Every post I write here is based on my real (and ongoing) experiences in the gym. Problems I've faced, solutions I've tested, and all of the learning along the way.
Here's a full breakdown of the Q-Tip Hockey Superleague, the Sport Education season I designed and ran with my Grade 2 students.
Teaching first aid in physical education gives students real, usable skills for the moments that matter most. Here's how I introduce first aid to my kids in PE, along with a game or two that makes the learning stick!
Learn how giving students 7-10 minutes of free play at the start of every PE lesson can transform classroom management and protect your instructional time.
I designed a bespoke set of P-5 outcomes for my school. Here's how.
I built a dedicated space where students of all ages can self-regulate their emotions. Here's how it works.
What happens when field day and outdoor education collide? Learn more about the Wild Day event I planned for my school!
Curious about using AI as a PE teacher but find yourself feeling overwhelmed? This two-part blog post series is here to help!
It's time for a change. Here's everything you need to know about using Threads for professional networking, learning, and growth.
Here's how I brought a nature-based, DIY archery activity to my physical education program!
Fostering a sense of belonging within your physical education classroom is no easy task, but it is an essential one. Here is a full breakdown of actions you can take to achieve this!
Knowing how to clearly communicate the vision for your physical education program is a key advocacy skill. In this post, we'll explore how to design an effective elevator pitch.
I'm BACK, and in more ways than one. Learn more about what's new with ThePhysicalEducator.com and what you can expect from the site moving forward.
Most tap cards ask students how they behaved. These ones ask how they learned. Here's the thinking behind Exit Tap Cards.
Dance is polarizing in physical education, but I believe it belongs in every student's experience. Here's how I approach teaching rhythm and dance.
Fear keeps a lot of us stuck: the difficult parent, the tricky colleague, the conversation with admin. Here's how I work through mine.
The #PhysEdU North American Road Trip is hitting the road with the goal of providing FREE physical education professional development to every state, province, and territory in North America!
Building success criteria with your students is a high-leverage practice, but it takes some finesse in a PE setting. Here's how I approach it.
A look at the work I've been doing as a PE pedagogy coach, and what more than a year of learning and tinkering has taught me about my own purpose.
Here are nine strategies you can use in your physical education lessons to bring the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility model to your teaching.
Birding is a wonderful way to get your students outside, help them feel connected to the natural world, and develop a sense of stewardship in physical education. Here's how you can get started today!
An in-depth look at how to help your students develop a growth mindset in physical education, built on everything my friend Mac taught me.
Looking for ways to engage non-participants in your physical education lessons? Learn more about the Al/Par Cards in this blog post!
Norway is a country of 5.3 million people that dominates the Winter Olympics. The reason why has a lot to teach us about how we run our programs.
"If you don't do the work, you don't get the grade." I said that to students once. Here's what I've since learned about how motivation actually works.
Classroom jobs are an effective way to help your students build the responsibility, leadership, and stewardship skills in physical education. Here is how I went about creating a classroom jobs poster for my program.
Saying no is a skill, and like any other skill it gets easier with deliberate practice. Here are the tactics that have helped me protect my time and energy.
Part one of a three-part series on the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility model, starting with the model itself and the five levels of responsibility.
Most girls do not play team sports regularly, and the pandemic made things considerably worse. Here's a look at the numbers and what we can do about them.
I sat down with Mark Friedrich to talk about how he built one of the largest adventure education programs in his state.
There are always two teachers in your gym: you and the environment. Here's how I build a culture where thinking and learning are the point.
Almost every teacher has worked alongside someone who makes the job harder. Here's what I've learned about navigating that relationship without losing yourself.
A printer, a laminator, and some wall space can create real magic in a gym. Here are the ten most important visuals I've made for my program.
Effective social and emotional learning is baked into every aspect of the school day. Here's a framework I've used to bring it to my physical education program.
Students are struggling, and the numbers back it up. Here's how to make social and emotional learning a meaningful part of your lessons rather than an add-on.
A walkthrough of how to set up a digital mural that celebrates physical literacy across your entire school community.
Planning a field day for your school? Here's a step-by-step walkthrough of how I organized our annual field day event at my elementary school.
The Responsibility Badges get a full overhaul. Here's the story behind the Adventure Badges and how they connect to the TPSR model.
Learn more about Sleep Week: the fourth themed week of the month-long Health Month initiative that I ran at my elementary school.
Learn more about Nutrition Week: the third themed week of the month-long Health Month initiative that I ran at my elementary school.
You asked, I answered. A full episode working through listener questions on assessment, curriculum, and life in the gym.
The most personal episode I've ever recorded. A look back at a very difficult stretch, and what it taught me about beginning again.
A rundown of the apps and tools I lean on the most in my teaching, and why each one earned its spot in my stack.
Recess took a beating during the pandemic. Here's the plan our school built to keep it fun, engaging, and safe for our students.
A full walkthrough of how I designed my striking and fielding unit, from selecting the grade-level outcomes right through to sequencing the lessons.
How our school pulled off a virtual community running event during the first spring of the pandemic, from the planning right through to race day.
How I built physical activity journals in Google Classroom for my students during the 2020 lockdown, step by step.
How I built a simple Mix and Match assignment in Seesaw to get insight into what my younger students actually understood about movement concepts.
Looking to teach academic language in physical education? Check out this collection of resources that will allow you to do so in a fun and active way!
An interactive Google Slides activity I built to keep my students moving in creative ways during distance learning. Free for you to use and adapt.
Teaching your students how to juggle in physical education class? Check out this interactive juggling guide that you can use in your PE lessons!
When my school went into lockdown at the start of the pandemic, I quickly made the shift to distance learning in physical education. Here are resources to help you get started!
Jigsaw learning is one of the best ways I know to put students in the driver's seat of their own learning. Here's what it looks like in a gym.
The SAMR model is a useful lens for figuring out whether the tech in your gym is actually doing anything. Here's how I apply it to my teaching.
Comparative thinking can be a powerful assessment practice to help your students deepen their understanding of concepts in physical education. Here is a resource to help you bring the practice to your teaching!
Learning Roadmaps are the qualitative, student-friendly rubrics that serve as the foundation of my assessment in physical education practices. Learn more about how I design them in this blog post!
Learn more about Mental Health Week: the second themed week of the month-long Health Month initiative that I ran at my elementary school.
How to set professional growth goals that actually move your teaching forward, rather than the kind that get written in September and forgotten by October.
Looking for a better way to teach fitness in physical education? Here's a step-by-step walkthrough of my S.M.A.R.T. Goals Fitness Unit!
Grading in physical education can be hard... and complicated. Here's how I've gone about the process to make it as meaningful as possible.
Learn more about Physical Activity Week: the first weekly theme of my Health Month initiative.
How I used Apple's Continuity Camera to build custom assessment tools for my grade three balance unit in a matter of minutes.
Looking for a way to kickstart your school's transformation into a Health Promoting School? Health Month is a month-long initiative to help celebrate health within your school community.
My school runs a Wellness Day for staff every year. Here's the reflection tool I built to help our team get the most out of it.
A set of tools I built to help students name what they are feeling and learn to regulate their emotions in physical education.
The Jump Rope Deli is a physical education unit that I designed to help my students develop their performance confidence in physical activity settings. Learn all about it in this walkthrough post.
Starting your career as a physical education teacher can be scary. Here is a collection of advice for first-year PE teachers that was gathered from some of the best teachers in the world!
Learning targets are essential to helping your students learn in physical education. Let's dive into how to design great targets that work!
Having trouble with students not getting changed for PE class? Here is a breakdown of the approach I've used to help my students develop a sense of responsibility when it comes to PE uniforms.
Looking to grow as a physical education teacher? Consider asking your students for anonymous feedback on your teaching! Here's how I've done it.
The votes are in and the results are official. Here are the winners of the 2018 #PhysEd Awards!
A collection of my favourite winter and holiday themed games to run with your students during that last week before the break.
Formative assessment in physical education can empower students to develop skills, knowledge, and understandings essential to physical literacy. Learn more about assessment FOR learning in PE in this blog post.
Walk and Talks are a simple tactic for getting students reflecting on the purpose of a lesson. Here's where the idea came from and how I run them.
How I helped my grade one students learn about moving in relationship to objects through the lens of obstacle course racing.
Will Potter shares the story behind Bring Your Parents To PE Week, along with his tips for running the event in your own school.
Andrew Milne, SHAPE America's 2017 National Health Teacher of the Year, shares the philosophy behind the way he approaches teaching health.
In this third and final lesson in my How I Start The School Year in Physical Education series, I walk you through some of the groundwork that goes into creating a culture of learning in PE.
In this walkthrough of my second PE lesson of the school year, I begin to lay the foundation for the welcoming, positive class environment I strive to create in physical education.
Here's a step-by-step breakdown of how I set my school year up for success as a physical education teacher (include full PE lesson walkthroughs!)
My assessment magnet system got a remix from the #physed community. Here's the updated version and how I pair it with Plickers.
Terri Drain and I joined Jorge Rodriguez on the Global #PhysEd Voxcast to break down standards-based instructional design, or as I prefer to call it, backwards design.
Funding is well outside my area of expertise, so I asked Dr. Kymm Ballard to walk us through how to find and secure money for your program.
If everything I've been publishing feels like a lot to take on, start here instead. OPEN is the best free starting point I know of.
A step-by-step walkthrough of my International Dance Showcase unit for middle school physical education.
A step-by-step walkthrough of how I designed my chasing and fleeing games unit, which was filled with tag games my students love!
Reflection plays an essential role in learning. However, are we making enough time for student reflection in PE? Here are some strategies I've used to help bake reflection into my teaching.
What happens when you take the thing that made Pokemon so addictive and build it into a physical education program. Meet the ActivityDex.
Twitter chats can feel overwhelming when you are new to them. Here's why they're worth your time, how to join one, and which ones to add to your calendar.
Grading in physical education is no easy task. Here's the system I use to manage my standards-based grading.
Looking to set up portfolios for your students in physical education? Here's how I've set up my system to manage video, assessment, and learning evidence.
Mini coaching became my answer to giving students meaningful feedback without having to stop the entire class. Here's how it works.
A full breakdown of the television setup in my gym: how it's installed and wired, which apps I use in lessons, and where the system falls short.
Magnets make student self-assessment in physical education quick and easy. Here's how I use them in my teaching.
Here's the step-by-step process I've used to create my annual physical education curriculum map.
Looking to celebrate physical literacy within your school community? Check out the #MaxYourDays Mural project that I brought to my school!
A breakdown of how I introduce Spikeball to my students in physical education class.
Set learning intentions and infuse your PE lessons with a sense of purpose with a What, Why, How discussion.
An overview of the annual Wellness Month activities that I plan at my elementary school.
Sarah Gietschier-Hartman reflects on how she made the shift to standards-based grading in her physical education program.
A guest blog post by Adam Howell that invites readers to reflect on the intentional learning opportunities that they are creating for their students in physical education class.
By improving the quality and specificity of our feedback, we can increase its effectiveness. Here are some tips on how to achieve this.
Here is a video breakdown of the Purposeful #PhysEd system that I've used to design my physical education curriculum.
Here is a full walkthrough of how I designed my Team Handball unit for my students in physical education class.
Here are some tactics you can use to ensure that your students are learning through the games you include in your PE lessons.
An overview of how I approach fitness education in my physical education program (without grading based on fitness test results).
Before we ask for more time in PE, we need to ask ourselves an important question: am I actually doing the very best job I could possibly be doing with the minutes I currently have with my students?
This series will examine each of the chapters in Sun Tzu’s classic and provide an interpretation from the author from a teaching and learning perspective.
QR codes can help create learning opportunities that are interactive, engaging, and fun. Here's are a few ideas on how you can use QR codes in physical education!
Here's how you can layer your PE games to increase activity time, emphasize learning targets, and help every student experience success in physical education!
Grading in physical education can be a challenging task. Here's how I've gone about it.
Looking for great PE games to play with your students this Halloween? Here are some of my favourite activities for physical education class!
Here is an overview of the process I used to design my physical education curriculum map.
A video overview of the Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) model.
A Survivor-themed unit to help your students develop their capacity for leadership.
