Physical Education in Primary Years- My Vision

PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN PRIMARY YEARS - MY VISION
By
JOEL KRIBAIRAJ
joel_k_raj@hotmail.com
December 2005
The essay is primarily based on “International Curricula: More or Less Important at the Primary Level” by Kevin Bartlett. In order to gain better understanding in this issue, I met Ms Hema Mandanna the coordinator of the primary section in Mallya Aditi International School. I also visited websites of various International schools in Bangalore to understand their curriculum in primary years. I also had interaction with physical education teachers of different schools in Bangalore and primary teachers of our school. Based on the interactions with peers, colleagues and my own reflections on these issues, I have tried to relate my own practice and its relevance of the primary year’s program. This essay also offers strong and imperative arguments for a universally designed and evaluated Primary year’s program that integrates the local milieu without fail.

My Journey Towards a Structured Curriculum
When I started my career, I never thought that a school should have a structured curriculum for physical education (P.E.). I believed in students going to the ground and play games. That is all the exposure and experience I had in my initial years. The reason behind this was diversity of the learner’s strength that each class had. As a teacher I did not have a constructive program to accommodate the multiple strengths that a batch of 50 – 60 students exhibited. Even though the students were asked to work on fitness and games, there was no planning and documentation. And so, the program was free flowing or rather more appropriately said, unstructured. One another reason for the unstructured nature of physical education in my initial years was my being sub-ordinate to another teacher and so changes in program or novelties were either not appreciated or less appreciated.
Alkhor International School, Qatar showed me a new way as I was the only anchor. Though I would not say that PE program as the best structured program, my first step towards a better structured program was taken with a serious intent there. Neither this stint, I would say was truly satisfying. Yet a constructive first step was taken.
Alkhor was a newly started school. Space, time and resource for new initiatives were abounding in the new set up. In this school for the first time in my practice, in my mind, I had scheduled timing for different games and different skills. The students as a result of this small initiative from my side took a lot of interest in learning different skills and activities that would help them play many games. This had not only given a great confidence boost to my learners, but the abounding interest levels also made me think further on bringing in new skill-based PE activities. None of the above details though had a documented form to it.
Mallya Aditi International School really gave me an exposure to documented planning. This is due to the practice already in existence in the school, the team teachers who really believe in planning and documentation. The extremely supportive administration and timely expert inputs is best in the field which really has helped me as a teacher to work on a structured planning and documentation. This also helped me to work more efficiently. The other aspect that is worth mentioning is the professional development programmes the teachers were exposed to, a significant part of any teachers’ career. In this way the school helps the teacher to update their knowledge in the field of education. These development programmes have helped me to work as a confident teacher. Here, I have really understood the importance of the structured planning and documentation of the curriculum.

International Curricula: More or Less Important in Primary level
At this point, I would like to dwell upon the key question of my essay; the importance and relevance of international curriculum, with special reference to the development of physical education in the primary years of a learner's life.
The first few years in school are most important time-period in a child’s life. I believe that, most minds respond to a variety of learning at that age group. So it is important that the curriculum is also developed in a manner that allows the child to respond to a variety of learning strategies in later part of life. In a situation were the world is globalizing rapidly and opening up to dramatic developments in all walks of life, a global outlook and a philosophy is necessary, taking into considerations the local cultural flavour. A serious concern among educators across the world is a certain lack of philosophical thread across organizations providing International education, and most learning curricula are ad-hoc and lacks a vision that threatens to prevent a harmonious integration of the primary years with the further learning. The problem is further compounded by the primary teachers lacking in training in curriculum development. So invariably the primary teachers function as deliverers of learning modules rather than co-owners of learning curriculum. This lack of an organic bonding with the curriculum development mostly ends up in a sense of helplessness and frustration. Also until recently there was no International curriculum that was acceptable across the international teaching and learning community.

Importance of International Curriculum
The above back ground does portray clearly that the teachers as well as the schools must free themselves from the burden of producing their own curriculum. Even in situations were the curriculum was relevant and borne out of pragmatic needs, they were so far and rare that few benefited from the positives. Also in a scenario were many schools worked with many different curricula, evaluation of learning became very difficult or at times impossible as essential learning across schools or across curriculum could rarely identified. In this light the evolution of a clear, coherent curriculum for international primary schools becomes a choiceless necessity.
Also considering the fact that I am a PE teacher, I can say with confidence that Physical Education is one subject that International Standardization in tune with local needs is possible and impertinent. An Internationally acknowledged PE curriculum could definitely raise fitness standards amongst learners and also different game skills and activities that could ultimately positively influence on other spheres of their life.

Primary Years Program - Contemporary Scenario
There are 15 international schools in Bangalore, only Indus International School presently is running the primary year’s program. The International School Bangalore (TISB), though not running the primary year’s program has an international curriculum evolved by the CIE, United Kingdom. It’s too early to even talk about the trends based on the early scenario, Rest of the schools still work with their own versions. Mallya Aditi International School has integrated into its primary program, all the good aspects from different programs in primary education. It is though mostly based on the British National Curriculum and Ross (2000). It is a process-driven curriculum that emphasizes natural development, which is self directed. The role of a teacher is more of a facilitator and not to transfer knowledge. The curriculum is evolved in a manner that the world around the learner unfolds through self-enquiry. In spite of all the efforts, parents still are exam drive and the first casualty is usually the time and energy of the learner towards physical education.

Mallya Aditi International School – Primary Years Program
The key philosophy of Mallya Aditi International School at the primary years is “skills for enquiry and research”. This is in tune with the holistic needs for “learning for life”. Interestingly PE is inherent part of the primary program. One happy precedent that needs to be fiercely nurtured is that PE is not one-particular-game oriented but emphasizes on all-round development of hands-on motor skills, co-ordination, movement, health and nutrition, first aid and game skills for games such as cricket, football, basketball, throw ball, volleyball, gymnastics and athletics.
A key aspect of the primary program at MAIS, according to the teachers in the primary section has the importance of project-based learning. Student dwells upon one topic, explore various facets of the topic and then learn a variety of concepts through their explorative forays. This situational and context based learning allows for strong conceptual and theoretical framework as well as practical needs of the topic.
The total freedom for the learner has been another highlight of the primary program at MAIS. The space is totally non-coercive, the pace is customized to the learner’s needs and there is a never ending commitment from the teachers- in terms of their time and energy- to keep interacting with the learners. The role of a teacher from my observation has been multifarious: as somebody who raises question, as a guide, as a facilitator, as a mother, as a strict polite disciplinarian, as a dramatist, as a supreme story teller, just to mention a few. Their roles keep changing with learning needs and the learners itself.
Primary Years Program: The Need
On one hand the primary year’s program offers a universal learning program that can be picked up by any teacher at any part of the world and can be run with little confusion. It also offers global evaluation matrix.
Two significant insights that are highlighted in the article is the delay in evolving a global primary year’s program in spite of its obvious importance. Also the fact that only in the recent past has the leaders or administrators of various schools have found a common ground to establish a PYP. At the same time, it should also be borne in mind that PYP is yet to accommodate the uniqueness of host cultures, needs and abilities. A modified primary year’s program that is specific for each country might be more meaningful and sustainable on a long run.
One glaring problem with PYP might be the affordability of the program itself. We should remember and acknowledge the fact, that for an average Indian parent, high school is a more serious endeavor than the primary years on account of the final, centralized exam the child would be facing in the final years of school. Anxiety among parents on their ward's education begins to creep in Standard 8 and above only. Primary program for most parents is still a secondary concern. So, if a much more expensive primary year’s program is introduced, many a parents might look for less-expensive options and pull out their children. Primary school with high students per class scenarios are a significant contribution to the revenue and sustenance of infrastructure of the institution. This will directly affect the ability of the administration to hire and sustain current teacher strength. On a long run, this directly affects the sustainability of the school itself. So the school administrations will be wary about introducing primary year’s program or the program evolved by the Cambridge International Education at one stroke.

Discussion and Conclusion
Physical education is yet to find an appropriate representation and acceptance in International curricula. According to Meyer ET. al. (1992) an extraordinary uniformity was observed across diverse countries the commonalties in curriculum gave a lot of emphasis on maths, science and national language. International Baccalaureate professes predominantly Western values (Mandanna, H. 2003). Individual initiatives in primary curriculum are imperative because research has shown that successful models transplanted across cultures have been less successful. Self-generated models for specific cultures have been best effective (Gardner, H. 2000).
When we consider PE program for our own learners, we should have benchmarks in physical standards that we consider are in tune with the abilities and cultures of our space. In this light, a PE program customized to our needs will be much effective than an internationally homogenous PE program. Assessment and evaluation also becomes effective in such a scenario.
We should instill a culture where the parents and learners consider PE not as a subject that can be compromised for maths or science, but P.E. as an integral motivator for healthy living and thinking. Awareness has to be raised on the fact that PE is an indispensable complement for effective academic orientation. Learners as well as parents must understand and realise that the energies gained from active PE can be positively channeled towards learning essential life issues.
At this point, we are far from such a scenario which seems to be a fantasy. In spite of all the efforts, parents still are exam driven and the first casualty in the process is usually the time and energy of the learner towards PE. Till the first six years of school, learners have four periods per week of PE. This duration slowly shrinks as can be seen in Figure 1.
As a serious practitioner of the art of physical education, I am willing to keep my space open for all willing learners and hope that over a period of time things will change the way I envision physical education.

Acknowledgements
Ms Tara Kini and Ms Shuchi Grover for their endless support and patience in innumerable ways. My thanks to Mr. Sathish Jayarajan, the Principal, Mallya Aditi International School and Ms. Geeta Narayanan Director, Mallya Aditi International School, for providing a series of professional development opportunities. Ms Hema Mandanna for spending her valuable time and explaining the key aspects of evolution of the primary year’s program in Mallya Aditi International School. Mr. Maheswaran for facilitating me to present this essay.

Bibliography
Gardner, H. 1999, How cultures Educate, The Disciplined Mind, Simon and Schuster, U.S.
International Baccalaureate Curriculum. http://www.ibo.org/
University of Cambridge http://www.cie.org.uk/
Kumar. K. (1992) what is worth teaching? New Delhi. Orient Longman.
Mandanna.H 2003 Principles and Practice in Teaching, Learning and Curriculum in International Schools. A Critical Paper submitted to Oxford Brookes University.
Meyer, John, David Kamens, and Aaron Benovot. (1992). School Knowledge for the Masses: World Models and National Primary Curricular Categories in the Twentieth Century. Washington, DC: Falmer Press.
Rampal, A. 2000, Texts in Context, EFA 2000 review. Development of Curricula. Textbooks, and Teaching and Learning Materials, Indian Educational Report, Ed Govinda, OUP, New Delhi