This course equips students with the knowledge and skills they need to make healthy choices now and lead healthy, active lives in the future. Through participation in a wide range of physical activities, students develop knowledge and skills related to movement competence and personal fitness that provide a foundation for active living. Students also acquire an understanding of the factors and skills that contribute to healthy development and learn how their own well-being is affected by, and affects, the world around them. Students build their sense of self, learn to interact positively with others, and develop their ability to think critically and creatively.
This course consists of three parts:
| Unit Name | Duration | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction/Healthy Living | 10 hrs | |
| Activity Unit 1 | 22.5 hrs | 70% |
| Activity Unit 2 | 22.5 hrs | |
| Activity Unit 3 | 22.5 hrs | |
| Actvity Unit 4 | 22.5 hrs | |
| Exam Task | 10 hrs | 30% |
This course uses video extensively to both see your progress and verify your identity. The majority of the assignments in this course will require you to submit videos which show your face well enough to identify you. Videos should be submitted to the relevant assignments on Google Classroom. We recommend a resolution of 1280x720 (or 720p) as a good balance of quality without having too large a file. In compliance with Ontario Ministry of Education requirements, all Asynchronous Academy courses use the following types of assessments:
“Teachers engage in assessment as learning by helping all students develop their capacity to be independent, autonomous learners who are able to set individual goals, monitor their own progress, determine next steps, and reflect on their thinking and learning.” — Ontario Ministry of Education
By reflecting on their experiences and feedback, then setting new personal goals throughout the course, students can learn to monitor their own progress and become independent learners. Assessments As Learning do not affect students’ overall grade.
“As part of assessment for learning, teachers provide students with descriptive feedback and coaching for improvement.” — Ontario Ministry of Education
Assessment For Learning is used to give students a “trial run” at a set of skills in order to make sure that the student and teacher are on the same page with regards to expectations and formats. Skills demonstrated during Assessment For Learning can be used as evidence to improve a student’s mark, but can never be used to lower a mark.
Assessment Of Learning is what teachers actually use to calculate a grade, and is the type of assessment people typically associate with school.
Triangulation is a method of using several components of a student’s performance in order to try to get a better overall picture of how they are progressing through the course. In this course, we use Observations through having students turn in rough drafts and other materials they used to arrive at their final product in order to see their process. We also use Conversations by having student turn in reflection videos with most assignments in order to have a longer discussion across the course about how the student can achieve their personal goals. Finally, we also look at the final Products produced by students.
In each unit, the student needs to log 20 hours of a physical activity of their choice according to their fitness plan. In each log, students make notes about what has worked well or needs to be improved
Students develop a list of rules for themselves about how to negotiate interpersonal conflicts in a fair and productive manner
Students consider the range of skills necessary to live in the world and assess their progress at developing those skills
At the beginning of each activity, the student completes a Planning Form and sets personal goals for the activity and establishes safety procedures in case of an emergency.
Students research the activity they are interested in trying and develop a plan to learn how to do it, either independently or with the help of a coach or mentor
At the end of each unit, the student completes a Self-Assessment of their performance and looks at some of the factors which might have affected their performance in retrospect, in order to account for roadblocks more effectively next unit.
Course time: approx 60 minutes each
The student answers questions about their progress in the unit and the teacher responds
(Course time: approx 45 minutes each)
The student creates a video of one (or more) of the skills they have developed throughout the unit and demonstrates its safe execution
(Course time: approx 45 minutes each)
The student's midterm mark will be assessed after their second activity unit. At the end of the course the student will complete their exam task:
Students will use the data they have gathered in order to create a video which shows their progress and could help motivate their peers to live a healthy lifestyle
This course takes a constructivist approach to lesson design, seeing the teacher as a “co- learner and facilitator” (Physical and Health Education, 2015, p, 55). Using a foundation of mastery learning, students design and revise new fitness plans every unit, thereby engaging higher-order thinking skills and connecting the broader concepts introduced in the health unit to their everyday practice (p. 58).
The curriculum points out that instruction in physical and health education must be developmentally appropriate, and should offer students opportunities to participate in a wide range of activities that allow them to express themselves through their personal choices (p. 56). This course gives students the widest range of choices possible to meet the needs of students with even the most unique needs.
Regular interaction with a teacher through fitness plans and other assessments ensures that students are engaging in a broad range of activities, as well as ensuring the information they are basing their decisions on is accurate. Students are encouraged to include sports they are engaged in to enhance the co-curricular nature of the course (p. 60). Health & Safety in Physical Education Because of the constructivist approach to this course, students are able to select activities that are safe and appropriate for them, and that allow them to feel comfortable “physically, socially, emotionally, and psychologically” (p. 62). In their planning form, students are required to do a safety assessment of activites in which they will engage during that unit, as well as being reminded to do a safety check of all equipment in their activity log.
Considerations for Students with Special Needs Students with special needs are one of the primary groups to whom this course is catered. Wheelchair basketball (for example) may not be a sport that a traditional gym class is able to spend much time on. However, for a student for whom that is their area of strength, it may be important for them to have something that they connect with be a focus of their physical activity. Because of the individualized nature of the course, students with accommodations or modifications can select activities that meet their needs and optimally support their development through ongoing assessment via their fitness plans (p. 63).
Considerations for English Language Learners As suggested by the curriculum, we also believe that “Students thrive in a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment that nurtures their self-confidence” (p. 68). The assessments in this course never put students “on the spot” to answer questions or be caught off-guard. Student have the opportunity to plan, revise, and perfect their assignments to their standards before submitting them. Furthermore, the nature of the assignments supports both the development of formal speaking during the Skill Demonstration assignments, as well as informal English through the Interview assignments.
Environmental Education Students are encouraged to explore the environment throughout this course. The most prominent way is that outdoor activities are used as examples where appropriate. For example, running, cycling, or cross-country skiing are foundational components of many fitness plans, which promote exploration of the fields and trails in the student’s area, as well as encouraging reflection on the “environmental benefits of healthy practices such as active transportation” (p. 70).
Healthy Relationships Students are encouraged to work with trusted adults or peers throughout the course while designing and revising fitness plans. Students are thereby able to ensure that the relationships that they cultivate throughout the course are “based on respect, caring, empathy, trust, and dignity” (p. 70). Students who have been victims of bullying or harrassment are able to ensure a space for themselves that is safe and allows them to explore their physicality in a way that is ideal for them, whether in a gym or activity with others or independently. Regardless of the specific activities selected by the student, the Interview assignmetns give the student the opportunity to “develop and practise effective interpersonal skills to support their ability to relate positively to others” (p. 71).
Equity and Inclusive Education Students in this course are able to manage their environment to a degree which is not possible in traditional educational models. Students are encouraged to explore the options available in their communities and engage with practices in which they feel supported and included, and that allows students to see themselves reflected in the choice of activities in the course, as well as tailoring their experience to their interests, aptitudes, learning needs, background, and experiences (p. 72).
This course supports the Ministry directive to incorporate financial literacy into course planning. By examining the concept of Food Deserts, students are introduced to the significant impact that the cost of food can have on Ontario families. Furthermore, by examining the personal costs of the substance use engaged in by a notable Canadian athlete, students learn about the financial implications of substance use, from the direct cost of purchasing the substance, to the indirect costs which can arise due to the legal difficulties which often arise from substance use. The wide range of issues investigated in this course allows students to "build knowledge and skills in a wide variety of areas" (p. 74).
One of the strongest reasons for students to engage in online learning is the time that they get to use to develop their literacy, numeracy, and inquiry skills. Because students have the opportunity to make effectively all the decisions, while being supported by their teacher and any other coaches, students have the incentive to research their programs in order to get the best results and do the things which appeal to them the most. Typically, students will do a substantial amount of reading in order to develop their fitness plans, thereby bolstering their literacy skills.
Numeracy education is also a feature of this course. At each fitness plan, students take a retrospective look at their progress, as they are logging all of their data throughout their workouts. At the end of the course, students do a numerical analysis of their data and create a presentation or video which will communicate the significance of these numbers to an audience.
Furthermore, physical communication skills are developed through any group activities the student selects, or through the Interview and Skill Demonstration assignments. Critical thinking skills are also developed through the Fitness Plan revision process and encourage students to engage in the “Thinking, Expression, Reflection” process (p. 75).
While students are unlikely to have a school library in their homes, both public libraries and the internet are excellent substitutes. Many libraries also have content available digitally through e-books or audiobooks, so students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the resources in their communities in order to have the widest range of research materials possible.
As an online class, Information and Communications Technology is deeply integrated into all aspects of this course. Students are likely to research their Fitness Plans at least partially online, as well as creating videos for their Interviews and Skill Demonstrations. Students are also encouraged to gather data through their phones or other wearables, as is a "natural extension of the learning expectations" (p. 81)
Written assignments use Google Docs, which gives students experience with cloud-based technologies, and prepares them to participate in the workplaces of today and tomorrow.
This course addresses all of the skills listed in the Ontario Skills Passport. Students read text in the health unit, as well as during their research for their Fitness Plans. They write text in a variety of formats, from instructions in their Skill Demo, to personal reflection paragraphs in the Health unit.
The Fitness Plan/Activity Log component of this course helps students practice answering the four questions posed in the planning process proposed by the curriculum: Before they start creating their Fitness Plan, students answer questions through their Planning Form which help them assess their current state and get the know themselves better. Students subsequently research and explore opportunities to improve their fitness, and then make a decision about the activities which will help them achieve the goals they set for themselves. Finally, they create a Fitness Plan for themselves and execute it (p. 82).
By having several iterations of this model, students will have a significant opportunity to develop their planning skills.
Students have a range of opportunities to engage in Experiential Learning throughout the course. Students considering careers as gym owners, personal trainers, yoga or martial arts teachers, or a range of other physical education-related careers could attend classes at those locations as part of their course and learn more about what the ins and outs of that particular career are.
While Asynchronous Academy does not offer a wide enough range of courses to offer SHSM certifications, students should check with their home school to inquire about inclusion of this course in SHSM certifications or how it could provide the flexibility to otherwise facilitate a SHSM desigation.
Ethical considerations are a significant portion of this course, and are focused on in the Interview assignments, and occur naturally through the inquiry-based nature of the course (p. 84). Students have an opportunity to assess an internal or external conflict and discuss their approach to it with a trusted mentor when submitting each of their four Fitness Plans, as well as considering ethical issues around access to food, sexual consent, and substance use in the Health unit.