Dear Teachers,

One of the challenges that PHE teachers face is maintaining interest while students work on written tasks (Criteria A, B, and D – Knowledge, planning, and reflection). The first barrier is that students often come with the mindset that PHE is solely about physical activity. So, how can we engage their interest in tasks as we do when they are physically active? Following the UDL guidelines to overcome this barrier, we will focus on providing multiple engagement opportunities. I have decided to prioritize the following checkpoint: Recruiting Interest (Optimizing individual choice and autonomy).

The most common way that some PHE teachers use to assess written tasks is by giving students a paper with questions to answer at the end of the unit, while spending the unit being physically active. I don’t prefer this method, so I have been working on a continuous project where students engage throughout the unit and submit it at the end. At the beginning of the unit, students are given a Goal (statement of Inquiry), Role, Audience, Situation, expected product, and the standards (GRASPS). Together, we explore the unit using our cycle: research (looking for new knowledge), plan, execute the plan, and reflect. Students are given choices to share their products; they can write in a Google doc, make a video, a podcast, or even create a website.

However, what is the problem with this design?

We realized that the process was not engaging for our students. Most of them would lag behind on the task, not properly utilizing the time provided in class for research. Some preferred to work at home, only to scramble late to catch up as the deadline approached, missing the whole idea of the cycle. In worse situations, they would proceed without a plan, or we would send them to do something physical just because they spent a long time on their computers for days.

We started discussing in our department how we could change this scenario, engaging students in written tasks and ensuring they go through the cycle (collecting knowledge, planning, performing, and reflecting). Our school hosted a UDL workshop, and the first statement I heard made me reflect: “The barriers are in the design of the unit/lesson and not the learners.”

So, how can I change my design? I thought this design was the best, allowing me to explore a continuous project with my students rather than just giving them a written test at the end of the unit. However, despite offering multiple options to present the outcome, my students ended up writing a lot and spending a long time on computers.

During the UDL professional development session, the workshop leaders, Kim Jane and Jason Hicks, made us interact with different teachers whom we don’t normally interact with, using a clock system. One of the teachers I had a chance to interact with was the Learning Leader of Design, Rangika Kuruppu. During the workshop, she shared different ways she used to make written tasks more engaging. We couldn’t delve into details during the workshop, but I planned to meet her again to discuss and hear more about her ideas. This taught me that there is a wealth of knowledge in our schools that we don’t explore because we are confined within our departments or subjects. Make sure to interact with different departments; you can always learn something new that can be useful in your subject, especially in International Baccalaureate, where our main focus is on exploring concepts, not just content. I had a conversation with Rangika, and today I want to share with you the ideas she shared with me. I am excited to implement them in my next unit and make my students more interested in written tasks by providing them with multiple choices.

Strategies for Recruiting Interest (UDL) for Written Tasks in PHE

1. Use of Interviews

Rangika shared an example of how she used interviews to engage students while they were collecting knowledge. Instead of students sitting in the classroom and researching on their computers, she arranges interviews for the students related to the topic that she is exploring in design. I just finished a Swimming unit, and I felt like the students lost the opportunity to interact with a lot of people who are experts in school and spend all their time on computers looking for drills that would help them achieve their goals. For my next unit, this is the first thing I am going to do. In case you don’t have someone inside the school you can invite a guest to interact with the students; they will gain knowledge and improve their life skills. Of course, make sure they organize their questions in advance so they can benefit from the interview.

2. Use of Videos

In PHE, we have been using videos for students to analyze their performance. Some students record themselves but don’t watch their videos; they just add them to their documents because it’s a task requirement. However, in Design, students learn to analyze existing products that inspire solutions to their problems using something called ACCESSFM. This made me think about the Track and Field unit, where I had students working on their Shotput. During the unit, we watched videos to see the technical aspects of each phase, but now after listening to Rangika, I think I could have done better. I did not explicitly teach them what to look at in the video. Now I am thinking of creating a task focusing solely on analysis, where students in their groups discuss specific videos that they find inspirational in the area they are working on (observe the entire performance, identify key aspects, focus on technical aspects), and ask themselves how they can use these insights differently or similarly. I am considering creating something like ACCESSFM but tailored for PHE to facilitate my students’ analysis; if you have one, please share.

3. Using Empathy Maps to Engage Students in Research

Students in groups discuss a specific topic and share their findings on papers that can be used to assess their knowledge without necessarily having to rewrite everything in a Google doc. This task will help students start their research and identify their main problem. We can use these papers to evaluate their understanding of the topic; see below how you can organize the paper. Let’s say they are discussing improving their time in the 100-meter race.

4. While writing this article, I just had an idea of using the Map for my next unit – The Great Joy, where we will be focusing on Frisbee. I will start by asking the students factual and conceptual questions they have about Frisbee, then use their questions to create the map. I will put them in groups, give them some papers for discussion, research, and share their thoughts.

We can also use a map for students to create a profile of a specific player and consequently learn how to create their profile. When I looked at my grade 10 students, I gave them questions to assist in creating a profile, but now I can make it more engaging. One of the ideas I received from Rangika was to place a picture in the middle and have students share information about the person or object they are studying, thus building a profile in an engaging manner. See the sample below:

After engaging in activities and gathering enough information about the area they were researching, they can proceed by setting a realistic goal, considering the data they have collected and asking themselves what they need to achieve. They should assess if it is feasible with the details available on the profile. They can examine what strategies others have employed to reach their goals and then aim for an ideal goal for themselves or the individual they are collaborating with.

Once a goal is set, during the research process on how others have achieved similar goals, students can explore various methods beyond sitting with their computers. They can conduct interviews with individuals who have accomplished what they are striving for, such as former students, or if it is related to fitness, they can engage with fitness instructors. Armed with this information, they can proceed to plan activities that will aid them in achieving their goal.

5. Plan Using Different Methods

Remember, it is all about providing choices to learners so that they can effectively engage throughout the process. Rangika shared with me various methods used in design for planning. In PHE, we provide students with a template and allow them the freedom to choose any template they prefer, ensuring that essential aspects of the plan are included: session goal, activity descriptions, coaching points, repetitions, duration, illustrations, and how the chosen exercises relate to the components of fitness being explored. Despite offering multiple options, students tended to use the provided template. Below are some alternatives that students can utilize for planning:

• Google Sheets
• Gantt Charts
• Mind Mapping Tools
• Timeline Projects
• Padlet and Jamboards

By offering choices, you increase the likelihood of engaging students during written tasks and enhance the productivity of lessons. This approach allows for the exploration of content and concepts that will benefit learners both presently and in the future.