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Students covered hockey, badminton, soccer and athletics in first year.
Students have no experience with orienteering so far.

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Students have displayed adequate ability in running, jumping and changing direction. There is mixed ability in throwing, catching and kicking.
Students claim to have poor map reading skills

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Students are very giddy and energetic. They are not particularly enthusiastic about learning in PE, they are simply happy to be out of the classroom.

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In the past literacy was considered to be just the ability to read and write. Today the meaning of literacy involves listening, speaking, reading, writing, numeracy and using everyday technology to communicate and handle information; all skills needed by individuals to participate fully in society.

In this scheme, I aim to develop my learners’ literacy skills through exposure to new vocabulary and key words, such as orientate, direction, stamina, endurance, pacing, thumbing, control.

Learners will become familiar with this terminology through discussion with their teacher and peers. Students will discuss and listen to each other’s feedback and ideas in a variety of group tasks. They will be encouraged to communicate with their group members to plan and execute their strategies for a variety of tasks. Students will become familiar with new symbols and learn which words match with what symbols.

Additionally, students will complete written tasks such as self-evaluation sheets, exit cards and non-participation sheets throughout the unit.

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Numeracy is more than the ability to simply use numbers and basic mathematical operations. Numeracy is now understood

“to use mathematical understanding and skills to solve problems and meet the demands of day-to-day living in complex social settings”

(Department of Education, 2011, p.8)

In order to achieve this, the learner needs to be able to make sense of data by thinking and communicating quantitatively. They need to develop special awareness and recognize situations where mathematical reasoning can be applied to solve problems.

In this scheme, learners will become familiar with·estimating distance and time. They will develop skills of strategy and planning to excel and achieve their potential as a group under time pressure.
Additionally, number of the the team challenges will involve basic arithmetic operations including addition, subtraction, division and multiplication.

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Digital literacy includes a set of skills and abilities that allow you to function and participate fully in a digital world. To be digitally literate you need to be able to navigate, evaluate and create safely using all forms of digital technologies (Levy, 2018).

Digital literacy is always evolving as newer technologies become mainstream, therefore it essential to prepare students to be adaptable and flexible with their skills (Levy, 2018).

In this scheme, I will be providing homework tasks that will involve researching different aspects of the sport. Through these activities I will encourage students to evaluate and question their sources of information. I hope to enable them to identify the differences between trustworthy and untrustworthy sites.

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Students will be assessed using both Assessment for Learning (AfL) and Assessment of Learning for the duration of the scheme. I will monitor the progress of pupils through observation of both practices and performances.

In order to achieve AfL certain principles must be implemented into my practice. For example, learning intentions and success criteria must be shared with the students. Describing the relevance of the activities to the students is also essential to the success of the lesson. This way students grasp the importance of learning and succeeding with a particular skill or activity. Only sharing this information with students will it be possible to assess them correctly and fairly (NCAA, AfL- Key Principles, 2015).

Assessment of Learning will take place at the end of each class when the groups through targeted questioning and worksheets. But the primary assessment will be through observation of how
students complete the tasks, how they contribute to the group and how they treat their partner/peers.

Additionally, I will be assessing students’ communication, teamwork, sportsmanship and respect for each other in each activity. These skills and characteristics are vital components of the enjoyment of participation in physical activity. This has shown to lead to greater chance in lifelong participation in physical activity which is ultimately the aim of the Junior Cycle PE (NCCA, JCPE Specification).

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1.     Teacher as Facilitator

The teacher sets the tasks or challenges and students are given the opportunity to develop their own solutions. This process can be bolstered through guided questioning and situated practice. The teacher can scaffold students’ learning by encouraging them to use their prior knowledge to develop new knowledge. This way, the teacher can guide instruction as a facilitator of learning (Dyson, Griffin & Hastie, 2004).

2.     Students as active learners

In cooperative learning students have a high level of engagement because they take on leadership roles and take responsibility for their actions and contribution to their groups’ learning experience. The class is no longer teacher-centred, and students become active, creative and social learners (Perkins, 1999).

3.     Small group work

Students will be split into small mixed ability groups. The lessons and activities are designed so that students learn with and from each other. Learners will have ample opportunity to discuss with their peers and be heard Students will share the responsibility and decision making as a group and give all member the opportunity to lead. This will allow for a higher level of academic and social learning (Johnson & Johnson, 1999).

5.     Learning Activities are interesting and challenging

Learning activities are more likely to be satisfying and enjoyable when they are challenging and interesting to students (Dyson et al., 2004). Students will have to work together to complete the tasks successfully, which is an example of positive interdependence.

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Cooperative Learning is
“a pedagogical model that, through its five elements, explores the socialcultural significance of human movement through the use of individual and group learning outcomes to enhance student development, interaction and task-mastery within the physical, cognitive and affective domains” (Dyson & Casey, 2012, p.173).

I've noticed within the class that the students have split into smaller cliques and left some students completely isolated. There doesn't appear to be any fall out or fighting so I am hoping that the cooperative learning model will develop and improve the relationship between the students in this class.

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The teacher splits the class into 4 or 5 groups depending on the activity. Each member in the group is assigned an "Expert Role". Each of these Expert Roles represent a piece in the puzzle that makes up the whole group.
To begin with the "Puzzle Group" is split into "Pieces Groups" . So all the students that have the same roles gather together and become familiar with their roles or the topic assigned.
Every member is very clear about the responsibilities of their role and how they are expected to contribute. The groups summarize the important ideas of their topic and discuss how to teach this topic or share the ideas with their Puzzle Groups later.

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Think
Learners think of ideas and strategies quietly to themselves.

Pair
Learners collaborate with their partners and come up with the best solution for them.

Share
The pairs share their answer with the full class or their whole group.

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“Adventure activities at junior cycle provide students with the opportunity to develop personally, socially, and physically in a safe and challenging environment. Presenting the student with an element of adventure and challenge in a controlled environment can lead to the development of qualities such as self-reliance, self-confidence, responsibility, regard for others and respect for the environment. In this way, aspects of holistic development that are generally not emphasised in other areas of physical education can be addressed.

Adventure activities seeks to develop in the student:

• the skills and techniques which will facilitate enjoyable participation in adventure activities

• decision-making skills and leadership qualities, and awareness of positive group dynamics

• an understanding and appreciation of the need for environmental protection” (JCPE Syllabus, 2004)

These activities help to develop appreciation and enjoyment of the great outdoors. The activities are team-orientated and develop social skills.  Some involve map-reading and problem-solving, coming to group decisions, developing leadership qualities and taking calculated risks.

The outdoor and adventures activities strand has many links with the Geography curriculum. This strand is an aspect of the physical education curriculum that traditionally might not have been considered by schools in their programme. Many of the suggested activities appeal to the child who may not be highly motivated to participate in physical activity. However, the presentation of the curriculum caters for a broad range of activities.

Some of the suggested activities in the outdoor and adventure activities strand can take place indoors. This is often the best place to learn basic skills before applying them outdoors. Many orienteering skills, for example, can be developed initially using the school hall as a base before venturing out into the school grounds.

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This strategy is used to instigate discussion or recapitulate at the conclusion of a topic or class.

Each corner represents a different answer (see diagram below). When the teacher calls an questions students physically position themselves in the corner that agrees with their answer.

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Sample Rubric: (Luttrell & Chambers, 2013)

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Assessment for Learning – Key Principles. NCAA. Retrieved from http://www.ncca.ie/en/Curriculum_and_Assessment/Post-Primary_Education/Junior_Cycle/Assessment_for_Learning_AfL_/Key_principles/AfL_-_Key_principles.html

Department of Education and Skills. (2011). Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life. Dublin: DES.

Department of Education and Science and National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (2004) Junior Cycle Physical Education. Dublin: Government Publications.

Dyson, B. & Casey, A. (2012) (Eds). Cooperative Learning in Physical Education: A research based approach, London: Routledge

Dyson, B.,Grifﬁn, L. & Hastie, P. (2004). Sport Education, Tactical Games and Cooperative Learning: Theoretical and Pedagogical Considerations. Quest, 56,226-24.

Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T. & Holubec, E. J. (1994). The new circles of learning: Cooperation in the classroom and school. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Levy, L. (2018). 7 Reasons Why Digital Literacy is Important for Teachers. Retrieved from https://rossieronline.usc.edu/blog/teacher-digital-literacy/

Literacy in Ireland | National Adult Literacy Agency. Retrieved from https://www.nala.ie/literacy

NCCA. (2004) JCPE Specification. Dublin.

Metzler, M.W. (2005), Instructional Models For Physical Education, Second Edition, Holcomb Hathaway Publishers: Arizona

Perkins D (1999). The many faces of constructivism. Educational Researcher, 57(3): 6-11.

Short Course Physical Education: Specification for Junior Cycle. Retrieved from http://www.curriculumonline.ie/getmedia/00c56185-3fd3-495a-b7e5-fc985b4ba97f/12006-NCCA-JC-Short-Course-PE-v3.pdf