This collection of games was designed for physical and health educators. The collection of games, entitled Education4Life, is based on the premise that the primary purpose of education is to scaffold students through a process which affords them the possibility to positively impact their environment, their personal health and their well being in a sustainable manner. The games in this collection have been chosen and created in order to provide effective teaching tools for Quebec physical and health educators. Namely, the activities provide students with tweaked environments conducive to challenging learning.
The games have all been designed in the same format in order to enable the teacher to consult the resources quickly and efficiently. The games in this online binder have all been organized according to type. This should allow teachers to quickly access multiple games for a particular unit plan (learning and evaluation situation). For example, if teachers are searching for activities with a focus on communication and interaction, they will be able to find relevant games in the Cooperative category. The cycle recommendation guides teachers through their search for games that can provide learning situations challenging enough to promote learning but not too difficult to be insurmountable and discouraging. The activities are grouped in the following cycles:
·Cycle 1: For games normally appropriate for kindergarten to grade 2 students,
·Cycle 2: These games would normally be appropriate for grade 3 to grade 4 students
·Cycle 3: The games here would normally be appropriate for grade 5 to grade 6 students.
These recommendations allow students to attain their zone of proximal development and consequently improve their performances and stay motivated.
The activity level of each game has also been indicated in order to allow teachers to plan structured yet fluid lesson plans. For example, a game with a high level of activity (higher than 60% maximum heart rate) could be used as a main activity and be followed by a cool-down with a low level of activity (up to 45% maximum heart rate).
Specific tactics have been identified for every game to provide teachers with cues to share with students. These cues would be useful in identifying what knowledge can be transferred from one activity to another. For example, specifying that a volleyball game is similar to a badminton game, in that it requires the participant to send the object where the opponent is not physically present can be useful to students as it teaches them to apply previously acquired knowledge to present situations.
The QEP section identifies specific competencies and essential knowledge which need to be integrated within physical and health education classes, as per the Quebec Education Program’s requirements. More in depth explanations have been provided in the rationale section.
The different layers of the games provide teachers with increasingly challenging progressions for each game. This makes it easier to individualize activities and promote student learning. The diagrams not only allow better comprehension of the game, but also allow teachers to prepare their positioning throughout the gymnasium in advance, consequently allowing for better observations and assessments. Because physical education involves a higher risk of injury than does classroom-based learning, safety considerations have been clearly outlined for each game and suggestions have been made in order to proactively reduce the risks to a minimum. Required materials for creating specific games and learning situations are described within each game resource.
Rationale
There is strong support for the idea that physical activity can decrease the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, which is the leading cause of mortality in North America. An active lifestyle also reduces certain types of cancers, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and many other preventable pathologies (Tremblay, Inman, & Willms, 2000).Although these health benefits apply more specifically to adults than they do to children, a child's lifestyle can strongly influence future health. Sadly, in the small town of Mount Laurier, most of the community is faced with the burden of a sedentary lifestyle. As a physical and health educator, I believe that involving the town’s youngest citizens in the fight against obesity is one of the most efficient way to help create a healthy and active community. For that reason, integrating games in the physical education classes can be beneficial in showing students how fun and easy it is to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Indeed, Launder (2001) suggests that using games is an “innovative approach to sport education that harnesses the immense power of play to create challenging learning situations.” (p.xi).
An active and healthy lifestyle does not only protect against diseases. Studies show that physical activities and sports also “contribute to positive educational, developmental, social, and health outcomes” (Launder, 2001, p.17). For one, physical education teachers have a unique opportunity to contribute to the self-esteem of their students. This can be done by ensuring that the environment is always a safe and nurturing one. Because physical education differs from other classroom environments, in the sense that students’ performance can be observed and consequently, criticised or praised by their peers, teachers must promote supportive and nurturing experiences. For example, teachers should design tasks that are developmentally appropriate and allow for an approximately 80% success rate.
The games presented in this online binder have been designed according to the Quebec Education Program, which focuses on competency based learning. In other words, students are encouraged to learn more than basic psychomotor skills needed for participating in physical activity. In addition to practicing particular motor patterns, students are taught to develop routines (e.g., a gymnastics routine composed of stationary positions and rolls), develop action plans (e.g., strategies for defending a team’s goal), and evaluate their performances. The focus of the competencies is as follows:
·The first competency, “To perform movement skills in physical activity settings” focuses on improving students’ motor performance but also on choosing appropriate movements for specific situations.
·The second competency, “To interact with others in different physical activity settings” focuses on cooperative activities, such as territorial sports. Consequently, the second competency acts as a tool for creating a more inclusive society.
·The third competency, “To adopt a healthy and active lifestyle” combines both previous competencies and guides students towards a lifelong process of active living.
References:
Launder, A.G. (2001). Play practice: The games approach to teaching and coaching sports.Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Tremblay, M. S., Inman, J. W., & Willms, J. D. (2000). The relationship between physical activity, self- esteem, and academic achievement in 12 year-old children. Pediatric Exercise Science, 12, 312-323.
