Associate Professor of Education and Urban Studies
Martha James
Morgan State University
Areas of Expertise: Equity in Education
Martha James is an associate professor in Morgan State University’s School of Education and Urban Studies. Her work focuses on improving urban education through rigorous interdisciplinary teacher education with an emphasis on equity. James is an expert in professional learning and development for in-service and pre-service teachers, developmentally appropriate interdisciplinary teaching and learning, and educational leadership.
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Hodge, S. R., & James-Hassan, M. (2014). African American Males and Physical Education. In Advances in Race and Ethnicity in Education (pp. 303–341).
Abstract: In this chapter, we discuss teaching physical education to Black male students in urban schools. We present a brief account of the history and status of physical education and specifically examine school physical education, particularly for Black male students in urban geographical contexts. We also offer strategies to counter the narrative of Black male school failure and present strategies for addressing the needs of urban teachers and Black male students.
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Culp, B., & James-Hassan, M. (n.d.). Towards a Critical Discourse on the Black Experience in Canada and the United States [Book-chapter]. In Social Justice in Physical Education (pp. 63–65).
Abstract: Dominant narratives in our world are created through a variety of mechanisms. These mechanisms are pervasive, intentionally constructed, and transmitted through policies and institutions of socialization (Macris, 2011). Schools and the physical education programs embedded within are not immune to the influence of dominant narratives. In discussing the hidden curriculum in schooling, understood as the aspects and values that are taught consciously and subversively, Fernández-Balboa (1993) and Kirk (1992) have both argued that physical education is viewed through the perspective of dominant groups. This is detrimental to under-represented populations, and reflects a commitment to hegemonic practices that are deemed acceptable.
While arguments have persisted over the past few decades regarding the focus of physical education, the overall narrative is still the same. Curriculum is formal and monocultural. Images of physical education are transmitted through Westernized culture and mass media. Participation in physical education and related activities often describes the exploits of winners who are overwhelmingly male, heterosexual, able-bodied, Christian, White, and financially secure (Stolz, 2014). With this in mind, the critique of the Black experience in Canada and the United States in this chapter considers the aforementioned, and examines the pathways whereby physical education professionals contribute to the reproduction of inequality through their influences, modes of instruction, and activity choices.
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James-Hassan, M. (2014). Common Purposes: Using the Common Core State Standards to Strengthen Physical Education Instruction. Strategies, 27 (6), 8–12.
Abstract: In a climate of high stakes testing in education in America physical education is an oft-overlooked content area. As physical educators, however, we know the value that we have in the educational lives of our students. Instruction in our content area is engaging and immediately applicable to the “real world.” The skills and concepts that comprise our content standards are the texts that we instruct around in the gym. Instructing students to rigorously engage with those texts, both cognitively and in the psychomotor domain, supports mastery and application. The Common Core State Standards are not one more thing but rather are a tool that can serve to support learning in our classrooms and help us inform the larger educational community of the academic and wellness benefits of physical education. This article will provide readers a few practical strategies to accomplish the task of instructional improvement through the Common Core.
