Health and physical education aren’t just about being active; they’re about ensuring everyone feels included and supported to engage healthily in physical activity for their entire lives. The frameworks we use in our educational facilities help shape how we plan our lessons and curriculums to ensure we are helping students of all abilities thrive. Understanding these principles will help us as future educators create more energized and productive classrooms. In this post, I will reflect on why and how two of these frameworks may be applied.
Framework #1: Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
The first framework I want to dive into is the Universal Design for Learning (UDL). However, before we start, I encourage you to watch this incredible short film by Dr. John Spencer, outlining the concept and exploring how it came to be.
Overall, the core idea of universal design is to create environments usable by everyone. This approach benefits everyone, as seen in the video with the invention of curb cuts being helpful for both people with limited mobility and caregivers with strollers.
Universal Design for Learning applies this concept to education. It is built around cognitive neuroscience and aims to remove barriers while keeping learning challenging for all students. This approach invites a shift in thinking and planning and asks teachers to consider more neurodiversity and offer a student-centered approach that provides students with more of a significant role in their learning.
There are three main UDL principles. The graphic below does an excellent job of breaking these down!
Overall, UDL embraces the diversity of all learners to empower them as self-directed problem-solvers and lifelong learners.
So, how could the application of these concepts apply to a PHE class? Let’s break them down by applying them to a soccer unit.
1. Representation: The “What” of Learning
Ensure accessibility with:
- Visual Aids: Use diagrams, videos, and live demonstrations to show soccer formations, passing techniques, and shooting strategies. This could be in the form of task cards where students see the breakdown of the skill and then must use the visual cues to execute the skill. This worked particularly well when teaching at Rockheights Middle School, where I had a few ESL students. The use of visuals ensured they could understand the task at hand even when they were hesitant about the verbal instructions.
- Clear Verbal Cues: Provide multiple explanations to suit different learning styles. For example, describe dribbling as “keeping the ball on a string” to help students visualize close ball control or say “Hot potato feet” to encourage students to move quickly around the pitch.
- Adaptive Equipment: Use different ball sizes for various skill levels, create smaller goals for shooting accuracy drills, and adjust field size to accommodate different fitness levels and mobility needs. For example, you would not use the same size pitch for grade 12 students as you would for grade 3 students just learning the basic foundations of the sport.
2. Engagement: The “Why” of Learning
Encourage motivation and autonomy by:
- Offering Choices: Let students choose different roles or activities within the class! For example, setting up stations where some students focus on dribbling drills and some engage in small-sided games.
- Promoting Self-Direction: Encourage students to set personal goals and create a skill journal or check-list to document progress in areas such as improving footwork or increasing passing accuracy.
- Encouraging Collaboration: Assign students different roles during practice, such as defenders, midfielders, and strikers. Encourage peer coaching, where students provide feedback on positioning, technique, and teamwork based on given criteria.
3. Action & Expression: The “How” of Learning
Allow students to showcase learning in different ways:
- Flexible Assessments: Instead of traditional skill/fitness tests, assess students based on their ability to demonstrate teamwork, strategy application, or skill improvement through drills, peer feedback, or self-reflection. This shift in assessment encourages using CAPS (Cognitive/Affective/Psychomotor/Social), which is a key part of the BC Curriculum and the drive for Big Ideas in Education.
- Varied Practice: Allow students extra time to grasp the skills at their own pace and provide options for advancements to those who are at a higher level already. The student may choose to move on when they feel ready, but there is no external or peer pressure!
- Choice of Media: Let students express their learning creatively, such as recording and analyzing their gameplay or writing a short reflection on how they applied teamwork and strategy in a match. I personally love it when I have been given the option to present assignments in different modes! I fondly remember in one of my classes when we were given the choice to either write an essay, or create a video presentation sharing our insights. As a creative person, the video was much more engaging and I grasped the concepts far greater than any class where I merely wrote a paper.
However, UDL is not just beneficial in the classroom, but can be applied to the broader community to encourage more accessibility and inclusion for all to live healthy and active lifestyles. For example, in a recreational facility, we can create class options for ALL levels and abilities by ensuring multiple styles and genres of classing ranging from chair yoga to HITT. We can also ensure we have adaptive equipment and signage, such as wheelchair-friendly arm bikes, sign language supports, and visual aids instead of heavy text. Finally, we need to make sure our spaces are inclusive by offering accessible entrances to facilities, universal change rooms, and even quiet spaces where folks can go if they are feeling overstimulated.
Overall, Universal Design for Learning promotes inclusion in education, recreation, and daily life by designing classrooms and spaces that work for everyone. By applying UDL to our future classrooms, we can help students learn in ways that match their abilities and needs, creating a lifelong passion for health.
Framework #2: The BC Curriculum and Health Education
The BC Health Curriculum focuses on physical activity, mental wellness, and emotional health, offering a far more comprehensive approach than when I was a student, where the emphasis was mainly on skill development and physical fitness rather than overall well-being.
Core Competencies
One area of the BC Curriculum I’d like to explore is the use of core competencies. These competencies, which include intellectual, personal, and social-emotional skills, are essential for lifelong learning. They are interconnected and applied across all subject areas.
These competencies include:
- Communication: Sharing and understanding ideas and emotions.
- Thinking: Critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making.
- Personal and Social Responsibility: Emotional intelligence, relationship-building, and social skills.
To learn more about these competencies, check out this short video!
So, how would this look in a PHE class?
Communication
In PHE, students practice communication by working together in team activities or when playing sports. For example, in badminton, they need to collaborate on strategies, pass the birdie, and adjust their positions. By focusing on clear communication and active listening, students build important teamwork and relationship skills. Developing these skills early helps with mental and emotional health and leads to stronger communication in adulthood, making it easier to form positive relationships and handle conflicts effectively.
Thinking
Students use their thinking skills to make decisions, solve problems, and reflect on their abilities. For example, in tennis, they must assess their movements and use the skills they’ve learned to outsmart their opponent. These critical thinking skills not only improve gameplay, but also help students begin to develop a passion and confidence in physical activity. Ideally, this positive mentality helps them recognize the benefits of physical activity, which they can then carry with them throughout their lives.
Personal and Social Responsibility
PHE teaches personal and social responsibility by encouraging students to take charge of their health and contribute positively to their team. In a relay race, for example, they learn to support their teammates, follow the rules, and practice good sportsmanship. These experiences help students manage their emotions, make ethical decisions, and respect diversity, which are important parts of personal growth and building healthy communities.
By practicing these competencies in PHE, students develop skills that impact not just physical fitness but also their overall well-being, relationships, and decision-making as they grow.
Unit Planning in Action
To provide an example of how the implementation of the BC Curriculum and the Core Competencies may look in practice, I have included a Unit Breakdown from a Pickleball unit that myself, Delali, and our prior classmate Mackenzie taught last semester at Rockheights.
I have also included a link to a final extension project for the same course where we discuss how the use of Core Competencies may impact how teachers assess their students more diversely and inclusively and how it benefits our students’ learning and our understanding of their progress.
CLICK HERE: https://folioz.ca/user/alison-roberts/extension-project-v-2
In summary, the BC Health Curriculum has evolved from focusing solely on physical skills to a more inclusive approach that promotes lifelong well-being. Students develop skills that extend beyond sports into everyday life by integrating communication, thinking, and social responsibility. Ultimately, using these competencies can enhance teamwork, problem-solving, and self-awareness, helping students grow into well-rounded individuals ready for lifelong health and success.
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