Keys to secondary PE success
Hey all! I had the pleasure of teaching secondary PE for 5 years before switching to primary recently. Upon reflection of this time, in 3 schools, teaching over 1000 students, and also being head of PE at 2 schools. Here are some of my key learnings and takeaways. I'd love to hear if you have found this to be true as well:
Everyone participates every time. This was non-negotiable to me. Even if injured or sick, students can keep score, set up or be involved. Set this standard and don't relent.
Collaboration is key. Teens often don't react well to dictoatoship. Offering choice, leadership opportunities and seeking feedback creates a culture of buy-in because students feel like they have some control over what and how they learn.
Be transparent with assessment. Remind students of these things in EVERY lesson: unit focus, learning intention, sportsmanship and behaviour expectations, and how they will be assessed.
Join in! Kids love nothing more than when their teacher joins in. It is win-win. If you dominate a sport, you earn respect and brownie points. If you suck at a sport, you boost students' confidence about themselves because they beat the teacher! Don't sit on the sidelines, get in the game!
