantity.

DIGESTION

Digestion, which begins in the mouth and is continued and completed in the stomach and intestines, is the process by which the nutritive portions of the food are rendered soluble and fit for absorption into the blood. This is accomplished by the various digestive fluids produced by the alimentary canal, aided by the contractions of the muscles contained in the wall of he stomach and intestines. By means of these muscular contractions the food is vigorously moved about in the stomach and thoroughly mixed with the digestive fluid, it is in due time expelled from the stomach into the intestines, where it comes in contact with other digestive fluids, and is similarly passed along the whole length of the bowel, while the residue eventually leaves the body in the same way. It will thus be seen that these muscular contractions play a most important part in the digestion and absorption of nourishment. When the muscular activity is for any reason decreased, the food is not sufficiently mixed with the digestive fluids, while the useless part tends to accumulate in the intestine instead of passing onwards, and so indigestion and constipation, with their attendant evils, are apt to result

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THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

The nervous system, consisting of the brain, spinal cord and nerves, has control of all parts of the body; it serves to link up and connect them and ensures harmonious working between them. The brain, in which every portion of the body is represented, is the central authority. It receives messages and sensations from the skin or other parts by way of the nerves or the spinal cord. It translates them, despatches the answering messages and controls and regulates the resulting actions and co-ordinations. The nerves, which conduct messages to and from the brain and cord, form a complete network among the tissues, somewhat similar to the system of blood-vessels. The brain has also control over involuntary muscles and movements, such as the heart and circulation, respiration, and the processes of digestion, each of these systems being represented by its 'centre' or special portion of brain tissue. We may now turn to application of these facts to the teaching of physical exercises.

THE WORK OF THE MUSCLES

When a muscle is made to contract repeatedly, an increased amount of muscle substance is used to supply the energy required for the work, and an increased supply of nourishment will therefore be necessary to make up for the loss. Any additional work also means an increase in the poisonous waste products which are taken up and removed by the blood. The presence of these in the blood rapidly affects and stimulates to greater activity the special centre in the brain which controls the action of the heart, and consequently the heart begins to beat more rapidly and sends an increased amount of blood to the muscles and other parts of the body. In this way the additional nourishment required by the muscles is provided. Muscles which are regularly and suitably exercised become larger, stronger and more capable of work. This is partly due to the increased activity of the muscle tissue itself, which becomes more capable of absorbing and making use of the nourishment which is thus brought to it; it is also due to the increased activity of the circulation, which provides the muscles with an additional supply of blood and consequently of food. Exercise not only increases the size of a muscle, it also removes from it unnecessary fat and other tissue which is likely to decrease its power to

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contract,, and so properly regulated physical exercises produces a better and more useful muscular system,

It is particularly important that the muscles should be properly exercised and nourished during childhood and adolescence, otherwise they will not develop fully and may remain permanently weak and under- sized and incapable of wholly fulfilling their proper functions. This applies not only to the voluntary muscles of the limbs, but also to the involuntary muscles of the heart, digestive system, etc.

The muscles are controlled by the nervous system, the development of which must proceed simultaneously with that of the muscular system if control and coordination of muscular movement is to be satisfactory. The more skilled and finally- adjusted an action, the closer and more effective the control which must be exercised by the nervous system.

The bones increase in size with the muscles and for the same reason increased supply of blood and increased tissue activity. The skeleton as a whole, therefore, becomes bigger and heavier than would have been the case had there been no physical training. The joints also participate in these changes and are more flexible and supple as well as stronger by exercise.

HYGIENE AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

1. CONCEPT OF HEALTH

Definition of Health - Physical Health - Mental Health - Relation- ship of body and mind.

2. AN ANALYSIS OF HEALTH PROBLEM IN INDIA

Causes of its low health level:-

Illiteracy, ignorance, superstitions, customs, habits, lack of civic consciousness etc.

3. PRACTICE OF HEALTH HABITS

Fresh air and sunlight-bathing- cleanliness of the body, clothing, food, home and surroundings, proper food-sleep- importance of rest

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- care of the eyes, ears, teeth, hair, hands and nails, - exercise and out- door life - avoidance of infections (unclean water, contamination from food, drinks and people etc.), - avoidance of bad habits (spitting, urination and defecation anywhere - avoidance of alcohol, tobacco - regular and moderated life - avoidance of excesses.

4. COMMON DISEASES - THEIR CAUSE AND PREVENTION

Mosquitoes and flies as carriers of diseases - cholera - measles - chicken pox - small pox - phthisis - hook worm - skin diseases.

PROGRAMME OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

A LESSON is composed of numerous carefully selected activities, and graded and progressively taught. The activities by themselves must provide the incentive and the reward. Let not all the activities in a lesson be strenuous; let them be adapted to the needs of the youth so that the joy of effort and satisfaction of achievement may help to reduce the stress and tension to which growing youth are subjected to. The teacher has to relay in the final analysis upon the spontaneous feeling of joy and fun arising from the lesson so that he can obtain and retain attention, maintain interest and preserve discipline.

A lesson plan in physical education should consist of:-

i) Introductory of warming up activities.

ii) Formal activities.

iii) Special activities.

iv) Recreational activities.

v) Assembly and Dismissal.

There is an attempt in this lesson plan to combine the joy and merriment of purely recreative programme with the discipline and order of formal exercises, providing at the same time something new and interesting to learn out of each lesson. However desirable it may be to have a definite order for a lesson plan, it should never be made rigid or stereotyped, and the required elasticity assured to the teacher on the spot is the essence of progressive education.

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Although it is very desirable to have all the five parts of a lesson in each class, it may not be practicable to include all of them always. The period may be short or the need for a seasonal programme would war- rant special emphasis on some aspect, or the introduction of a new activity may require more time. Under all such emergencies, the teacher is the competent person on the spot, to pick and choose, and allot time. The criterion is to make the lesson effective and interesting and to see that the activities included are in proper proportion, satisfying the needs and interest of the participants. In no circumstances could we possibly omit the introductory, the recreational and the orderly assembly and dismissal parts of a lesson.