Prepared and presented by Ms Reema Alpana on The international day for PWDs celebration at the University of the South Pacific (2021)

1. The Rights to Inclusive
Quality Physical Education
post-Covid era
Presenter: Ms. Reema Alpana
Graduate Assistant, SIE, SPACE, USP

2. Inclusive Education
• Barrier-free education that allows increased and full participation of all learners,
focused on overcoming and removing barriers to learning (O’Brien 2020; Slee,
2019; Sharma, Loreman and Macanawai, 2016).
• This requires more than just enrolling SWDs in general education setting. It
includes:
 Curriculum adaptation [through instructional strategies &
materials, curricular content and assessment practices]
 Differentiated instruction
 Task analysis
 Conducive learning environment
 Individual Education Plans

3. To be effective, change (including physical education) must be:
• meaningful and relevant to the people who are participating
and must be underpinned by an understanding of their
culture and history (Armstrong, Armstrong, & Spandagou,
(2010, 2011)).

4. Why invest in
Inclusive Quality Physical Education (IQPE)?
 “physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide” (Kohl et al.,
2012, p. 294).
 Mental health issues have increased during/post-Covid19.
 People with underlying health conditions are at more risk.
 According to Bailey (2005) “it is worth noting that some children and young
people within society seem to be relatively disadvantaged in terms of levels of
sporting participation and are also more generally at risk of exclusion” (p.78).

5. IQPE will help by:
 Developing collaborative skills and teamwork.
 Improving confidence.
 Developing people who could potentially thrive as a result of their
involvement in sport (future Paralympians).
 Promoting good heath as well as mental and emotional well being.
 Promoting sports as viable leisure activities.
 Promoting sport and physical education as community activities.

6. Myths
 SWDs will not be able to participate in PE class;
 It will be too costly to include SWDs in PE class;
 SWDs will get injured easily;
 SWDs will always need additional resources and support.

7. Training teachers to facilitate IQPE
Teacher training institutions (TTIs) play a fundamental role in shaping physically literate
teachers.
PE teachers need to be trained to teach ‘all students’, be open minded, have broad
definitions of ability and also be skilled at differentiating learning goals, success criteria
and activities, while using diverse ways to assess them.
At USP: There is a mandatory SIE course in all undergraduate teacher training programs.
We also offer teacher training specifically for SIE. From 2022 USP is planning to offer PE
as a major under the teacher training programs.
Past practices should not become ‘norms’, but the experiences they give should be used
as incentives to build a better tomorrow.

8. Off the Side-lines and into the Field!

9. References
 Armstrong, A.C, Armstrong, D and Spandagou, I (2010) Inclusive Education: International Policy and Practice. UK. SAGE Publications Limited.
 Armstrong, D, Armstrong, A.C, and Spandagou, I (2011) Inclusion: by choice or by chance? International Journal of Inclusive Education.Vol 15 No1 pp 29 – 40
 Bailey, R. (2005). Evaluating the relationship between physical education, sport and social inclusion. Educational Review, 57(1), 71–90. doi:
10.1080/0013191042000274196 [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®], [Google Scholar]
 Brien, Trevor. (2020). Understanding the Socio-Emotional Impact of Dyslexia in the Inclusive Classroom. 10.5772/intechopen.94203.
 Kohl, H. W., Craig, C. L., Lambert, E. V., Inoue, S., Alkandari, J. R., Leetongin, G., … Lancet Physical Activity Series Working Group. (2012). The pandemic of physical
inactivity: Global action for public health. The Lancet, 380(9838), 294–305. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60898-8 [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®], [Google
Scholar]
 Slee, Roger (2019) Belonging in an age of exclusion, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 23:9, 909-922, DOI: 10.1080/13603116.2019.1602366
 Sharma, Umesh; Loreman, Tim & Macanawai, Setareki (2016) Factors contributing to the implementation of inclusive education in Pacific Island countries,
International Journal of Inclusive Education, 20:4, 397-412, DOI: 10.1080/13603116.2015.1081636
 Wendy Barber (2018) Inclusive and accessible physical education: rethinking ability and disability in pre-service teacher education, Sport, Education and Society,
23:6, 520-532, DOI: 10.1080/13573322.2016.1269004