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  7. Integrating STEM Practices into Physical Education as a Personalised Learning Approach for Year 1 Students

Integrating STEM Practices into Physical Education as a Personalised Learning Approach for Year 1 Students

Team Members:

  • Mr Chris Shaddock
  • Associate Professor John Williams
  • Dr Michael Davies
  • Professor Associate Professor Shane Pill
  • Professor Thomas Lowrie
  • Dr Danielle Harris
  • Ms Lucy Bennett

Partners:

Ms Sophie Newton
Naomi Nye
Ms Faye Robertson

Funding organisations:

ACT Education Directorate
University of Canberra

Subject integration and personalised learning approaches have the potential to transform teaching and learning. This project investigates how Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), can be integrated with Physical Education to teach early childhood students using a personalised learning approach.

This project investigates how Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) can be integrated with Physical Education to teach early childhood students using a personalised learning approach.

We plan to provide participating educators with scaffolded professional development and support in Term 1 to enable student learning as embodied play. Thereafter, we will implement gymnastics (Term 2) and dance (Term 3) through the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education (AC: HPE) (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2022) Rhythmic and expressive activities focus area.

Embracing collaborative transformation, this project draws attention to the productive possibilities of Specialist Health Physical Education (HPE) Primary/STEM Educators working with participating teachers to incorporate new ways of doing into their existing practices.

A mixed methods approach will be used, with specific research activities tailored for the student and teacher participants.

Qualitative methods
Self-study: involves as a highly reflexive form of inquiry to involve our classroom teacher participants as co-investigators who will engage and collaborate in the reproduction of PE-STEM knowledge. Self-study is defined as “the interplay of practice and scholarship in pedagogical contexts” (Ovens & Fletcher, 2014, p. 1), and is informed by other research disciplines including reflective practice, action research, autoethnography and practitioner research. The following characterise self-study: It is self-initiated, improvement oriented, interactive, and uses qualitative methods (LaBoskey, 2004).

Appreciative Inquiry: in constructing the semi-structured interview process, capable of generating unique insights while also assisting participants to identify achievements, strengths, and directions for further effort (Fiorentino, 2012).

Quantitative methods
Generalised linear mixed model approach to assess the statistical significance of Year 1 students personalised learning through their PSI progress charts, where fixed effects will be determined.

To demonstrate how Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), can be integrated with Physical Education (PE) to teach Year 1 students at one Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government Education school using a personalised learning approach.

The research aims to address the following questions:

  1. How do Year 1 students demonstrate opportunities for self-regulation and engagement of their learning through the PE-STEM approach?
  2. Does an intentional integrated PE-STEM approach build teacher perceived and actual self-efficacy in planning and implementation of STEM Practice-based PE?
  3. Does participation in an intentional PE-STEM program as work integrated learning affect UC Pre-service Teacher Scholarship winners perceived and actual self-competency to teach STEM, teach PE or both?
  4. What are the facilitators/enablers, limits and constraints on scalability and sustainability of the PE-STEM program at the pilot school?
  5. Does education about movement in PE function as an effective context for embedding early years STEM-Practice education?
  6. To what extent do discovery teaching styles enable critical inquiry in Foundation students through the PE-STEM approach?

Fiorentino, L. H. (2012). Positive perspectives on the profession: Reframing through appreciative inquiry. Quest, 64(4), 209-228.

LaBoskey, V. (2004). The methodology of self-study and its theoretical underpinnings. In J. McMaster, N. (2019). Teaching Health and physical education: In early childhood and primary years. Oxford University Press.

Ovens, A. & Fletcher, T. (2014). Introduction. In A. Ovens & T. Fletcher (Eds.), Self-study in physical education teacher education: Exploring the interplay of practice and scholarship (pp. 3–14). Springer.

For further information on this project, please contact john.williams@canberra.edu.au