OPHEA - Ontario Physical and Health Education Association

How a “Non-traditional” Approach Can Make H&PE Fun for Everyone

There’s no basketball unit in Andrea Häefele’s gym. There’s no floor hockey unit, soccer unit or square dance week, either—but stick around long enough and you’re likely to find students participating in all of these activities, and many more.

”I don’t do my units by sport,” explains the health and physical education (H&PE) teacher from Highgate Public School in Markham, Ontario. Instead, students participate in units that include a wide variety of activities that use similar skills. It’s an important distinction, as far as Häefele is concerned. “[Students] learn that physical education isn’t all about team sports. And it exposes them to a variety of different things so they can have more opportunities to be successful.”

For example, while participating in a unit on ‘territory games’ (i.e., games that involve controlling an object, keeping it away from opponents and moving it into a position to score), students may well play basketball, but it’s just as likely they’ll find themselves trying tchoukball, rugby, ultimate Frisbee and many other activities based on these games—like passing drills done with rubber chickens and hula hoops.

And while it may seem like a novel approach, it’s certainly not one that Häefele is alone in implementing. In fact, thanks to Ontario’s revised H&PE curriculum —with its strong focus on student-centred, skill-based learning—kids across the province are getting a taste of just what it means to succeed outside the bounds of traditional H&PE lessons.

Why take a “non-traditional” approach?

We all know that healthy, active living benefits individuals and society in many ways. It increases productivity and readiness for learning, improves morale, decreases absenteeism, reduces health-care costs, decreases anti-social behaviour such as bullying, promotes safe and healthy relationships and heightens personal satisfaction. From a health perspective, there’s literally no downside to getting up and getting active.

But for many students—coming from a variety of backgrounds, and with different skills and interests—a one-size-fits-all approach to physical education can be filled with pitfalls.

For a child who tends to stumble over his own feet or lacks the coordination needed to shoot a puck straight, being thrown into a competitive game of floor hockey can seem more like a punishment than a good time. Meanwhile, for a student who has played recreational hockey since the age of five, an introductory lesson on passing technique is likely to be a bore. Furthermore, “that student who has been playing a sport in the community will outshine their classmates,” explains Lissa Côté-Deschênes, an H&PE teacher at École élémentaire publique Des Sentiers in Orleans, Ontario. She has seen this cause other students to feel inferior from the start.

At the same time, students who are newcomers to Canada, or whose parents are immigrants, might fail to find their own experiences or interests reflected in the games traditionally played in North American schools—such as baseball or basketball.

By introducing new games, adapted games and games from other cultures, not only can an educator cater to a range of interests and abilities, they can also help to level the playing field.

All students can succeed!

And when students have a wide range of activities to try, they also have a wide range of ways to experience and demonstrate success.

“Before, when we were focusing more on traditional sports, we’d count how many baskets can you get into the net,” explains Côté-Deschênes. “We don’t do that anymore. Now the curriculum focuses on individual participation and on how you relate to others. It’s not just about performance. It’s about personal goals.”

Students are encouraged to identify their strengths and to build on them. If they’re able to make a successful underhand toss at the beginning of a unit, can they master the overhand toss by the end? Or, if they’re still not able, can they identify why? As students make and meet personal goals, demonstrate their understanding and meet the curriculum expectations in the ways that work best for them, they’re sure to experience success... and when they’re experiencing success, they’re much more likely to develop a life-long love of physical activity.

All students can develop physical literacy!

Physical literacy (defined as the ability to move with competence in a wide variety of physical activities) is at the heart of the revised curriculum, and a varied approach to teaching movement skills and concepts is a highly effective way to help students develop it.

For example, in a lesson on dribbling a ball, teachers might increase then decrease the playing area, asking students to note how their dribbling technique must change. They might have the students try dribbling a larger ball, then a smaller one. As students experiment and practise given movement skills, they gain confidence in their ability to be physically active in a wide range of settings and situations.

“Someone who is physically literate can say ‘I know how to play tennis. How can I take those skills and try squash?’” explains Häefele. “Or ‘Maybe I’ll join an ultimate Frisbee team in university. That’s similar to soccer.’”

It’s easy and effective!

It may take a little more planning but, rest assured, a non-traditional approach to H&PE doesn’t require a large budget for new equipment, extra gym space or a teacher with an extensive background in the sports of other cultures.

Introducing variety is often as simple as taking a familiar sport and changing a rule (instead of running up the court, hop, skip or crawl), breaking a sport down into components (practise passing with a partner; now try an overhand toss), or changing the equipment being used (beach balls instead of basketballs).

Furthermore, help is readily available.

It’s a great way to involve community partners!

The revised H&PE curriculum is centered around the idea that student learning is most effective within the context of a “healthy school”—one that reinforces lessons about healthy, active living through policies and programs. The Ministry of Education’s “Foundations for a Healthy School” identifies the components that, together, represent a comprehensive approach to school health. ‘Community partnerships’ is one of these components.

Relationships with public health units, community recreation facilities and other community organizations can provide valuable support and enrichment for student learning—not to mention expert assistance if a teacher is unfamiliar with a new sport or activity. For example a local recreation group might be available to teach a rugby clinic. Or a community centre could have a yoga instructor willing to make a school visit. Not only is this an effective way to bring an expert into the gym, but it also educates students about the different resources and affordable after-school activities that are available in the community.

Côté-Deschênes experienced the power of community partnerships first-hand when her school worked with partners to host a successful bicycle rodeo with a community health nurse and a member of the police force in attendance. Meanwhile, Häefele discovered that community partners can sometimes be found even closer to home!

“Every morning our gym is free first period,” she recounts, “so we invite grandmothers in our area to use it for their Chinese folk dancing. This year, they were able to teach me one of their dances. Then we had a Chinese New Year celebration where we presented the dance to the school. The grandmas loved it. So did the kids.”

Curriculum support is readily available!

But although community partners can help to enrich programming and offer opportunities outside school hours, there’s no need for educators to call in an expert for every unfamiliar topic.

“Ophea’s Health and Physical Education (H&PE) Curriculum Resources: Grades 1-8 contain a wide range of lessons on a variety of games, sports and physical activities,” says Heather Gardner, Ophea’s Curriculum Consultant.

The resources, which are available online in both English and French, were specifically developed to support implementation of Ontario’s 2010 H&PE Curriculum. They contain more than 130 lesson plans per grade—including modified versions of traditional sports and the integration of new games. Each easy-to-follow lesson plan connects directly to curriculum expectations and gives teachers helpful prompts, warm ups, cool downs and suggestions for extending activities.

“I don’t think many teachers realize how amazing this resource is,” says Côté-Deschênes. “They’re well-built and easy to follow. It’s a wide range of activities that’s sure to please every class.”

It’s a whole lot of fun!

At the end of the day, however, Côté-Deschênes and Häefele seem to agree that the best reason to take a non-traditional approach is for the sheer fun and challenge of it—not only for the students, but for themselves as well. “As a teacher, I’m always trying to learn, and unlearn and relearn,” says Häefele. “I want to teach my students those skills as well.”

“They’re more engaged,” reports Côté-Deschênes of the kids in her gym. “Engaged students are happy students.”

And it’s those feelings of well-being and engagement today that can ultimately lead to a lifetime of healthy, active living. After all, whether a student goes on to play a competitive sport, take long walks, join a dance class, ride a bike or work out with yoga DVDs in their living room, the end result of improved health is likely to be the same. “I want my students to be active outside of school, and to bring that to their family. I want them to continue it by choice when they grow up,” says Häefele. “That’s the biggest thing.”