As these students are coming towards the end of their time in Junior Cycle Physical Education it is important that they are able to take responsibility of their own participation in Physical Activity outside of school. Through the implementation of the TPSR model students will be provide with the opportunity to develop their skills in this regard and take ownership of their own physical fitness and physical activity engagement. HRA is a prime topic to educate students on the importance of this and the benefits associated with high participation levels in Physical Activity. It also allows students to be educated on the activities they can do themselves outside of school to cater for their own physical fitness and wellbeing as self-responsibility goals are presented in step by step developmental levels in this model (DeBusk & Hellison, 1989). Therefore, is hoped that through participation in this HRA module students develop the necessary skills and understanding to take responsibility of living healthy and active lifestyles. It is also hoped that through the TPSR instructional model that this particular group of students will become more aware of how to treat one and other in a Physical Activity/Education environment which has been an issue for this class before. A key learning outcome for this model is that students will “respect the rights and feelings of others” (Luttrell & Chambers, 2013, p. 217). As a teacher, I will play a major role in achieving this as Luttell & Chambers (2013, p.217) state that “teachers can help students to make responsible decisions about their behaviour and involvement in Physical Education and in their lives beyond the School”. 

 

Following the general housekeeping routine (bags placed on stage, roll call, phone and jewellery collection, uniform check, collection of injury/sick notes, assignment of tasks to non-participants), each lesson will then begin with an introduction and discussion of the learning intentions and specific areas of HRA that will be targeted during the lesson. A visual and detailed learning wall and/or video clips will be used to support this introduction before proceeding to “relational time” which focuses on students feelings by asking how they are and “an “awareness talk” where students will understand the reasoning behind the different activities planned for that lesson. Both of these are facilitated by the teacher. Students will also touch the totem poll indicating what level they are at for todays lesson.  The main body of the lesson will consist of students working on developing the various components of physical fitness through different exercises each week. These will be designed around students prior ability and knowledge and aim to build on this through tasks and activities designed at different levels (Wright et al., 2010). Students will use the information learnt in each lesson to contribute to their own specific physical activity programme which is to be presented on week 6 of this module. Students will work in pairs or small groups throughout these tasks to peer teach each other as well as peer evaluate each other as per the TPSR instructional model (Luttrell & Chambers, 2013). This encourages students to develop social responsibility with regards to their partners development as well as their own. This will be especially evident in week 6 when the lesson will be focused on fitness testing and students will be required to roll this out with their peers after teacher instruction and provide constructive feedback on how they did. This ensures that the approach used throughout this module is very much learner centred which is in lines with the guidelines set out in the PE specification (NCCA, 2016). The responsibility afforded to learners will be incremental in nature however as they look to progress gradually up the levels as the unit goes on.

 

Each lesson will conclude with a cool down which will gradually move from teacher led to student led to again place more responsibility on the students. This will be followed with a group meeting where students critically and honestly assess what they did/did not like about the lesson. Students then self-assess their participation in the lesson using questions facilitated by the teacher or assessment sheet e.g., did you create a problem for someone today? before ticking a smiley face on an exit card corresponding to how they are feeling e.g., happy, satisfactory, sad (Luttrell & Chambers, 2013). This is important as this model predominantly targets the affective domain of learning so it is important to monitor students’ values and attitudes towards themselves as well as others (Luttrell & Chambers, 2013). Finally, students will touch the totem poll on the level they think they are currently at. 

 

In order for assessment to occur successfully in this model it is imperative that the teacher clearly explains the learning intentions of not just each lesson but of each task. This will allow students to firstly develop their ability accordingly to achieve success in the task but also to assess it in a more efficient manner knowing what the success criteria are. Assessment is a critical part of TPSR as it allows students to identify what level they are currently at and what steps they must take to progress to the next level. While there will be a significant volume of formal assessment taking place in this module it is also important to note that informal assessment will also be taking place in the form of continuous teacher observation and feedback. This is common to most strands and supported by Kelly (2004, p. 126) states that “All teachers, whether consciously or unconsciously, are continuously assessing their pupils, albeit usually in an informal way.” Summative assessment will be used to assess students finished digital fitness journal and specific personalised fitness programme after week 6. The purpose of this journal is so students can apply what they learnt in class to developing their own physical fitness outside of school and therefore requires to be assessed properly to ensure maximum value is gotten out of it. 

Literacy skills 

Numeracy skills

 

Digital Fluency Strategies

“Digital fluency is a combination of new and old techniques: a mix of the classic tropes of any discerning historian or journalist with some very specific knowledge about how the internet works. It is an amalgam of established critical thinking and information literacy skills, but also bodies of knowledge and techniques that allow these skills to be applied to a new context posing new challenges and opportunities" (Miller & Bartlett ,2012, p.51).

The use of IT and the internet is now becoming increasingly important in education as it’s popularity increases in its use in everyday life. Therefore, efforts will be made to target digital fluency in this scheme to help best equip students in this area. For example, students will be tasked with the responsibility of developing a digital fitness journal over the course of this six week module. This journal is designed to provide students with the opportunity to apply what they learn in class to designing a personalised fitness programme for themselves to follow after completion of the module. This is in attempt to get them to take responsibility of their own physical fitness in line with the TPSR model. Students will create this journal using Microsoft Office where it can be monitored and assessed by the teacher. Furthermore, students will also be required to do their own research on a topic for homework prior to the next lesson to build on their existing knowledge and subsequently present what they discover to the class. They will also be using video clips to understand different techniques associated with different tasks during this model.

Students will be required to display a positive attitude about developing their own levels of physical fitness when working with a partner or as part of a group.

Students will be encouraged and supported to become more competent and confident participants in physical activity through engagement in a range of different tasks at different levels throughout this scheme.

Students will be challenged to take responsibility for their own level of physical activity and set goals around improving this.

Students will be challenged to design a personalised fitness programme to develop their fitness outside of school. This will require students to reflect on their current ability, identify areas of strength/weakness and design the necessary steps to improve. 

Students will be encouraged to reflect on their own learning in lessons through self-assessment sheets and exit cards as well as participation in group discussion.

Students will be required to communicate with each other in a caring and compassionate manner when providing peer assessment and feedback.

Students will be challenged be active participants in a range of group discussions, awareness talks and relational times and contribute positively and constructively to these.

 

Students will be challenged to develop and enhance their ability of working with others through peer teaching, assessment and feedback. Students will be encouraged to support each other and be willing to work with anyone in the class.