18 June 2019: The Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation’s (ACHPER) Contemporary Physical Education Seminar brought together almost 80 Canberran teachers for a practical lesson in the latest Physical Education concepts.
The seminar, held at the University of Canberra, saw teachers become active participants in a range of activities on campus.
Those attending the seminar were shown first-hand how to put new, modified sports into practice by an expert in this field, Flinders University Associate Professor Dr Shane Pill.
Various sports demonstrated in a modified form included handball, lacrosse, volleyball, hockey, cricket and bowls. The seminar had a focus on safety in PE and how to carry out authentic assessment of PE in the Australian Curriculum for Health and Physical Education focus area of games and sport.
The University of Canberra is the ACT’s foremost facilitator of contemporary methods in Physical Education. Led by UC’s Assistant Professor, Health and Physical Education, in the Faculty of Education, Dr John Williams, and Lecturer in Health and PE in UC’s Faculty of Education, Margie Appel, the seminar communicated theory into practice.
Dr Williams said it was vital that new methods are passed onto teachers in a practical way.
“What we are doing is contemporary and evidence based. The constant re-education of teachers is important so that the teachers’ assessment of students aligns with curriculum requirements,” said Dr Williams.
Margie Appel concedes that teachers can be resistant to change, therefore bringing them together is important; “We are trying to change the ethos in teaching. The approach is more holistic with peer teaching and teaching different models in addition to current approaches to assessment.”
The seminar’s popularity and success lies in its approach of presenting contemporary methods in Physical Education in a practical way.
For Dr Williams, the seminar’s high participation rate indicates the seriousness in which the areas of health, physical education and recreation are being dealt with by teachers. Teachers justifiably realise the need to be exposed to developing methods and, as Dr Williams elaborates, “a collaborative approach, building on a community of practice, has been the key to educating and developing the skills of the teachers.”
Dr Williams added that this collaborative approach extended to supporters of the seminar, PE Pulse as our main sponsor, the Children’s Physical Activity Foundation, the University of Canberra and the public, independent, Catholic and private schools both primary and secondary.
