Nathan Hall, Flaherty Research Scholar, to give lecture in UCC on Thursday, 8th March
Dr Nathan Hall, a Flaherty Research scholar and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education/Gupta Faculty of Kinesiology and Applied Health, University of Winnipeg, Canada, will deliver a lecture during his visit to UCC as follows:
Date: Thursday, 8th March 2018 at 2.30 pm
Venue: Mardyke Lecture Hall, UCC
Title: Breaking Traditions and Escaping the Gym: A Look at Physical Education in Canada and the Role of Alternative Environment and Novel Activities
The benefits of well-rounded and regular physical education have been highly touted. Across Canada, Ireland and many other countries physical education is a common part of the academic curriculum. The formal curricular documents often inspire ideas of extremely diverse programs that help to reach various outcomes, however the reality in many schools is that the physical education program involves participation in the same sports and activities (often team focused) throughout a student’s tenure.
It has been suggested that the main role of physical education as a school subject is to inspire each student to have a physically active lifestyle, appreciate and understand the benefits of engaging in physical movement, and develop a lifelong enjoyment of being physically active (Utdanningsdirektoratet, 2015). It has also been argued that enjoyment in physical education is necessary for the adoption and maintenance of an active lifestyle (Carlin et al., 2015; Kjønniksen et al., 2009). This presentation will discuss research that provides support for developing more diverse physical education programming, Canadian teacher’s thoughts on including alternative environments and non-traditional activities in physical education programs, and how escaping the gym (even though this can seem difficult) could play a major role in improving student enjoyment and overall quality of physical education experiences.