Meaningful PE: Autobiographical Assignment

This was pre-emigration, pre-marriage, and pre-kids. It was the movement experience vacation of a lifetime, where I bungee’d, parascended, white-water rafted, skied, and skydived. It’s funny how brave you feel when you have fewer responsibilities and are convinced you are invincible.

I read my reflection aloud to students and then asked them to attempt the assignment. Some used their iPads, and some chose to write their response on paper, but my first observation was just how long students spent on their reflection. My lesson was 40 minutes long, and many students used all of that time to complete their narrative. And I’m so glad that they did!

Here is a brief list of some of the movement experiences that my students wrote so eloquently about:

• Walking at sunset, on the lake shore, with my father.
• My earliest memory of playing tennis with my mother.
• Reflections on family hikes in Oregon/Alaska/Glacier National Park/Estes National Park/Yosemite National Park.
• Winning the State title in Swimming/Lacrosse/Ice Hockey/Tennis.
• Dancing at a music concert from Taylor Swift/Tini Stoessel.
• Setting a PR in the mile.
• Beating a rival team/athlete.
• Unique experiences including indoor skydiving/paragliding/open water swimming/surfing.
• Learning a new skill on the ice.

One of my favorite responses was from the student who reflected and wrote for 40 minutes on the time that she finally achieved her first ‘double axel’ as an ice dancer. This happened in middle school, and I only knew her as a cross-country runner. I was unaware that she had a whole other sporting career before coming to high school. She no longer skates, but she still had the video of her achieving this feat on her phone, which she proudly showed me.

Upon reading the narratives, my initial, fleeting emotion was that I could never compete with these movement experiences. How could I ever hope to create the feelings experienced by my students in these special moments? What was the likelihood of a student ever writing about their physical education class as a memorable movement experience? But these were the wrong takeaways from this exercise. This activity provided me with several positive takeaways and ways to frame these reflections that can enhance my teaching and relationships with students:

1. I must celebrate the fact that my students have a wide range of interests and were able to identify their unique, memorable movement moments. I’m fortunate to teach in a well-resourced school and in a community that promotes (and can afford) diverse movement experiences.
2. I can encourage students to reflect on the skills they gain from outside of school and make links between those skills and the ones we learn in school. We can only surf with balance and coordination. We can only climb with strength and problem-solving skills, and we can’t paraglide without courage and focus. The skills we learn in PE can be applied in so many different contexts beyond the four walls of my gym.
3. My student’s reflections must inspire me as I strive to create unique and engaging experiences in my curriculum. I might not be able to replicate the exact experiences, but I can strive to design activities that draw on similar principles or skills. 
4. I should consider inviting guest speakers from the community, in-person or virtually, related to the activities that my students mentioned. This could give them insights into these sports and activities, even if they can’t be directly incorporated into my curriculum. 
5. I should have allowed students to share their reflections with the rest of the class and, as such, missed out on an excellent opportunity to foster a sense of curiosity. Each narrative had the potential to inspire another student to seek out new ways in which to move.
6. I must continue to emphasize the importance of finding activities that bring joy and can be sustained throughout life. While specific activities may change, the commitment to an active lifestyle remains a valuable lesson for my students.
7. Finally, I must highlight the adaptability and creativity involved in physical activity, reminding students that they can apply their passion for movement in various ways and that adaptability is a valuable skill in physical education and life.

This is an assignment that I plan to do with all new students at the start of our time together. Not only does it allow me to get to know more about them and their previous experiences, it also provides me with the opportunity to enrich the learning experience for my students and allows me to grow as a teacher by incorporating elements of their interests into my curriculum.

If this blog post has inspired you to read more on making PE more meaningful then you’ll like the following:

Teaching Physical Education with Purpose: Embracing the Meaningful PE Approach by Andy Milne

Back Pocket Questions: Your Secret Weapon for a More Meaningful PE Class by Andy Milne

Supporting Meaningful PE in Health Education by Allisha Blanchette

How to Facilitate Deeper Connections to Physical Activity by Jordan Manley

The Power of Meaningful and Joyful Experiences by Leticia Cariño

Buy the book! Meaningful Physical Education by Tim Fletcher, Déirdre Ní Chróinín, Doug Gleddie, and Stephanie Benni