There is a strong belief within the department that learning should be active. Physical Education is a practical subject and by implication a large amount of learning takes place in a physical context. However, the emphasis on active learning is not restricted to practical lessons.
In the belief that learning and understanding takes place best when there is interaction between pupils, where appropriate, most learning is collaborative, with an emphasis on pupils working in pairs (reciprocal learning) and small groups to co-construct, confirm and assess knowledge. Inevitably, there are times when parts of lessons are ‘teacher centred’, however wherever possible this is kept to a minimum.
The department encourages pupils to take responsibility for their own learning and with this in mind pupils are regularly asked to research areas within the specification by making use of the extensive resources in the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) and accessing the school Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Pupils are expected to give oral and visual presentations to small groups or to the whole class.
Practical and theory components are not taught in isolation. There is considerable cross over in the teaching of both areas. Theoretical knowledge is introduced and reinforced in practical settings and practical situations and examples are applied to theory in the classroom.
Pupils learn about the following areas: Health-related exercise, skill-related exercise, principles of training, methods of training, training and exercise, diet, health and hygiene, sports injuries, anatomy and physiology, factors affecting individual performance and performance and socio-cultural factors affecting participation in sport.
The theory component culminates in a two hour terminal examination, with a weighting of 40%. The internally assessed practical component makes up 60% of the GCSE. Pupils opt to be assessed in four practical activities. They are accessed in the following skill areas:
In addition to their practical option choices, the practical component requires pupils to complete coursework, which consists of:
Although not a prerequisite, GCSE PE is certainly of benefit to students who wish to study Physical Education at A level.
In the Lower Sixth, two units are studied. The first is An Introduction to Physical Education which includes Anatomy and Physiology, Acquiring Movement Skills and Socio-cultural Studies. The second unit is Acquiring, Developing and Evaluating Practical Skills in Physical Education. In this unit pupils will opt for two practical activity choices from a range of exam board approved activities. Pupils will work towards analysing and evaluating a live performance in one or their own assessed activities. The Theory component is 65% of the total AS course and the Practical Component is 35% of the total AS course.
In the Upper Sixth two units are studied. The first is Principles and Concepts across different areas of Physical Education (2 ½ hour written exam). This unit has two sections – Socio-cultural option. This is Historical Studies where pupils will acquire an appreciation of the historical factors that impact upon participation and competence in physical activity, the second is Scientific Options which is either Exercise and Sport Physiology where pupils will acquire an appreciation of how the body changes as a result of physical activity or, Sports Psychology, where pupils will acquire an appreciation of the sports psychology factors that impact upon participation and competence in physical activity.
The second unit in the Upper Sixth is The Improvement of Effective Performance and the Critical Evaluation of Practical Activities in Physical Education. In this unit pupils will build upon the skills acquired and developed at AS in one of their chosen activities activities and work towards analysing and evaluating a live performance of their own assessed activity. Pupils are assessed in one chosen activity and in response to a live performance. The Theory Component is 65% of the total A level course and the Practical Component is 35% of the total A level course.
10 September 2010