You don’t need to be a star athlete to teach Physical Education.
The 3 key parts of a PE class are:
1) Safety – students need to feel that they are not in danger physically or emotionally.
2) Learning – students need to want to strive to improve and contribute to the wellness of the entire class.
3) Perceived success – students need to feel that they are making progress – no matter how small it may seem.
Most classes are made up of several components:
Introduction – Introduce yourself and break the ice to get their attention and they will recognize you as a person instead of a temporary authority figure. This is also a good time to take attendance.
Set Induction – Let them know what you will be doing today. Specifically, let the class know what concepts they will be learning. For example: “today you will be learning about passing to a teammate covered by a defender”.
Setup – Get the class to help you set up prior to any activities you will be doing. Even equipment for activities in a later part of the class should be fetched and be at the ready for when they are needed. Don’t let any students sit around, as it is unfair for the ones who are actively helping.
Warmup – Since no one likes being injured it is important to adequately warm up with a series of dynamic movements. Don’t do stationary stretches where you hold the pose for a period of time as they actually increase the chance of students hurting themselves.
Class content – The games/activities for the day. Make sure to circulate often and change the activity every ten to twenty minutes by calling the entire class in and fully explaining each activity before you start. When left to their own devices for too long, some students can find it tempting to goof around or misbehave.
Closure – Near the end of class get the students to put away the equipment and have a talk about what they learned today. Have some questions ready to get them thinking about relevant technical and tactical aspects of the game(s) that they played. Don’t ignore the Education in Physical Education. If the class was particularly physically exerting, this is also the time to simultaneously use those held stationary stretches you skipped earlier – they are more effective post-exercise.