The PE Playbook – December 2015 Edition

Welcome to the December 2015 Edition of the PE Playbook. The PE Playbook is a review of blog posts over the past month that are specific to Physical Education or Youth Sport. Its about bringing these blog posts into a format that is easy to find, use and share. Hopefully this will result in more PE Teachers (and others) reading them and engaging with them. If you have any feedback about the presentation or content of the PE Playbook then please let me know in the comments section of this post or via @ImSporticus. Previous Editions of the PE Playbook can be found here.

No blogger of the month for December 2015, but rather a review of previous editions of the PE Playbook as fits the reflective nature of the time of year. The PE Playbook started in April 2015 as a way of bringing PE and Youth Sports blogs together in an accessible format. In 8 Editions (not counting this one) there have been in total:

5,167 views
6,511 clicks on blogs and articles
955 different blog posts on PE and Youth Sport shared
182 different bloggers

April 2015 Blogger of the Month was Vicky Goodyear for her excellent PE and Sport VLOG making research in PE Pedagogy much more accessible to practitioners.

May 2015 Blogger of the Month was Dr Ash Casey who blogs at PEPRN. His book review series of Workplace learning in Physical Education and Teaching Tactical Creativity in Sport: Research and Practice have been fascinating reading.

June 2015 Blogger of the Month was Mel Hamda a PE teacher who blogs regularly at melhamada.com. Through her post Sharing our Failures we have challenged and questioned each others practice over the year. I thank her for her wisdom and time.

July 2015 Blogger of the Month was Amanda Stanec who blogs at Move Live Learn. Her advocacy for a life in movement and physical literacy is inspirational.

August 2015 Blogger of the Month was Anne Josephson who is a gymnastics coach and blogs at JAG Gym Blog. Although her posts are focussed on gymnastics there is so much that can transfer to coaching of other sports and teaching of PE.

September 2015 Blogger of the Month was Mike Prior who started the PE Circle. A collaborative blogging site for all PE Teachers who don’t want the hassle of running their own website or the expectation of producing consistent content.

October 2015 Blogger of the Month was Rob Shaw who is new to the PE blogging world. He is a proponent of physical literacy and blogs at physical-literacy.blogspot.co.uk .

November 2015 Blogger of the Month was the combo of Jenny Beck and PE Pott for their respective posts All about the baseline and Growth Mindset in PE. There is a lack of diversity of online PE voices in the UK and I hope they and other female PE teachers start and continue to blog their thoughts and opinions.

I Love WATCHING You Play! from Changing the Game Project that suggests 5 ways coaches and parents can make sure your athletes know that you see them.

APPEC – Why did the chicken cross the road? by Mel Hamda shares ideas from research on three processes which are related to each other and needed to be balanced for optimal health.

Mindset – I’ve said it. Can I be popular now? by Chris Horner challenges the meaning and application of growth mindset in his typically matter of fact way.

Releasing responsibility to the young players for them to become more self-sufficient learners by Mark O’Sullivan who continues to promote a learning centred environment for his athletes is fast becoming my favourite youth sport blogger.

#Successful Failure by Mike Prior shares his journey of implementing iPads into his PE lessons.

Johan Fallby-As many as possible, as long as possible, in the best environment possible again by Mark O’Sullivan. This post is an interview with Johan Fallby a Sport Psychologist who promotes the holistic development of the athlete.

What is at the heart of Physical Education? by Dr Justen O’Connor is an essential read for any teacher of PE that expertly explores what is the purpose of our subject.

Reflecting on the PE Teacher as the Lead Learner and Leadership for Learning in PE by Shane Pill reflects on why PE Curriculums and provision have not changed over the last 30 years if the PE Teacher is responsibly for leading their own learning.

The Impact of Happiness on Our Teaching by Andy Vasily shares a major piece of research on happiness and asks the question does our personal happiness as teachers has an impact on the learning of our pupils?

“The Game as The Teacher” Reconceptualising an abstract coaching term by Benny Franks articulates with clarity his thoughts behind the idea that the game is a teacher.