Andrew Sprake and Clive Palmer (2019) PE to Me: a concise message about the potential for learning in Physical Education. Journal of Qualitative Research in Sports Studies, 13, 1, 57-60.

Abstract

Towards being physically educated in PE, this paper imparts a pedagogical message to school hierarchies; LEAs, Senior Management Teams, Governors, Parents Associations, and indeed, mainstream PE teachers ‘at the chalk face’, about the potential of their subject for intellectual development. PE is not just a fun exercise or a break from learning at school, it is learning in school. PE is a creative and demanding opportunity to think in engaging ways and this poem may be evidence for it. The message within PE to Me is delivered in student-voice, told here in a sonnet form of poetry. The verse cleverly uses repetition to make a 180-degree u-turn about the fortunes of what PE has to offer during the pupils’ week, or what might be anticipated in PE by these young people. That this kind of intellectual engagement from Primary (Year 6) pupils in PE became their expectation of PE teachers at Secondary school (Year 7-11) can, in our view, only be a good thing for the health and status of PE generally.

Full text

Published by:
Sport and Wellbeing Press
University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK.
Journal of Qualitative Research in Sports Studies
Volume 13, Issue 1, December 2019
PE to Me: a concise message about the potential for learning
in Physical Education
1 Andrew Sprake (University of Central Lancashire)
2 Clive Palmer (University of Central Lancashire)
ISSN:
ISBN:
JQRSS Article No:
1754-2375
978-0-9955744-4-1 (200 pages)
4/10-13-1-2019-PG[81]-130
To cite this article:
Sprake, A. and Palmer, C. (2019) PE to Me: a concise message
about the potential for learning in Physical Education.
Journal of Qualitative Research in Sports Studies, 13, 1, 57-60
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Sprake, A. and Palmer, C. (2019) PE to Me: a concise message about the potential for learning in
Physical Education. Journal of Qualitative Research in Sports Studies, 13, 1, 57-60
57
ISSN: 1754-2375 [print]
JQRSS Article No: 4/10-13-1-2019-PG[81]-130
Web: https://uclan.academia.edu/ClivePalmer/Journal-of-Qualitative-Research-in-Sports-Studies
PE to Me: a concise message about the potential
for learning in Physical Education
Andrew Sprake and Clive Palmer
(University of Central Lancashire)
Keywords: physical education, learning, literacy, meaning making, creative writing
Abstract
Towards being physically educated in PE, this paper imparts a pedagogical
message to school hierarchies; LEAs, Senior Management Teams, Governors,
Parents Associations, and indeed, mainstream PE teachers ‘at the chalk face’,
about the potential of their subject for intellectual development. PE is not just
a fun exercise or a break from learning at school, it is learning in school. PE is
a creative and demanding opportunity to think in engaging ways and this poem
may be evidence for it. The message within PE to Me is delivered in student-
voice, told here in a sonnet form of poetry. The verse cleverly uses repetition
to make a 180-degree u-turn about the fortunes of what PE has to offer during
the pupils’ week, or what might be anticipated in PE by these young people.
That this kind of intellectual engagement from Primary (Year 6) pupils in PE
became their expectation of PE teachers at Secondary school (Year 7-11) can,
in our view, only be a good thing for the health and status of PE generally.
PE to Me
PE to me is compulsory.
It’s hard to learn and it’s hard to do,
but we’re all in the same boat,
we’re all in the same crew.
To some people it’s fun and games,
but to others it’s just grey and plain.
It doesn’t bother me,
it just passes day by day,
it just passes day by day.
PE to me is compulsory.
But now PE to me is creativity,
A chance to think and do.
We’re all in the same boat;
we’re all in the same crew.

Journal of Qualitative Research in Sports Studies 13, 1
58
Introduction
This perceptive but critical comment signals an opportunity for learning in
Physical Education lessons to be communicated in alternative ways. The poem PE
to Me was written by three Year 6 pupils at a primary school in the North West of
England, which occurred spontaneously during a phase of ethnographic field
research. Asking if they could perform this poem through the medium of song, the
pupils took their learning one step further by integrating several forms of literacy
(literacy, oracy and musical) into one short message about their PE experiences. The
unsolicited nature of this performance speaks volumes about pupils’ desire to learn,
express themselves and communicate their voice in a PE context, providing they are
given the platform (space, time and encouragement) on which to do so.
Philosophy to practice in PE
In a curricular landscape which bolsters both competitive sport and health
promotion (DfE, 2013), it is perhaps unsurprising that literacy in PE, as a means of
demonstrating pupils’ learning, is frequently avoided (National Literacy Trust,
2019). In fact, embedding literacy might appear, upon first glance, to be an
unnecessary or onerous task for PE teachers. However, the development of literacy,
as characterised by UNESCO, is a ‘fundamental human right’ and one which serves
as ‘the foundation for lifelong learning’ (UNESCO, 2019). If PE continues to evade
literacy as a pedagogical medium, then it might be accused of neglecting its
educational duties, to develop the child holistically. Worse still, it could illustrate a
chronic inertia within the PE community to do anything about it.
Expressions for learning in PE; that PE is a chance to think and do, raises some
important philosophical questions about what it means to be physically educated. Or,
more specifically, from the perspective of schooling, what does the process of
becoming physically educated involve? (see Out of Touch, Palmer et al, 2014). The
poem PE to Me provides some tangible evidence of sense-making and intellectual
thought born from the pupils’ experiences during a PE class. If the purpose of
education is to facilitate learning, or to educe (from Greek notion of educere), which
means to lead out or develop potential, then this poem illustrates one of myriad ways
in which learning could be evidenced in PE lessons. In his book, Philosophy and
Human Movement, David Best (1978) remarked that performing physical or sporting
activities intelligently does not ipso facto mean that one is being intellectual.
Amalgamating the habitual physicality of PE with deeper sense-making and
intellectual reasoning; in essence ‘think and do’, will only support and strengthen the
holistic educational endeavours that the subject intends. In a time when PE is vying
for curricular significance (Sprake and Walker, 2015; Sprake and Palmer, 2018), it
seems prudent to give the pupils a proverbial pen and paper and allow them to reflect
back, what they are said to be learning.

Andrew Sprake and Clive Palmer
59
Conclusion
PE to Me demonstrates a thirst for learning, joyful anticipation from the pupils
who authored it, to communicate not only physically, but intellectually. These ideas
and desires were born from a group-work exercise in a PE class and sung in unison.
That is, PE to Me was preserved and shared through literacy for us to learn from but
elevated to a higher aesthetic form; a sonnet that required new levels of bravery to
perform on stage. As teachers, it was a privilege to witness such energetic learning
in pupils from a PE class. The pupils have put the ball in our court.
References
Best, D. (1978) Philosophy and Human Movement. George Allen and Unwin, London.
Department for Education (2013) National Curriculum in England: Physical Education
Programmes of Study. DfE HMSO [online]. Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-physical-
education-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-physical-education-
programmes-of-study (Accessed 20th June, 2019).
National Literacy Trust (2019) Literacy in PE. National Literacy Trust [online]. Available
at: https://literacytrust.org.uk/resources/literacy-pe/ (Accessed 20th June, 2019).
Palmer, C., Hughes, C., Palmer, G., Hughes, H., Hughes, J. Cowell, E. Cowell, R. (2014)
Out of touch (Chapter 3, pp. 29-52). In, Palmer, C. (Ed.) The sports monograph: critical
perspectives in sport, coaching and Physical Education. SSTO Publications, Preston, UK.
Sprake, A. and Palmer, C. (2018) Physical Education is just as important as any other
school subject. The Conversation [online]. Available at:
https://theconversation.com/physical-education-is-just-as-important-as-any-other-school-
subject-103187 (Accessed 20th June, 2019).
Sprake, A. and Walker, S. (2015) Blurred lines: The duty of physical education to establish
a unified rationale. European Physical Education Review, 21, 3, 394-406.
UNESCO (2019) Strengthening national capacities to scale-up development-relevant and
gender-responsive quality literacy programmes. UNESCO [online]. Available at:
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/harare/education/literacy/ (Accessed 20th June, 2019).
JQRSS Author Profiles
Andrew Sprake1 is a Lecturer in Sport, Physical Activity and Physical Education at the
University of Central Lancashire. He is the English National Delegate for the Fédération
Internationale D´Éducation Physique, a member of the North Western Counties Physical
Education Association and a Youth Sport Trust PE CatalYST. Andrew’s PhD is exploring
the place of learning and literacy in Physical Education. Contact: ASprake@uclan.ac.uk
Clive Palmer2 is Senior Lecturer in Outdoor Education, Sport and Physical Education in
the School of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Central Lancashire. He is a National
Teaching Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) and a member of the European
Institute for Outdoor Adventure Education and Experiential Learning.
Contact: capalmer@uclan.ac.uk

Journal of Qualitative Research in Sports Studies 13, 1
60
Acknowledgments: With thanks to all of the staff and Year 6 pupils at Trinity & St Michael’s
CE/Methodist Primary School, Croston. Lancashire UK. A special thankyou to the Head
Teacher, Kay Beaty, for embracing with open arms this pedagogical endeavour and for
supporting Andrew with his PhD research. Following the ethnographic fieldwork, Kay Beaty
was invited to comment on the process:
‘It has been enlightening to see the quality of the children’s learning with PE as the
driver. Responses were more spontaneous with children seeming more ready to
take risks in expressing their instinctive thoughts rather than searching for the
expected ‘correct’ response. The value of learning through doing is widely
recognised, and it seems that the depth of thought reached another level through
the typically doing-context of PE. The PE context is a platform where children are
accustomed to active learning with greater opportunity to directly feel and
physically experience - a context which seemed to encourage the children to feel
less inhibited in their responses. This was exemplified by the children when they
were exploring the theme of Justice where their ability to philosophise and respond
through a variety of media demonstrated a significant depth of understanding’.
Kay Beaty
(Head Teacher)
Reviewer Comments
There are, quite rightly, many strong voices calling for PE to become a more
influential subject in the National Curriculum; often fuelled by the growing concerns
over the state of the nation’s health. But, as this article demonstrates, PE has the
potential to be so much more if we, as the PE community, open our eyes and ears to
the opportunities around us. Just listen to the voices in the poem. Take time to reflect
on your own experiences. Yes, it can be challenging. Yes, it will take effort and some
collaborative thinking. But, from my experience, many staff in the Primary, and
indeed the Secondary, sector have the skill-set, the passion and the desire to hear this
voice and respond to the powerful message these pupils are delivering. They too
want so much more from PE, they want to have the chance to show what PE means
to them. If we, as the PE community, really want a change, and really want to make
a difference, then putting Education right back in there, alongside the Physical, could
be the real learning opportunity the pupils and the subject are waiting for.