Physical education teacher secondary school

Physical education teachers at secondary schools provide education to students, commonly children and young adults, in a secondary school setting. They are usually subject teachers, specialised and instructing in their own field of study, physical education . They prepare lesson plans and materials, monitor the students’ progress, assist individually when necessary, and evaluate the students’ knowledge and performance on the subject of physical education through practical, usually physical, tests and examinations.

The following job titles also refer to physical education teacher secondary school:

high school PE teacher
PE teacher in secondary school
physical education tutor secondary school
secondary school teacher of physical education
high school physical education teacher
PE teacher
physical education teacher
teacher of physical education in secondary schools
secondary school physical education tutor

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as physical education teacher secondary school. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Physical education teacher secondary school is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to physical education teacher secondary school.

mathematics teacher secondary school
physics teacher secondary school
religious education teacher secondary school
biology teacher secondary school
chemistry teacher secondary school

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of physical education teacher secondary school. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of physical education teacher secondary school with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of physical education teacher secondary school.

Sporting equipment usage: Have knowledge of the correct operation and maintenance of sporting equipment.
Learning difficulties: The learning disorders some students face in an academic context, especially Specific Learning Difficulties such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and concentration deficit disorders.
Sports competition information: The information regarding latest results, competitions and events in the sporting industry.
Post-secondary school procedures: The inner workings of a post-secondary school, such as the structure of the relevant education support and management, the policies, and the regulations.
Sport games rules: The rules and regulations of sport games such as football, soccer, tennis, and others.
Curriculum objectives: The goals identified in curricula and defined learning outcomes.

These skills are necessary for the role of physical education teacher secondary school.

Guarantee students’ safety: Ensure all students falling under an instructor or other person’s supervision are safe and accounted for. Follow safety precautions in the learning situation.
Assign homework: Provide additional exercises and assignments that the students will prepare at home, explain them in a clear way, and determine the deadline and evaluation method.
Personalise sports programme: Observe and evaluate individual performance and determine personal needs and motivation to tailor programmes accordingly and in conjunction with the participant
Monitor student’s behaviour: Supervise the student’s social behaviour to discover anything unusual. Help solve any issues if necessary.
Prepare lesson content: Prepare content to be taught in class in accordance with curriculum objectives by drafting exercises, researching up-to-date examples etc.
Monitor developments in field of expertise: Keep up with new research, regulations, and other significant changes, labour market related or otherwise, occurring within the field of specialisation.
Compile course material: Write, select or recommend a syllabus of learning material for the students enrolled in the course.
Observe student’s progress: Follow up on students’ learning progress and assess their achievements and needs.
Liaise with educational support staff: Communicate with education management, such as the school principal and board members, and with the education support team such as the teaching assistant, school counsellor or academic advisor on issues relating the students’ well-being.
Manage student relationships: Manage the relations between students and between student and teacher. Act as a just authority and create an environment of trust and stability.
Adapt teaching to student’s capabilities: Identify the learning struggles and successes of students. Select teaching and learning strategies that support students’ individual learning needs and goals.
Apply teaching strategies: Employ various approaches, learning styles, and channels to instruct students, such as communicating content in terms they can understand, organising talking points for clarity, and repeating arguments when necessary. Use a wide range of teaching devices and methodologies appropriate to the class content, the learners’ level, goals, and priorities.
Maintain students’ discipline: Make sure students follow the rules and code of behaviour established in the school and take the appropriate measures in case of violation or misbehaviour.
Plan sports instruction programme: Provide participants with an appropriate programme of activities to support progression to the required level of expertise in the specified time taking into account relevant scientific and sport-specific knowledge.
Assess students: Evaluate the students’ (academic) progress, achievements, course knowledge and skills through assignments, tests, and examinations. Diagnose their needs and track their progress, strengths, and weaknesses. Formulate a summative statement of the goals the student achieved.
Organise training: Make the necessary preparations to conduct a training session. Provide equipment, supplies and exercise materials. Ensure the training runs smoothly.
Apply risk management in sports: Manage the environment and athletes or participants to minimise their chances of suffering any harm. This includes checking appropriateness of venue and equipment and gathering relevant sport and health history from athletes or participants. It also includes ensuring appropriate insurance cover is in place at all times
Demonstrate when teaching: Present to others examples of your experience, skills, and competences that are appropriate to specific learning content to help students in their learning.
Give constructive feedback: Provide founded feedback through both criticism and praise in a respectful, clear, and consistent manner. Highlight achievements as well as mistakes and set up methods of formative assessment to evaluate work.
Perform classroom management: Maintain discipline and engage students during instruction.
Secondary school procedures: The inner workings of a secondary school, such as the structure of the relevant education support and management, the policies, and the regulations.
Assist students in their learning: Support and coach students in their work, give learners practical support and encouragement.
Instruct in sport: Provide appropriate technical and tactical instruction related to the given sport using varied and sound pedagogical approaches to meet the needs of the participants and achieve the desired objectives. This requires skills such as communication, explanation, demonstration, modelling, feedback, questioning and correction.
Apply intercultural teaching strategies: Ensure that the content, methods, materials and the general learning experience is inclusive for all students and takes into account the expectations and experiences of learners from diverse cultural backgrounds. Explore individual and social stereotypes and develop cross-cultural teaching strategies.
Motivate in sports: Positively foster athletes and participants’ intrinsic desire to carry out the required tasks to fulfill their goals and to push themselves beyond their current levels of skill and understanding.
Liaise with educational staff: Communicate with the school staff such as teachers, teaching assistants, academic advisors, and the principal on issues relating to students’ well-being. In the context of a university, liaise with the technical and research staff to discuss research projects and courses-related matters.
Develop course outline: Research and establish an outline of the course to be taught and calculate a time frame for the instructional plan in accordance with school regulations and curriculum objectives.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of physical education teacher secondary school. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Sport and exercise medicine: Prevention and treatement of injuries or conditions resulted from a physical activity or sport.
Biomechanics of sport performance: Have theoretical and experiential awareness of how the body works, biomechanical aspects of sport practice, typical movements, and terminology of technical movements to be able to process input from your artistic discipline.
Children’s physical development: Recognise and describe the development, observing the following criteria: weight, length, and head size, nutritional requirements, renal function, hormonal influences on development, response to stress, and infection.
Adolescent socialisation behaviour: The social dynamics through which young adults live amongst each other, expressing their likes and dislikes and the rules of communication between generations.
Sports nutrition: Nutritional information such as vitamins and energy pills related to a specific sporting activity.
Disability types: The nature and types of disabilities affecting the human beings such as physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional or developmental and the specific needs and access requirements of disabled people.
Sport history: The background history of players and athletes and the history of sport events and games.
Human anatomy: The dynamic relationship of human structure and function and the muscosceletal, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, endocrine, urinary, reproductive, integumentary and nervous systems; normal and altered anatomy and physiology throughout the human lifespan.
Sporting events: Possess an understanding of different sporting events and conditions that can affect a result.
Features of sporting equipment: Types of sporting, fitness and recreational equipment and sporting supplies and their characteristics.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of physical education teacher secondary school. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Assist in the organisation of school events: Provide assistance in the planning and organisation of school events, such as the school’s open house day, a sports game or a talent show.
Identify learning disorders: Observe and detect symptoms of Specific Learning Difficulties such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyscalculia, and dysgraphia in children or adult learners. Refer the student to the correct specialised educational expert if necessary.
Consult student’s support system: Communicate with multiple parties, including teachers and the family of the student, to discuss the student’s behaviour or academic performance.
Facilitate teamwork between students: Encourage students to cooperate with others in their learning by working in teams, for example through group activities.
Recognise indicators of gifted student: Observe students during instruction and identify signs of exceptionally high intelligence in a student, such as showing remarkable intellectual curiosity or showing restlessness due to boredom and or feelings of not being challenged.
Identify talent in sport: Identify talents and involve them in a particular sport.
Escort students on a field trip: Accompany students on an educational trip outside the school environment and ensure their safety and cooperation.
Arrange parent teacher conference: Set up joined and individual meetings with students’ parents to discuss their child’s academic progress and general well-being.
Develop competitive strategies in sport: Create adequate competitive strategies to maximise chances of success in sport.
Monitor educational developments: Monitor the changes in educational policies, methodologies and research by reviewing relevant literature and liaising with education officials and institutions.
Provide health education: Provide evidence based strategies to promote healthy living, disease prevention and management.
Prepare youths for adulthood: Work with children and young people to identify the skills and abilities they will need to become effective citizens and adults and to prepare them for independence.
Assist students with equipment: Provide assistance to students when working with (technical) equipment used in practice-based lessons and solve operational problems when necessary.
Manage resources for educational purposes: Identify the necessary resources needed for learning purposes, such as materials in class or arranged transportation for a field trip. Apply for the corresponding budget and follow up on the orders.
Promote balance between rest and activity: Provide information about the role of rest and regeneration in the development of sport performance. Foster rest and regeneration by providing appropriate ratios of training, competition and rest.
Keep records of attendance: Keep track of the pupils who are absent by recording their names on a list of absentees.
Follow trends in sporting equipment: Follow material developments and trends within a specific sport. Keep up-to-date about athletes, gear and equipment manufacturers.
Perform playground surveillance: Observe students’ recreational activities to ensure student safety and well-being and intervene when necessary.
Work with virtual learning environments: Incorporate the use of online learning environments and platforms into the process of instruction.
Identify cross-curricular links with other subject areas: Recognise correlations and overlaps between your subject of expertise and other subjects. Decide on a levelled approach to the material with the teacher of the associated subject and adjust lesson plans accordingly.
Provide lesson materials: Ensure that the necessary materials for teaching a class, such as visual aids, are prepared, up-to-date, and present in the instruction space.
Oversee extra-curricular activities: Supervise and potentially organise educational or recreational activities for the students outside of mandatory classes.

2330 – Secondary education teachers

 

 

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References

1. Physical education teacher secondary school – ESCO