This article explores the ongoing evolution of a critical approach to teaching physical education in senior school physical education (SSPE) within a New Zealand context. The nature and development of SSPE is briefly discussed in order to contextualise a shift toward a critical pedagogy in light of recent curriculum changes that focus on…

The aim of this study was to examine senior cycle students views on their involvement in a process of curriculum negotiation and implementation and how the methodologies they experienced affected their investment in and ownership of the physical education curriculum. The study was conducted in an urban co-educational comprehensive school. The…

In the wake of multiple activity program eliminations and frequent downgrading of activity programs nationwide, the question to be addressed is how we can draw upon our interdisciplinary, intergenerational, and intercultural understandings of human movement to construct physical activity programs for the future that might withstand the test of…

Primary Objective: This paper critically examines the influence neoliberalism has had on education in general and health and physical education (HPE) in particular in Aotearoa New Zealand. Main Outcomes and Results: Two of the most significant changes fall under the rubric of provision. First, recent government strategy has seen the amalgamation…

The blueprint to build a model physical education (PE) curriculum begins by establishing a sound curricular foundation based on a lesson plan template that incorporates clear and concise program goals, the alignment of lessons to state or national content standards, and the collection, analysis and use of objective assessment data that informs…

There has been some exploration of the conceptualisation of teachers as change agents within educational change literature. While this body of work does consider how teachers understand, harness and influence the process of curriculum change, within the policy rhetoric and educational change literature there is limited reference made to how the…

This article describes how the physical educators at Tahoma High School, in a community in Washington state's Cascade Mountains, surveyed their students, reached out to the community, integrated physical education and academics, and established a school-wide focus on wellness. Tracy Krause writes that the three "Rs"--relationships,…

In sport, schools and physical education (PE) ability has invariably been understood as an inherent and relatively immutable capacity, amendable to varying degrees by interventions such as training regimes and education. Differences in achievement are assumed to be an inevitable consequence of natural variations in ability and an indication of…

Learning is a complex phenomenon and multi-faceted in nature. There are a number of parameters which influence learning cycle and the process in general. Physical exercise is thought to be one of the variants that affect the learning phenomenon. Accumulated scientific evidence can be found in the literature showing high correlations between…

This article examines Movement Culture as an approach to support teachers in exploring the integration of Sport as a medium for learning within Physical Education. By avoiding the need to draw clearly defined lines between Physical Education and Sport, Movement Culture embraces both. It acknowledges the need for subject matter in Physical…

A critical inquiry approach is one of five key characteristics that have shaped the development of the new Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education (AC: HPE). However, what this means is open to interpretation. In the various documents leading to the consultation draft AC: HPE and in this document itself, critical inquiry is used in…

Most teachers want to learn and improve, and physical education teachers are no exception. Although their teaching field is not subject to standardized testing, physical education teachers seek to find support structures and development opportunities from within their schools and districts so that they feel connected and a part of the professional…

Active gaming is growing in popularity and the idea of increasing children's physical activity by using technology is largely accepted by physical educators. Teachers nationwide have been providing active gaming equipment such as virtual bikes, rhythmic dance machines, virtual sporting games, martial arts simulators, balance boards, and other…

Guided by the twentieth century hermeneutic idea that application co-determines understanding, this paper explores the conversations between theory and application that evolved during the implementation of three Olympic-related curriculum projects. Each of these projects was informed by specific fields of then-current educational theory, and…

The process of effective teaching--teaching that directly leads to student learning of standards-based content--is tenuous at best and easily disrupted by contextual and behavioral factors. In this commentary, I discuss the role of student support and mediation in teacher effectiveness and curricular reform. The most vocal students in physical…