Mandatory swim instruction for adolescents and adults has been of interest to me for quite some time. Many high schools and a few colleges require students to pass a swim test or take a swimming course in order to graduate. In the past, more colleges and universities has this requirement than at present, but most have dropped it, but a few still do, including several Ivy League schools.
It is always said that such a requirement is good because it helps to insure that more people become safe in the water. I wonder about the effectiveness of this. Do such swim tests/courses really work--do they really do the job they're supposed to do? Do they really get people to swim with ease or be safe in deep water? And what about fearful students, those with no aquatic experience and who are often studious or unathetic? Please go to the following websites and post your comments:
MIT Department of Athletics, Physical Education
Time to Swim or Graduate--Boston Globe
Welcome MIT Department of Athletics, Physical Education (watch video)
YouTube video: Adult Learn to Swim
Parents
Former Member
Concerning reasons why colleges dropped the swimming requirement for graduation, a little research yielded the following:
As recently as 1977, 42 per cent of institutions had a swimming requirement of some kind, according to Larry Hensley of the University of Northern Iowa. Mr. Hensley has studied the history of physical education. By 1982 that figure had dropped to 8 per cent. Surveys since no longer bothered to ask about the swimming requirement.
The causes can be traced to changes in society and in the world of education over the last fifty years. At one time swimming was a popular option when there were no health clubs, yoga or aerobics, and colleges believed swimming was a skill adults should master--both for safety and for social reasons.
Swimming has lost its importance in physical education due to the fadiing of the idea of education as finishing school and to the appearance of many other fitness options.
Melon Dash, a former college swimming instructor, believes that the elimination of the swimming requirement was due to the lack of a successful swimming program for afraid students. Many students were not succeeding in required swimming classes. Requiring swimming competence was a well-intentioned idea, but there was no program in place to back up these requirements for beginning students to succeed. Usually there wasn't, and students didn't receive the benefit of the requirement.
Witness the unpopularity of required swimming tests among college students.
With colleges now requiring so many different things for students to achieve, e.g. diversity, experiental education, being able to apply what you have learned, focusing on the single skill of swimming just didn't fit.
Concerning reasons why colleges dropped the swimming requirement for graduation, a little research yielded the following:
As recently as 1977, 42 per cent of institutions had a swimming requirement of some kind, according to Larry Hensley of the University of Northern Iowa. Mr. Hensley has studied the history of physical education. By 1982 that figure had dropped to 8 per cent. Surveys since no longer bothered to ask about the swimming requirement.
The causes can be traced to changes in society and in the world of education over the last fifty years. At one time swimming was a popular option when there were no health clubs, yoga or aerobics, and colleges believed swimming was a skill adults should master--both for safety and for social reasons.
Swimming has lost its importance in physical education due to the fadiing of the idea of education as finishing school and to the appearance of many other fitness options.
Melon Dash, a former college swimming instructor, believes that the elimination of the swimming requirement was due to the lack of a successful swimming program for afraid students. Many students were not succeeding in required swimming classes. Requiring swimming competence was a well-intentioned idea, but there was no program in place to back up these requirements for beginning students to succeed. Usually there wasn't, and students didn't receive the benefit of the requirement.
Witness the unpopularity of required swimming tests among college students.
With colleges now requiring so many different things for students to achieve, e.g. diversity, experiental education, being able to apply what you have learned, focusing on the single skill of swimming just didn't fit.
