When I started my second year at DMLIS (Dalian Maple Leaf International School), I requested a PE as an option for my teaching assignment but was turned down. First, it was because there were too many PE teachers, then it was that my expertise was better used in Food and Nutrition and English. After a few years I managed to make a situation for myself where I could contently leave that place and seek employment with a more open and understanding employer, Guangzhou Huamei International School, where I was handed Healthy Active Living (Physical Education) 11 for the first time in my teaching career. Being in a Physical Education deparment, is exciting (at first at least, we will see what its like after a semester), but I am very happy and appreciative for the opportunity to expand my experience background before heading back to Canada.
I will be sharing some posts about my experiences as a PE teacher and resources I find useful that might help teachers (new and returning) to the PE department.
A couple key things to note as a teacher of PE
-Weather/Climate
-->Hot and humid
-->No shade during sports
-->Water breaks are necessary, offering oranges or apple slices on Fridays might be good
-->short game intervals for students to rest and build aerobic cardio would be a good focal point and professional goal for the course
-Student Communication Levels
-->Time to build a professional and trusting relationship with the students will take time.
-->Building teams for students to develop in through each unit may help students expand social communication abilities between students
-->Vocabulary needed for expertise observvation in gameplay can be acquired through normalized use of vocabulary in game for extra reward points
-Student Physicality Levels
-->These students are city folk and generally expected to be interested in sports such as Soccer and Basketball. Experiences in table tennies, Badminton and potentially a few other sports here and there.
Straight from the Curriculum Document,
"Since the development of movement skills can also enhance students’ interpersonal,
cognitive, and emotional development, it is critical that the health and physical education
program be inclusive, fully engaging all students irrespective of sex, gender identity,
background, or ability. Without the development of fundamental skills, many youth choose
to withdraw from activity due to fear of failure, self-consciousness, or lack of ability to
move efficiently. Learning fundamental movement skills and applying movement
concepts and principles help students increase their comfort, confidence, competence,
and proficiency with movement, thereby increasing their rates of overall physical activity
and improving their health. When fun and enjoyment are part of skill development and
physical activity, students are more likely to develop positive attitudes towards lifelong
healthy, active living"
-Facilities
-->We have a full stadium and pool on campus (not sure about playing equipment, but expecting there to be old moldy gear that needs some washing hahaha-we will see.
-->Should have a Gymnasium
3 Standards to be carefully observed and practiced:
1. Active Living
2. Movement Competence
3. Healthy Living
Ontario Curriculum Strnads:
Strand A:
The Active Living strand helps students develop the skills and knowledge needed to
participate regularly and safely in physical activity, while enjoying being physically
active and learning how to develop and enhance their own personal fitness. As they
participate in a wide range of activities, students also learn about the benefits of physical
activity for mental health. Learning through physical activity helps to enhance students’
physical literacy
Expectations for Strand A.
1. Active Participaion
2. Physical Fitness
3.Safety
Strand B:
The Movement Competence strand helps students develop the movement competence
needed to participate in physical activities through the development of movement skills
and the related application of movement concepts and movement strategies. As students
develop their confidence and competence, they will be developing their physical literacy.
Students are also introduced to movement principles in developmentally appropriate
ways. These principles are indicated in the expectations through examples and teacher
prompts that illustrate how skills can be applied at different ages and stages. The students
learn kinesthetically in this strand, as in the Active Living strand, and have regular
opportunities in every grade to develop and practise their personal movement skills.
The development of fundamental movement skills in association with the application
of movement concepts and principles provides the basic foundation for physical literacy.
An understanding of fundamental skills and concepts is essential both to an individual’s
development of effective motor skills and to the application of these skills in a wide variety
of physical activities. Because the development of movement skills is age-related but not
age-dependent and because students’ skill levels depend on a variety of factors, including
their experiences outside of school, the opportunities they have for practice, their rate of
growth and maturation, and their abilities and interests, the range of skills in a typical
class will vary widely. Consequently, it is very important to provide choice and flexibility
within activities and to ensure that learning experiences are designed to reflect individual
students’ developmental levels and adapted to suit learners of all abilities. Modifications
should be made as needed to allow students to develop and work towards their own
personal level of movement competence.
The focus of the learning in this strand is on transferable skills. The goal is to have
students understand how skills, concepts, and strategies learned in one activity can apply
to other activities. For example, the fundamental skill of throwing an object overhand can
be transferred to a tennis serve or a badminton smash. Similarly, general transferable
movement skills that apply to the three phases of movement – preparation, execution, and
follow-through – can be applied to a variety of physical activities. By understanding how to
apply their learning to other activities and situations, students will be better equipped to
enjoy and participate in a wide variety of physical activities throughout their lives.
As students grow and develop, the focus of learning related to movement skills and
associated concepts and movement strategies shifts. When students are younger or less
experienced, the emphasis is on developing basic skills and applying them in situations
involving the use of simple strategies and tactics. When students are more mature and Health and Physical Education
experienced, more time can be spent on the application of skills in games and activities
involving more complex strategies and tactics. The concepts are clearly connected at
every level, but the focus of learning is different at different ages and stages.
The Movement Competence expectations are organized into two subgroups: Movement
Skills and Concepts, and Movement Strategies. Living skills are integrated as appropriate
into each.
Expectations for Strand B:
1. Movement Skills and Concepts
2. Movement Strategies
-->Subskills (expectation 1),
A Movement Skills
B Movement Concepts
C Movement Principles
Expectations for Strand C:
1. Health Topics
2. Integration of Mental Health
-->Subskills (expectation 1),
A Healthy Eating
B Personal Saafety and Injury Pervention
C Substance Use, Addiction and Related Behaviours
D Human Development and Sexual Health
