Trainee PE teachers get to grips with alternative physical activities

New PGCE and School Direct Physical Education trainee teachers began their Initial Teacher Training with an introduction to alternative physical education – this included introductory sessions on how to implement non-contact boxing and the Canadian game of Kinball into the secondary school physical education curriculum.

With more secondary schools moving towards an alternative PE curriculum rather than traditional forms of provision, the PGCE and School Direct PE course now focuses on introducing trainees to the positive benefits of promoting lifestyle activities in order to reach a broader population of pupils and increase participation rates in secondary school PE lessons.

The PGCE and School Direct PE course has a distinct emphasis on the ‘A-list’ of PE activities (aquatic, artistic, athletic, alternative, aesthetic, aerobic & anaerobic, adventurous) alongside the exploration of ‘traditional’ PE activities. Trainees are encouraged to explore and consider different methods for enhancing levels of physical competence in secondary school pupils.

PGCE and School Direct PE course leader Dr Gary Stidder said: “I hope that the focus on ‘alternative activities’ may be seen as a visionary approach to preparing future PE teachers and that this may be categorised as cutting edge provision, in that alongside the exploration of ‘traditional’ activities, the trainee teachers are encouraged to explore and consider ‘different’ types of physical activities for enhancing levels of physical competence and developing physical literacy in secondary school pupils.”