2020 National Conference Program

Assessment can have a tremendous influence on students in their learning and serve to encourage and motivate, or discourage and demotivate them. At the heart of this spectrum lies a student's desire to engage and participate in their learning based on the teaching and assessment practices we implement in our classes. While our PE classes can be diverse and complex, implementing assessment methods that help to motivate and engage students in their learning does not have to be. This presentation will highlight and show how motivational theories and evidence-based assessment practices can be combined in practical ways to provide empowering learning experiences for students. It will also help teachers consider their current assessment practices and how they can support student motivation, engagement, and learning in PE. Resources and examples will be shared and discussed to highlight practical applications.

Looking to learn some new games and easy ways to incorporate assessment right into your lesson? This session is for you, come learn how to implement co-construction, video, and Plickers. This active session will get you moving and learning about how to add these tools to improve your students learning and guide your teaching. This will be live-action so we will be running the session just like we would a class and we will work on co-construction, self, peer and teacher feedback.  We will get you moving and learning about how to add these tools to improve your students' learning and guide your teaching.

The goal of Assessment is to improve student learning. Movement Education is the best vehicle to provide students with physical competence. Physical activities that meet the challenge of providing students with experiences in Movement Competence are essential. In addition, so are activities that foster collaboration, provide students with opportunities to find their strengths, find their peers' strengths, and find personal growth within an arena of physical education. The focus of this workshop is high-quality Assessment strategies as students are engaging in movement competencies. Participants will be active using Laban's principles of movement; what we move, how we move and where we move. The criteria for assessing Movement Competencies will be investigated so that planning, analyzing and interpreting evidence of student learning can take place. Participants will simultaneously engage in activities and Assessment strategies integrated with the curriculum. 

This workshop will offer an opportunity for new and current educators to access resources when developing their own sexual health education lessons. A comprehensive sexual health lesson with inclusive and sex positive language will be demonstrated. Participants will have an opportunity to practice answering anonymous questions and gain valuable feedback on fun and interactive ways to teach sex ed. Questions and concerns will be addressed throughout the workshop.

Roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty! You will have the opportunity to prepare and taste two delicious recipes while learning tips for teaching age-appropriate food literacy skills to children. Curriculum links to other subject areas are discussed as well as how to create a healthy eating environment at school. A knife skills demonstration with proper safety protocol will change how you chop vegetables forever. Walk away with the confidence to create a healthy eating environment at school.

Mental health literacy has an opportunity to be developed as soon as our youngest learners enter school and throughout the elementary grades that follow. This presentation will provide participants with the opportunity to discern curriculum outcomes that address mental health literacy and come away having engaged in active learning experiences designed for elementary grade levels Primary-6 highlighting learning and teaching resources to use in the classroom. Participants will also have the opportunity to share promising approaches.

The Fourth R is a skills-focused, relationship-based program for grades 7, 8 and 9 Health Education that has been implemented in over 5000 schools across Canada and the US. This presentation will share information and tools about this evidenced based program aimed to prevent adolescent violence and related risk behaviours. Through open dialogue and role‐playing, the curriculum engages teachers and students in enthusiastic discussion about mental health and well being, peer pressure, media literacy, emotional and psychological abuse and healthy communication.  Core principals of skill development and awareness are used to build strengths, resilience, and coping skills among youth as a way of enhancing interpersonal functioning.

Experience and explore the recently updated At My Best program - a free online program that offers learning experiences aligned with health and physical education curriculums across the country, created and designed to inspire children and youth in Kindergarten-grade 6 to make healthier choices today and in the future. With new lesson plans, activities, and support tools, delegates will learn about the ways the At My Best program can enhance their students' approach to physical activity, healthy eating, and emotional well-being. Further, delegates will see how to extend learning beyond the classroom - at home and in the community.

(This workshop will be presented in English and French)

A holistic approach where administrators and educators look with new eyes at how children learn. Using movement, nature, yoga, play programming, children and teachers find meaning in learning and teaching as they explore, connect, act creatively through play and nature. Increased engagement, increased body/emotion awareness are some of the many benefits, which make children more ready to learn and at rest. This presentation will include:

1. Traditional approaches to teaching/learning in Quebec
2. Studies on children's healthy development and attachment-based philosophy transforming a community
3. Innovative school vision in engaging the whole child through play and nature
4. Embracing comprehensive school health for whole community interaction
5. Pathways to being-Pathways to learning:  how movement, play, yoga, nature prepares body-mind connections ready for learning
6. Relating and connecting creatively through movement/games for deeper engagement
7. Feeling the positive benefits of play/nature through movement and yoga activities for relaxation and integration

The COMPASS system is focused on enabling the timely and robust generation of knowledge and evidence to advance youth health. As a natural experiment evaluation system, COMPASS is building the capacity to integrate research, evaluation, policy, and practice within school-based prevention systems. Each year, COMPASS measures numerous behavioural and outcome measures from students (physical activity, depression, anxiety, tobacco use, e-cigarettes, diet, alcohol use, cannabis use, etc.) and then links those student-level data to measures of programs, policies and built environment resources occurring within the schools, communities, provinces/territory, and even nationally that those students are situated in. Hundreds of different real-world program, policy, and/or built environment changes (interventions) take place in the various contextual environments surrounding students in the cohort that can be evaluated as natural experiments using the quasi-experimental design embedded in the system. COMPASS is striving to learn how to better share those findings with schools to foster more evidence-based programming.

Play is freely chosen, self-directed and intrinsically motivated. It can contribute to social development, problem solving, resilience and is interwoven throughout one's physical literacy journey. Loose parts play presents an unstructured, outdoor play experience that is fundamental for the social, emotional, intellectual and physical wellness of children and youth. The theory behind Loose Parts Play suggests that the level of discovery, creativity and inventiveness within an environment is dependant upon the amount and variety of flexible materials within it. Thus, loose parts involves simple, inexpensive, everyday materials that can be moved, carried, stacked, manipulated and/or repurposed for play. During this session, Ever Active Schools will introduce you to loose parts play, featuring the logistics for implementation using a comprehensive school health framework and exploring the role of the adult (including how to perform a risk-benefit assessment for, during and after play). This will be an experience rich with information, resources and opportunity to answer and discuss questions and curiosities about loose parts play.

How do you successfully engage high school girls in movement activities to combat the decline in participation in physical activity during the teenage years?   With only 8% of girls meeting the recommendations of the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines, this pilot project sought to discover if an after-school program designed for girls by girls could successfully inspire and engage girls in physical activity and reshape their current understanding and views of physical activity. In this session, you will learn about our pilot project to foster connection, build a community of inspirational and committed individuals, boost confidence and competence, and inspire female students to choose movement during the after-school time slot.

Teaching about and addressing issues of race/racism, culture, class, gender and sexual diversities can be challenging for educators. In this session, we invite you to walk with us as we share pedagogical approaches and teaching practices that allow PHE teachers to respect and affirm the multiple, intersecting identities of their students. Building on our experiences as physical and health education teachers/researchers grounded in culturally relevant approaches to teaching and learning, we share the successful practices we have used in our equity-based work, particularly with Indigenous, racialized minority and 2SLGBTQQIA students. Together, participants will learn ways to develop agreements for culturally affirming PHE programs that are infused with courage and love, not fear.

In this active workshop, participants will experience activities that promote inclusion in Physical Education for females, males, and transgender students. In Ontario, a course was created to fill a need for those students who desired a pathway in physical education without the focus on specific sports or competition. Participants will experience lessons that focus on Fundamental Movement Competencies through active participation and explore assessment tools following each activity.

Teaching in the gymnasium has become increasingly challenging as Physical Education teachers are asked to do more with less support. As the rate of the occurrence of Autism Spectrum Disorder continues on an upward trend (1 in 59 as of 2018) and the prevalence of other intellectual and physical disabilities, the need for education and training for PE teachers with an emphasis on practical methods and strategies will be the focus of this session.  Participants will be taken through strategies that will enable them to adapt their methods and help students with additional needs prosper and have fun in a fully integrated setting.  Attendees will leave this session with a better understanding of how to meet daily outcomes with confidence.

The engagement of girls and women as active participants and leaders in the Canadian Sport and Physical Activity system is a priority, but high drop-out rates among girls continue to persist. To interrupt this trend and to ensure girls continue to engage across their lifespan, research confirms the importance of fostering social connection in order to retain girls in sport, physical activity and physical education programs. Grounded in the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion this session offers actionable strategies to successfully build and maintain social connection. Through group discussion, delegates will have an opportunity to further explore the issues and promising practices for application to their own contexts. Teachers and coaches have a vital role to play in building safe and inclusive sport for girls, helping them to develop positive attitudes and behaviours that will support their active participation across the lifespan – leading to better sport and physical activity for everyone.

This CIRA Ontario workshop will examine the functions of the brain and how it can be stimulated through physical activity. Through adaptive games, individuals will learn how to break down activities for all cognitive abilities. This will be a hands-on workshop that will teach individuals a wide variety of adaptive games that target all age groups including individuals with cognitive impairments.

This presentation aims to help educators to quickly recognize body mechanics when students are performing exercises improperly that could cause injury. In addition, we will also teach participants how to assign the correct movement patterns to create a safe training environment in a gym setting. Components of the Functional Movement Screen assessment will be taught, which reflects the overall movement health of an individual. The results of the Screen will help educators to modify certain exercises along a graded spectrum so the students can train safely and succeed with their performance goals. Exercise modifications of a squat, hip hinge/deadlift, planks, and push-ups will be demonstrated. This system was designed to be inclusive of all levels of fitness. The goal is to perform the movement within one's own abilities as we safely and steadily increase physical capacity.

Ever wonder why the best conversations happen around a campfire? Why you sleep better after a day outside? Or even why a social media detox feels so liberating? Determined to reduce high student anxiety levels, a small school in Saskatchewan explored those questions and identified strategies that made a marked difference for their students. The presentation explores the varied opportunities land-based learning presents for teaching the whole child and the value those strategies have on sustaining healthy states of being. Participants will leave with a toolkit of techniques and resources to improve the mental health of youth in their care.

Come participate in a String Orienteering activity and learn to use this type of orienteering with elementary school students! String Orienteering, which includes exercise, fun, and exposure to map reading, is an exciting alternative environment activity designed with early years students in mind. This active session will provide attendees with unit plans and skill progressions, mapping ideas, adaptations for various developmental stages, and strategies for assessment.

Participants will be introduced to the Meaningful PE framework, which provides teachers with a set of principles and guidelines to use the idea of meaningful experiences as a filter for pedagogical decision-making. Main elements of the framework include paying explicit attention to common features of meaningfulness (e.g., social interaction, fun, challenge, motor competence, personally relevant learning, and delight); using autonomy-supportive strategies to support engagement with the features, goal-setting, and reflection. Participants will experience how the Meaningful PE framework can be implemented using a cooperative jigsaw approach to learning a cultural folk dance: the Sicilian Tarantella.

In this workshop, you’ll explore some of the structures and tools presented in the Sharing Dance suite of resources for teachers and recreational program leaders. Learn how to engage students in Creative Movement activities that will expand their physical literacy vocabulary and enhance their creative and collaborative skills. We’ll work together to de-mystify the choreographic process and help you feel confident presenting creative dance classes to your students.

Physically active lessons (PALs) integrate movement into the existing curriculum, in key learning areas other than physical education. PALs have been demonstrated to effectively increase students’ physical activity, while also positively affecting students’ time on task, academic achievement, and overall mood and sense of enjoyment of school. Building on the successful implementation of PALs in Western Norway, the Nova Scotia Active Smarter Kids Pilot (NS ASK Pilot) is trialing PALs as an effective way to increase students’ daily physical activity, while also increasing their engagement in learning, sense of belonging, and enjoyment of school. Working directly with classroom teachers, the goal of the pilot is to incorporate 90 minutes per week of physically active learning into instructional time for students in grades 4-6. NS ASK lessons take place primarily outdoors and run throughout the school year. In this hands-on workshop, we will share some learnings from the NS ASK Pilot and discuss what it takes to get PALs up and going within a school. Most importantly, we will explore the benefits of PALs by doing several different lessons designed and delivered by teachers from the NS ASK Pilot.

Every student is unique in how they learn, practice, experience and implement the skills and lessons offered in their PE classes.  Harness those individual strengths and help students discover why embracing and celebrating those characteristics leads to success.  Reinvigorate your PE classes!  Play for purpose and sparking positive change in your students.  Walk away with ideas you can use in your classes tomorrow.  Let's keep it simple by offering clear and concise concepts, supplemental curriculum and play enhancements through the inclusion of social, emotional, behavioural and cognitive skills. Equip yourself in integrating social-emotional learning, conscious discipline, resilience and self-regulation so you spend less time policing behaviour and more time teaching vital life skills.  Combining physical literacy and growth mindset with students' character strengths will prepare and motivate participants with the knowledge to create intentional programming that promotes both engagement and positive youth development.

Support students to achieve their personal, physical best through collective rhythmic cardio- drumming! Our curriculum includes flexible group work and team-building activities. Research-driven DrumFIT activities decrease teacher time managing behavior, reduce stress and anxiety, increases social resilience and more! Join DrumFIT in enhancing students’ social interactions. Increase student engagement and enjoyment in PE with technology and discover ways to fund DrumFIT.

This presentation will include action-based games designed for medium to large class sizes that meet curriculum outcomes and are designed to keep kids moving and having fun in a unique way using Flipitz, Cannon Launcher, UFO Spaceships, Bounder Balls and more.  Participants will learn individual skills, team skills, cooperation, strategy, and will have lots of fun!

Looking for fun ways to increase moderate to vigorous physical activity? Then this active challenge-by-choice workshop will give you all that and more! This workshop is a fusion of physical literacy and high-intensity interval training and will include co-constructed (with delegates) exercises and activities from fundamental movement patterns within territorial, sending and receiving, target, and striking and fielding skills. It can be done in small or large spaces with minimal equipment, regardless of current fitness level. Come away with the know-how to develop physical literacy enriched HIIT training to meet the needs of your learners.

Involvement in risky play gives children the opportunity to access risks and manage situations that otherwise they may not experience. Risky play and a challenging physical education program gives children the opportunity to extend their limits and learn life skills. There is an abundance of research to support the inclusion of activities that contain an element of speed, height and challenge and that can take place on terrain such as ice, snow and water. This session will ask all attendees to reflect on their PE programs and consider how appropriate risk-taking activities can enhance their teaching and pedagogy.

This active session will introduce PE teachers to ready-to-use strategies and approaches to teaching fundamental and sport-specific skills through educational gymnastics. Aimed at both specialist and generalist PE teachers, this session embraces body, effort, space, and relationships as essential movement themes through which educational gymnastics ought to be taught. Ultimately, this session aims to enable PE teachers, so that they may support their students' physical literacy lifecourse journeys. At the conclusion of this session, all participants will receive access to a free resource that includes hundreds of educational gymnastics lesson ideas and resources.

Join members of PHE Canada's Council of Provinces and Territories (CoPT) as they lead you through who they are as an organization, what work they are doing nationally, and share some of their best physical and health education activities and provincial resources. This active session will also provide delegates with lessons and resources you will be able to use in your classes on Monday.

Come move, think and learn with us! The CFL and PHE Canada have partnered in the development of a new enhanced resource built off the success of the Move Think Learn series. Using a games-centered approach, the CFL Skill Practice resource encourages participants to develop sports skills through tactical gameplay problems and engaging skill practice experiences. Participants will have the opportunity to participate in the activities and be encouraged to make the connection between a games-centred approach and its application to their programming.

This presentation will share games played by Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island.  Participants will learned the history, language and geographical areas of certain games and interact with the traditional games. Participants will participate in physical activities culturally relevant to mino pimatiswin (way of life\a good life) and experience the value and importance of living healthy lifestyles. Games inlcude walking stick, snow snakes, and double ball. Different types of trees that games can be made from will be shared. Poster cards will be used to incorporate the language of the presenter (Swampy Cree). Participants will interact and participate hands on with game activities throughout the presentation.

Most physical educators spend a majority of their instructional time on the physical training components of FMS acquisition.  This presentation offers an alternative and supportive approach to FMS acquisition through the use of mental imagery training.  The session examines best practice and an authentic approach that physical educators can use to support the physical literacy journey of their students.  Practical examples supported by current research will help to support this presentation.  The presenter's background and experience in the area of mental imagery training as both an educator and athlete may be beneficial to those wishing to enhance their ability to be responsive to the learning needs of their students.

(This workshop will be presented in French)

Cet atelier vise la présentation des principes de base du modèle Teaching personal and social responsability (TPSR; Hellison, 2011). Il est principalement destiné aux participants n’ayant aucune ou peu de connaissances préalables sur le modèle TPSR et qui s’intéressent à l’enseignement de la responsabilité personnelle et sociale en contexte d’éducation physique et à la santé. Nous exposerons tout d’abord les valeurs qui sous-tendent le modèle, puis ses objectifs (niveaux) et les responsabilités de l’enseignant. Nous présenterons ensuite des stratégies gagnantes et des exemples tirés de la pratique pour permettre aux participants de voir comment cela peut se traduire sur le terrain. Des outils d’autoévaluation et des ressources accessibles en ligne seront proposés pour accompagner les participants qui le désirent dans l’implantation du modèle. Nous terminerons l’atelier par une discussion sur les manières d’accompagner l’apprentissage de la responsabilité en éducation physique et à la santé.

The Japanese word Sabaki is a verb that translates to movement and Sabakiball is built on this basic premise: all players and the ball should be in constant motion. Sababkiball is a fast paced game that is designed to increase the heart rates of students while at the same time getting them to work on strategy and communication. While Sabakiball is non-stop action and excitement, it is also completely non-contact making it a desirable alternative to contact sports. This allows for multiple age groups to play together as well as both boys and girls to play on the same teams. All players play both offense and defense - even the goalies! This sport combines speed, timing, balance, and endurance with constant mental awareness and an emphasis on gender equality and building self esteem. Sabakiball is a high pace invasion sport that anyone can play.

Are you craving fresh new games and activities for your Primary PE class? This session will introduce you to activities that get your Kindergarten to Grade 3 students moving at the door, tag games that add a twist of fitness, and lots of student-tested activities and games that keep the focus on skill development, movement, and fun!  Add some cardio and fitness with tag games like Rocket Tag, Plank Tag or Wall Sit Tag. Focus your lessons on fundamental skills and concepts that students need to develop with games like Snowman Down, Decorate the Cookie, and Fire and Ice. Games are easy to learn, require minimal equipment, and can be implemented in your next class!

Try Archery! The National Archery in the Schools Program (www.naspschools.org) is the largest School Archery Program in the world. Learn how to quickly and safely teach students about the FUNdamentals of School Archery. This program is taught globally and is widely used across Canada. There are incredible recreational, competitive and academic opportunities through this program. Equipment and a propriety teaching and certification process is included and well supported. There are huge opportunities for students, educators and schools alike to participate in the incredible sport.

Discgolf is one of the fastest growing sports in the world for many reasons. It is easy on the body, making it enjoyable for all ages and body types. It is inexpensive, easy to learn and played on free, or very low priced, courses. It is played year round without the need of extra equipment. Aside from that, discgolf is also an internationally played competitive sport. This session will introduce you to the fundamental rules, three types of discs, three main throws, and different types of shots involved in discgolf.

“Physical education is the most effective means of providing all children and youth with the skills, attitudes, values, knowledge and understanding for lifelong participation in society.” - The Declaration of Berlin 2013 - UNESCO’s World Sports Ministers Conference (MINEPS V)

We know that school systems play a key role in the lives of children and youth. School is a large chunk of their formative years - they should get SOMETHING out of it! This session will consider Quality Physical Education (QPE) as a catalyst to help set a foundation for a life-long love of learning, health and physical activity. We will set the stage for considering the reciprocal role of health in education. Together we will explore the UNESCO-QPE data and guidelines, hear about innovative ways preservice teachers and school districts are becoming wellness leaders, share success stories from teachers and administrators, explore a multi-sectoral approach to support our journey, inquire into your context and unique opportunities and challenges, and come away with some ideas and sources for action. We will identify emergent themes to enact successful cultural change in school systems that will ultimately strengthen the capacity of school system leaders and influence the directions that impact education and student learning. 

Resistance training can be complicated and intimating, but we know it is a great tool in physical and athletic development. This session will include a presentation on the practical application of resistance training exercises that will help total body development. Guidelines based on the latest research to keep teens safe when performing resistance training exercises will be shared. Learn how to coach, cure, correct, progress and regress fundamental resistance training exercises for students. Each participant will get a chance to perform and coach the exercises presented. Pre-designed exercises programs will be administered at the end of the session so all participants will leave with programs they can implement right away in a group setting. The guidelines can be applied in a class setting with minimal equipment, for a sports team, or for an after school program.

Moving our body by running, hopping, leaping, and moving in various other ways are important life locomotor skills. We will engage you with relays and other games, with innovative equipment (such as topple tubes), that will help students enjoy learning these locomotor skills. Be prepared to participate.

This conference tradition exercises our story-telling abilities and shares insights into the history of our Association, the leaders who came before us, while also recounting our successes and acknowledging our continuing challenges.  This session will provide participants with the time to reflect and chat informally about PHE Canada as it moves towards 2021.

IGNISFATUUS = Infamous Group of No-name Illustrious Sagacious Formerly Active Talented Unauthorized Unbudgeted but Sanguine.

Looking to provide experiences that help your students to develop into fully engaged citizens of your school? Students take pride in helping to shape their school community! This active workshop will allow participants to create and develop student leadership groups within the school setting that will help facilitate, plan, and run a wide variety of quality programs within the school. Leadership activities not only engage and educate youth to maximize their potential as leaders, they also build interpersonal skills, exercise effective communication, and ultimately contribute to successful school citizenship. Establishing a space that fosters curiosity, reflection, and growth, student leaders are free to engage in a variety of leadership development activities that teach leadership traits such as trust, teamwork, and cooperation, as well as practical skills such as refereeing, organizing tournaments, and advertising events. These activities encourage students to embrace their leadership potential and become responsible, inclusive, and participating citizens in their schools, communities and beyond.

This interactive workshop will provide educators, administrators and advocates with the opportunity to engage in BOKS (Build our Kids' Success), FREE before/during/after-school physical activity programming designed to get kids moving and their brains ready for a day of learning.  This active session will focus on the traditional program with 35-45 minute lesson plans based on functional fitness skills as well as the BOKS Burst DPA resource of over 200 activities (1-10 minutes) that can be done in class.  Sponsored by Reebok and the Reebok Canadian Fitness Foundation in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada, BOKS offers a completely free, turn-key, robust curriculum to empower the community and help children embrace healthy habits that will last a lifetime. BOKS provides the tools to support increased opportunities for children to get physically active, improve academic performance and empower their communities to make a positive difference in the lives of children.

The Canadian Olympic School Program offers over 100 FREE online education resources that are aimed at encouraging daily physical activity, promoting safer and more inclusive sport environments, inspiring the application of the Olympic values, and engaging youth in adopting and maintaining healthy active lifestyles. The resources are pedagogically sound, adaptable lessons written by teachers for teachers. This presentation will focus on giving teachers a large toolbox of practical resources and tips on how to harness the excitement of the Olympic Games in the classroom. Subject areas to be covered include Physical Education, Mental Fitness, Diversity and Inclusion, Olympic Education and the Olympic Movement. Participants will take away knowledge on quality free resources and programs that can be easily implemented in their schools and classrooms.

Yoga is beneficial and accessible to everyone.  This session will show how to incorporate a yoga practice into the classroom or in the office.  The benefits for both students and staff include but are certainly not limited to: improved focus and concentration, self-esteem, mood, helps with self-regulation, resilience, emotional balance, reactivity, and reinforces positive thought patterns and pro-social behaviour. 30-minute sessions can be integrated into homeroom or study halls as a required element to students and staff daily routine. We will examine the benefits of bringing these techniques into the classroom and experience a full yoga session.