What am I becoming as a PE teacher? The challenges and inspirations of PE in Ireland today. Pedagogical Change


What am I becoming as a PE teacher? The challenges and inspirations of PE in Ireland today. Pedagogical Change

What am I becoming as a PE teacher? It’s a tough question to answer. The real answer I won’t find out until I get my first contract as a real teacher. All I can do is suggest the kind of teacher that I hope to be and outline why it is that I want to become her. It can be challenging to determine who I want to be as a teacher, a principal once said to me that I should picture my best and worst teachers, remind myself of why they were good or bad and then aim to place myself somewhere between the two. It’s a nice idea in theory, but rather difficult to put into practice. How does one become this teacher and especially how do I manage it when teaching a very different curriculum to that which I was taught myself?

I have come to the conclusion that while my core beliefs as a teacher remain the same, my goals would alter based on the different area of P.E I was teaching. For example my goals as a teacher of the traditional JCPE curriculum would be very different to those I would have as a facilitator of the new LCPE. One of the aims of the JCPE is to “provide the opportunity for students to develop personally, socially, and physically through participation in physical activities in a safe, challenging and enjoyable environment” (JCPE, 2003). While the aim of LCPE is similar as it looks to “develop the learner’s capacity to become an informed, skilled, self-directed and reflective performer in physical education and physical activity in senior cycle and in their future life” (LCPE, 2017) the course asks the learners to investigate much deeper into the areas of technology, ethics, inclusion and optimum performance.  In light of these ever changing curricula I find that my overall goal would to be versatile as an educator, to be able to create enjoyable PE experiences while still managing to communicate the theory content in my classes. I think this is the main challenge of the new curriculum for us, in order for it to be effectively delivered teachers will have to have a high level of content knowledge along with an ability to make that theory come alive in a  practical setting. My main goal as a teacher of both PE and Irish is to provide interesting and interactive classes in which the strong and weak students can learn and enjoy. In PE I believe it is important to place particular emphasis on enjoyment followed then by fitness as only 10% of post primary students in Ireland meet the physical activity guidelines (Woods et al., 2010)


Studies, such as CSPPA, along with the new curriculum have really changed my approach to teaching physical education. Starting off my PE journey as a student the primary focus was on elitism and competition in a games centred style. Now after my 4 years in UL as a student teacher and my experience of the recent shift in curriculum focus I find my own philosophy has changed alongside it. The recent focus on wellbeing is perhaps the biggest change in the Irish education system overall and also in my opinion the most important. Not alone does it allow for a student centred approach to teaching, I find it also places a higher value on subjects like PE where students have a greater opportunity to meet the wellbeing indicators such as active, connected and respected. From my own experiences of teaching practice I have certainly gained a greater appreciation for strands such as dance and gymnastics as I have seen the enjoyment and inclusion they can bring to students who don’t normally get the chance to shine in PE.

As highlighted in the recent curricular changes, I really do feel that student are at the centre of the learning experience and I am merely the facilitator of that experience. While my passions my lie in the areas of games and athletics I understand that these are not the passion of my students. For me my new passion is instilling a love of any strand of physical education in my students as I really do believe that physical activity is such an important part of life and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

So this brings me back to the question, what am I becoming as a PE teacher? I want to be a versatile teacher who can teach the practice as well as the theory, create an active and enjoyable learning environment as well as a meaningful one. I think that if I can encourage just one student in my classes to take up a new sport, become more active or even enjoy speaking the Irish language then I will be happy with myself as a teacher.



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