When Physical Education Requires Digital Imagination

Like many other schools around the globe, AV has currently closed the campus to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 in our community. However, this does not mean that our students are missing out on learning opportunities. We have successfully launched virtual support systems and fully transitioned to online learning to help our students keep up with their work and continue to advance in both their academic and physical education programs.

The current situation requires that our teachers think outside-the-box. This is particularly the case for our teachers in Physical Education (PE). How do you undertake physical education when you cannot be there physically?

Daily workout is crucial for the learning

Our PE teachers stress that even though we stay at home, it is important to still engage in regular physical activity every day. This is not only in order to stay healthy and burn extra calories; physical exercise also helps build the brain’s ability to concentrate. Therefore, our students still have PE class every day where they make training programmes and videos, challenge each other, and learn about nutrition.

For the Primary students, Mr Mirkovic uses our online leaning platform to upload different tasks (see pictures). The tasks contain different physical activities such as workouts or dancing.

The same applies for the secondary students who receive a WOD (Workout of the Day). A WOD is a home workout video (bodyweight only) which they are able to do themselves at home with just a yoga mat or a towel on the floor. Mr Yvan Wever finds great inspiration on YouTube, as for example the Group HIIT Channel.

Fun Challenges

Besides from WOD’s, the secondary students are also asked to learn or perform different challenges. This way, you keep it a bit more exciting. Below are some examples (click on the name to see video examples):
  1. Hanswashing Dance Challenge: Students have to repeat the handwashing dance in the movie. Psst: Best video will be able to choose a whole lesson of games they want to play in the first PE lesson back at school!
  2. Toilet paper challenge: Students have to try and get 10 touches with their feet to complete the challenge. (Jump to AV’s Instagram profile to watch the videos of Mr Wever and Mr Mirkovic completing this challenge!)
  3. Bring Sally Up Challenge: They have to see how many minutes they can do before they give up
  4. Sock Juggling Challenge: They need to roll up 3 pairs of socks and learn how to juggle with 3 objects. They can send me their videos if they can get it.

In order to check their progress and methods as well as get an evidence for completing the tasks, students send workout evidence such as summaries of their sports watch activity or videos of themselves with a comment on how it went.

Stay healthy with science

The students in Grade 8 are currently doing a Staying Healthy Interdisciplinary Unit with our Science teacher Ms Alice Greenland. Together they are learning about nutrition as well as exercise through bodyweight training. In this process, the students follow workout plans (see picture) and upload demonstration videos.

Despite the importance of engaging in online learning and keeping the contact with each other, we encourage our students to take regular breaks from their technology and to keep the body moving.

Remember to stay updated on our webpage with COVID-19 updates.

  • Workout tasks for students

  • Online learning Platform for PE

  • Cool down exercises by Grade 5 student

  • Warm up exercises by Grade 5 student

  • Toilet paper Challenge

  • Part of personal workout plan

123456