Last week Marisa (Primary and Intermediate advisor) was invited to facilitate a workshop for the Howick Coast Kāhui Ako in East Auckland. She worked with a group of 14 first and second year PRT’s as part of their PCT programme lead by their Across School Leads. The session focused on quality physical education in primary and intermediate schools. The PCT’s were challenged by some common PE practices and played, engaged and developed a practical understanding of quality practice in physical education.

The PRT’s left the session with some key takeaways:

• ‘allowing for rules to be changed and allowing for the chaos as a learning opportunity’
• ‘giving the students agency to be able to design their own games to allow for greater participations and to increase their self-worth’
• ‘physical education does not have to be about coaching. It’s all about being a facilitator’
• ‘PE is just as important as other learning areas’

Here is the feedback from one of the Across School Leads:

‘The workshop that Marisa McKay from PENZ ran for our PCTs (provisionally registered teachers) from the Howick Coast Kāhui Ako was both informative and inspirational as well as a great deal of fun. The content was perfectly suited to improving teaching practice while at the same time supporting the work we are doing to increase learner agency so as to improve student outcomes. Best practice that differentiates teaching to address diverse learning needs is just as much a part of physical education lessons as it is with any other lessons and our PCTs were made aware of how beneficial PE can be as an integral part of holistic education. Our PCTs learnt so much from these lessons that can be used in all aspects of their teaching. We look forward to Marisa working with our PCTs in the future.’

Helen Henkin, Howick College, Across School Lead for Howick and Coast Kāhui Ako

If your school belongs to a Kāhui Ako and/or you are part of leading learning for our newest teachers (PRT’s) in any way, and you would like a session that supports learning in Physical Education please get in touch. We are happy to chat about your local needs and devise a workshop that will align with your Kāhui Ako strategic goals and PRT needs.