Catherine Ennis, Pease Family Scholar

 

Catherine Ennis, a professor of kinesiology and curriculum and instruction at the University of Maryland – College Park, has been named the 2008 Pease Family Scholar by the Iowa State University Department of Kinesiology.

Ennis, a scholar who focuses her work on developing new curricula for physical education programs, will present a public lecture, "Dr. Love's lessons to live by: Engaging children in quality physical education," on Thursday, April 24, at 7 p.m. in Iowa State's Forker Building, Room 279. A reception will follow.

Dr. Love is one of three characters created as part of Be Active Kids! — a program created by Ennis and funded by a five-year, science-based, physical education curriculum grant through the National Institute of Health (NIH). The Be Active Kids! curriculum promotes three aspects of physical education through the characters of Dr. Love (cardiovascular health), Mickey's Mighty Muscles (muscular strength and endurance), and Flex Coolbody's Fitness Club (applying health, nutrition, and fitness knowledge to
kids' lives). In addition to learning about physical education and science, students also explore how physical activity affects their bodies.

"My job is to study physical education curriculum and design new curricula to increase the enjoyment of physical education," Ennis said. "There is an emphasis on the cognitive understanding of how fitness can benefit a person through making healthy decisions, solving problems associated with becoming overweight, and the combination of good eating decisions and physical activity to stay healthy. It's the idea of a sound mind and sound body."

Ennis and her team of nine staff members, including undergraduate students, graduate students, and health professionals, work with urban school districts throughout the country to offer the Be Active Kids! program to third through fifth grade students. Additionally, Ennis spends much of her time speaking to teachers, parents, and school administrators about the curriculum and its benefits.

"I take the information that we learn and translate it into interesting and fun ways to explain how children learn," Ennis said. "The Be Active Kids! program has demonstrated that children can increase their understanding of health and fitness through physical
education. It also contributes to many areas of academics through science, reading, math and calculation, problem solving, and most importantly, scientific inquiry. Not only are the children physically active, but they're collecting data about their body and learning
through these activities."

In addition to her work with physical education curricula, Ennis has co-written or edited three books and 20 book chapters. She has written over 65 scholarly papers and articles, and has presented and numerous national and international conferences.

The Pease Family Scholar program was created in memory of Harvey and Bomell Pease, Newport Beach, Calif. The endowment was established in 1991 by their son, Dean Pease, and his wife, Sally, to bring visiting scholars to the Iowa State campus. Dean Pease, who died in 1994, chaired the department of kinesiology from 1987 to 1990.

Story by Laura Dillavou

Public lecture "Dr. Love's lessons to live by: Engaging children in quality physical education" by Dr. Catherine Ennis, Pease Family Scholar   Thursday, April 24, 2008 7 p.m. 279 Forker Building, Iowa State University Campus, Ames

 

Past Pease Family Scholars

2007 - Russell Pate, University of South Carolina

2005 - Edward Coyle, University of Texas, Austin

2004 - Roberta Park, University of California, Berkeley

2003 - Stuart Biddle, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, United Kingdom

2002 - Waneen Wyrick Spirduso, University of Texas, Austin

2001 - Maureen Weise, University of Virginia, Charlottesville

2000 - Bruce Elliot, University of Western Australia

1999 - George Sage, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley

1998 - Phillip E. Martin, University of Arizona, Tempe

1997 - Lawrence F. Lock , University of Massachusetts. Amherst