About the Book

Introduction

This workbook covers the practical application of a range of topics particularly relevant to physical education. It has been specifically written to be used alongside the textbook, Learning to Teach Physical Education in the Secondary School: A Companion to School Experience, but could equally be used on its own.

The book addresses:

• what physical education is and what its aims are;
• your development as a teacher – including the development of knowledge to become a reflective practitioner;
• long-, medium- and short-term planning – including incorporating broader aspects of pupils' learning in your teaching;
• aspects of teaching your lessons, including safety, promoting positive pupil behaviour, maximising pupil achievement and assessment of pupils;
• working with others outside your classroom.

Each chapter includes:

• an introduction, setting out the aims and rationale of the chapter;
• some background information about the specific topic, the research base or professional insights from classroom observations and experience. This is supported by a range of practical activities, including some of the following:
  - case studies or scenarios;
  - lesson plans/evaluations;
  - worksheets;
  - reflections on hypothetical, observed or taught lessons;
  - planning how to use material in your teaching;
  - setting a learning activity for pupils;
  - reflective questions;
  - personal audit
• further readings and/or links that provide an in-depth reading to supplement the material in this text.

Different terminology is adopted on different Initial Teacher Education (ITE) courses. The terminology used in this book might not be the same as that used in your particular ITE situation. One area in which terminology differs is the use of the terms 'objectives' and 1 'learning outcomes'. In Chapters 1 and 2 you are asked to consider both terms. On some courses the term 'objectives' is used to identify what pupils will be able to do both at the end of the unit of work and the lesson plan; on other courses, the term 'objectives' is used to identify what pupils will be able to do at the end of the unit of work and the term 'learning outcomes' (sometimes with a word such as 'intended' added) is used to identify what pupils will be able to do at the end of a lesson; on other courses, the term 'learning outcomes' is used to identify what pupils will be able to do at both the end of a unit of work and a lesson. (Sometimes both terms are used in units of work and the lesson plan, e.g. the QCA units use both 'learning objectives' and 'learning outcomes' in their units of work.) Chapter 6 gives an example of where the term 'intended learning outcomes' is used for both units of work and lesson plans. The term 'learning outcomes' is used in the rest of the book to identify what pupils will be able to do at the end of a lesson.

Likewise, different practices are adopted on different ITE courses. One particular example of different practices is different formats for unit of work and lesson planning. These illustrate different ways of presenting the same information. They may also be different to the formats you use on your ITE course. We suggest you use these as examples of different ways in which similar information may be presented, then select the format most appropriate for your needs.

Further, different ITE courses use different means of achieving the same end. For example, on some courses lesson learning outcomes are written for the whole class, and achievement of pupils against the learning outcomes forms part of the formative and summative assessment. However, on other courses, it is the learning outcomes themselves that are differentiated to cater for the range of pupils in the class. For example, learning outcomes can be divided into three bands: those that can be achieved by most of the pupils in the class, with different learning outcomes for pupils who cannot achieve those and additional outcomes for those pupils who need to be extended further. This use of terminology is shown in Chapter 12.

We hope that this practical workbook will be useful in supporting your development as a teacher. The book has been designed so that you can write directly into it and therefore keep it as a record of your work. Some proformas and further resources are available on this companion website.

Download this introduction