Health and Physical Education
Introduction | Physical Activity in Primary Schools | Beacon Schools | Student Well-being – Mental Health Education
Introduction
Teachers and schools can access help for developing teaching and learning programmes related to all key areas of learning in the health and physical education curriculum through their local School Support Services.
Although a particular focus in 2006 is to extend use of effective assessment to guide teaching and learning, advisers are also helping teachers and schools to put in place procedures for sustainability.
In line with strengthening collaboration between agencies at a national level, the advisers are liaising with regional personnel from agencies towards common goals.
For further information, please contact your nearest School Support Services provider.
Physical Activity in Primary Schools
Support will be available for schools and teachers in 2006 to address the need for students to develop high levels of competence (knowledge, skills, attitudes and values) in physical education and physical activity.
Physical education advisers and education personnel contracted by SPARC through Regional Sports Trusts will provide a range of material resources and professional development models to enable schools to meet the recent regulation change to the NAGs and NEGs. This gives priority to providing physical activity for developing movement skills for years 1 to 6.
An evaluation research project undertaken by the University of Waikato will focus on the professional learning occurring in schools through this curricular and co-curricular support to teachers and school communities.
In addition to this professional development support, a set of guidelines entitled Guidelines for sustainable physical activity in school communities are being developed and will be published online in term 1, 2006. This will enable school communities to consider their physical activity culture and plan for sustainable change.
Raising the physical activity profile within schools and communities and ensuring teachers are able to deliver quality learning experiences for children in physical activity in primary schools, is a collaborative initiative involving the Ministry of Education and Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC). More information on this can be obtained by contacting your nearest School Support Services provider or Regional Sports Trust.
Beacon Schools
Beacon Schools are identified as schools of current or potential leadership ability in defined subjects or teaching/learning approaches. They receive resources and support from central agencies to further develop as 'centres of excellence'. In return, Beacon Schools provide a source of best practice in the defined subject or approach – this may include professional development leadership and/or materials development leadership.
The professional development aims to:
- develop teachers' and advisers' comprehensive understanding of the defined area as is relevant to a particular level of the curriculum
- develop teachers' capacity to dialogue with students about their progress and to assess using achievement standards
- develop schools as 'beacon schools' for senior programmes
- build capability of advisers and lecturers in teacher training institutions.
Beacon Schools projects are running in the subject areas of health, home economics, and social studies, and in a modified form in agriculture, horticulture, and physical education.
Beacon Schools for senior programmes in health education and home economics
This project has been significant in building professional confidence and capability relating to health education and home economics. A review of the project in a small sample of the schools is available online at: High Level Summary Statements from Review of Beacon Schools in Home Economics and Health Education: Report to the Ministry of Education (PDF 188KB).
In 2006 the professional learning related to this model will sit within School Support Services (SSS). These services provide for the professional learning needs of teachers and are located within or alongside the Universities of Auckland; Waikato; Victoria in Wellington, Massey University, and the Christchurch and Dunedin Colleges of Education.
Managing this role requires SSS to maintain links to relevant expertise across the curriculum, including with those delivering senior programmes in health education and home economics. SSS have been provided with names of Beacon Lead Teachers and asked to organise three workshops in 2006 around these teachers.
We envisage that the workshops related to the Beacon School will be instrumental in maintaining learning communities of teachers working at levels 7 and 8 of the curriculum. This is particularly important when teaching in these subjects at these levels is ‘new'. All teachers who have been involved in the Beacon School project have contributed to the success of the project and continue to support senior level programmes.
If you need support with your programmes, please contact School Support Services (SSS) in your region. Without requests for support, SSS will not be aware of the need.
There is now a Physical Education Beacon School resource available at Health and Physical Education in the New Zealand Curriculum.
Student well-being – Mental Health Education
Through this initiative teachers are supported to provide students with a range of learning opportunities that focus on the mental health and well-being of the whole school. Students become actively involved using techniques that help them to develop resiliency and an awareness of the deeper health issues that face young people in today's world. They come to understand that feeling positive about school through building strong learning skills, developing quality relationships and taking an active part in making decisions can greatly improve their chances of doing well in their lives.
Current research shows that students who are able to connect to their family, friends, and other people, such as teachers, develop resilience and are then able to cope with adversity more successfully than those who feel a sense of isolation. When students are in touch with their community and culture and are confident about their own identity, they can develop the resilience to keep reaching out and making connections to other people and to new ideas, even when this is challenging.
The professional learning for teachers incorporates in-school mentoring, and workshops focus on, for example, enhancing students' personal identities, building relationships, examining the choices and consequences of drug use, and addressing stereotypes and discrimination.
To achieve the best possible outcomes for students, the goals are to:
- leverage off compatible initiatives
- build professional capability
- develop a national network of recognised experts, and
- promote best practice in mental health education.
Strategies also include schools planning and delivering drug education programmes and activities within a curriculum framework and ensuring use of appropriate learning and teaching approaches.
Currently approximately 100 schools are participating in professional development programmes delivered through the contracts held with the Ministry of Education by Auckland, Waikato, Massey and Victoria Universities and Christchurch and Dunedin Colleges of Education. The funding provides for leadership and coordination of professional development for effective teaching of diverse learners in the whole-school context and enables links to be made to community groups.
Schools in the six regions will participate in the project for up to two years to ensure classroom strategies, whole-school approaches, and policies are developed and operating effectively with mechanisms to support sustainability. Contractors build flexibility into the initiative to enable new schools to be involved each year of the contract in various ways.
The current initiative finishes in June 2007 and builds on the 2002/05 mental health education professional development.
For further information about this initiative please contact the National Coordinator, Pip Woodward at p.woodward@auckland.ac.nz.
See the Associate Education Minister's statement about this funding at Hon Marian Hobbs: Student well-being at top of list (11.11.04).
For more information, see also Health and Physical Education community page.