Approaches to Learning and Teaching

The learning and teaching of PE is not confined to PE lessons. PE teachers play multiple roles in the learning process, like facilitators, mentors and partners who help students achieve the aim of whole-person development through participating in co-curricular activities, and using facilities and resources within and outside school.

4.2.1 Organisation of Learning and Teaching

 Learning content and materials for PE could be presented in units so that one activity is taught in a number of consecutive periods.

 PE lessons could generally be divided into four stages: warm-up, learning and practice of skills, group activities, and closing activities.

 For co-educational schools, depending on the nature of activities and the degree of maturity of students, PE teachers can arrange separate or combined classes for girls and boys.

 Teachers can juggle the number of PE lessons and the length of each teaching unit according to students’ abilities, nature of activities and schools’ sporting culture.

 To maximise learning, teachers may group students according to their diverse learning interests, abilities and needs.

 PE teachers should consider the number of students in the class, as well as the facilities and equipment available within and outside school for organising physical activities.

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4.2.2 Teaching Approaches

Various approaches such as direct instruction, enquiry, and co-construction can be adopted in the teaching of PE. These approaches are not mutually exclusive and can be used at different stages of the PE lessons. For example, students can learn a new physical skill more effectively by receiving verbal instructions and visual images of teacher’s direct demonstration, while an enquiry into safety issues or the relationship between the physical activities and health can engage students in deep learning (refer to Chapter 4 of the BECG and Booklet 3 of the SECG for details on the various strategies for learning and teaching and pedagogical approaches).

4.2.3 Teaching Skills

 PE teachers should give ample opportunities for students to practise motor and sports skills and avoid lengthy verbal explanations.

 PE teachers can flexibly use different teaching and practice methods, such as “part method” (i.e. breaking down a complex skill into smaller movements or skills) and “whole method” (i.e. demonstrating the complete movement sequence of the skill) for students’ easy understanding and mastery of skills.

 Instructions and teaching points should be brief and precise, and complemented with demonstrations as far as possible.

 PE teachers should always provide immediate and appropriate feedback so that students can understand their own performance and make improvement.

 PE teachers should use stimulating and thought-provoking questions to help students develop generic skills such as communication skills, critical thinking skills and creativity.

 PE teachers, as a role model of students, should be enthusiastic in and committed to physical education.

4.2.4 The Four Key Tasks

In order to help students develop independent learning capabilities, the Four Key Tasks are updated as Moral and Civic Education: Towards Values Educations, Reading to Learn: Towards Reading across the Curriculum, Project Learning: Towards Integrating and Applying Knowledge and Skills across Disciplines, and Information Technology (IT) for Interactive Learning:

Towards Self-directed Learning. The updated key tasks are applicable in the PE curriculum to enliven learning and teaching, and to help students achieve whole-person development and become self-directed learners (refer to Chapter 3 of the BECG and Booklet 6 of the SECG for details).

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Figure 4.1 The Four Key Tasks

Moral and Civic Education: Towards Values Education

Learning elements of values education can be incorporated into the PE curriculum.

Students can cultivate the priority positive values and attitudes including perseverance, respect for others, responsibility, national identity, commitment, integrity and care for others when participating in different physical activities (refer to Section 2.2.4 of this Guide for details).

Reading to Learn: Towards Reading across the Curriculum

Promotion of Reading across the Curriculum (RaC) enables students to establish meaningful links among concepts and ideas acquired in PE and other KLAs. PE teachers may encourage students to read sports news and interesting articles from newspapers and magazines to enrich their knowledge in PE and strengthen their reading skills. In developing the habit of reading in a digital age, students are also encouraged to take advantage of IT and mobile learning devices to have extended reading opportunities.

Project Learning: Towards Integrating and Applying Knowledge and Skills across Disciplines

Project learning is one of the strategies that facilitates students’ development of capabilities for self-directed learning and lifelong learning. PE projects connect students’ learning experiences in the PE KLA as well as across KLAs. Students may study various PE topics, apply skills in information collection and data interpretation, and develop presentation and other generic skills throughout the process. Students may also integrate and apply knowledge from other KLAs such as Science Education and Technology Education to acquire deeper understanding of the impact of physical activities on health and the importance of developing an active and healthy lifestyle.

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IT for Interactive Learning: Towards Self-directed Learning

PE teachers can use IT to enhance learning and teaching. Students can be introduced to relevant websites, collect more information about a certain kind of sports or watch sports games through internet, and deepen their understanding of the PE knowledge and skills acquired during PE lessons. With adequate guidance, students also make use of the information collected to share with their classmates on the Internet, and develop information literacy skills and self-directed learning habits.

4.2.5 Information Technology in Education

Learning and teaching effectiveness in PE can be enhanced through e-learning.

Teachers may review their school PE curriculum and incorporate relevant e-learning elements and concepts in adequate components and areas. However, students’ physical activity level or active learning time in PE should not be substantially reduced due to the incorporation of e-learning.

Ethical use of IT is important in the promotion of IT in Education (ITE) in schools.

Teachers should provide guidance for students in the ethical use of IT in learning PE, such as to safeguard personal data (privacy) and intellectual property rights when participating in learning activities in digital environment.

With regards to the rich resources on the Internet, teachers should set clear directions for students to make good use of online materials in different modes (e.g. e-books/magazines, animations and videos) and from different sources to acquire more knowledge on how to improve their motor and sports skills. This encourages students to develop a self-directed learning habit in PE.

Sharing videos and pictures on online social platforms has become increasingly popular. Students’ performance in a sports game can be easily and conveniently captured by using smartphones and other portable devices and uploaded to the online platform to facilitate self- and peer assessments in preparation for PE lessons. The feedback on the movement is useful for students in skill mastery.

Students can also extend their learning by watching the video clips after the lesson and have further practice in their leisure time.

An e-environment serves as a medium to inform stakeholders of students’

performance in the PE KLA. For example, students’ data on physical fitness and participation pattern in sports events are useful information for parents to familiarise themselves with the learning of their children in PE lessons.

4.2.6 Life-wide Learning

Life-wide learning (LWL) is very important in the school PE curriculum. Schools should enrich students’ learning experiences beyond lessons and outside schools through organsing LWL activities such as participating in sports competitions, and watching large-scale local or international sports events. Generic skills and affective attributes of students can be nurtured through such authentic experience in sports.

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Participation in PE-related co-curricular activities also allows students to develop personal qualities and various skills such as communication skills, collaboration skills and IT skills. Students can demonstrate their strengths through organising sports activities, participating in cheering teams and writing webpages for interest clubs. When students organise and officiate sports events, they can make use of their prior knowledge and concepts in authentic contexts, such as implementation strategies, rules and regulations. This provides opportunities for students to gain valuable experience for their whole-person development (refer to Chapter 6 of the BECG and Booklet 7 of the SECG for more details on LWL).