Students play wheelchair basketball in Craig Gosnell’s adapted physical education class. Photo by Angela Foster.
Students interested in broadening their perspectives on exercise and ability may be drawn to a new Health and Human Performance course being offered at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Adapted Physical Education is a one-hour undergraduate course designed for HHP students to better understand physiological, anatomical and medical limitations that can restrict the amount of physical activity a person can do.
Described as a perspective learning course, it offers different points of view toward better understanding adaptive physical activities and the importance of incorporating adaptive activities to enable involvement for everyone. The Adapted Physical Education course debuted at UTC in the current spring semester and becomes a required course for all students majoring HHP as of fall 2023.
Craig Gosnell, assistant director of programs and engagement for UTC Campus Recreation, teaches Adapted Physical Education, along with two other HHP courses: Swimming for Fitness and Lifeguarding and Water Safety.
Class activities for Adapted Physical Education change weekly to keep a variety of perspectives in play. “The class has participated in wheelchair basketball, climbing, swimming and weightlifting,” said Gosnell.
In the Adapted Physical Education class, students are exposed to the methods of modifying organized recreational activities to meet each participant’s individual needs. Students learn adaptation techniques and specific adapted recreational activities by participating in them. The course is designed to equip students to recognize the importance of inclusive and adaptive programming in organized recreational activities.
Class meetings are split into learning days and activity days. “On the active days, we would participate in adaptive activities such as blindfolded kayaking or dodgeball, dancing without hearing and rock climbing without a limb,” said Emily Naylor, a Kaneohe, Hawaii, native, and UTC freshman majoring in business and communication. This class was very informative and eye-opening on how everyday games can be adapted for anyone to participate in.”
