How can teachers ensure that physical education is fun?

Having fun and enjoying a PE lesson can greatly influence future behavior and motivation to be physically active. Exploring, competing, working together, being creative, and playing are all ways to make something fun, but what's enjoyable for one person might not be for someone else.

To create fun and memorable experiences where students feel comfortable being themselves, sharing their feelings, and trying new things together, it's important to build healthy relationships, establish consistent routines, and understand each individual's likes, dislikes and needs. Here are some top tips to ensure PE is fun for all:

• Design activities that involve constant movement and participation for all students (don’t have students ‘out’ or stood waiting for their turn).
• Incorporate games and challenges that encourage students to work towards a shared aim or work within a team.
• Provide opportunities for student choice and creativity within activities.
• Use a variety of equipment to keep activities interesting, and immerse students in a story or game.
• Foster a supportive and inclusive environment where all students feel valued and included in the play. Give them a role or responsibility like captain or coach. 
   

Competition: is it a good thing?

Competition is a big part of sports, and it's often a big part of PE too. Some people love the thrill of competing and feel excited about it. But for others, it can make them feel really nervous. The definition of competition is: 

’an event in which people compete with each other to find out who is the best at something’ 

(Oxford Dictionary, 2021). 

Just reading that definition might make some people eager to prove themselves, while others might feel scared and want to want to avoid this article altogether.

However, competition has a vital place in PE and there can be little doubt as to the learning potential it can provide. It's not just about winning or losing; it can have a big impact on students' experiences and attitudes toward physical activity. So, how do we ensure that competition is meaningful for all students in PE?

When planning competition as part of your offering you might want to consider the 4 R’s:

• Rethink: consider the ‘who’ and the environment
• Reframe: consider process over outcome
• Relevancy: consider conceptual learning
• Role Model: consider behaviour
   

Rethink

Putting the needs of the students we teach first is important. How can you deliver an inclusive PE lesson if you don’t know what motivates them to engage in physical activity in the first place? Research indicates that young people value other outcomes rather than just winning. Outcomes such as enjoyment, skill development, being with their friends and improving their health. Consider the learning you are hoping to deliver through the competitive elements of the lesson and the nature of the students experiencing it.
 

Reframe

Often, we use adult-versions of sports for competitions, which may not suit our students. We should adjust competitions to fit their needs and abilities better.

Instead of just focusing on who wins, pay attention to what students can learn during the competition. Make sure the games are enjoyable and include everyone. It's more important to reward effort and improvement than just skill.

If we want competitions to be meaningful in education, we need to value the learning process more than who wins.
 

Relevancy

In truth, some of the skills taught in PE are irrelevant to students. When will they ever need to use the drop shot in Badminton outside of PE? For this reason, some struggle to see the value in PE and their connection with the subject is weak because of it. Research indicates that when students can connect what they are learning in PE to their life beyond PE, they see the learning as meaningful.

Don’t just focus the learning of the lesson on physical skills, that for most are irrelevant and unachievable, add in learning that is inclusive, relevant and meaningful for every learner. Competition provides the perfect opportunity to develop character: resilience, teamwork, communication, leadership, to name only a few.  Competition can teach us so much more than skills, rules and tactics. 
 

Role Model

How others behave during competitions can greatly impact young people's experiences in PE. As PE teachers, we aim to motivate and encourage all students, but it's important to also consider how students treat each other. Do they support each other when mistakes happen, or do they criticize publicly?
Creating a positive and inclusive atmosphere in PE lessons is crucial. Highlight examples of good behaviour and sportsmanship, and encourage students to role model positive behaviour.

Remember to role model positive behaviours ourselves. As teachers, our role is to educate, not just coach. While winning is nice, it's more important to demonstrate sportsmanship, respect, and encouragement. Let's reward effort and teamwork, and prioritise learning over winning.

Competition can be great, but it must be used to enhance the learning environment, encourage motivation and self-improvement rather than destroy it.