Purposeful Planning

Purposeful Planning

We are very fortunate at PHS this year to have two Phys Ed teachers - a dynamic team working together to bring your child the best year of Physical Education yet. This is a unique opportunity that allows us to plan even more purposefully than ever before.

Let's take what we've been doing in class as an example of this. The last few days we have been working on skills related to soccer and wall-ball. These two games are widely played at school during recess and we wanted to capitalize on this right at the beginning of the school year. Now this isn't much different than in previous years, however now we are able to teach these skills in unison - in one class, we have two groups of students working on these skills.

And here is the best part.

We are always looking to teach in ways that will develop the physical literacy of your child as well as their health (more here) and we've managed to do a great job at teaching skills involving hand-eye and foot-eye coordination at the same time.

Putting equal emphasis on developing opposite sides of the body is important in setting child to feel successful at a particular game/activity but it also plays an important role in the development of a their brain. In this case we crossed the transverse (hands vs. feet) and lateral midline (left vs. right) planes of their body.

Ever tried to throw or kick a ball with your non-dominant hand or foot? It's difficult, but possible. This challenging task forces their brains to work in an unusual way and strengthens them as a result.

We will continue to plan our Phys Ed lessons in a purposeful way, presenting the curriculum in an exciting manner. Next time your have a conversation about school with your child don't forgot to ask them about what they are doing in Phys Ed, you'll be glad you did!