Less Talk, More Play


As a secondary Physical and Health Education (PHE) teacher, the main goal of my class is to get my students moving and to hopefully help them find a physical activity they can do lifelong. Unfortunately, not many students enjoy PHE class. As a result, it is my job to provide a variety of activities that may spark and inspire students to participate in class. When executing new activities, explanation needs to occur. Otherwise, the activity will become unorganized, boring and a hot mess. Teaching, lecturing, and explaining can be extremely time consuming. Hence, students may not get enough physical activity and therefore not reap the benefits of it. What's the point of PHE class if students are just listening to instructions when they should be moving!

 





A study noted by one of my college professor indicated that a high percentage of PHE classes in North America no longer meet the 60 minute of physical activity. The article suggested that PHE teachers spend too much time on administrative tasks like taking attendance, signing forms, and explaining rules/instructions. Through discussion with my post-secondary class, we collectively agreed that PHE educators must minimize time spent on these tasks. Of course, I do recognize that some of these tasks take time. As a result, PHE educator should allow for more self-discovery and exploration when given a particular task. For example, instead of stopping the class because students are performing a skill incorrectly,  we should give them time to self-correct and figure things out on their own. 

 

What are some other ways you think we can do to minimize administrative tasks?

Comments

  1. Anonymous14 March 2024 at 14:06

    Dear Wayne,

    Although I have no experience teaching physical education, I face the same dilemma in music. Time is very limited and I must teach a skill thoroughly enough that children understand it but fast enough so that they can have time to play. From what I read in my PLN, the best way is to use demonstrations. I think perhaps you could have a student who is knowledgeable about the sport or activity model the rules or actions with you. In terms of minimizing administrative tasks, I always use student helps (collecting papers, handing out, changing slides etc.) This saves a lot of time and because of their age, they all want to be the helper. I use this to my advantage and use good behaviour as a precondition for being selected as a helper.

    Thanks,
    Michael Volk

    ReplyDelete

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