Physical Education Activities

There resides an inherent level of risk in all physical activities. A safe physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual learning environment is essential if students are to learn while participating in movement activities. Teachers must facilitate well-planned and developmentally appropriate experiences to minimize the risk of accident and injury. In addition to knowing the developmental level of students and acting with common sense and foresight, teachers should have an in-depth understanding of and align programming to up-to-date health and safety guidelines in their province/territory and school jurisdiction. 

Consider the space and resources available to students in their learning environment, and address any safety considerations (e.g. area required - size and surface, safe/adequate equipment, area free of hazards, etc.) as appropriate for your students and programming. 

Modifications can be made to a variety of activity components to ensure inclusion. The STEP framework describes four main activity components—space, task, equipment, and people—that can be modified to meet the needs of each individual participant and provide a supportive learning environment (Kiuppis, 2018). As you plan activities, consider how everyone can be involved and how to modify or adapt the activities to ensure the full inclusion of all. 

Space (Environment)
●    Where the activity is happening?
•    Modify the physical space of the activity to match the skill level of participants and remove obstacles and distractions.    

Task (Instruction)
●    What is happening?
•    Modify the focus, difficulty, instructions, or skills of the task to provide participants with variation, creativity, and individualized progression.
•    Instructions can be modified to incorporate visual, tactile, and verbal cues (e.g., a picture communication system or designated auditory or visual signals).

Equipment
●    What is being used?
●    Modify the purpose, type, and use of equipment. 
●    Specialized equipment is available, but it is also easy to modify equipment if you are creative (e.g., balls with textures or sounds, plumbing pipe to use as ramps for throwing).    

People (Rules)
●    Who is involved?           
●   Modify the structure and formation of participant groupings based on their abilities.  sounds, plumbing pipe to use as ramps for throwing). 
●    Rules can be modified to allow for different levels of participation within the same task.g).

Kiuppis, F. (2018). Inclusion in sport: disability and participation, Sport in Society, 21(1), 4-21. DOI: 10.1080/17430437.2016.1225882

During this new educational landscape, additional considerations need to be recognized, especially within the at-home context. Some factors to consider:
●    not all children have a family environment conducive to learning;
●    a number of children no longer have access to the food they once did;
●    access to technology (e.g. consistent internet, computer, etc.) is varied;
●    access to resources (e.g. equipment, educational supplies, etc.) is also varied;
●    these are not normal or ideal learnings environments;
●    the current health crisis is likely to cause stress in all children and disrupt routines;
●    families may be facing precarious situations, which may be exacerbated during this time, exposing children to even greater levels of stress;
●    as we know - stress can inhibit a person's ability to learn; and
●    we must also take into account pupils with disabilities and other vulnerable populations who have difficulty adapting or learning, and require increased support.
●    students’ pandemic experiences may have looked and felt very different Moreover, many of our students may have experienced physical and psychological trauma directly due to illness, food insecurity, social isolation, discrimination, anxiety and depression, and loss. Connect with your students and meet them where they are.