In our experience: PE is for life
Media books, blogs, Dodgeball and Ultimate Frisbee - perhaps not the first words that spring to mind when you think about physical education but it’s time to think again. PE is about a lot more than gruelling cross-country runs and annual sports days. 'Physical education is a toolkit to undertake a physically active life,' explains Iain Stanger, Principal Teacher of PE at Banchory Academy, Aberdeenshire. 'I think that physical education is central to health and wellbeing in Curriculum for Excellence, and not only the physical aspect but the mental, social and emotional too. Studies indicate that physically active and fit pupils are more alert and have higher levels of concentration. If you address children’s and indeed staff health and wellbeing then everything else that takes place in schools will benefit.'
Finding new and innovative approaches to PE is firmly on the agenda at Banchory Academy. Dartfish video analysis software is just one of the tools that Iain is using to enhance the learning process of PE pupils. 'We use Dartfish in our core PE classes and at Standard Grade and Higher. It’s a great way to gather clips of pupils’ performance and give detailed feedback on their progress,' says Iain. 'The pupils can gather the clips themselves so they can get to grips with new technology.'
The 'live delay' feature of Dartfish allows pupils to film live performances, which they can watch with a time delay.
'If pupils are practising trampoline they can select a 30-second time delay, do their routine and watch it on screen. This gives them lots of visual feedback, which is really crucial. It saves a lot of time too because whilst one pupil is gathering their clip the next one can watch theirs,' says Iain. 'I’ve noticed lots of mprovement among pupils because instead of simply telling them what to do, they can see for themselves.'
The 'media book' feature has also proved to be a great hit among the pupils. The interactive workbooks incorporate video, audio and text and really engage pupils. 'Pupils in the Higher Intermediate 2 class have been working on ways to use media book for internal assessments. What we’re aiming for is that instead of keeping a written logbook, students would gather video and audio clips and input it all into 'media book',' says Iain.
Beyond the gymnasium
The school has also looked at ways to extend the learning of pupils outside of the classroom via the use of blogs and wikis.
'We have a blog for our Higher class, which allows them to post any questions they have, upload and access resources, discuss topics with other pupils and ask PE staff questions which we can answer, be it from school or at home,' says Iain.
Wikis have been set up for higher and Standard Grade PE classes containing all course booklets, PowerPoint presentations and useful web links. 'We have just uploaded a series of MP3 files on preparation of the body (the fitness element of the course) on to our Higher wiki for pupils to revise by listening to them on their iPod or at home.
We will be doing this for other elements of the course too, as it's a valuable revision tool,' says Iain. 'We have also incorporated videos from YouTube of inspirational performances from sports stars.'
This can be motivating for pupils and it buys into the popular social networking culture. 'The wikis are open to public access so pupils from other schools can use them too,' says Iain. In fact this is something that Iain would encourage. 'If other schools would like to tap into our wikis and return the favour by permitting us access to some of their resources that’s fantastic. It’s all about trying to spread the word and help each other out,' says Iain.
Fellow PE teacher, Barry Petrie, has teamed up with Lorna Simpson and Scott Pye, teachers from Leith Academy, to share resources and develop a national PE wiki.
The wiki is open to staff and pupils across Scotland covering PE topics from Standard Grade to Advanced Higher.
Thinking outside the box
Extending the curriculum to include less traditional activities such as Dodgeball and Ultimate Frisbee (a non contact team game using a frisbee) is another great approach to engage pupils in PE. 'The pupils love trying out new sports and we're planning to extend our range of activities to include mountain biking next year,' says Iain.
'Our after school and lunchtime clubs offer loads of great alternative activities too - body combat, rock climbing, running club and a girls-only club. Obviously, with it being noted nationally that there’s a big drop-off in participation of girls in physical activity that’s an area we really want to explore.'
The publication of the draft experiences and outcomes of health and wellbeing are so important because they outline the responsibility of all staff within an establishment for the delivery of aspects of health and wellbeing.
It will also act as a guide to ensure that schools across Scotland continue to find new ways of engaging their pupils in physical activity to prepare them for lifelong participation. 'For me, being given more freedom within the delivery of the curriculum and the opportunity to develop and deliver a PE curriculum that spans the nursery, primary and secondary sectors are exciting prospects. I see Curriculum for Excellence as a framework by which to achieve this as innovatively and best I can,' says Iain.
- Posted on 16 June 2008 under cfe, health and wellbeing, ict, issue 21, in our experience.
- Tagged as physical education, pe, video, interactive workbooks, audio, mp3s, wikis, social media.
Comments
Write a comment
Fields marked * are mandatory.
Moira Ross, 25 November 2008, 9.48 pm
Very impressed with this. Well done.