Designing approaches to enhance practice
Designing approaches to enhance practice
Any review that aims to change mindsets and practices in a school setting must address barriers to change. Teachers need to see the value in new approaches and have time and support to explore and trial new ideas.
Working through barriers and putting foundations in place
The main barriers to changing practices in schools to do with physical activity and physical education are most commonly competing PLD priorities, staff turnover, and teacher confidence. To ensure success at working through these and other barriers:
- make sure the principal is a key champion who is involved in setting directions and allocating resources
- offer leadership roles to champion teachers who could mentor their peers
- set up whole school PLD and collaborative planning processes
- complete activities that offer quick successes and engage teachers in new ideas
- get everyone onboard with key messages that resonate with teachers
- set up systems that address common challenges such as high staff turnover.
Table 1 summarises the enablers that assisted change in schools.
| Factor | Change is enabled when 鈥� |
|---|---|
| School leaders understand the reasons for reviewing PE and physical activity and what quality PE looks like | School leaders are clear about how reviewing PE and physical activity practice can help address student needs and foster teacher capability, curriculum integration, and the holistic development of students |
| School leaders and teachers are clear about how reviewing approaches to PE and physical activity can support other school goals |
Schools can see how reviewing PE and physical activity supports other school PLD focuses, including:
|
| School leaders act as key champions |
School leaders actively support and champion the review process through actions such as:
|
| Key messages are clearly communicated | School leaders clearly communicate key ideas and messages about shifts in practice to teachers |
| School leaders build confidence by making sure all teachers can access PLD and support |
|
| New school leaders and staff are inducted into new approaches |
|
| Teachers have access to PLD and external support |
|
| Teachers and school leaders learn from other schools |
A range of teachers and school leaders attend external PLD that offers:
|
| Schools use collaborative planning processes | Schools have a team approach to Health and PE or integrated curriculum planning that provides support and a planning structure, but also opportunities for teacher ownership |
| Teachers can access appropriate equipment, resources, or spaces |
Teachers:
|
The following provide some lessons learned during the Play.sport pilot about how to create change.
Building teacher confidence and shifting mindsets
Many school leaders considered teacher confidence was a major or minor barrier to embedding new approaches to PE. In the Health and PE space several processes or activities quickly engaged staff and built confidence, including:
- needs-based planning processes that support teachers to assess student needs and build these into Health and PE planning. Some schools did playground observations to identify competencies students could build through Health and PE, such as the communication skills needed to work through disagreements or ways to include peers who were left out. Other schools wove their focus learner dispositions into planning.
- curriculum workshops or planning support that assists teachers to unpack the Health and PE learning area. Key focuses include:
- exploring the four underlying concepts of Health and PE, especially hauora
- developing PE plans that included all four strands of Health and PE
- mentoring or team teaching from lead teachers or PLD providers that assists teachers to challenge their views and make a mindset shift about quality PE
- access to PLD providers who act as critical friends and support schools to rethink their relationship with external providers in PE time, or how to make traditional events such as the annual cross country or athletics days more inclusive
- opportunities to go to workshops or conferences and hear practical examples of how other teachers are evolving their practice.鈥�
The content that most engaged staff included examples of:
- how hauora and te whare tapa wh膩 could be used to think holistically about student wellbeing and learning, or as a reflective tool for students to use
- how a focus on students鈥� cultures could be incorporated into PE such as via M膩ori and Pacific games and movement
- practices that fostered inclusion, e.g., how to engage a wider range of students in PE through reflection and student input into designing rules or games
- active and fun activities that addressed the above areas or which teachers could quickly do in a classroom to get students moving and thinking.
Hauora is a key underlying concept of Health and PE
Seeing how their peers used te whare tapa wh膩 model of hauora/wellbeing* as a planning and reflection tool was a game changer for many teachers. During PLD sessions they valued being able to explore this model and the other underlying concepts of the Health and PE curriculum.
*Image and text from page 31 of the 1999 Health and PE curriculum:
Change is assisted by school leader buy-in and clear messages
The active support of school leaders is a core aspect of successful PLD which influences student outcomes (Robinson et al., 2009). School leaders鈥� actions make a key difference to the pace of change in schools. Play.sport schools spread new practices more widely across teachers when they had a member of the senior leadership team who championed Play.sport, made strategic decisions about PLD and the location of lead teachers, and attended PLD sessions.
Spread of practice was assisted by clear messaging and collaborative planning processes. Story 1 shows how one school leader had distilled key ideas about quality PE practice into some clear messages for teachers and provided teachers with support to plan.
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With collaborative planning and clear messages
At one school prior to听Play.sport, PE had mostly been handed over to听Kiwisport听providers, leaving many teachers unconfident to plan or run PE听sessions.听PE content was structured around听inter-school sports events.听听Four main changes helped the school build staff confidence and get everyone on听board with teaching PE.听听
- PLD for staff:听Support from听Play.sport听PLD mentors听was spread across all syndicates and听assisted听teachers听to听work听collaboratively to听unpack听the Health and PE learning area听and explore all the strands.听
- Refocusing the content of PE听so it was not about training for sports events:听The focus of PE was shifted听so that it听built听students鈥� capabilities across a听range of areas听identified in the four Health and PE strands.听School leaders noted听sport was still important to the听school,听but practices and training now听happened at听lunchtime听or after school.听
- A shift to collaborative and needs-based planning:听Playground observations听were听used to identify needs听such as teamwork听or听cooperative听behaviours. Planning is done each term听during a full staff听meeting. Teachers听design ways听students听can听develop听the identified attributes as they play, modify, and reflect听on games.听
- Sharing consistent messages:听To ensure teachers have a clear idea听about what good practice looked like and did not look like听the school developed a few key messages about PE which included:听
- less focus on the movement听strand鈥攎ore focus on the other strands and achievement objectives听
- less focus on traditional sports and games鈥攎ore focus on variety and fun听
- less standing around in long lines鈥攎ore focus on everyone joining in and feeling included听
- less teacher direction鈥攎ore focus on independence and opportunities for students to听design听or change activities.听
We also did whole staff meetings about the key changes. This year we included all staff in planning. We went in with the question: 鈥楾hese are our AOs [achievement objectives], so what will our learning intentions and lessons look like?鈥� Teachers have had more ownership about what PE looks like this year, and obviously, so have the students. We try to have one staff meeting per term on PE, which usually leads to what will be happening in the next term.
(School leader)
The staff we talked to told us these key messages had focused their planning. They could also see other teachers鈥� understandings of the messages were growing over time.
We were clear about what to change. Our school leader was focused on inclusion and moving away from having kids wait in long lines鈥攖hat was a clear expectation. We鈥檙e not 100% there, but we鈥檙e a lot further down the track.
(Teacher)
For further insights into the听value of听collaborative practice, and how it enhances learning not only for听tamariki听and听rangatahi听but for teachers, parents and the wider community too, you can listen听to听the听鈥楳ore than Sport鈥� podcast #4 鈥楥ollaboration to improve outcomes鈥�.听
