PDHPE

Why is it so important?

WHAT IS IT?

PDHPE generally covers five main skills; Movement, Problem Solving, Decision making, Interacting and Communicating.

These skills are expressed through the eight subject matter strands; Active Lifestyle, Dance, Games and Sport, Growth and Development, Gymnastics, Interpersonal Relationships, Personal Health Choices and Safe Living.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND HEALTH

This translates to PDH being responsible for areas such as nutrition; which helps to avoid childhood obesity and teaches lifelong healthy eating skills.

It involves areas such as safety; the difference between a child knowing a stranger or a friend.

It involves areas like sexual education; teaching not only about the act itself but about sexual diversity and safety.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

PE is all about helping students to develop the physical skills the need for coordination and fitness.

It helps students with social skills that they will need to be able to employ as adults such as interacting with others, communicating and problem solving. Students learn the foundations on how to deal with confrontation and learn to compromise.

STILL NOT CONVINCED?

“Approximately one in four Year 4 to Year 9 Australian students (27%) report being bullied every few weeks or more often (considered to be frequent) during the last term at school” (Bullying No Way, 2014).

“One in four Australian children are obese. Obesity in childhood has a 25% to 50% chance of leading to obesity in adulthood. Being overweight or obese puts a significant strain on our bodies and leads to many health problems in adults, such as muscle and bone complaints, cardiovascular disease, some types of cancer, sleep disorders, Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure” (Healthy Kids, 2014).

REAL LIFE IMPACT

Accidental drowning accounted for 19% of child deaths between 1999 and 2003. Around 5% of deaths were of children killed as pedestrians/cyclists and 40% died in motor vehicle accidents (Australian Bureau of Statistics, sourced 2014). How many of these deaths are prevented by safety training in schools? How many more could be avoided by a fuller commitment to PDHPE? These are just a few examples of how PDHPE can translate into real life situations…

BUT MOST OF ALL, PDHPE IS ABOUT

FUN!

REFERENCES

Bullying No Way website, sourced May 2014, http://bullyingnoway.gov.au/teachers/facts/did-you-know.html

Healthy Kids website, sourced May 2014, http://www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au/stats-research/overweight-and-obesity.aspx

Australian Bureau of Statistics website, sourced May 2014, http://www.abs.gov.au/AUsstAts/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/1d72f5e5299decc5ca25703b0080ccbf!OpenDocument