Learning to teach examination physical education

Student physical education teachers attended a one-day conference that addressed the teaching of post-16 accredited PE courses.

During the conference students presented a 20-minute session to their peers on a chosen topic from the A-level syllabus. The chosen topics included:

• The Olympic Games – blessing or curse?
•  Bandura’s model of observational learning theory (observational learning)
•  Violence and deviance in sport
• Sport, sponsorship and the media
• Discrimination in sport
•  Sportsmanship, gamesmanship
• Performance enhancing products – reasons for, consequences of and solutions to the problem of drugs in sport

PGCE and School Direct PE course leader Dr Gary Stidder said: “It has become standard practice for physical education teachers to teach theoretical principles as part of accredited PE programmes in schools and this has therefore become an integral part of their university and school-based training.

“There are now increased expectations for trainee teachers of physical education to upskill themselves during periods of school-based training by gaining the experience of teaching theoretical classroom-based physical education and implementing the pedagogical University-based training of teaching physical education in the 14–16 and 16–18 age range.

“The study of sport rather than the practice of sport has, in some cases, provided the basis of all programmes of physical education for pupils in an attempt to bolster the place of physical education on the academic curriculum. The A-level PE conference was designed to help our student teachers develop their subject knowledge and have the confidence in presenting to a post-16 audience.”

Find out how you can become a PE teacher with the University of Brighton.