The document discusses the author's experiences with physical education and sports from a young age. It expresses the importance of promoting physical activity and health education to prevent issues like obesity and diabetes. The author believes physical education teachers should emphasize fun, participation and healthy attitudes over competition. They also discuss the skills and knowledge needed to be an effective physical education teacher, such as understanding child development theories, adapting lessons, and teaching about the body, health and different sports/activities. The conclusion emphasizes familiarity with curriculum outcomes to confidently teach physical education.

1. YOU and the PROFESSION
PDHPE by Netasha Pearse

2. Me and My Experiences
In Australia we say sport is a way of life? Well for me it is. I grew up participating in local sport
that consisted of gymnastics, swimming, soccer, hockey, touch football, netball, league tag and
my sporting discipline CYCLING! I loved participating in sport and always tried out for the
school team and representative teams for athletics during Primary school and High School. My
passion was cycling from the age of 6 until my early adulthood as from a young age I just
simply fell in love with riding. What influenced me to choose such activities were the positive
attitudes of my parents towards being healthy and playing sport, as well as the
encouragement from my teachers. As I got older my participation remained consistent until I
reached university, now I do more leisurely activities.
From my own experiences and attitudes after representing cycling at an Australian and State
level, I know how much sport can be stereotyped for it being just a males or females game
when it comes to some sports. Therefore I believe foremost that when introducing a sport it is
important to have positive attitudes that reflect the reasons and benefits associated with
physical activity and the purpose that it serves. I feel physical activity should be strongly
advertised and emphasised, as it allows for one to maintain a healthy lifestyle and encourage
healthy attitudes and approaches towards exercise. I feel that current health trends such as
obesity, ADHD and diabetes need to be more enforced through early education as the increase
of these unhealthy trends will remain on the increase.

3. Whilst on prac I tried to emphasise that any sport can be played by any gender. The main aim is to having
fun and getting fit at the same time. This then allows sexist comments to be minimised and allow for
whole class approach participation within the game to take place. To encouraged sport is to make it
desirable to each individual, no matter the level of ability. This is why carefully constructed lessons need
to be organised before implementing any PDHPE lessons. Therefore having the vital essentials in health
and education in which the students can refer and use in everyday living through informative information.
HAVING A POSTIVE APPROACH = A HEALTHY APPROACH.
Although I have had a positive experience with PDHPE AND HPE, I know some others have not. I would
like to think I can make the subject interesting, as well as rewarding with positive outcomes and benefits
for students. I want to ensure that all children feel as though they can participate no matter what their
level ability may be, I want the lesson to have positive effects on pupils not negative implications for
future learning’s. I often saw children being force to play, and they did not want to be the looser.
Emphasising there is no winners and the benefits of the game foremost are stepping stone in having
positive outcomes for all children instead of the pressure of winning in games and sporting events from
Kindergarten through to Year 6.

4. The PDHPE Educator
• As a PDHPE educator you need to have a sense of passion for health, fitness, wellbeing and
of course education. Physical characteristics in which contribute to an HPE educator is
fitness and an upbeat, outgoing, bubbly attitude that motivates and educates all at the
same time. As well as athletically built to some degree.
• PDHPE teachers teaching skills and strategies can be adapted for lessons through different
learning theories such as Vygotsky’s cognitive theory , it is where the children's social
interaction with more skilled adults and peers is indispensable to their cognitive
development. (Santrock, 1962 p. 25)
• Actions and communications of the PDHPE teachers I have encountered have been:
• Informative and descriptive with visual aids and examples
• Involved with practical classes and games
• Encouraging
• Communicate with a group, as well as assist one on one
• Motivate
• Also very descriptive with current health trends and educated about major health issues in
Australia
• “It is not a competition, it is simply to learn about the sport, as well as exercising at the
same time” (Providing positive outcomes for all students)

5. • Skills and abilities in which a PDHPE has are:
• Prior knowledge to educational outcomes for physical development and health.
• Prior knowledge of a variety of sports, games, health and fitness and implements
them in the classroom/lesson.
• Able to adapt lessons to level of ability through simplifying and modernising
learning techniques.
• Knowledge and Types of teaching activities:
• Knowledge consists of how the body works such as education on nutrients, the
importance of healthy food groups, what part of the body does what and why,
and teaches us the best way to keep our body healthy and fit, and if not the
consequences.
• An educator teachers different rules and outcomes for different sports,
concentrated activities on fine motor skills, gross motor skills and different
muscle groups, as well as parts of the body through movement.
• These were done through visual and practical aids, as well as theory based in the
classroom
• In addition to these there is always a need to explain why, how and when these
come into play within the lesson. Such as when applying gross motor skills to
sport, we may have to do drills then participate in a game of basketball, before
that the student needs knowledge of the rules and how to play prior to the
practical side of the lesson. This is why types of teaching and knowledge of what
you are teaching is important as well as applying what students have previous
learnt.

6. PDHPE and Educational Settings
• The value PDHPE is for Primary Education settings I believe is a form of
assistance, guidance and education of self worth and wellbeing to oneself in
society. It gives a means of purpose in health and physical education that assists
individuals to make healthy lifestyle choices.
• As a PDHPE teacher I can see similarities in myself in the way of always
encouraging others to be the best they can be and help influence the importance
of exercise and health. It is something I am passionate about and think it is most
important to educate children on health , personal development and physical
education .
• There has been much debate on what and how to teach PDHPE through the
years. Kirk suggests that key arguments justify physical education place in the
school curriculum should be educational. As for as health related physical activity
is concerned , it is the job of the schools to ensure that children have knowledge
and compentices to use exercise appropriately to contributing an active lifestyle.
(Kirk,1996, p.3)

7.  I personally feel confident about teaching PE in the K-6 context and
would emphasise it has just the same importance and role in the form
of education for my students. I feel as though through my degree I will
be provided with enough education and training that I can teach this
subject to the highest of standards. I think each aspect of the PDHPE
subject plays a vital role with in the means of education for children and
the wider community about the benefits of physical education and
health.
 There is a ‘widespread belief among teachers and principals that
generalists simply do not have the knowledge to teach skills (in
movement)’. Especially female teachers. (Tinning, Kirk, & Evans, 1993, p.4)
 In conclusion, I believe teachers need to know the and be familiar with the
Teaching and learning outcomes in the NSW K-6 Syllabus for PDHPE and soon the
national curriculum. Being familiar with the rationale, aims and objectives, subject
matter as well as outcomes and indicators. Through the strands of Interpersonal
relationships, growth and development, games and sport, gymnastics, dance, active
lifestyle, personal health choices and safe living (Board of Studies,2006, p.9) will allow
those teaching PDHPE to teach confidently and accordingly as you can use this as a guide
of relevance to what needs to be taught and how you can teach it.
If we believe that emotional, social and cognitive development is an important outcome
of physical education then classes, programs and assessment tasks need to be planned
and taught with these outcomes in mind. (Tinning, Macdonald, Wright & Hickey, 2001, p
142).

8. Reference List
• Tinning, R., MacDonald, D., Wright, J., & Hickey, C. (2001). How do students learn? In
Becoming a physical education teacher: contemporary and enduring issues
(pp. 137-143). Frenchs Forest, NSW : Pearson Education Australia.
• Kirk, D. (1996). The crisis in school physical education: an argument against the tide. The
ACHPER Healthy Lifestyles Journal, 43 (4), 25-27
• Tinning, R., Kirk, D., & Evans. J. (1993). What stands for physical education in primary
schools? In Learning to teach physical education. (pp. 1-21). Englewood Cliffs, New
Jersey : Prentice Hall.
• Board of Studies NSW (2006). Personal Development, Health and Physical Education Syllabus
• Santrock, W J. (2011). Child Development: McGraw-Hill Companies, New York.