Curricula and pedagogies that fail to utilise the cultural resources of students contribute to educational disadvantage. The health and physical education (HPE) learning area is not exempt from these concerns with calls emerging within Australia to include movement forms and ways of knowing of Indigenous and ethnic-minority students. In many…

Physical literacy has gained worldwide prominence over the last decade by re-conceptualizing primarily the meaning of physical education. British educator Margaret Whitehead is the most famous proponent of this expression and expositor of its philosophical foundation and value. As such, physical literacy rejects dualism, is buttressed by monism,…

Indigenous games and sports (IG&S) form a mandated part of the Health and Physical Education (HPE) learning area of the Australian National Curriculum and to encourage the adoption of IG&S, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment, and Reporting Authority (ACARA), the independent statutory authority responsible for the development of a…

The Step it UP! Game is an interdependent group reinforcement contingency based on the Good Behavior Game. We evaluated the effects of the Step it UP! Game on the number of steps taken by 3rd-grade students during physical-education (PE) classes at a local public elementary school. We divided the class into 2 teams and awarded a "Step it UP!…

The conceptual role of the physical education specialist has expanded from that of the creator and disseminator of physical education curricula, to that of a comprehensive physical activity coordinator for the school. The coordinator's responsibilities usually include providing increased opportunities for students to be physically active during…

Background: There is some apparent confusion regarding similarities and differences between two popular physical education (PE) pedagogical frameworks, that is, the Constraints-Led Approach (CLA) and Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU). Purpose: Our aim in this commentary is to detail important theoretical and pedagogical concepts that…

Background: Teaching games for understanding (TGfU) has stimulated so much attention, research and debate since the 1980s that it is easy for its origins to become refracted and misunderstood. For example, in a recent edition of the "Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy" journal there was paper arguing a constraints-led approach (CLA)…

Because we live in such a diverse world, it is imperative to teach students to understand and respect other cultures. Teaching multicultural games and activities in physical education provides an opportunity for students to experience and appreciate the culture and traditions of diverse populations. Native American stickball, originally referred…

Within the Australian context physical education (PE) and more recently health and physical education (HPE) have long been ascribed utilitarian value for producing healthy citizens. Whilst this has not been a linear progression over time, traces from the past do inform current assumptions about this utilitarian role. Of consequence are historical…

While not wishing to cover old ground in articulating the promise or continued promise of phenomenology within the physical education and sports domains, this paper aims to explore the "human" nature of the game-centred approach (GCA) from an existential-phenomenological perspective. In a recent review of literature on the current state…

When observing skill and determining the competency of children and youth physical education teachers often focus on the coordination dynamics within the individual in the early years and then the individual's ability to play the game as they develop. But in these game contexts the focus is often still on the individuals' actions and not the…

With concussion rates on the rise for football players, there is a need for further research to increase skills and decrease injuries. Behavioral skills training is effective in teaching a wide variety of skills but has yet to be studied in the sports setting. We evaluated behavioral skills training to teach safer tackling techniques to six…

This article explores Complexity Theory and applications of nonlinear dynamics in physical education (PE). The authors of this article discuss Complexity Theory and its applications to students and student learning. Additionally, there will be discussion of how the networking learning process associated with socio-coordinated mimicry creates a…

The health status and physical activity levels in the United States of adolescents and adults is disheartening. Many health professionals have been using the term exercise is medicine to advocate more physically active lifestyles. Unfortunately, the focus of most PE curriculums is directed toward a sport and game model, which research indicates…

The literature suggests that, despite some challenges in their implementation, player/athlete-centred, inquiry-based approaches to teaching games and coaching team sport can improve game playing ability, increase player/athlete motivation and provide positive affective experiences of learning. A range of these approaches, including Teaching Games…