Some educators may come to the misconception that (Health &) Physical Education and physical activity are one and the same. From a teaching perspective, you only need to look at the second word of each. Physical activity is only a part of the holistic nature of Health & Physical Education. However, the way physical activity is approached within your HPE program could have serious effects on student participation, input and engagement.
Physical activity can mean very contrasting things, even to adults. Some may classify it as training for/running a marathon, some may see it as a social game of basketball, some may even think of it as the trip from the couch to the fridge and back! Catering to diverse needs and abilities within school in regards to physical activity can be tricky for this very reason.
From a young age, children need to be given the opportunity to experience positive, enjoyable physical activity in a variety of contexts. One of the biggest reasons that diverse needs and abilities aren’t catered to (in regards to physical activity) is looking at how active students are in a physical sense as opposed to how engaged they are in their activity.
Look at two types of students you may have. Student A is a naturally gifted athlete with little work ethic and not a lot of motivation. Student B always tries their hardest and has come a long way just to be able to run 100m. If we compared both of these students on how physically active they were in a session, Student A would come out on top. If we put value into what went into their activity during the session, Student B would get the recognition they deserve.
Being so invested in this concept, I spent a bit of time looking at commonalities and made a mini inquiry into addressing attitudes towards physical activity. The following is a progression I have adapted (through my own observations) that looks at what type of activity a student is showing as opposed to their physical attributes and capabilities.
Characteristics
Inactive
This group I identified through their lack of motivation and confidence to complete the physical aspects of HPE sessions. Their willingness to opt out of physical activity based tasks often offset any intrigue they had in learning and created a barrier between themselves and active participation. Opting out came in many forms such as simply refusing to move, to sitting out/removing themselves from the area and even actively attempting to disrupt sessions.
Reactive
I identified the next stage through their heavy reliance on others. They would participate, particularly in collaboration, but took little risks in what they did. I also noticed that they would often wait for teacher or peer prompting, regardless of their ability to complete movement based tasks. This is where it is important to highlight that (once again) physical competency doesn't always correlate to active participation. This group, while more involved, still showed inactive traits and this became particularly evident during independent physical activity.
Interactive
Showing much more resilience towards physical activity than those at the reactive stage, this was where students began to show an increase in their involvement and built a more receptive mindset towards learning. While they still relied on peers and teachers for guidance, these students actively and confidently participated in tasks or lessons that involved physical activity. Many students at this stage were some of the most physically coordinated and capable that I had observed, but didn't yet have the cognition (or potentially willingness) to make connections to the relevancy of given physical activities.
Proactive
The pinnacle of these progressions came in the form of what I called proactive learners in and through physical activity. Like in the other stages, there were a number of similarities between students at the same stage despite their diversities and I found that individuals in this group tended to be leaders and vibrant contributors. They could have strong or reserved characters, but used either to lead from the front or by example. I noticed they were frequent contributors to discussion around effective movement and actively involved others as opposed to making them feel isolated. Once they had a movement, skill or concept mastered, they would often either help others find that same clarity or look to refine and extend their own understandings. They understood the relevance of meaningful physical activity and made connections to their own health and wellbeing.
Development
What good is any generalisation or research without the purpose of progress? In noticing these common attributes in students over the years, I looked to see what could help them both enjoy and thrive while participating in physical activity. The following factors and experiences were just some of the things that restricted student progress in each group.
Interactive > Reactive
CONFIDENCE. This was a common and major attribute that affected this group in regards to physical activity participation. To progress, they needed to feel valued and experience success. Once they built confidence in themselves, many showed much more of a willingness to opt in.
Reactive > Interactive
DROPPING COMPARISONS & EMBRACING DIVERSITY. While confidence and self belief still remained an issue, the experiences that students in this category received from actually participating in physical activity benefited them greatly. Their next logical step was identifying personal strengths and areas of improvement. This group of students often felt/feared that they were under a microscope and that sharing their insight and abilities opened the door for scrutiny. Once they broke through this barrier (either by themselves or with help), they started to see that diversity was something to be embraced, not hidden.
Interactive > Proactive
DEVELOP PERSEVERANCE & SELF DETERMINATION. This group had the tools for success, but a reluctance to derive meaning from physical activity often held them back from realising their potential (however that looked). To be proactive, they needed to show control of their learning, not to wait for meaningful experiences to come to them.
Regarding Sustaining a Proactive Mindset
These students were often the easiest to manage, but the hardest to progress further. These students needed challenges first and foremost, but also praise, opportunities to be leaders/experts and meaningful open ended questioning about the purpose of physical movements.
I'd like to finish by stating that this was simply based on my own perception. While this progression likely doesn't serve any purpose outside of my own thinking, it brings up a concept that I hope starts to gain recognition. The concept that we need to stop assessing students purely on their physical attributes and put more value on what else goes into their participation in physical activity. I have hope for HPE programmes where perseverance and personal growth are valued over fitness levels, where strength in character is seen in the same light as physical prowess and where continued enjoyment in movement isn't just an afterthought to competition. And finally, in regards to doing what is best for all these different students:
There is no substitute for getting to know your students, having honest and open communication and ensuring your HPE programme caters to diverse needs and interests.
Mā te wā e hoa koutou, until next time!
Pou Tom,
Ora HPE