This article is written by Andy Vasily who has been teaching internationally at authorized IB World Schools for the past 11 years. He is currently teaching Physical Education at Nanjing International School in China. Andy writes about his experiences teaching PE in a PYP school in his blog “PYP PE with Andy“.
“The true meaning of inquiry is often debated as many people have varying points of view in regards to what it looks like and how it is best applied in the classroom. I think we all agree when people say that it needs to be student initiated as this type of inquiry paves the way for genuine and authentic learning experiences regardless of subject area. Inquiry comes in many different forms and what works well for one person may not necessarily be best for the next person. Good inquiry is a skill that needs to be constantly refined by both students and teachers in an effort to improve learning.
The model of inquiry that I created for PE has helped me to think about my own teaching practice on a deeper level. I see it more as a journey that allows students to move back and forth between learning phases as they consolidate their knowledge. PE is very much skills based, but I firmly believe that the enduring and lasting concepts play more of a pivotal role, in the long run, than the skills related to sport. However, I do not in anyway downplay the importance of kids being as active as possible in PE. My model for inquiry in PE consists of 5 distinct phases which flow throughout the unit. These phases are as follows:
Phase 1: Introduction
Phase 2: Initial Learning Experiences
Phase 3: More Directed and Specific Learning Experiences
Phase 4: Culmination
Phase 5: StudentsTaking Action
This model works well for me and has definitely helped me to create and design more engaging PE units for my students. I am happy to share this with you, but am in no way saying this model is best! We are all different in the way we learn and teach. I only offer this model for your consideration.”
The original article appears in Andy’s blog here.
4 Comments
Excellent work Andy. I love the visual model for inquiry in PE. Also, your blog is great. Very detailed and highly informative.
This is a really great article! Thanks for sharing.
first of all I would like to congratulate you for sharing your experiences with all of us PE teacher. this is noble,beautiful and great attitude.
I work for another PYP school here in são paulo,brazil (st francis college) and I`m very well impressed with your way of teaching .congratulations again.I hope we can share our experiences. my best regards.
walter.
I really like your model Andy.It will really helpful to me in my P.E lessons.Please assist me with more resources since I am this is just my 5th year in PYP P.E.Thanks for your model.