The significance of this inquiry question stems from the memories of my own physical education experience throughout elementary school and secondary school in British Columbia.
Having gone to three different elementary schools in the Richmond school district, I was exposed to a wide range of elementary school teachers and teaching styles from grade two to twelve. I remember some wonderful elementary school teachers who evidently had content knowledge regarding physical education and were able to implement fun and engaging lessons to their class. On the other hand, I also have memories of elementary school teachers who did not feel comfortable implementing PE lessons which in retrospect lead me to believe that those teachers were not physical education specialists. Often those classes were monotonous, dull and as a learner I was disengaged and did not feel like I learned anything for that time period in my school day.
As I reflect on my experiences in the elementary school system, I now wonder why there was disconnect in my physical education.
I believe that this lack of consistency in the delivery of physical education in elementary schools can negatively impact children’s opinions about physical education and physical activity and it falls short in providing students the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes that will eventually enable students an enhanced quality of life as they progress to secondary education and adulthood. I believe that it is crucial to lay down a strong foundation of fundamental movement skills in kindergarten to grade seven and present the concepts of active living, movement, safety, fair play and leadership to these learners using fun and engaging pedagogy early on. We only have one first impression.
If we can facilitate quality learning experiences for elementary school students early on, we are paving a smoother pathway between elementary school physical education and secondary school physical education programs.
