How can Physical education be used to promote well-being in primary education? Beth Gibbs

Blog 1: How can Physical education be used to promote well-being in primary education?

The purpose of this blog post is to discuss how physical education can be used to promote health and well-being within primary education. Many government initiatives have been put in place to improve the quality of physical education and improve health, however there are barriers to implementing these initiatives effectively (Rainer et al. 2013). One of these barriers highlighted by Rainer et al (2013), is a lack of facilities. Some schools that have very little funding or inner city schools with a lack of space struggle to follow these initiatives effectively. The Department of Health and Social Care (2013), states that children need to be active for at least 60 minutes a day which will improve cardiovascular and bone health and promote self-confidence as well as developing social skills. Some of these initiatives include ‘Change 4 Life’ and ‘Start Active, Stay Active’ which not only promotes active lifestyles but aims to battle unhealthy diets. This is to teach families and schools about nutrition and encourage children to be active for at least 60 minutes per day. Studies suggest the importance of a healthy balanced diet and how it can enhance focus and concentration and also give you the energy to partake in activities and sports (Godman, 2014).

Lu & Buchanan, 2014 states that being active is also helps to develop children’s mental and emotional health and suggests that if these needs are not met within school at a young age it can have some negative effects in the future, such as ‘anxiety and depression’. As children interact with their peers during sports or P.E. they are able to express different emotions such as enjoyment in an activity or sadness if they happen to lose a match/ game. By going through these experiences children learn how to sort through their emotions and identify what they are feeling through the help of other pupils and teachers’ guidance, within a safe and supportive environment (Lu & Buchanan, 2014).

Robazza et al. (2006), suggests that providing you have a positive experience participating in activities then children will enjoy and engage with it in the future. However, if they have negative experiences such as not getting picked to be on a team or unable to complete an activity this can lead to a child feeling embarrassed, angry or frustrated then they may be discouraged from joining in next time. P.E. sessions give children the opportunity to express positive or negative emotions and teachers can guide them through these emotions and encourage to try again and work together within teams.

To successfully promote health and well-being within schools activities need to be engaging. Saavedra and Opfer (2012), suggests that schools usually practice a transmission based approach within classrooms and it is ineffective in meeting pupils learning needs as it is not engaging. To ensure that children are engaged with their learning, activities should reflect pupils’ interests and allow for children to have autonomy over what they learn about (Scott, 2015).

On a normal school day pupils spend the majority of the day sitting, and receive Physical education (P.E.), twice a week at most so pupils are usually very engaged within P.E. sessions as it gives children the opportunity to exercise and expend some energy. In Finland, they have an initiative in place that ensures children experience P.E. every day which has had some positive results. According to Kämppi and Aira (2016), this initiative has had a positive impact on children’s behaviour and enjoyment at school.

According to the Every Child Matters (2011) document in England, a child’s health encompasses emotional, mental, social, environmental and spiritual well-being. To make sure these are met within schools it is important for educators to give pupils the opportunity to develop in all these areas. Donaldson (2015), states that the best way for children to develop holistically is to create a curriculum and an environment where children are able to successfully develop these areas within all aspects of their learning. For example, activities and lessons should not aim to just focus on one area of learning but several at the same time, which Donaldson believes is a more natural way of learning.

Donaldson’s review of the curriculum in Wales included gathering ideas from school leaders as to what they believed should be the main purposes of the welsh curriculum. One of which is children’s health and well-being. The importance of children being healthy and emotionally developed is also one of the requirements within the Education Act 2002, which states that the curriculum should promote children’s ‘spiritual, mental and physical development’.

Children from low socio economic areas may not have access to an environment outside of school that enables them to exercise and socialise with their friends or have access to resources that the school may have. This could be a reason why children enjoy P.E. as they are able to play freely within a safe environment whilst interacting with apparatus and resources they may not have at home.

During my placement I took part in a P.E. session where children had to work together in groups to solve problems, one of which was being blind folded and relying on your team to guide you through an obstacle course. This activity enabled children to practice their social skills through communication. Other activities, such as dancing can help develop self-confidence and social skills as they could pair up or work in groups develop a dance routine to share with the rest of the class. This can sometimes be a little bit difficult for pupils who may be shy and I have found, within placement settings, the teachers and the support staff need to be positive role models and join in with the pupils. This usually encourages the children who are not very confident to participate and have a positive experience.

Another way to promote health and well-being within physical education could be to work in partnership with the local community services such as the leisure centre for swimming or even organise professionals to come in and teach children about first aid. This engages the children in solving scenarios and saving the ‘victim’ whilst working together in teams.

“When considering the role of physical education in promoting engagement in healthy, active lifestyles through the life course, the development of partnerships between schools and community-based sports organisations and clubs is essential to accommodate broader life-long educational outcomes, including health and well-being, as well as personal and social development.” (United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization

(UNESCO), 2015, p. 44).

Lynch (2016), believes that schools and educators should enable the pupils to get involved in these activities and experience. Especially as some children may lack access to these opportunities in their home environment, so it is important to encourage and promote as many as possible for pupils to take part in so they can develop physically, socially and emotionally in a setting that is safe and friendly.

Reference List:

• ·         Education Act 2002, c. 32. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/32/pdfs/ukpga_20020032_en.pdf Accessed: 15.04.18
• ·         Department of Health and Social Care (2013). Get Active to get Healthy. London: Crown Copyright.           
• ·         Donaldson, G. (2015) Successful Futures: Independent Review of Curriculum and Assessment arrangements in Wales. Welsh Government.
• ·         Godman, H. (2014). Regular Exercise changes the brain to improve memory, thinking skills. Harvard Health Publishing. Available at:https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110 Accessed: 15.04.18
• ·         Kämppi, K. and Aira, A. (2016), Towards More Active and Pleasant School Days. Available at: https://liikkuvakoulu.fi/sites/default/files/lk_valiraportti_111017_en.pdf Accessed:15.04.18
• ·         Lu, C., & Buchanan, A. (2014). Developing Students’ Emotional Wellbeing in Physical Education, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 85(4), pp.29-30
• ·        Lynch, T. (2016). The Future of Health, Wellbeing and Physical Education: Optimising Children’s Health through Local and Global Community Partnerships. London: Palgrave Macmillan.  
• ·         Reiner, M., Niermann, C., Jekauc, D. and Woll, A. (2013) ‘Long-term Health Benefits of Physical Activity- A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies’. BMC Public Health. 13, p.813.  
• ·         Robazza, C., Bortoli, L., Carraro, A., & Bertollo, M. (2006). ‘‘I wouldn’t do it; it looks dangerous’’: Changing students’ attitudes and emotions in physical education. Personality and Individual Differences, 41, pp.767–777.
• ·         Saavedra, A. and Opfer, V. 2012. Teaching and Learning 21st Century Skills: Lessons from the Learning Sciences. A Global Cities Education Network Report. New York, Asia Society. http://asiasociety.org/files/rand-0512report.pdf
• ·        Scott, C. (2015). The Futures of Learning 3: What Kind of Pedagogies for the 21^st Century (UNESCO).Available at:  http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002431/243126e.pdf Accessed: 15.04.18
• ·        United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2015). Quality physical education Paris: UNESCO