Blog Entries

PE tutorial -Invasion Games

Invasion games are a great way to engage students in physical activity. They can be really
competitive, engaging and allow students to participate in a game that is genuinely fun and
enjoyable. The tutorial was designed to incorporate every persons skill level and ability and
to allow everyone to participate in the lesson. This was achieved by designing activities that
allowed for modification when required. In the tutorial certain individuals where physically
more gifted than others, so the games where modified to give the gifted individuals a
handicap, to enable everyone else to engage with the activity at their own individual skill
level. The games were also modified to encourage thinking and diversification of strategy,
with the addition of specific playing apparatus. This tutorial taught me that games can be
simple but extremely effective in engaging all participants through simple modifications. If a
game is not working as effectively as the teacher planned, then adjusting the game during
play is a great strategy to improve engagement and overall enjoyment which is the aim of all
PE lessons.
PDH tutorial- Nutrition
Nutrition is one of the most important aspects of a healthy lifestyle and educating children
about its importance is paramount. This tutorial gave insight into the problems of childhood
obesity, which in Australia is a major problem and certain ways that this can be combated,
through the introduction of mandatory legislation that makes all school canteens serve food
that is healthy and reasonably priced. This legislation is very important as now there is
guidelines for schools about what is appropriate to be sold. This legislation is trying to slow
down the rate of childhood obesity and the health problems associated with the issue. This
tutorial showed me the new version of the healthy eating pyramid (the plate) that I had not
seen before that was interesting. I was also informed about programs that certain school are
taking part in such as Crunch and Sip, which enables students increase their fruit
consumption and provides a multitude of benefits, including increased concentration just by
eating a piece of fruit early in the morning every day. This was a highly engaging and
informative tutorial that I gained a lot from.

PE Tutorial- Striking Games

The tutorial on striking games was creative and encouraged maximum participation through
the use of a games sense style session. The games that were played were a combination of
two or more different sports (cricket, softball and soccer) and allowed for students of all
levels to be involved and to learn skills needed to play striking sports. In general striking
games are an innovative way to get children involved in physical activity, as they create an
environment where everyone regardless of ability (excluding physical disabilities which
inhibit movement) can have a go and derive enjoyment from the activity. The games that

were played made every member of each team an active participant, during fielding and
batting which I thought would be difficult but worked well. The activities were structured in a
way that they built on each other, gradually increasing in the level of skills needed to
participate, which created a smooth transition between activities. The instructions given for
each game where very short and blunt and this enhanced the games, as the rules were very
simple and defined, allowing for no room for interpretation. This was a very enjoyable
session that had full participation and acquisition of new skills and techniques.

PDH Tutorial- Fundamental Movement skills

This tutorial was about teaching fundamental movement skills and the methodology of
achieving this. I discovered that children need to be shown explicitly how to perform basic
movement skills, and that they are essential for developing healthy lifestyles and bodies. This
instruction needs to be simple, precise and very explicit. If possible it should always be
modelled by the teacher. Children in Australia are becoming sedentary, their gross motor
skills are lacking because of a variety of factors and this is creating a variety of problems
such as childhood obesity. By teaching fundamental movements, teachers are enabling
increased participation in physical activity and encouraging children to lead physically
healthier lifestyles and which is an extremely rewarding concept. Another key point that I
gained from the tutorial was the process of reflection and evaluation of the lesson. Every
lesson should be reflected on for improvement and to see what worked and what didn't. By
constantly evaluating and reflecting on the content and delivery of your lessons you can
improve and evolve pedagogy and hopefully get students to achieve higher outcomes.

Reflection- PE
I have learned a great deal from my PE tutorials. When I first began this subject I was
initially a little apprehensive about my how I would manage to convey a positive experience
of PE in my teaching, due to the fact that I am not the most 'sporty' person and have a general
apprehension towards competitive sports. I was shown that if students are able to have fun, in
a safe environment then engagement and positivity towards the subject could be achieved.
There is no requirement to be 'sporty' or to be the most physically able-bodied individual if
the lessons and activities that are planned are designed to incorporate all ability levels. The
concept of Games sense, that allows for skills to be learned in a fun way, is a concept that I
will be incorporating into my teaching pedagogy in the future, as it allows for simple
adjustments to activities to ensure that everyone is participating and engaged. I also learned
about the importance of physical activity for children, and how PE is the only form of
exercise for many students. This has made me appreciate the importance of making sure that
my PE lessons are engaging and stimulating, so that I can foster positive attitudes towards

physical activity. I now have knowledge that can assist me in ensuring that I can provide a
positive and engaging experience of PE to all my future students.
PDH- Reflection
PDH is a crucial aspect of developing young healthy minds and bodies. I learnt about a
number of key issues like nutrition, the use of technology to enhance educational outcomes,
the goal of developing the awareness of the importance of health and that PDHPE is basically
'shelved' when time is allocated for subjects compared to English and Maths. This lack of
time in modern schooling is concerning, as PDH is mainly centred around developing healthy
young bodies and minds. It is an integral part of students education and that it is cast aside is
something that I will be trying to change with my own teaching strategies, to allow for
adequate time in my teaching schedule. English and Maths are crucial for academic
advancement, but if you neglect the other facets of education then you are not ensuring a
well-rounded educational experience for your students. Nutrition is a key issue that I didn't
have a great deal of knowledge about but now recognise as a very important issue. The child
obesity epidemic in Australia and the steps that are been taken to alleviate the problem, such
as the Crunch and Sip program were unknown to me before, but are very significant issues
that I will be incorporating into my pedagogy. Students need solid knowledge about the types
of food to put into their bodies (I certainly did) and through being shown about the
importance and value of nutrition they can start to make healthier life choices. The use of
technology to engage students with PDH content is a method that I will be using in my
teaching practice as any tool to increase participation and engagement is valuable. I learned a
great deal in PDH that I can use to improve my future students knowledge and attitudes
towards the subject.