OLIVER NAPILA GOMEZ

Physical
EducASEAN
Concepts, Methods, and
Practices of the 21st Century
Physical Education
Educator’s Manual
OLIVER NAPILA GOMEZ



Physical
EducASEAN
Concepts, Methods, and
Practices of the 21st Century
Physical Education
Educator’s Manual
TM

© 2017 All Rights Reserved

i
 Physical EducASEAN
Concepts, Methods, and Practices of
the 21st Century Physical Education

By
Oliver Napila Gomez

Copyright © 22 Karats Publishing

and
Oliver Napila Gomez
2017

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission from the author and publisher.

Published by:
22 Karats Publishing
Jasmine Corner Vamenta Boulevard, Zone 4,
Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City

ISBN 978-971-0456-25-3

Printed in the Philippines


ii
PREFACE
It is the author’s intention to invoke fellow physical
educators, coaches, heads of departments, school principals, college
deans, and national education departments and ministries in the
Philippines and Southeast Asia to rethink the future direction of
physical education. The author is determined to support and pursue
Quality Physical Education (QPE) described by UNESCO through his
work in educational innovation.  This work stands as the pedagogy
and curriculum framework incorporating an inclusive, flexible,
customizable, and child-centered approach that further integrates
the concept of gamification into the educational process.  His aim is
to adapt the system to fit the interests and needs of every Filipino
and ASEAN learner.

Through this book, it is hoped that educators, administrators

and national education policymakers will choose to unlearn some of
what they already know about the concepts related to Physical
Education.  It will allow them to see areas that need improvement,
methods and practices that need to be changed, and aspects that are
obsolete. Physical Education in the Philippines and ASEAN region
needs to change in order to keep up with the needs and interests of
the digital native millennials, or the so-called Generation Z.

The author strives to enable educators to establish a system

that will create regional and national identity in Physical Education
using the methodology and best practices presented in this book.
Concepts and issues will be thoroughly explained in a manner as if
the author is directly speaking to his fellow educators in the
profession. Contents of this book are original and stand as the result
of the author’s trials and tribulations while working  in the
Philippines and overseas.

OLIVER NAPILA GOMEZ

Author 

iii
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book is dedicated to the three educational institutions
that shaped my experiences — the Kilikili Central Elementary School
(KCES), the Kilikili National High School (KNHS) and the Mindanao
State University - Marawi City.
On November 2015, I attended an international conference
in Hong Kong, the Asia Pacific Physical Education Conference
(APPEC) 2015. I was the only Filipino (if my memory serves me
right), in that two-day event.
On December 2015, while spending my holidays on a two-
day bus ride from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, the idea came to me. I
started writing down all my concepts on January 2016 when I got
back to Bangkok.
My journey since then was focused on this project. Of course
the road wasn't that easy. My Filipino colleagues in Bangkok were all
very supportive. I thank them for appreciating my talent and for
supporting my endeavors.
In a quest to find where to begin, Ms. Anna Marie C. Santos
from the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand gladly received
me in her office for me to be able to present my idea of innovation. I
thank her for directing me to the right path. I left Bangkok on July 1,
2016 to cultivate my ideas in the Philippines.
With warm hospitality, Jemima O. Domingo, MAEd, the
secondary school principal of KNHS, and the faculty members of the
school allowed me to volunteer in my alma mater to experiment on
my innovation. From this experience, it allowed me to see the bigger
picture of where to start—start with educating the educators. I thank
them for the success of the pilot program.



iv
 I was also able to share this innovation briefly with the
faculty members of the College of Sports, Physical Education and
Recreation in MSU-Marawi City. To all my mentors who are now my
colleagues in the profession, Prof. Daut, Dr. Adlawan, Prof. Layao,
Sir Layao, Prof. Gil Ebardo, Prof. Samong, Prof. Gallardo, Prof. Go,
Dr. Detalla, Ma’am Balbon, thank you for your encouragement and
support. Thank you also for standing with me in this fight for our
profession.
To Venven, Angelie, Mherelle, and Enchong, thank you for
responding to become the models for Physical EducASEAN.
To my classmates and mentors in Lourdes College Graduate
School, thank you for appreciating my work.
Also, I want to express my earnest gratitude to Steve
Wagenseller and Emma Wilson for their generosity and contribution
for the publishing of this book.
To my friend and brother since the beginning of my
international journey in Myanmar, Alex Dugan, an editor of this
book, thank you for finding the time to search for words and phrases
throughout this book that need corrections, for all the lessons in
writing that you have shared with me, and for the support,
encouragement and building my confidence.
To my partner, Jeffrey, also an editor of this book, I couldn’t
thank you enough for inspiring me to fulfill the purpose I found for
myself. Thank you for being there for me all the time, for editing the
manuscript, for listening to my physical education lectures, for
cheering me up when I’m down, and for the love you have for me
which extends to my profession. Thanks boo.
Finally, to my sisters Elena, Shalimar, and Cecille, and my
brothers Erwin and Sherwin, thank you for supporting your kuya. To
my father, Virgilio, I hope I make you proud.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you everyone for being
part of this endeavor.

v
 May
we have
one vision,
one identity,
one community
as
ASEAN
Physical Educators



vi
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE ............................................................................................ iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .....................................................................iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................... vii

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1

PART 1
Concepts and Issues in School Physical Education.............................. 4
ASEAN Integration and Physical Education ............................5
Physical Education and Its Purpose in Schools ........................7
The Status of Physical Education as an Academic Discipline in
Philippine Schools and ASEAN ..............................................10
PE as a low priority subject ..................................................... 11
PE not a subject that leads to jobs? ........................................... 12
Large enrollments and insufficient classrooms and facilities .......... 12
Low quality of teacher training ................................................13
A closer look at PE in the Philippines .........................................15
Preference, Motivation, and Adherence .................................16
Intrinsic motivation - the key to developing preference ................ 20
Extrinsic motivation and the role of the physical educator .............21
Adherence — indicator for a successful PE program ....................23

UNESCO Quality Physical Education (QPE) Policy ...............25

Inclusion/Inclusiveness .........................................................28
Interests ........................................................................................... 30
Needs................................................................................................ 31

Flexibility............................................................................ 33
The quality of bending without breaking.............................35
The ability to be easily modified ........................................36
Willingness to change and compromise .............................. 37
The QPE Policy .................................................................... 38
Technology and Physical Education .......................................39

vii
 Rediscovering Assessment and Achievement in PE ..............42
Urgent! We Need to Reshape PE Today .................................49

PART 2
The System Setup................................................................................50
The Idea of Creating Several PE Programs .............................51
The Character Simulation in Sports Events Model ................54
Which Tribe Do You Belong To? ............................................59
Physical EducASEAN and Its Programs ................................64
On Physical EducASEAN Implementation:
Anticipated Schedule and Staffing Challenges .......................67

PART 3
Flexible & Customizable Curriculum Framework .............................. 73
Who Gets to Decide? ...............................................................74
The Physical EducASEAN -X (PhysEdX) Pedagogy ..............76
The Physical EducASEAN ChoiceBook ..................................79
Program choices in Physical EducASEAN .......................79
Must-learn and can-be-learned lessons ..........................83
Choices after school .............................................................86
Selecting Activity Units in PhysEdX Pedagogy ......................87
The Physical EducASEAN MissionBook ................................89

PART 4
Assessment in PhysEdX Pedagogy .................................................... 92
What Should PE Grades Reflect? ...........................................93
THE Physical EducASEAN STANDARDS ..............................94

PART 5
Gamification in Physical EducASEAN ..............................................96
The Physical EducASEAN Level Achievement Goals .............97
The PhysEdX Gamified Mechanics ........................................98

References .........................................................................................104
Appendix A Career Opportunities for Graduates of PE ............................... 109
Appendix B Types of Learners and Their Preferences Questionnaire .......... 110

viii
 Remarks from the Editor

In these pages, Gomez has presented a system that aims to

address the shortcomings of Physical Education and invigorate the
subject with individualism, choice and modern relevance. In my
educational experience as a student in the United States, and as an
educator in Asia for nearly 20 years, I have found that a student-
centric approach to teaching is significantly more effective than other
approaches that diminish the relative position of the student. Gomez
takes the student-centric approach one step further with the concept
that students will actually become part of the curriculum making
process. Surely, this will stimulate the interest levels and motivation
that the students feel toward their Physical Education classes. It can
be assumed that with this degree of greater motivation, students will
be able to achieve more in the classes and will be more likely to carry
the skills and information learned in Physical Education classes with
them on their journeys through life.

Gomez provides his vision for Physical Education with the

initial target of the educational system in the Philippines. However,
his aim does not stop at the shores of the archipelago. With the
momentum of continuing integration in the ASEAN Region, a
common vision for engaged, active and healthy future generations
seems to be a fundamental and logical plank in the building process
of bringing the region more closely together. Lest we forget that
without our health and physical strength, all other endeavors will be
in vain.

J. Siegfried
Editor


ix
 DISCLAIMER

The concepts, methods, and practices reflected in this book are all
products of the author’s research and academic work and should not
be mistaken as a work associated with any ASEAN-related agency or
governing body.

x
 Introduction
In a rapidly modernizing world in which the need for
physical activity in our daily lives is being diminished by
technological advances, it is imperative that we keep our focus on the
lifelong physical health of learners. However, even if PE hours are
increased from one hour a week to two or even three hours, it would
still not be an assurance that we could reverse the current trend of
declining PE in the Philippines. Changes in methodology and
curriculum construction to cater for the physical activity needs of all
learners, as well as teacher confidence in developing appropriate
curricula across all years of schooling, are also required (Pill, 2006).

Physical Education has drastically declined for years across

all world regions (UNESCO, 2013). In the Philippines alone, factors
that contribute to this decline include the reduction from a 2-hour
per week time allocation to a 1-hour per week allocation, lack of
equipment and facilities, scarcity of qualified professional physical
educators, lack of choices in physical activities, one-size-fits-all type
of curriculum programming, lack of innovation, resourcefulness and
methods of teaching, the perception of parents and other educators
!1
that time spent in PE undermines academic learning, and negative
attitude towards PE as an academic discipline. The list goes on as to
why PE has been in tremendous decline. It is evident in public
schools around the nation, especially in the Department of
Education. It is a fact that PE has never gotten enough attention from
administrators or educators in public schools. This negative trend
looks to continue in the future and the already diminished status of
PE will suffer further unless we start doing something about it.

Further, the coming of the millennials, those who are called

“digital natives” (Prensky, as cited in Pill, 2014), is also a game
changer in Physical Education. The changing nature of learners
combined with the current issues and problems in PE, have created
the 21st century challenge that requires adjustment in the design and
delivery of the PE curriculum.

Additionally, the 21st century challenge in adjusting the

design and delivery of the PE curriculum will be affected by the
recent integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. This
integration paved the way for DepEd to align its basic education
offering from the K-10 program to the K-12. While it is apparent that
Physical Education is an integral part of the school curriculum in the
Philippines and Southeast Asia, PE programs must also support the
region to be able to realize its slogan - one vision, one identity, one
community.

Physical Education could actually play a vital role in the

ASEAN education system by assisting in the realization of its motto
and in providing ASEAN with a unified PE identity. Physical
Education is the most important life subject that is studied in
schools. However, it is also the most neglected of all the subjects in
schools. Compared to other subjects, PE is given the weight of minor
subjects such as Art, Music, and Health — receiving less emphasis
and being made to appear insignificant to a student. In fact, these

!2
four less valued subjects — Music, Arts, Physical Education, and
Health — have been compressed together to form a major subject
called MAPEH. Learners encounter each sub-subject for an hour or
less per week.

Administrators and policymakers in the country have

continuously disregarded the significance of Physical Education.
While the great benefits PE could give to a nation may still be vague
to many, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (UNESCO), a specialized agency of the United Nations
(UN) system, has been promoting Quality Physical Education (QPE)
policy and methods with belief in the power of QPE to support a well-
rounded citizen. In 2016, UNESCO and partners began support in
five countries (Fiji, Mexico, South Africa, Tunisia and Zambia) to
revise their national Physical Education policies to ensure that they
are inclusive, flexible, child-centered, gender-sensitive and based on
the QPE Guidelines.

This brings us to the big question: What might become of the

nature and identity of Physical Education in the Philippines and the
ASEAN region in the years to come?

In this book, the author presents to Philippine school

educators, school administrators, and the Department of Education a
vision of innovation — a framework designed and developed in line
with the UNESCO QPE policy, possessing original ASEAN identity
that caters to ASEAN’s “digital native” learners.


!3
 PART 1


Concepts and Issues in
School Physical Education
This work intends to raise the awareness
and scrutiny of many issues regarding PE in
schools. Physical Education is the subject which
most learners and educators tend to ignore. This
attitude is highly shortsighted as there exist
numerous concepts and issues in PE that are not
only relevant to wider academic studies, but also
to everyday life in general. In the following pages,
PE will be at center stage and will be seen from
many different angles as we discuss each of the
controversies that the author aspire to eventually
motivate education administrators and
policymakers to peruse and align their views on
the new Physical Education.

The following are the concepts and issues

the author believes to be significant in shaping
Physical Education in the Philippines and ASEAN:
1. ASEAN Integration and Physical
Education
2. Physical Education and Its Ultimate
Purpose in Schools
3. The Status of Physical Education as
an Academic Discipline in Philippine
Schools and ASEAN
4. Preference, Motivation, and
Adherence
5. UNESCO Quality Physical Education
6. Technology and Physical Education
7. Rediscovering Assessment and
!4 Achievement in PE
8. We Need to Reshape PE Today!
ASEAN Integration
and Physical Education
Physical Education is an integral part of school curriculum in
Southeast Asia. With the 2015 ASEAN integration, the region is
facing many challenges to be able to realize its slogan - one vision,
one identity, one community. Well-planned, organized, and
efficiently implemented school PE programs and extra-curricular
activities not only create a physically fit and healthy population, but
can also provide a wide range of benefits such as the ability to assist
in the development of productive and engaged citizens, provide social
solidity, yield economic profits, enrich the region’s identity and build
a healthier community (Dudson, Cummings, & Fraser, 2012).
Physical Education plays a vital role in the ASEAN education system
being able to realize the slogan.

There’s an ongoing battle as to whether or not PE should be

mandatory in schools due to many perceived negatives such as
uneven results in assessments and grades, lack of choice, liability,
interference with academic course load, bullying potential, and one-
size-fits-all programming. While it’s true that PE also has many
positive attributes such as its beneficial effects on brain development,
promotion of healthy lifestyles, battling obesity, and serving as an
avenue for fun and enjoyment, mandatory PE faces great challenges
to vindicate itself to the larger community. This issue is not only a
concern in Western countries. It is also true in Asia, particularly, in
Southeast Asia.

With the absence of an Asian, ASEAN or even Philippine

governing body that could create the highly anticipated Physical
Education Standards in Southeast Asia or a similar system for the
Philippines, most schools rely on standards created in Western
countries. The 2013 UNESCO final report, World-wide Survey on
School Physical Education, suggested that policies and practices

!5
must be subjected to localization and/or local interpretations, and
that there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution (UNESCO, 2013). What
works in many Western countries may not work as efficiently and
effectively in Asia.

“One identity” is part of the slogan of ASEAN region. In the

context of Physical Education, this identity is non-existent. We’re a
region that has been utilizing available resources and standards from
Western countries. We don’t have a unique identity — a PE
curriculum that we can call “ASEAN” — our very own.

The author, in his 5 years of living, working and traveling

extensively around Southeast Asia, was inspired to create a concept
— one PE vision, one PE community, one PE identity. His aim is to
adapt the ASEAN integration’s slogan to make an original
contemporary Physical Education pedagogy for ASEAN schools. He
calls it “Physical EducASEAN”, a brand created for the purpose of
bringing out the core essence and purpose of Physical Education in
schools all over Southeast Asia. It addresses the issues and challenges
for a mandatory PE program in schools in addition to the factors that
affect student participation.

“One PE vision” has been developed for schools across

Southeast Asia to have one purpose: to deliver PE programs that are
inclusive, flexible, customizable, child-centered and gamified. The
aim is to promote UNESCO QPE while addressing the challenges of
teaching in an increasingly technological environment. We encourage
schools to emphasize the recreation and fun aspects of PE (not only
the competitive aspects) and to lead learners to a more active lifestyle
not only in the present, but also for a lifetime. We advocate for the
inclusion of all types of learners, equity in curricular program
opportunities, and that no ASEAN country, school, or child is
overlooked. We encourage schools in Southeast Asia to require PE on
a daily basis, require all learners to take PE, and increase activity

!6
duration in PE. We help schools to focus on education and behavior
change leading to physical activity outside of class by linking
curricular PE programs to extra-curricular activities and activity
opportunities outside school within the community.

Physical Education and Its

Ultimate Purpose in Schools
“Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole
heart and soul to it.” 
― Gautama Buddha

Our schools operate each and every day moving forward to

achieve their goals with a noble mission and ambitious vision. They
have defined their philosophy and have organized their beliefs which
are used to guide their every academic decision along the way. They
have solidified their purpose of existence as educational institutions.
They have a reason to exist — a justification to the society.

In the Philippines, schools follow a curriculum comprised of

different subject areas. Each subject area focuses on particular
aspects of a learner’s life. Some subject areas are given more
substantial weight than others. Schools call them “core subjects” or
“major subjects”. Language Arts, Science, Mathematics, and Social
Studies compose the core subjects while Values Education, Music,
Arts, Physical Education, Health, Home Economics, and Technology
and Livelihood Education stand as the minor subject areas.

Regarding the core subjects, they are referred to in this way

because education policymakers firmly believe that these are the

!7
basic competencies needed to develop a well-rounded citizen. Their
purpose as significant aspect of the greater curriculum is very much
appreciated. For example, the emphasis of the core subject areas is
on the development of language and effective communication skills
of learners, skills in finding solutions to problems, knowledge in
numbers and application to real life, and understanding social and
historical happenings in human civilization. Unfortunately, less
emphasis has been given to other subject areas, including PE. It
appears that many education policymakers have overlooked the
intent as to why Physical Education exists as a subject, not to
mention the fact that they do not consider it to be a core subject.

A very big part of the world still believes that 3Rs (Reading,
Writing and Arithmetic) is the foundation of basic education.
However, in the International Conference on Sport and Education
organized by the Royal Government of Thailand to celebrate the
International Year of Sport and Physical Education, attended by over
600 delegates from 65 countries, the former Prime Minister of
Thailand said “… the foundations of basic education must surely
change from the ‘3Rs’ to the ‘4Rs,’ which includes ‘Recreation’ as the
right of all children to play freely and safely and to have quality
physical education and sport programs in their schools” (Shinawatra,
2005). When seen in this light, Physical Education could actually be
considered a core curricular subject. It is the only subject in school
that covers the complete domains of learning—cognitive, affective,
social and psychomotor areas.

Moreover, Physical Education is an essential component of

curriculum that aims to develop the whole child physically,
intellectually, emotionally, socially, and morally, through properly
selected physical activities and exercises. Numerous position
statements and research from different organizations in the US
advocating for quality physical education have supported the
establishment and expansion of Physical Education in schools with

!8
great emphasis placed on preparing learners for a lifetime of physical
activity. In the same way, in 1997, the Center for Disease Control
(CDC) recommends to implement physical education curricula and
instruction that emphasize enjoyable participation in physical
activity and that help learners develop the knowledge, attitudes,
motor skills, behavioral skills, and confidence needed to adopt and
maintain physically active lifestyles. Moreover, one of the topics and
objectives of Healthy People 2020, the source of science-based 10-
year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans, is
to increase the proportion of the nation’s public and private schools
that require daily physical education for all learners.

In the absence of an Asian governing body that would set the

purpose of PE in Asia, for the time being, it is wise for us to listen to
these US-based organizations that are telling us about what PE
should be in schools—a platform from which to strive to create a
more active populace. There should be a paradigm shift for schools to
lead physical education in a new direction: to equip people with
physical literacy and help them become active for the rest of their
lives. In other words, the main purpose of having PE as an academic
discipline is to guide learners in the process of becoming physically
active throughout their lifetimes by letting them acquire knowledge,
skills, values and enthusiasm to maintain active and healthy
lifestyles.

This is not only true in the US. It's a global concern for all
schools in all countries. However, the main problem in PE is not
limited to its purpose. How can we reshape the Physical Education
curriculum if we don’t align our academic goals, methods of teaching,
and teaching practices to the ultimate purpose of PE?

The author believes that it is the task of every physical

educator to help learners discover which physical activities fit their
preferences. When this is achieved through the lessons, the learners

!9
 will experience motivation more easily and intrinsically, and will
likely keep doing the activities for the rest of their active lives.

The Status of Physical Education

as an Academic Discipline in
Philippine Schools and ASEAN
Hardman, as cited in de Vries (2008, p. 2) confirmed,
“Deficiencies were apparent in curriculum, time allocation, subject
status, materials, human and financial resources, gender and
disability issues, and quality and program delivery.” These findings
are confirmed by a worldwide survey on PE and sports in schools
focused on the decline or marginalization of Physical Education.
With about two million deaths annually attributable to physical
inactivity worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) urges
more emphasis on school PE and sports. However, despite WHO and
a number of advocacy groups supporting and promoting PE and
sports in schools, physical activity levels are still declining in many
countries.

In his analysis on the status of PE in Asia, de Vries (2008)

points out that the constraints on PE curriculum in Asia include
perception of PE as a low priority subject, the belief that PE is not a
subject that leads to jobs, large enrollments, limited space and
equipment, and low quality of teacher training in the various
countries.

!10
PE as a low priority subject
Physical Education is perceived to be a low priority subject
because many people feel that it does not contribute directly or
substantially to a country’s economy. This has given rise to
policymakers and top administrative officials, such as heads of
schools, to sideline PE and sports under growing pressures to include
other ‘more important’ subjects (de Vries, 2008). It is very sad to
think that PE is very unimportant in the eyes of the academic society
specially those with PhD’s or doctorates who are heads of schools
(Juico, 2012).

Filipinos also find it difficult to comprehend how PE and

sports could be the country’s asset by contributing to long-lasting
economic development and sustainability. Again, it is said that well-
planned, organized, and efficiently implemented school PE programs
and extra-curricular activities not only create a physically fit and
healthy population, but can also provide a wide range of benefits
such as the ability to assist in the development of productive and
engaged citizens, providing social solidity, yielding economic profits,
enriching the region’s identity and building a healthier community
(Dudson, Cumming, & Fraser, 2012). In other words, optimum
wellness and fitness as long-term outcomes of PE and sports in
schools contribute to the country’s worker efficiency and vitality. If
we have a nation of unhealthy, over-weight and unfit citizens, how
can we create and sustain economic development in an increasingly
competitive world?

Sixty one percent of mid-income Filipinos still don’t exercise

regularly according to Sun Life Financial Asia Health Index due to
lack of time, lack of personal motivation and “distractions” of
modern life (Dumlao-Abadilla, 2017). The National Nutrition Survey
of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) said 93 percent
!11
of Filipinos do not engage in leisure-related physical activity and
about three-fourth of adults do not engage in non-work physical
activity (75.4%) and work-related physical activity (76.3%) (Ramirez,
2015).

PE not a subject that leads to jobs?

Priority subjects that will lead to jobs, and therefore
economic growth, are allocated longer teaching time, whereas
subjects such as PE struggle to retain timeslots of 40 to 80 minutes
per week in the school timetable (de Vries, 2003).

This perception that PE does not lead to jobs not only

misleads people, but also discourages many enthusiastic individuals
from pursuing careers related to PE and sports. This is evident in the
country’s scarcity of qualified physical educators. The country’s lack
of qualified physical educators has contributed to the perception of
PE as a low priority subject when schools, without a qualified PE
professional, choose to designate the task of teaching PE to teachers
who have no qualification at all.

There are actually a number of jobs available to PE and

sports practitioners aside from teaching including: physical trainers,
gym instructors, fitness consultants, and so on (see Appendix A).

Large enrollments and insufficient

classrooms and facilities
Often the schools run two sessions–morning and afternoon–
to address large enrollments and insufficient classrooms and
facilities. Limited space and equipment have serious implications for
PE teaching and sports co-curriculum, with overcrowded classes of
40 or more learners each. This leads to the allocation of available

!12
classrooms to priority subjects, resulting in PE and sports classes
being assigned to other unused areas and facilities indoors and
outdoors (de Vries, 2008). The government’s focus is on building
infrastructure and classrooms mainly for academic purposes
(Hernandez, as cited in Trade Union Congress of the Philippines,
2010). Because Physical Education is perceived as less academic or
non-academic, building facilities for sports, dance, and recreation in
schools is also never be the government’s priority.

Large class size in schools is probably the biggest challenge

physical educators face throughout their careers. This implies that
there is an inherent need for larger spaces where teachers can
conduct PE and sport classes. It also implies that there must be an
increase in the amount of equipment so as to accommodate each
learner. However, with the situation of schools in the Philippines, PE
and the necessary sports equipment and facilities are not priorities.
Given this situation, many teachers who are assigned to teaching PE,
whether qualified of not, often choose to teach more theory and thus
neglect the psychomotor aspect of PE. Others just hand a few items
of team sport equipment and convert PE into a big recess where
learners are free to play. Given the current situation, who could
blame these teachers?

Low quality of teacher training

Each country’s financial resources and budget also have
bearing on the length of teacher training programs, and therefore the
quality of teachers. In many Asian countries, a college teacher
education is usually only two to three years long, and PE teachers
again do not feature very high in terms of priority to ensure longer
and better teacher training programs (de Vries, 2008).

!13
 This may not be true in the Philippines as most PE and
MAPEH teachers are generally graduates of a four-year degree
course. De Vries’ (2008) argument of a two to three year education is
also relevant to PE teachers in the Philippines when considering the
length of time that PE majors focus on their major subjects. The
first year of college students in all majors is usually spent taking
liberal arts subjects. Majors in MAPEH, however, follow a very
different case. They have four major subject areas that they
specialize in during the two to three years of teacher training in
college. College professors usually call them “half-baked” graduates,
as their ability to teach PE may not be fully developed.

Additionally, there are clear reasons why it is believed that

60% of PE and sports programs in Asian schools suffer from low
resources and deprived conditions. De Vries (2008) cites the
following causes:

PE and sports are not seen as an economically important subject.

Asia does not have a strong sports culture (when at least 50% of
the population is engaged in sports activities as part of their daily
lives). Research has indicated that only 20% of the population in
most Asian countries is engaged in sports and physical activity
three times a week.
Important decisions on PE and sports are often made by
government officials who have no academic or professional
qualifications in the discipline.
PE and sports are commonly considered as “play” rather than
subjects that develop the “thinking” capacity.

All four reasons mentioned above are true causes as to why ASEAN
schools suffer from low resources and deprived conditions. However,
the third point is the most applicable to the situation in the
Philippines: important decisions on PE and sports are often made

!14
by government officials who have no academic or professional
qualifications in the discipline.

A closer look at PE in the Philippines

De Vries’ (2008) observations are quite true in the ASEAN
region, particularly in the Philippines. PE is seen as a low priority
subject with little contribution to our country’s economy.
Overcrowded classes of 40 to 50 learners with very limited space,
facilities and equipment, combined with teachers’ incompetence in
dealing with various learning situations give learners a bad
experience in PE class resulting in demotivation and the further
perception that PE is a low importance subject. The saddest fact here
is that this depressing cycle continues.

Compared to other subjects, PE has the weight similar to

minor subjects such as Arts, Music, and Health — less emphasized,
and to a student, less significant. In fact, these four less valued
subjects - Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health — have been
compressed together to form a subject called MAPEH. In the past,
this combination was called Physical Education, Health and Music
(PEHM) and Musika, Sining, Edukasyong Pangkatawan at
Pangkalusugan (MSEPP). Within this framework, time allotment for
PE has been reduced to less than 60 minutes per week as each of the
four sub-subjects occupies one time slot a day.

Further, looking at Physical Education at a more localized

scale, the Filipino word "lang" (which translates as “only”) has
become a sort of suffix to PE. The expression "PE lang" can often be
heard from parents, learners and even among teachers. Physical
Education has a reputation of being an easy “A” and being less
academic.

!15
 Why do Filipinos tend to underappreciate PE? Lang denotes
PE as simple, singular, and without complexity. Physical Education is
never perceived to be as complex as Math or Science. Physical
Education is practical while the other subjects need much analysis
and thinking. Physical Education is tangible while the rest can be
thought of as abstract. Physical Education is generally considered to
be easy with an element of fun. This is true as PE reduces stress and
simply makes people happy. However, the fact that PE comes
naturally to many learners and is enjoyed by even more should not be
taken as evidence that PE is less academic than any other subject.

A physical educator would argue that PE should not be

described in this way. Physical educators have been fighting for this
cause—for PE to hold a status similar to that of major academic
subjects and for people to stop looking down on their profession and
subject. However, it's an undeniable truth that PE gets small credit
in being an academic subject, not just in the Philippines, but
worldwide.

Does this mean we have to make PE more complex than it is

today? This is not the answer. Rather, PE’s simple nature and
fundamental importance must be acknowledged and respected. It is
an integral part of school curriculum for the past, present, and
future.

Preference, Motivation,
and Adherence
Preference, motivation, and adherence are concepts that
have very different meanings, but are interconnected with one

!16
another. These concepts are very significant as they are the three
founding concepts of Physical EducASEAN.

Preference is conceptually defined by the English Oxford

Living Dictionaries (2017) as a greater liking for one alternative over
another or others. Therefore, physical activity preference is the
inclination for one physical activity over another. A learner develops
either fondness of or dislike for a physical activity once he or she has
firsthand experience of it. A learner may also develop either an
interest in or aversion from a physical activity when he or she
watches it, even without directly experiencing it. The role of a
physical educator therefore is to first create an environment in which
learners can realize their preferences and then facilitate the process
of skill acquisition for those preferred activities.


With the aim of discovering these preferences when

working as a physical educator in Bangkok, Thailand, the author gave
his middle school learners the task of answering the following:
1. How would you create the perfect world of Physical
Education?
2. For the utopia that you have created, what elements in PE
would you like to eliminate from the real world? What
elements would you like to keep as they are now?
3. What new things, innovations, or amendments are you
going to welcome as part of your new PE world?

This was an indirect approach to better understand what

was going on in the minds of those young learners. The author strove
to understand the learning process from their perspective, the
learners' perspective. Their views, their frustrations, their complaints,
their opinions, their attitudes towards PE, and their physical activity
preferences were crucial in identifying the problem: Why was it so

!17
difficult to motivate these learners as compared to the learners he
previously taught in Mandalay, Myanmar? Was there something wrong
with the approach, method, or strategy in teaching?

He first thought that the reason could be a possible lack of

formal training, as he only completed his degree in BS Physical Education
from Mindanao State University in Marawi City, Philippines. He was once
blamed for demotivating learners. Two learners who happened to be after-
school athletes were complaining about his approach in teaching PE.
However, more complex answer can be found if we investigate and see
the situation from different angles.

Prior to teaching in Bangkok, his teaching experience in

Mandalay, Myanmar was quite the opposite. The fact that he designed and
developed the curriculum himself gave him the opportunity to introduce
his most loved activity — Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that includes
elements of dance and game. Personally, that was his choice, his
preference. Aside from Capoeira, he also introduced activities that were
exciting, innovative and challenging such as cheerleading, folk dances from
all over the world, hip hop dance, dancing for fitness, yoga, dance
improvizations, a variety of traditional and modern games, more
recreational activities and some easily accessible sports activities.

When he moved to Bangkok in 2015, he thought that his new

teaching position would be smooth sailing as the school had already
prepared and outlined the curriculum. All he had to do was teach the
lessons outlined in the curriculum plan. At first, he felt that he was the
luckiest PE teacher in the world as his job was only to follow what had
been set out before him. After time, he realized the limitations of this
structure due to the fact that he could not change a thing in his lesson. He
had to follow the curriculum map. He even had to teach activities that did
not fit his preference as the educator. He became a PE teacher - not a
Physical Educator.

Most Physical Educators are motivated to teach when they

are given the freedom to develop their own course outline or
curriculum. Certainly, they will not enjoy teaching lessons that have
been pre-packaged for them, especially when they have been
specifically instructed to strictly follow every detail in the outline. It

!18
limits the learning process because the skills that learners need to
learn the most are usually not found in the books. Learning outcomes
in PE are not principally learned in the head. Rather, they are
predominantly experienced physically, intellectually, emotionally,
socially, and morally.

Moreover, learners best learn within the framework of a set

of activities they are interested in. However, most activities in school
PE do not stimulate the interests of the majority of learners. This has
been the complaint of many learners around the world. They want to
be active, but they can not because there are not many choices
available in PE classes. Preference calls for the availability and
accessibility of more choices. But schools can only offer a few choices
because of a variety of different factors such as budget, equipment
and facilities, as well as the expertise of the the teacher who will
handle the subject. But think about it, imagine what might happen if
teachers and schools provided activity choices that learners are
genuinely interested in.

This leads us to the next concept—motivation. When we

provide our learners with many physical activity choices that fit their
preferences, it will be very easy to motivate them to participate and
engage in those activities. BusinessDictionary.com (2017) defines
motivation as “the internal and external factors that stimulate desire
and energy in people to be continually interested and committed to a
job, role or subject, or to make an effort to attain a goal.” It further
explains that motivation is the outcome from the interaction of both
conscious and unconscious factors such as the intensity of desire or
need, incentive or reward value of the goal, and expectations of the
individual and of his or her peers. These factors are the reasons one
has for behaving in a certain way.

!19
 Intrinsic motivation—
the key to developing
preference
What factors stimulate learners’
desire and energy to be continually
interested in physical activity
participation inside and outside the
school? This question can then be fast
forwarded, looking toward the future of
these learners. What factors could
continuously stimulate their desire to
keep participating in physical activities?

It would be unrealistic to find a person who does more than

10 physical activities in a day or a week. In reality, an individual only
engages in physical activities and sports that he or she is interested in
and which fit his or her preference. One thing is for certain — an
individual can only choose one or two activities to do regularly and
continuously for an extended period of time. Without motivation,
these preferred activities may be forgotten and eventually change.

Though preference precedes motivation, they must come

together in order for learners to keep their interest in a physical
activity. By definition, preference is related to intrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation  refers to behavior that is driven by
internal  rewards (Cherry, 2017). In other words, the  motivation  to
engage in a physical activity arises from within the individual
because it is intrinsically rewarding. The website Study.com explains
that intrinsic motivation  is defined as performing an action or
behavior because the activity itself is fun and enjoyable.  This is
exactly how and why learners develop preference for a specific
physical activity — because they enjoy the activity itself.

!20
 Motivating learners for a physical activity they are engaged
in is easy. However, can we still motivate learners for a physical
activity that they do not particularly like?

Physical activities do not necessarily have to be very likable

or enjoyable for learners to include them in their preference list.
These physical activities are usually tedious and boring such as
running, swimming, lifting weights, and other repetitive exercises.
This is where the work of the physical educator begins. Most of the
“boring” physical activities and exercises are what learners “NEED”
in Physical Education and they are usually easy to access. On the
other hand, many “WANTS” are usually not easily accessible.

Extrinsic motivation and

the role of the physical educator
It is the physical educator’s role to help learners find
motivation to engage in physical activities in which they are not
interested in as an attempt to develop their liking towards these
activities. The enjoyment experienced by learners when doing
physical activities is intrinsic. It comes naturally from the learners.
However, this is not always the case. The physical educator’s job is to
create an environment that surrounds learners with extrinsic
motivating factors. This could be in the form of rewards or
recognition. An example of this is demonstrating to learners that it
looks great to workout and do exercise.

They may even wear workout clothes around town in order

to be identified as someone who really takes pride in physical activity
and exercise. This way, they get recognition with their image.
Another example of this is when those who build muscles in the gym
are motivated to workout because they feel rewarded when other
people recognize the results of the efforts they have made.

!21
 On the academic side, PE teachers usually use grades as an
external motivating factor. Grades are measures of achievement.
Learners are easily motivated to work hard to achieve good grades.
This could be a great way to motivate them. However, there are a
number of schools that discourage the use of giving high marks or
additional points for physical activity or sports participation because
they believe that too much of it can compromise learners’ academic
grades in other subjects which are perceived to be more important
than PE. Grades are powerful tools, but they are not the final answer.

Motivating learners extrinsically is not an easy thing to do

for many physical educators. Besides, what can motivate them today
may change with the passing of time. For example, learners come to
PE class because it is a requirement in school which they have to
pass. But later, after they graduate and enter the real world, this
external factor of grading will no longer have any effect on them.
They will need new reasons to be active. It could be going to the gym
to work out to look healthy and feel good about their body image.
Other reasons could be for health and fitness, social relations, and
recreation. This said, physical educators should never use grades or
the idea that the subject is a requirement as an external motivating
factor to prompt learners to engage in physical activities. Instead,
they should look forward and relate every lesson to the motivating
factors their learners will have when they are not pressured by the
academic PE subject any longer.

Adherence — indicator for

a successful PE program
Another important concept connected to this idea is
adherence. The author has adapted the concept of exercise adherence
which refers to maintaining an exercise regimen for a prolonged
period of time following the initial adoption phase. It is a term that
!22
indicates a continued performance of exercise within a specified
frequency, intensity, duration and time frame (Hong, 2005). It is
related to exercising on a regular basis.

The Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) (2017)

has reported that one of the greatest motivators for doing an activity
is the amount of enjoyment that people get from it. Other motivators
also include seeing progress and reaching goals. The AASP revealed
the following suggestions they believe will help people to have fun
and reach their exercise goals:

1. Keep it fun
a. Work out with friends.
b. Choose an activity you like.
c. Learn a new activity.
d. Begin easy and slowly increase your effort.
e. Cross-train. Rather than doing the same thing
everyday, do different activities.

2. Monitor progress
a. Set realistic, measurable goals.
b. Keep an exercise journal.

3. Fit exercise into your life

a. For convenience, choose an activity that you can
fit into your current schedule.
b. Establish a routine.
c. Make exercise a priority.
d. Combine family-time with exercise.

The AASP’s suggestions for adherence are very practical and

highly applicable to teaching Physical Education. They include
motivational factors such as working out with friends, choosing
activities that are on your preference list, and trying new activities. It

!23
is clear that the prerequisites of adherence are preference and
motivation.

As mentioned, Physical Education’s main purpose in schools

is to provide an academic subject that will help our learners to
become physically active for life. In other words, we aim to produce
an active population that adheres to the chosen exercise regimen.
These individuals voluntarily perform their workouts because they
are motivated and the activities themselves are part of their
preferences. They are self-regulating, a behavioral concept described
by Stosny (2011) as the ability to  act  in long-term best interest,
consistent with the deepest set of values. Therefore, adherence to
physical activities and exercise could be the best indicator to check
whether our PE program in schools has made an impact on learners’
lives.

Physical Education teachers should shift from merely

teaching from the books or from what the education ministry
outlines in their curriculum maps, to influencing their learners to
adhere to participating in regular physical activities or exercise
workouts. With this, physical educators must have knowledge of the
psychology of modifying learners’ behaviors. They also need to be
assertive to influence learners’ opinions. They must be adept at
motivating their learners. Most importantly, they have to facilitate
the process for their learners to discover their purpose in physical
activity participation.

It is interesting to note that adherence is an on-going

process. Human behavior changes in sequences instead of all at
once.  Having a strong foundation in Physical Education during
elementary and secondary school levels will equip learners with the
necessary attitude to find ways to be physically active, no matter
what happens later in life.

!24
 The author envisions that the future physical educators of
ASEAN will use the concepts of preference, motivation, and
adherence to produce ASEAN citizens who are self-regulating and
physically active for the entirety of their lives.

UNESCO’S Quality Physical

Education (QPE) Policy
Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO has said,
“Physical education exposes young people to a range of experiences
that enable them to develop the skills and knowledge they need to
make the most of all opportunities today and to shape new forms of
global citizenship. Yet, despite the recognized power of physical
education, we are seeing a global decline in its delivery.”

Because of this global decline in teaching PE, UNESCO has

developed guidelines in partnership with the European Commission,
the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education
(ICSSPE), International Olympic Committee (IOC), United Nations
Office on Sport for Development and Peace  (UNOSDP), United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF), and World Health Organization (WHO),
to improve the quality of physical education across the full age range
from early years through secondary education. The Guidelines
provide a framework to support policymakers (i.e., heads of
department or senior officials within ministries) to reshape physical
education policy with an aim to accelerate the development of several

!25
dimensions of human capital in a unique, comprehensive way
(McLennan & Thompson, 2015).

In order to influence many countries to reshape their PE

policies, UNESCO has been taking serious actions. In the Declaration
of Berlin 2013 – UNESCO’s World Sports Ministers Conference
(MINEPS V) proposed that “Physical Education is the most effective
means of providing all children and youth with the skills, attitudes,
values, knowledge and understanding for lifelong participation in
society.” The organization has greatly emphasized the importance of
quality Physical Education in every school in each country.

This leads to the question “What is quality Physical

Education?” Adapted from Association for Physical Education (afPE)
(2015) Health Position Paper, QPE is the planned, progressive,
inclusive learning experience that forms part of the curriculum in
early years, primary and secondary education. Part of this learning
experience includes ‘learning to move’ and ‘moving to learn’. In this
respect, QPE acts as the foundation for a lifelong engagement in
physical activity and sport. The learning experience offered to
children and young people through Physical Education lessons
should be developmentally appropriate to help them acquire the
psychomotor skills, cognitive understanding, and social and
emotional skills they need to lead physically active lives.

It is also important to note that UNESCO QPE Guidelines

have been designed with flexibility in mind. Accordingly, the
recommendations do not provide a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution. In fact,
even the term “quality” may have different characteristics and
meanings in different national settings. As a result, QPE will vary
greatly in different educational contexts. With this, it seems quite
natural that the QPE of some Western countries will not be similar to
the QPE of ASEAN.

!26
 “An inclusive approach
should have built-in
Aside from flexibility, QPE has
flexibility that enables
also emphasized inclusion. This is adjustment to
understood as a sense of belonging, different needs,
which includes feeling respected, being ensures that everyone
valued for who you are, feeling a level of benefits from a
supportive energy and commitment from commonly agreed
others. There should be commitment to level of quality
embrace differences and value the education, and gives
contributions of all participants, the teachers freedom
whatever their characteristics or to adapt their working
backgrounds (Miller & Katz, 2002).
methods.”
Inclusive methodologies should be at the
centre of both QPE policy and practice.
~UNESCO (2015)
For curriculum development, an
inclusive approach should have built-in flexibility that enables
adjustment to different needs, ensures that everyone benefits from a
commonly agreed level of quality education, and gives the teachers
freedom to adapt their working methods to achieve maximum impact
and relevance within their specific classroom context. Such flexibility
allows for the development of a more inclusive pedagogy, shifts the
focus from teacher-centered to child-centered, and embraces more
diverse learning styles.

Inclusion or inclusive methodologies, flexible as opposed to

the one-size-fits-all programing, shifting the focus from teacher-
centered to child-centered, and embracing more diverse learning
styles are the key interests of the UNESCO QPE. The author further
discusses inclusiveness and flexibility in a localized setting.

!27
Inclusion/Inclusiveness

UNESCO advocates for quality physical education policies all over the world as a
tool to contribute to 21st century education and drive inclusion (UNESCO, 2015). 

A new concept now commonly used by curriculum

developers and policymakers in designing Physical Education
curricular programs is “inclusiveness”. It is a very powerful word that
gives deeper meaning to the widely known and accepted term -
“child-centered”. But what does this term really mean?
The Oxford Dictionary of English defines inclusive as “not
excluding any section of society or any party involved in something”.

!28
 Many Physical Education curricular programs around the
world claim to achieve inclusiveness. However, there are more
concepts that emerge when we dissect the level of inclusiveness of a
particular PE curriculum. Besides, its definition suggests absolute
inclusion - not excluding “ANY” section. In this case, the term “ANY”
refers to each individual learner in a school.

How do we know if our program is absolutely inclusive? Can

there be room for a little exclusiveness? Does integration of all
aspects of the academic subject make our PE curriculum inclusive?

To answer the above questions, we need to dig deeper into

the concept of an inclusive PE.

Can a particular unit activity or lesson be for all learners?

Take for example, the sports basketball. The answer is yes, maybe or
no. It depends on many possible instances. If we have a
homogeneous class of physically gifted learners, then the answer is
definitely “yes”. If we have a heterogeneous class with different skill
levels, then the answer shifts to “maybe”. It will depend on the
teacher. The teacher’s approach, methods, and techniques of
delivering the content of the lesson will determine whether the
program is inclusive or not. Furthermore, if we have a heterogeneous
class with highly disparate skill levels, different preferences, various
learning styles, and different capabilities (sometimes incapabilities),
providing them with common standards, common methods or
approach, and common assessment tools will definitely lead to a
program that is not inclusive.

Most schools in the Philippines fall into the third category—a

heterogeneous class of different skills, preferences, learning styles,
capabilities and incapabilities. What works with a child who is tall
may not work as well with one who is not physically gifted with
height. In the same way, what works with a medium built child may

!29
 not work the same way as with the thin ones or yes, let’s say it - the
overweight ones. In other words, there are external factors that lead
to the exclusion of learners; it is not always about the curriculum or
the teachers' methods. These factors are learner issues which schools
and teachers have no control over.

Inclusive PE curricula pay attention not only to the big

picture, but also to the small details that include the type of parties
involved, the curriculum itself, the methods, approach and practices
used, and of course, the learner issues.

Learners are the center of education. Everything we do

should be for the benefit of our learners. This concept is the source of
the coined phrase “child-centered”. A child-centered teaching
method is giving priority to the interests and needs of children,
according to the Oxford Dictionary of English. Its definition tells us
to prioritize these two important words to make our PE curriculum
“child-centered” - interests and needs. These words are also the keys
to inclusion.


Interests
What do learners want? This question refers to our learners’ preferences,
what they are good at, what they are capable of doing, and what they enjoy
doing. Understanding learners’ preferences in physical activities will help
educators develop a curriculum that best fits the learners. When learners like
what they are doing, PE teachers will never encounter motivation problems as
learners will have intrinsic motivation to participate in PE class. When we offer an
activity that most learners do not like - learners show their lack of motivation
towards the activity itself. So how do we stimulate interest? The answer is to
emphasize “preference” in PE. Conduct a survey. Ask learners about their
preferred physical activities. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, this is a
very good educational process — teachers can make their learners aware of the
concept of preference.

!30
 This leads us to the curriculum in itself. Physical Education
curriculum, the academic content of Physical Education taught in
schools, has an integrated set of broad topics that include sports,
exercise, rhythmic activities, aquatic activities, recreation, movement
education, and many others. For educators, curriculum developers,
and policymakers, how do we properly select the academic content to
include in PE class? The obvious determiners include access to
facilities and equipment, the physical educator teaching the lesson,
and academic resources such as textbooks or workbooks. In the
absence of any of these, a certain unit or lesson may be diminished or
even excluded. However, questions regarding curriculum content
are not limited to those determining factors. Do educators,
curriculum developers, and policymakers consider learners’ interests

Needs
Needs can either be essential but disliked or essential and preferred,
whatever the case may be. How do educators, curriculum developers, and
policymakers, determine whether certain lessons or activity units are essential or
needed? For instance, we may justify fitness as a needed lesson because
everybody knows that exercise is good for optimum health and longevity. But if
we have already used that reason for fitness activities, why would our learners
learn basketball to be fit? Can we say, “If you don’t play basketball, you will not
be fit?” Definitely not.
Health and physical fitness are the common reasons why we move. We
want to live longer and enjoy life. Could this be our basis to say a certain lesson is
needed? To answer this, we should realize that it all comes down to wellness—
being able to make healthy decisions in order to enjoy life. We know that all
physical activities are beneficial to the wellness of all learners and it is our
responsibility to educate them. Generally, we can say these arguments justify
our cause. However, in practice, our PE lessons are usually focused on the units
themselves and not on the purpose of why we are actually undertaking the unit.
The point made here is this: How do we justify the need for a particular lesson in
our PE class?

!31
 “Teaching
homogeneous
or physical activity preferences? Do the learners
classes in PE will
take part in the selection of the units? result in absolute
inclusion.”
Selecting activity units in PE without
including learners in the process assumes that all
learners have the same interests and needs. This is
definitely a “one-size-fits-all” type of curriculum — providing the
same activities to a heterogeneous class of different activity interests,
skill levels, learning styles, and capabilities and incapabilities. A such
type of curriculum is never inclusive nor child-centered.

So what makes a curriculum inclusive? It is inclusive when

learners participate in the selection. We should let schools assess
their respective needs and allow them to select activities that have
been found to meet learners’ needs in the same way as letting the
learners select their activity interests. The end goal is to educate our
learners toward both their interests and their needs. Does this sound
familiar? Yes, that’s the child-centered method. A child-centered
curriculum is an inclusive curriculum.

That said, being inclusive doesn’t end here. It also involves

the practice by which lessons are taught on a daily or regular basis. It
would be easy to teach homogeneous classes. However, the challenge
is when we have different types of learners in one class. Do we need
to classify them? Classifying for the sake of inclusion and better
learning is not terribly bad. But consider this: classifying learners
according to their preferences will create homogeneous classes. Let’s
say, the athletic learners are grouped together, the rhythmic learners
are together, the learners who love to do different recreational
activities are also teamed up together, those who love exercise and
fitness workouts have their own class, as do the learners with
leadership potential. Teaching homogeneous classes in PE will result
in absolute inclusion, in the sense that everybody gets to play. The
key is for learners to figure out in which group they belong.

!32
 Finally, the approach and practices used by teachers in
response to some learner issues are small things that count. How do
we deal with obese learners? How do we treat them? What practice
could we best use as educators to motivate them to make healthy
decisions for themselves? Obese learners usually exclude themselves
because of personal issues. In the same way, how do we deal with
learners who have low self-esteem? How do we teach learners who
have physical learning issues or learners who are not kinaesthetically
gifted? How do we approach a learner who hates his or her uniform
or swimming kit and is embarrassed to wear it? How do we address
bullying issues, unsportsmanlike behavior, attitude and behavior
problems, classroom conflicts, and so on? These issues can not be
overlooked as they are essential parts in keeping the concept of
inclusion a central part of the PE curriculum.

Flexibility
The QPE policy designed by UNESCO is paving the way for
PE programs around the world to be inclusive, child-centered and
flexible. Flexibility within the PE curricula is one of the most
important ingredients in QPE.

The Oxford Dictionary of English defines flexibility as the

quality of bending easily without breaking. It is also described as the
ability to be modified in addition to willingness to change or
compromise. These descriptions and definitions certainly apply to
PE.

But first, we have to understand why some PE curricula in

Asia and in other regions around the world are so inflexible. Whether
we like it or not, the main reason for the existence of this rigidness is
the academic standards that were developed as guides in the
learning process. Setting these standards and benchmarks is similar
!33
 to setting the norms for what is considered “acceptable status” in
academia. Everything below standard is considered to be “failure”.

“We know we can’t teach every student to play every instrument

in the band. Why do we think we can teach every child to play
every sport?”
(Corbin, 2002)

The author is not against standard-based

education, as without them, progress can not be
monitored or measured. However, standard-based
education has led to the inflexibility of PE. For
example, these standards assert that certain skills in
basketball should be learned at a certain grade level.
Not being able to meet the requirements, which can
result from any one of the many limiting factors
mentioned above, means that the learner fails the
subject. Teachers may try to justify the failing mark
with the conclusion that learners should try harder to
meet the requirement. But something is missing here.
Physical Education should not be about teaching
specific skills and expecting all learners to replicate a
uniform level of adeptness. “We know we can’t teach
every student to play every instrument in the band.
Why do we think we can teach every child to play
every sport?” (Corbin, 2002).

!34
 The previous argument raises a number of questions. Are
you the type of teacher who believes that learners should be excellent
at all types of physical activities that we introduce in PE class?
Should the learners’ target be A+ because that's what being
“academic” is about? Should we conform to this system even if we
already know Physical Education will never be like other theory-
based subjects?

Should we set aside standards then? If so, how do we

measure progress? Do we even need to measure progress at all?

The quality of bending without

breaking
True curricular flexibility means that we can bend some rules
without breaking them. We don’t have to disregard academic
standards. In fact, we can use them to be able to evaluate our
learners. This evaluation can help us determine which areas or skills
to improve upon. However, the question remains: Are the standards
flexible enough?

Standards are not laws. For

academic discussion, let’s look at one of the “…these
standards from the US National Standards standards were
for Physical Education (NASPE) that many elevated to a
schools in Asia have adopted into their sort of law
curricula. This is the idea that the status and not
physically literate individual demonstrates being able to
competency in a variety of motor skills and follow them
movement patterns (Society of Health and results in a type
Physical Educators America, 2013). The
of educational
Philippines adopted this standard, stating
crime.”
“competence in movement and motor skills

!35
requisite to various physical activity performances" (K to 12 Physical
Education Curriculum Guide, 2013, p. 2). What works in the US
might not work in other countries (UNESCO, 2013). Unconsciously,
schools and teachers might have been using these standards as some
sort of authority to be followed. In this case, these standards were
elevated to a sort of law status and not being able to follow them
results in a type of educational crime.

How do we make the previously mentioned NASPE standard

flexible when we have diverse types of learners with different
learning styles, physical activity preferences, and physical
capabilities and incapabilities? Are we firm that all learners must
become physically literate individuals who demonstrate competency
in a variety of motor skills and movement patterns? It appears that
there is no way to bend this standard without breaking it. It is just
not flexible.

The ability to be easily modified

Flexibility is also the ability to be easily modified. To modify
something means to make partial or minor changes. From this
definition, flexibility allows minor alterations or adjustments to be
made to something, in this case, to the PE curriculum.

In other words, we are talking about adjusting the standards.

One way we are already making adjustments is through grade level
benchmarking. Benchmarks narrow specific standards to make them
relevant to particular age groups or grade levels in a local context.
However, even though benchmarks have been modified, they are still
standards. Benchmarks still set norms for what is “acceptable”
locally. For learners who are not able to reach the set academic
benchmarks, the result is still “failure” for their part.

!36
Willingness to change and
compromise
This definition of flexibility is the author's favorite. Basically,
it encourages educators, policymakers, and curriculum developers to
have willingness to change and compromise. Physical Education is a
unique subject in schools. There are no other subjects that will allow
learners to fully develop themselves physically and socially. Maybe
we have been too focused on treating PE as an objective academic
discipline similar to other subjects like math and science where there
are specific formulas that arrive at specific answers. Physical
Education should receive similar status to other academic subjects.
We should try to open our minds to the possibility of compromising
on its status. It may be beneficial to focus on the main purpose of
Physical Education’s existence in schools and not so much on the
academic aspect, which is the root cause of what is holding PE back
from being flexible. Or possibly, it is time to blaze a new trail for PE
to fulfill both its original purpose and its academic aspect including
those standards and benchmarks.

The solution is that flexible PE curricula should allow

schools, teachers and learners to customize, modify and adjust their
curricular programs, curricular contents, standards and benchmarks,
and learning outcome expectations while focusing both on the main
purpose of Physical Education—to guide learners to be active for life
and its academic status—an academic subject that develops a total
child.


!37
The QPE Policy
These infographic visuals by Antonio di Vico (2014) contain UNESCO’s advocacy
for quality Physical Education policies all over !38 world as a tool to contribute to 21st century
the
education and promote inclusion. The infographic illustrates the benefits of investing in quality
Physical Education policies as opposed to the cost of NOT investing (UNESCO, 2015).
 Technology
and Physical Education

In an article by Paul Zollinger (2013) in theguardian, he

described that health, especially of our children, suffers the most
because the evolution of technology has already reached the point
where almost everything is available at the touch of a button.
Technology is causing our children to be lazy and sedentary, and to
have bad posture, poor eyesight and umpteen number of health
issues (Sridar, n.d.).

Technology has largely been responsible for and is

undoubtedly the biggest factor in the global change from active to
sedentary lifestyles (Hansen, 2015). Hansen (2015) describes the
current human population as the ‘laziest’ set of humans in history.
Modern society is inseparably hooked on computers, smartphones,
TV, and video games. We are surrounded by so many digital gadgets
that tend to absorb more and more of our time and attention. As a
result, learners, like the society in which they live, are lazier than ever
before.

According to the WHO, 60 to 85% of the population

worldwide does not engage in enough physical activity. This
makes  physical inactivity  the fourth most serious risk factor for
global mortality. Additionally, worldwide, it is estimated that
sedentary lifestyles are responsible for 6% of coronary heart disease
cases, 7% of Type 2 diabetes, 10% of breast cancer and 10% of colon
cancer cases. In fact, it has recently been reported that inactivity is
responsible for more annual deaths than smoking (Life Span Fitness,
2013).

Physical Education, being the only subject in school which

provides learners with opportunities to be physically active during

!39
class and delivers learning that stimulates learners to be active for
life, is clearly the most logical solution to combat these rising levels
of physical inactivity which are described as a pandemic by the
WHO. As cut-backs in Physical Education provision will only
increase this concern exponentially (UNESCO, 2013), the Physical
Education community must work hard to maintain and ultimately
expand the scope of Physical Education with the aim to reverse the
debilitating trends of physical inactivity.

Knowing the serious effects of a sedentary lifestyle caused by

the overuse of technology, Physical Education programs need to
address this issue from the foundational curriculum level. But how?
Jarrod Robinson, popularly known as “the PE Geek” is taking
Physical Education to the next level. His website, thepegeek.com, is
literally changing the way PE is taught through the use of technology.
According to Robinson, technology improves engagement and
learning outcomes in PE classrooms. Through his methods, learners
make use of apps installed in their smartphones and tablets to
complete their lessons in PE. Although this method may not be
practical for learners with low socioeconomic status, particularly

!40
those in Southeast Asia, his approach in using technology for distinct
advantage in physical education is inspiring.

Technology doesn't need to be the cause of physical

inactivity. Certain innovations such as pedometers, accelerometers,
heart rate monitors, and other inventions are changing the game.
Technology is interactive these days and is making people move. For
example, instead of watching a DVD of Just Dance or Dance
Revolution, viewers are motivated to imitate the dance steps shown
in the video.

If we observe our learners, what’s really causing their

inactivity is their engagement in digital games and e-sports. What’s
with these digital games causing young learners to become so
addicted to playing them? This leads to the more fundamental
concept as to how physical educators can actually use technology for
the better, knowing that no one can ever stop the boom of the digital
age as it will continue to rise. Shane Pill (2014) has asked, what does
it imply for pedagogy to think like a game developer?

Digital gaming is now an important part of many children’s

leisure, cultural, and social lives (Pill, 2014). As a matter of fact, these
children are now called “digital natives,” post-millennials, or
Generation Z. Digital games are very appealing to them. What’s with
these digital games anyway? Can we make physical education as
engaging as these digital games?

He also elaborated that children born in the digital age think

and learn differently than those in previous generations, the
millennials or Generation Y (those who are born from 1977 - 2000).
He has explained that the changed nature of learners requires
adjustments in the design and delivery of curricula. This means that
physical educators need to investigate how game developers can
create scenarios that attract their end-users to the extent that they

!41
become addicted to playing them. All educators, not only physical
educators, could benefit from employing gamification,  the
application of game-design elements and game principles to non-
game contexts.

The presence of advanced technology will continue to

increase during the next years and decades. Despite the fact that we
know technology is a major cause of sedentary lifestyles, banning
devices from our classrooms would be next to impossible. As
educators, rather than going against the grain of technological
change, we can make use of this advanced technology to our
advantage when teaching. It is up to us to discover the many ways to
integrate technology into PE.

Rediscovering Assessment and

Achievement in PE
"We [physical educators] have struggled to find success in
terms of national acceptance because we have been unable to
produce the volume of data on a proactive basis that we demonstrate
a major impact on the entire society. We seem to be content with the
past approaches using educational arguments for our existence
rather than being able to openly produce valid, reliable, and objective
evidence that shows we are change agents" (Holyoke, as cited in
Melograno, 2007).

The nature of Physical Education creates a unique set of

grading issues that must be resolved (Melograno, 2007). Assessment

!42
in Physical Education is a critical and sensitive topic. Surely, no
teacher wants to be criticized that his or her grading practices are
inconsistent, unreliable, invalid, or obsolete.

This is the author’s courageous attempt to instill awareness

in his fellow Physical Education professionals that assessment in PE
needs urgent attention in order for us to become real agents of
change. We all face the same challenges and criticisms from people
outside our circle. They may not be vocally expressing their
dissatisfaction. However, we know there is something wrong with
the system. Whose hands are up to dare to be leaders of necessary
change for the good name of our profession?

In the past, teachers were highly respected in many Asian

countries for their professional status. This situation, however, has
changed as of late due to the inability of PE assessment to catch up
with the times. In terms of grades that learners receive after a long
list of assessments, learners tend to accept whatever mark they get
without questioning whether the grade is the result of their true
performance or not. In this way, the teacher’s professional judgment
is unquestionable. Parents as well seldom question the grades their
children get, particularly in PE. Physical educators are professionals
capable of using sound professional judgment in the assessment of
learners. However, few teachers have been trained to implement
valid, reliable, and consistent assessment procedures.

How significant is assessment in PE anyway? Why is it so

important? Why don’t we just phase it out of our education system?
Melograno (2007) said that the following are a few reasons why
assessment is significant and must remain part of our PE programs:

1. Assessment is a required teaching competency to obtain

information about the needs and progress of learners;

!43
 2. Assessment is a formal accountability that provides
evidence to indicate that predetermined goals and
objectives are met;
3. Assessment provides regular monitoring of student
progress which results in greater achievement and
increased motivation; and
4. Assessment serves as program justification and
professional accountability.

In other words, assessment is the element that makes PE a

justifiable academic subject. Not providing assessment in PE would
only add to the misconception that the subject is a fancy, extended
recess period.

As it is taught in schools, physical educators commonly use

factors such as attendance, participation, PE uniform, effort,
behavior and attitude as part of teachers’ rubrics for assessment.
Motor skill performance, what learners can do, level of learners’
physical fitness or their effort to improve, periodical tests,
homework, and projects may also be included in PE teachers’ rubrics.
If physical educators are still using these factors, they are following a
grading system that doesn’t measure what it is supposed to measure.
There must be a better way to assess learners in today's modern
Physical Education.

No two children are ever the same (UNICEF, 2001). The

same applies to teachers, don't you think? If a school has only a few
PE teachers, most parents would hope that their children would be
under the kindest, most tolerant, and most generous teacher in terms
of giving high grades. Teacher A’s assessment process may likely be
totally be different from Teacher B’s or Teacher C’s.

So, how can teachers make valid, reliable, and consistent

grades in PE for our learners?

!44
 First, it is necessary to distinguish which factors or criteria
are the PREREQUISITES and which are the REQUISITES.
Prerequisite factors are necessary to ensure learners’ involvement in
class. Attendance, punctuality, PE uniform, learners’ readiness,
behavior and attitude, interest, motivation, enthusiasm and effort are
prerequisites, but they are not our focus learning targets.

For every PE class, there could be one or two unprepared

learners who may have forgotten to wear their PE uniforms. Sure
thing, it is a responsibility they have failed. Teachers usually exclude
them from PE class for two reasons: firstly, as a punishment and
secondly, to protect the safety of the learner. However, the question
arises: should their grades suffer just because they were not allowed
to participate in the class? In this scenario, as educators, what are we
trying to assess? If we give them a failing mark for missing the class,
what exactly are we measuring? This alone makes our measurement
invalid because we are not measuring what we are supposed to be
measuring, their achievement. On the other hand, it is unfair for the
rest of the class who did their part to prepare and learn. But what can
the teacher do?

The good thing is that prerequisites are factors that teachers

can manage if there is a system that the school has set up for. For
example, if a student comes to class not in uniform clothes, schools
can set up a “rent a uniform” booth where learners can pay a minimal
fee to have access to uniforms that are ready to wear. Aside from a
minimal fee, another possible consequence could be the need to
hand-wash the uniform at home before returning it to the booth. It’s
educational and it can solve the problem without focusing on
whether coming to class unprepared should be graded more strictly
than coming to class prepared.

!45
 If the problem is about a student not wearing the appropriate
footwear, why don’t we think about solutions? Discuss it with
learners. Sure thing, it would be an educational topic to enrich the
learning for their unit. There is also the possibility of an alternative
task instead of punishing the child’s unpreparedness. The
alternatives are numerous.

Prerequisites are factors that teachers can deal with. They

can surely be challenging, but these factors are our responsibilities to
our learners — making sure they are ready for the unit. Punishing
them by giving them lower grades because they fail to properly
prepare for class reflects our inability to connect with our learners
and reinforce policies in our classes. It’s not the learners’ fault. It
could be ours.

We know that when learners are not interested or not

prepared, they will not do their best in class. Their readiness
determines their success. However, their readiness should not be the
focus of assessment. Our focus should be their success.

Success is the requisite. We measure success by generating

evidence that our goals and objectives are met. We monitor learners’
progress as we make sure they are on the right track to reach the
academic goals. We may adjust our approach or method to help them
succeed when we see they have stagnated. At the end of the day, the
assessment is just a tool to gather information about learners’
progress. Evaluation, on the other hand, makes use of data generated
from assessments to provide more insightful meaning into learners’
progress.

Furthermore, let us expand the process of evaluation and

assessment from the traditional way we conduct it in schools. Think
about this: most evaluations and assessments are one-way and top-
down, from teacher to student. It has always been teachers

!46
 evaluating their goals and objectives through their learners. Learners
are always the subjects of evaluation and assessment. It is not much
different from simply measuring the height and the weight of
learners, labelling them with that information and displaying it on


Teacher is the
authority in
assessment

Teacher
Teacher utilizes utilizes
academic goals prerequisites Teacher utilizes the
and objectives to to assess activity unit learning
assess learners learning outcomes to assess
learners

Learners are the subject of assessment

A diagram of how assessment is done in many schools across Asia.

!47
 Goals and objectives are evaluated
through learners’ readiness, learners’
success, and the appropriateness of
the activity unit conducted
The result of the
evaluation
conducted
reflects the
competency of
the teacher

Teacher evaluates his

or her goals and
objectives through his
or her learners

Learners evaluate Learners evaluate

Teacher involves learners in planning their peers and their activity unit
and preparation for the activity unit. themselves
However, these prerequisites are not the
basis of the entire grading system

The schematic diagram of the assessment in Physical EducASEAN by Oliver Napila Gomez

their report cards. Nothing else. The very essence of assessment, a

diagnosis to let learners know their weaknesses and provide them
with suggestions for improvement, is gone.

The kind of assessment and evaluation the author has

developed to be implemented in the new PE will involve learners in
the evaluation process, in the same way they are involved in the
preparation. Assessment and evaluation should not only be teacher
to learners. It should also be learners to the activity unit, or learners
to themselves. Assessment and evaluation are skills that learners,
themselves, need to acquire. These skills are necessary to make
healthy and good decisions for their lives.

!48
 Urgent! We Need to
Reshape PE Today
If you think that the delivery of Physical Education is still great in
your school, locality, or country, please think again. It is deteriorating and
declining. Cutting the length of time allocated for PE in schools in order to
give priority to other subjects means sentencing learners with diminished
health and possibly the fourth leading cause of death. If our national
policymakers do not reshape PE today, still keeping it together with Music,
Arts and Health as a clustered subject, they are putting millions of young
learners’ lives at risk of coronary heart disease and other diseases related to
physical inactivity.

If the delivery of PE, with the rise of technology, scarcity of

competent professionals in the field, and obsolete approaches to teaching,
continues for the next 10 years without being reshaped, physical inactivity
and sedentary lifestyles, along with the associated diseases will surely
increase. There will be a tremendous decline in health levels and workers’ job
productivity if PE is not accepted to be one of the most important subjects in
school. Poor health conditions of workers due to physical inactivity will
seriously threaten our national economies in the future.

Even UNESCO, in partnership with the European Commission, the

ICSSPE, IOC, UNDP, UNICEF, UNOSDP and WHO, is calling the attention
of all policymakers, i.e., heads of departments or senior officials within
ministries, to reshape Physical Education policy in order to accelerate the
development of several dimensions of human capital in a unique,
comprehensive way. UNESCO is aware of the status of PE and acknowledges
the potential power of PE.

This is a call to action. It’s urgent! We need to reshape PE today.


!49
 PART 2
The System Setup
Loading…
When you purchase a new gadget, the first thing you have in
mind to do is run your gadget’s system preferences so that you can
adjust the settings for your own convenience. Changing the settings from
default will allow technology users to personalize their experience with
their gadgets. When users have completed setting up their gadgets,
adjusted the brightness of the screen, configured the wireless connection
settings, chosen the preferred language, selected the wallpaper and
notification ringtones, among others, then it is time to really claim
ownership of the gadget.

The author’s introduction of Physical EducASEAN is like a

salesman offering a new gadget to buyers. He could explain all of the
good points about his product, but unless it is bought and used, no one
will know about its impact.

This section assumes that a school has already grasped the

concepts of the 21st century Physical Education and has understood the
issues that surround the importance of implementing Quality Physical
Education. From this section, physical educators and schools will learn
how to set up the structure required to build a system that works for
Physical EducASEAN.

!50
The Idea of Creating
Several PE Programs
General Science is a subject in Grade 7, the overview of all
Science branches that include Biology, Chemistry, Physics,
Astronomy, and others. In the same way, Mathematics is not only
about arithmetic or functions of numbers. It includes Algebra,
Geometry, Trigonometry and other branches such as Applied Math,
Analysis, Statistics, Calculus, Logic, Set Theories and more.

What's the point, you may ask? While the world has only
known the concept of "General PE" for many years, what if Physical
Education were to have multiple branches such as Science or Math?

Today, in many schools, PE has only one identity - a singular

type of education that focuses on the physical aspects. For this
reason, the author has come up with an idea to create several
branches or programs in PE like those of Science and Math. The
names may not appear as fancy sounding as the names Biology,
Chemistry, or Physics, but at least dividing PE into several
classifications will make the subject more relevant to the learning
experience of each learner. They may not be "branches" per se,
because we don't really have to create names like "a branch that
studies sports" or "a branch that studies movements and rhythms".
Of course, creating branches or different types of PE should not only
be for the purpose of creating a fancy appearance. If undertaking
such a major task, there must be more substance rather than mere
titles and appearance. The important questions raised are: What is
the purpose of the diversification? For what reason do these several
Programs in PE need to be created?

Those in Physical Education surely know that PE has many

appearances. The question is: What identity of PE are you showing to
your learners?

!51
 Are you showing the competitive side of PE where learners
undergo training to win competitions?
The recreational part where learners are encouraged to seek fun
in physical activities?
The health and wellness part where learners are given physical
activity options to be fit for life?
The artistic part where movements are associated with rhythm
and performing arts?
The scientific and theoretical part where learners need to learn
science-related topics in PE?
The aesthetic side where learners have to exercise and move for
beauty and good outward appearance in order to improve self
and body image?
The extreme part where learners seek adventure and challenges?
The relaxation part where learners meditate and practice
mindfulness?
The adaptiveness of physical activities where modifications of
activities are made to fit into certain population types of
learners?
The leadership part where learners experience belonging to a
team and get exposed to the meaning of teamwork and being a
team player?
The lifestyle part where learners are encouraged to develop
healthy practices and avoid dangerous and unhealthy habits?
The values formation part where physical activities and exercises
are used to impact learners' attitudes and behaviors?
The life-saving part where learners value lives and learn
techniques to save lives?

One of the main issues in Physical Education is the idea that

the one and only PE program that we currently offer to our learners
is enough and that it is inclusively catering to all types of learners.
We may have divided our programs into several units/topics. But

!52
that does not solve the issue. There is no such thing as "one-size-fits-
all" in Physical Education.

Take the story of a learner in Mandalay, Myanmar who has

the biggest feet in the school, quite possibly the biggest in the
country. He always came to class with a pair of flip flops as he could
not find shoes to fit his feet. He could not participate in Physical
Education class because of this situation. It negatively affected his
academics. He suffered even more when he dropped out of school, all
due to one problem, the inability to find shoes in his size. Surely, in his
case, one size does not fit all. There is need for customization.

What would happen if hospitals provided all patients with

the same type of medicine? This would be deemed crazy as it is
widely known that each disease has its corresponding medicine.
However, in schools, the idea of one system for all types seems to be
the case. Educators provide learners with a uniform amount of
instruction or activities. This is called a “one-size-fits-all”
programming.

A one-size-fits-all programming in PE may have been seen as

effective by many schools. However, in reality, “one-size-fits-all” is
“one-size-may-fit-most”. It can never be inclusive of all. There may
be one, two, or half of the class struggling to find their best fit, but
these schools only offer one type of program in PE.

What if PE could become similar to Math or Science with

several branches and focuses for study? What if schools would create
several programs in PE and change the "one-size-fits-all"
programming to be "customize to fit all”?


!53
 The Character Simulation in
Sports Events Model
By looking at the Sports Education Model introduced by
Daryl Siedentop (1998) where instruction is carried out in a way
which simulates an athletic team and season, the author found the
inspiration to create several PE Programs for Philippine and ASEAN
schools. In the Sports Education Model, learners are increasingly
responsible for leadership, instruction, assessing, and performing.
The roles which learners have to fill during the simulation include
the following:
1. Captain – functions as coach, run practice/games
2. Statistician – records and posts team and individual
results on bulletin boards
3. Fitness Instructor – leads warm-up and possibly cool
down (this should be specific to the activity)
4. Manager – distributes and collects equipment, sets up
playing field/court, arrange substitutes for absent
players
5. Referee – officiates games with sufficient knowledge of
rules and etiquette of the sport/activity.
6. Several team members are assigned the role of referee.
They will take turns throughout the season.
7. Player – no assigned role, participating member of team.
8. Scorekeeper – may be designated to unprepared learners
9. Other roles: assistant captain, reporter

Learners are given specific roles to perform which they are

expected to stick to. They learn by simulating the reality of sports
training processes and competitions. Each learner has been given a
purpose to be a part of the team.

Then, how does Siedentop’s Sports Education Model become

the inspiration of creating several PE Programs for Philippine and

!54
ASEAN schools? It’s simple. The keywords are: simulation, role, and
purpose, all of which are adapted to 21st century learners. Like
Siedentop, Gomez has also come up with a model - the Character
Simulation in Sports Events Model or simply, the Events Model. In
order for PE classes to become as relevant to modern society as
possible, we need to create roles for learners that will teach them that
they have a responsibility to fulfill and a purpose to actualize.

Gomez’s Events Model identifies and classifies the types of

learners that physical educators have in their respective classes. This
process of identification and classification is done both by the teacher
and the learners themselves. However, the learner’s choice is the
priority.

In a sports event such as a tournament, we can easily identify

and classify various types of people from those who are present. The
largest number of people in an event is the crowd or spectators. The
center of the event is the athletes who are doing their best to win the
match. There are those athletes who unfortunately have been
injured. We can also find the coaches, the officials, and the
tournament managers. The technical staff are also present using
gadgets, cameras, and other advanced technology to cover or
document the event. And last but not the least, cheerleaders with
their mascots are usually there to entertain the crowd.

With these character simulations in mind, learners can

reflect on themselves when choosing which program best fits them.
Learners will have the freedom to undertake their preferred program
pathway towards lifetime participation in physical activities. The
following section shows the roles described by Gomez in the Events
Model.

!55
THE ENTERTAINED CROWD
Characteristics:
They are the type of learners who have little or no passion
to participate in sports competitions.
They enjoy watching matches and cheer for their favorite
teams.
They have a high possibility to be idle or sedentary.
They are passive, easy going, and “come-what-may” type
of learners.
They are mainly interested in various activities that are
fun and enjoyable.

Role: reporters, campus journalists,

commentators, statisticians,
Wants: recreation
Needs: physical fitness, fundamental movement
skills and concepts

THE COMPETITIVE ATHLETES

Characteristics:
They are the type of learners who are passionate about
sports training and competitions.
Their enjoyment comes from active involvement in
sports activities and competitions.
They are less likely to be idle or sedentary. A ball is
enough to keep them moving.
They are active and goal-oriented types of learners.
They are mainly motivated by success and achievement.

Role: captains, athletes, players

!56
 Wants: sports, physical fitness
Needs: physical fitness, fundamental movement
skills and concepts

THE DYNAMIC CHEERLEADERS

Characteristics:
They are the type of learners who are not excited by
sports training or competition, but are naturally creative
and artistic.
They integrate creativity into their movements.
They are less likely to be idle or sedentary. A rhythm is
enough to keep them moving.
They love to perform on stage.
They love dancing, acrobatics, and stunts.
They are interested mainly in rhythmic activities.

Role: dancers, performers, fitness instructors

Wants: dance, fundamental movement skills and
concepts
Needs: physical fitness

THE INJURED ATHLETES

Characteristics:
They are the type of learners who have short-term or
long-term injury or disability.
Their participation and the types of activities they are
allowed to do are limited.
They are more likely to be idle or sedentary because of
their limitation.

!57
 They need special consideration as much as they need to
be active.
They are interested in activities that they are able to do.

Role: recuperating patients

Wants: various activities
Needs: safety in physical activity, physical fitness

THE COMPETENT ORGANIZERS

Characteristics:
They are the type of learners who are less passionate
about sports training.
They are incredibly passionate in sports competitions.
They are less likely to be idle or sedentary.
They have leadership qualities that need cultivation.
They are interested in activities, responsibility and
leadership roles.

Role: officiating judges, tournament managers,

performance production managers,
wellness program managers, recreation
leaders, coaches, tournament coordinators,
marketers, promoters
Wants: various activities
Needs: leadership in physical education

THE TECHY LIVEWARES

Characteristics:
They are the type of learners who are less likely to be
passionate about sports training.

!58
 They are incredibly passionate about technology that
surrounds sports competition.
They are likely to be idle or sedentary.
Technology helps them to move and become active.
They have creative and innovative ideas for change.
They are mainly interested in technology and innovation.

Role: scorekeepers, cameramen/women,

photographers, technical support,
sound directors, light directors
Wants: technology in physical education
Needs: innovations in physical education

Which Tribe
Do You Belong To?

A diagram created by Oliver Napila Gomez that shows how Physical

EducASEAN provides six different TRIBES for learners to belong to.

!59
 After reflecting on which character to simulate in a sports
event, a learner may then choose which tribe, classification or type of
learner he or she is.

Spectator Tribe (S-tribe)

Contrary to what the name of the tribe suggests, their role as

members of this tribe is not limited to watching games or events. An
integral aspect of this tribe is the participation in physical activities
with a recreational focus rather than a competitive focus. Their
activities could also be related to aesthetics, beauty appreciation and
fitness promotion. They enjoy and find delight in watching sports or
performance events because they are entertained and amused by
them. They also have the tendency to freely share their opinions or
make comments on their thoughts about events. This tribe makes up
a majority of the academic population.

By default, all learners begin in this tribe. Hence, all Grade 1

to 4 learners are “S-tribes”. In Grade 5, they make an important
decision to remain as S-tribe or to try out to be part of Athlete Tribe
(“A-tribe” ) or audition for Performance Tribe (“P-tribe”). In
Grade 9, they will make another crucial decision to apply for Leader
Tribe (“L-Tribe”) or for Technology Tribe (“T-Tribe”). S-tribe
learners may also choose to remain in that tribe for the duration of
their school life until Grade 12.

Recuperating Tribe (R-tribe)

Their role as members of this tribe is to recuperate from

short-term injuries or to make physical education learning possible
despite long-term physical challenges by participating in
appropriately selected physical activities that match their needs.
Their activities are comprised of highly modified and individualized

!60
recreation, fitness, and dance activities. Further, these activities are
conducted without the concept of competition (except in the case of
specially organized events). This tribe makes up a smaller proportion
of the academic population.

There are two types of learners in this tribe. Type A learners

have long-term physical challenges. Adapted PE will serve as the
program for these learners from Grade 1 to Grade 12. They will
choose, together with their parents, attending physicians, and
teachers, 100% of the academic PE activity units. On the other hand,
Type B learners are those with short-term injuries. AdPE plays an
important role in their recovery process. However, when they have
fully recovered, they will be integrated back into their original tribe.

Administration of unit tasks and achievement goals will be

similar to other programs. However, case by case considerations can
be applied when necessary. Schools may require the cooperation of
parents or shadow teachers to ensure that their activities are
appropriate and safe.

Athletic Tribe (A-tribe)

Their role as members of this tribe consisting of the learners

who are athletically talented is not limited to competing in sports
competitions. This also includes participation in athletic training
either in PE class or after school. This tribe helps members to excel in
individual, dual, and team sports.

A-tribe activities are related to sports appreciation, fitness

promotion, individual, doubles and team training and competitions.
They take delight in and enjoy physical activity not only for
achievement as athletes but also for recreational purposes.

!61
 They start as S-tribes from Grade 1 to 4. In Grade 5, if they
have identified themselves as “athletic”, they have the opportunity to
try out for this tribe during the enrollment period. If they for some
reason miss the chance to try out at the beginning of Grade 5, their
next chance to try out for this tribe would be during the enrollment
period for Grade 6. A-Tribes may choose to remain in the tribe until
Grade 12 or change track during any enrollment period.

Performance Tribe (P-tribe)

Their role as members of this tribe which consists of those

learners who are rhythmically talented incorporates more than
performing in events. This includes participation in physical
activities that involve dancing, performing arts, productions for
presentation, or performing for competitions.

Their activities are related to performing arts appreciation,

fitness promotion, individual, duo and group performances. They
delight in and enjoy being on stage as performers in addition to
performing for recreational purposes.

They start as S-tribes from Grade 1 to 4. In Grade 5, if they

have identified themselves as performers, they are able to audition
for P-tribe during the enrollment period. After this, their next chance
to join the tribe would be during the Grade 6 enrollment period. P-
tribes may choose to remain in the tribe until Grade 12 or change
track during any enrollment period.

!62
Leader Tribe (L-tribe)

Their role as members of this tribe consisting of a limited

number of academic student leaders who are passionate about
service to the academic community is to commit themselves to take
on additional leadership responsibility. Their responsibility is to
plan, organize, implement, and evaluate after school, off-school, and
inter-school events together with the Physical EducASEAN governing
body and their school Student Supreme Government. Their role
includes leadership in physical activity participation as they are role
models for all other tribes.

Being part of the L-tribe requires learners to be leaders and

to influence other tribes to be active inside and outside of school for
the rest of their lives. This is only possible if the learners are willing
to commit extra time after school and off-school during weekends.

The L-tribe is open to learners from Grades 9 to 12.

Application must be made during the enrollment period.

Technology Tribe (T-tribe)

Their role as members of this tribe consisting of those

learners who are passionate about theory and concepts is to integrate
science, technology and research related to Physical Education
studies, as well as to promote innovative ideas or inventions related
to physical activities. Their role includes promotion and propagation
of new and innovative contemporary physical activities within their
communities.

The T-tribe is open to learners from Grades 9 to 12.

Application must be made during the enrollment season.

!63
Physical EducASEAN
and Its Programs
Providing Innovative and Inclusive Programs for All
Types of Learners

Let's face the truth... not all learners wish to be athletic or are
born to be athletes. That's why Gomez has developed these curricular
program options for schools in order to meet the needs of each
student taking up school PE. These options take into account the
factors such as learners’ kinesthetic ability, learning styles, activity or
sports preferences, disabilities or limitations, and personal goals.
Learners perform best and are intrinsically motivated when they are
given the opportunity to choose the program that best fits them.

Physical EducASEAN involves several PE Programs for

schools to adopt. To create programs inclusive of all learners in PE,
so that all types of learners are involved, Gomez has developed an
original concept, the Character Simulation in Sports Events, to
classify the types of learners we usually encounter in PE class. Here
are the six main PE Programs that we offer for each type of learner:

The Integrated Physical Education Program

(IPE) integrates athletic, movement, fitness and

IPE
recreation activities in academic physical
education class (and extra-curricular activities).
Its drive is to allow learners to be legitimate
peripheral participants to function as wellness
and recreation leaders in the academic
community.

The Adapted Physical Education Program (AdPE)

individualizes and modifies athletic, movement, fitness and
recreation activities in academic physical education class and extra-

!64
curricular activities. It goes along with IPE as it
begins in Grade 1 and ends in Grade 12. There is
special emphasis on carefully selecting the activities
AdPE
t h a t best fit each student’s special case.

The Movement Physical Education

Program (MPE) gives more attention to

MPE
rhythmic activities and dance. Incoming Grade 5
learners may audition for the program. Its drive
is to allow learners to be legitimate peripheral
participants to function as dance performers
in the academic community.

The Athletic Physical Education Program

APE
(APE) puts more focus on athletics. Incoming Grade
5 learners may try out for the program. Its drive is to
allow learners to be legitimate peripheral
participants to function as players/athletes in the
academic community.

The Leadership Physical Education

Program (LPE) combines all programs while

LPE
highlighting management, organization, and
leadership in academic physical education and
extra-curricular activities. Its drive is to allow
learners to be legitimate peripheral participants
to function as leaders and organizers in the
academic community.

The Innovative Physical Education Program (InPE)

places attention on innovating activities, games and
dance and the inclusion of science and technology in
class. Incoming Grade 9 learners may try out for the

InPE
program. Its drive is to allow learners to be

!65
legitimate peripheral participants to function as innovators/
inventors of physical activities in the academic community.

Progression of Physical EducASEAN Programs


IPE AdPE
THE
APE CHOICE IS
YOURS!
MPE
LPE InPE
!66
 On Physical EducASEAN
Implementation: Anticipated
Schedule and Staffing
Running 6 PE programs simultaneously could lead to issues
with class schedules and staff in charge. As an example, consider a
school that has one section in Grade 5 with 15 learners. Five of them
could be in APE, four of them could be in MPE, and six could be in
IPE. For instance, the class schedule is Tuesday and Friday from
10:00 - 11:00 am. This means, there should be three teachers
simultaneously conducting their respective classes with at least 4
learners during the schedule. It’s an advantage for the learning
process of learners. However, it may not be possible for the school's
budget.

RECOMMENDED SOLUTIONS

Staffing Recommendations. Physical EducASEAN has

identified 6 PE teachers who will assume the following positions and
their respective qualifications:
i. IPE Lead Teacher - Degree in PE or equivalent
ii. APE Lead Teacher - Degree in Sports Ed or equivalent
iii. MPE Lead Teacher - Degree in Dance Ed or equivalent
iv. LPE Lead Teacher - Degree in Sports Management or
equivalent
v. InPE Lead Teacher - Degree in PE, proficiency/experience in
Educational Technology
vi. AdPE Lead Teacher - Adapted PE degree holder

The number of staff should be proportional to the

population of the learners. Class size is relative to every school. To
determine the need for hiring, schools need to create a plan.

Ranking of the staff according to priority:

i. IPE and AdPE Lead Teacher (Whole School 1-12)

!67
 ii. APE and MPE Lead Teacher (Middle and High
School)
iii. LPE and InPE Teacher (High School Only)

Schedule Recommendations from Grade 5 to Grade 12

Middle School Block Schedule

Combine 2 grade levels
i. Class 1 - Middle School IPE (Grades 5 and 6)
ii. Class 2 - Middle School IPE (Grades 7 and 8)
iii. Class 3 - Middle School APE (Grades 5 and 6)
iv. Class 4 - Middle School APE (Grades 7 and 8)
v. Class 5 - Middle School MPE (Grades 5 and 6)
vi. Class 6 - Middle School MPE (Grades 7 and 8)
vii. Class 7 - Middle School AdPE (Grades 5, 6, 7, and 8)

Or combine 4 grade levels

i. Class 1 - Middle School IPE (Grades 5-8)
ii. Class 2 - Middle School APE (Grades 5 -8)
iii. Class 3 - Middle School MPE (Grades 5-8)
iv. Class 4 - Middle School AdPE (Grades 5-8)

High School Block Schedule

Combine 2 grade levels
i. Class 1 - High School IPE (Grades 9 and 10)
ii. Class 2 - High School IPE (Grades 11 and 12)
iii. Class 3 - High School APE (Grades 9 and 10)
iv. Class 4 - High School APE (Grades 11 and 12)
v. Class 5 - High School MPE (Grades 9 and 10)
vi. Class 6 - High School MPE (Grades 11 and 12)
vii. Class 7 - High School LPE (Grades 9 and 10)
viii. Class 8 - High School LPE (Grades 11 and 12)
ix. Class 9 - High School InPE (Grades 9 and 10)

!68
 x. Class 10 - High School InPE (Grades 11 and 12)
xi. Class 11 - High School AdPE (Grades 9-12)

Or combine 4 grade levels

i. Class 1 - High School IPE (Grades 9-12)
ii. Class 2 - High School APE (Grades 9 -12)
iii. Class 3 - High School MPE (Grades 9-12)
iv. Class 4 - High School AdPE (Grades 9-12)
v. Class 5 - High School LPE (Grades 9-12)
vi. Class 6 - High School InPE (Grades 9-12)

STAFF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

IPE LEAD TEACHER. The IPE Lead Teacher is in charge

of the Integrated Physical Education (IPE) Program from
Grades 1-12. This teacher will handle the academic load for
the following:
Elementary IPE Grades 1-4
Middle School IPE Grades 5-8
High School IPE Grades 9-12
After School Fitness and Recreation Activities

AdPE LEAD TEACHER. The AdPE Lead Teacher is in

charge of the Adapted Physical Education (AdPE) Program
from Grades 1-12. This teacher will handle the academic load
for the following:
Elementary AdPE Grades 1-4
Middle School AdPE Grades 5-8
High School AdPE Grades 9-12
After School Special Recreation Activities

!69
APE LEAD TEACHER. The APE Lead Teacher is in charge
of the Athletic Physical Education (APE) Program from
Grades 5-12. This teacher will handle the academic load for
the following:
Middle School APE Grades 5-8
High School APE Grades 9-12
After school sports clubs
Inter-school sports events
Off-school sports events approved by the school
Sports Coach

MPE LEAD TEACHER. The MPE Lead Teacher is in

charge of the Movement Physical Education (MPE) Program
from Grades 5-12. This teacher will handle the academic load
for the following:
Middle School MPE Grades 5-8
High School MPE Grades 9-12
After school Dance/Performing Arts clubs
Inter-school Dance/Performing Arts events
Off-school Dance/Performing Arts events
approved by the school
Artistic Director

LPE LEAD TEACHER. The LPE lead teacher is in charge

of the Leadership Physical Education Program (LPE) from
Grades 9 - 12. This teacher will teach the following:
High School LPE Grades 9-12
After school leadership clubs
Inter-school leadership events
Off-school leadership events approved by the
school
Athletic Directorship

!70
 InPE LEAD TEACHER. The InPE lead teacher is in charge
of the Innovative Physical Education Program (LPE) from
Grades 9 - 12. This teacher will teach the following:
High School InPE Grades 9-12
After school innovative clubs
Inter-school innovative events
Off-school innovative events approved by the
school

THREE-YEAR PLAN FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

PE PROGRAMS

Year 1: Implement IPE from Grade 1 to Grade 12

Implement AdPE from Grade 1 to Grade 12
Teachers needed: IPE Lead Teacher and AdPE Lead Teacher = 2

Year 2: Improve and sustain IPE and AdPE from Grade 1-12
Implement APE from Grade 5 to Grade 12
Implement MPE from Grade 5 to Grade 12
Teachers needed: IPE Lead Teacher and AdPE Lead Teacher = 2
APE Lead Teacher and MPE Lead Teacher = 2

Year 3: Improve and sustain IPE and AdPE from Grade 1 to Grade 12
Improve and sustain APE and MPE from Grade 5 to Grade 12
Implement InPE from Grade 9 to Grade 12
Implement LPE from Grade 9 to Grade 12
Teachers needed: IPE Lead Teacher and AdPE Lead Teacher = 2
APE Lead Teacher and MPE Lead Teacher = 2
InPE Lead Teacher and LPE Lead Teacher = 2

!71
Important note: the recommended solutions presented here may not
be applicable to all schools. You may contact Oliver Gomez PE
Innovations™ at physedinnovations@gmail.com for consultation
in order for your school to be able to setup Physical EducASEAN
system.


!72
PART 3
Flexible and Customizable
Curriculum Framework

When Globe/TM, a major telecommunications company, realized that subscribers

all over the Philippines have varying preferences when making a contract, they introduced
GoSakto, a do-it-yourself customizable system which gives subscribers the freedom to
choose the promo type or allocation (texts, calls, surfing or a combination), select whether
the texts and calls they avail for their promo choice are for Globe/TM or for all networks,
set a specific cost they would like to spend, decide the promo validity, name their own
promo and post it on their Facebook timelines. How cool is that?

Customization is a flexible concept not only in business, but also in education.

Curricula in schools are not customizable because they are fixed. Most of these fixed
curricula are characterized by one-size-fits-all programming. But what does it mean to
apply customization to education?

In education, customization means that schools or teachers are able to modify

their curricula to suit the needs and interests of every learner. This means that curricula
should not be fixed. They should be designed in such a way that schools and educators
can customize them. Hence, what schools and educators need is a structure or a
framework. In this part, the author will show that Physical Education is highly flexible and
customizable.

!73
 Who Gets to Decide?
A widely accepted definition of Physical Education states
that it is an integral part of the educational program designed to
promote the optimum development of an individual physically,
mentally, socially, emotionally and spiritually through total body
movement in the performance of properly selected physical activities
and exercises. This definition clearly conveys the significant effect of
PE on a learner’s well-being and highlights the importance of proper
selection of physical activities and exercises to be included in the
program. But, who gets to decide?

“Properly selected physical activities” is usually interpreted

by PE teachers as a job to be done by schools or national
departments or ministries. Let’s say that the latter has made the
selection. What is their basis for choosing a particular physical
activity to be included in the PE curriculum? For example, let's
assume that they have assigned basketball as one of the physical
activities. Why basketball? What is the purpose of including
basketball in the curriculum? Will all schools including schools in
the mountains and isolated islands be able to have access to the
proper equipment and facilities? Swimming. Why swimming?
What’s the purpose of putting swimming in the curriculum? Will all
schools, especially public schools in remote areas have access to a
suitable facility?

There is a wide gap in the availability of physical activity

facilities between urban and rural areas. Schools in rural areas,
literally on mountain tops, have different physical activity needs
compared to schools in urban areas. The physical activity needs of
schools close to the sea are also very different from schools in
mountainous areas or in arid zones. Are locations included as factors

!74
when choosing physical activities for the PE curriculum? The answer
is, almost never.

Proper selection of physical activities means many different

things:

appropriateness of the physical activity with respect to

the age of the learners;
accessibility of equipment and facilities;
localized physical activities that match the location of the
school;
the needs of every learner; and
the interests of every learner.

With respect to the idea that the curriculum provided by

national departments and ministries in education is the best our
countries can produce, the author strongly disagrees.. Selection of
physical activities or units must not only be in the hands of national
curriculum developers. Local schools and learners themselves should
be given the authority to take part in the selection process as well.
After all, the appropriateness of the physical activities in terms of age
and preference can best be determined by the learners themselves.
Plus, the learners will develop greater motivation when they know
that their activities of interest will be part of their PE program.

In this book, the proper selection of physical activities in

Physical EducASEAN means that we are giving the opportunity to
learners to select 50% of the yearly block plan and for the school,
national department or ministry of education to provide the other
50% of the plan. With this, we have resolved the issue of who gets to
decide.

!75
 The Physical
EducASEAN-X
(PhysEdX) Pedagogy
Ten is a very significant number in ASEAN. It is the number
of Southeast Asian countries that have committed to being unified as
one region with one identity. In this book, the number 10, denoted by
the roman numeral X, is suffixed to PhysEd, the shortened form of
Physical Education. Hence, Physical EducASEAN-X or PhysEdX [fis-
ed-ex] or [fis-ed-ten].

PhysEdX Pedagogy, an original method created by the

author, is a method that harnesses the power of PE in new and
innovative ways. This method is a development in PE which follows
the guidelines of Quality Physical Education set by The United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO).

PhysEdX is a resourceful and original method of teaching

which provides a flexible and customizable curricular structure that
allows education institutions and their learners to equally choose
physical activities within general guidelines. This will be supported
by a motivating gamified approach inspired by online/digital games,
a network of public schools and communities working together to
promote safe and high-quality physical activities, and answers to
most of the issues regarding PE as an academic discipline.

We take Physical Education to a new level where learners

have the freedom to collectively plan and select their PE activity units
on their own terms. The method revolutionizes Physical Education to
become meaningful, relevant, and purposeful, thus highlighting its
ultimate purpose as an academic discipline in schools - to guide
learners to be physically active for the rest of their lives.

!76
 Missions
Quarter Units
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

3 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
2 4 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

5 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
3 6 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

7 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70

4 8 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

Each school year has 4 quarters and 8 activity units (2 activity units per quarter).
Each activity unit contains 10 tasks or missions that target the three learning
domains: cognitive, affective and psychomotor. The activity units achieve learning
outcomes from a school’s standards and benchmarks. They are also designed to bond
the academic PE to after school extra-curricular activities, school-wide activities, and
accredited community and commercial activities.

PhysEdX means different things to different people. For

example, for learners, it means that they become part of the careful
selection process of physical activities and exercises. They also
become part of the PhysEdX GAME in their academic PE class. For
PE teachers, PhysEdX means that lessons are structured to adapt to
the PhysEdX GAME. An academic year consists of 8 units, each of
which are made up of 10 missions/lessons. Assessments are based on
mission/lesson completion, not on what learners can or can not do.
Finally, it means that different schools may use different standards,
but they will have a unified curricular structure, an identical
evaluation system, the same achievement goals, and the expansion
of their PE programs and extra-curricular programs.

PhysEdX helps Education Departments/Ministries to align

their curricula with the main purpose of Physical Education’s role in
!77
academia. These are the key concepts to successfully achieve the
goals of PE and guide schools to its real purpose:

PREFERENCE. Children are unique. They are individuals, as no

two children are alike; physically, emotionally, socially and
intellectually, each child is a unique individual (UNICEF, 2001). Each
child has a unique liking or fondness towards physical activities. This
is the reason why schools should appreciate learners’ preferences and
increase CHOICES.

MOTIVATION. Physical activities are intrinsically motivating in

nature. However, forced learning, whatever type it is, greatly
demotivates learners. Schools make PE an intrinsically motivating
learning experience when they value learners’ activity preference.
Equally important, the gamified approach also takes PE to a whole
new level. This is an extrinsic motivation for learners.

ADHERENCE. Physical activities that fit the preference of learners

and at the same time are enjoyable and motivating will more likely
be adhered to. Learners develop habits in living a physically active
life when schools and authorities follow this simple equation:
Preference x Motivation = Adherence in physical activities and
exercise.

LEADERSHIP. We must educate learners to be leaders in health

and physical activities. Leaders know their activity preferences. They
are motivated to be active. They have developed habits to adhere to
their physical activity programs. And more importantly, they
influence others to live healthy and active lifestyles.

LIFESTYLE. It must be our goal to guide our learners to develop

their preference in physical activities and exercise, motivate them
intrinsically and extrinsically, help them overcome the barriers of
adherence in their physical activity programs, become leaders
promoting healthy lifestyles, and live a fun-filled, healthy and fit
lifetime.


!78
The Physical EducASEAN
ChoiceBook
The primary purpose of the ChoiceBook is to catalog activity
units for each PE program. It also identifies which activity units
belong to the “Must Units” and the “Can Units” depending on the
focus of the program. Learners may refer to the ChoiceBook when
selecting activity units during the first 2 weeks of the academic year.

Program choices in Physical EducASEAN

There are six (6) program choices in Physical EducASEAN as

previously introduced in Part 2. These PE programs cater to different
types of learners in the Events Model. By default, all learners begin
with IPE Program except for some learners with special needs who
will be enrolled in AdPE Program.

The Integrated Physical Education Program (IPE)

integrates athletic, movement, fitness and recreation activities in
academic physical education class (and extra-curricular activities).
Its drive is to allow learners to function as wellness and recreation
leaders in the academic community.

G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 G9 G10 G11 G12

Selection of activity Selection of activity units for middle school

units for elementary and high school learners is 50% from the 8-
learners is limited activity unit sequence for an academic year

From Grade 1 to Grade 4, schools will carefully pre-select 8

foundation activity units. From Grade 5, four units of the curriculum
content will be required and the class will collectively choose the
other four units in order to make it an 8-activity unit sequence for an

!79
academic year. Learners have the freedom to choose activity units
from other programs too.

Curriculum Content of the Program

THE HEART OF THE PROGRAM - Recreation
MUST-LEARN LESSONS - Movement Education,
Physical Fitness and Health
ELECTIVES - Sports, Dance

The Adapted Physical Education Program (AdPE)

individualizes and modifies athletic, movement, fitness and
recreation activities in academic physical education class and extra-
curricular activities. It goes along with IPE as it begins in Grade 1 and
ends at Grade 12, but with a great emphasis on carefully selecting the
activities that best fit each student’s special case.

G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 G9 G10 G11 G12

Selection of 8 activity units from Grade 1 to Grade 12 will come from

the collaborative and collective decisions of learners, parents,
teachers, and physicians

From Grade 1 to Grade 12, learners and teachers will

carefully select activity units to modify. The program caters not only
to learners who have long-term challenges, but also to those with
short-term injuries or conditions that limit their participation in
other programs.

Curriculum Content of the Program

THE HEART OF THE PROGRAM - Special
Recreation
MUST-LEARN MODIFIED LESSONS -
Movement Education, Physical Fitness and Health
INDIVIDUALIZED ELECTIVES - Sports,
Dance
!80
 The Athletic Physical Education Program (APE)
places more focus on athletics. Incoming Grade 5 learners who
identify themselves as athletes may try out for the program. Its drive
is to allow learners to function as players/athletes in the academic
community.

G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 G9 G10 G11 G12

Integrated PE Athletic PE Program

Program

APE Program begins in Grade 5. Four units of the curriculum

content will be required. The class will collectively choose the other
four units to make it an 8-unit course for an academic year. Learners
have the freedom to choose units from other programs (for example,
dance).

Curriculum Content of the Program

THE HEART OF THE PROGRAM - Sports
MUST-LEARN LESSONS - Movement
Education, Physical Fitness and Health
ELECTIVES - Recreation, Dance

The Movement Physical Education Program (MPE)

gives more attention to rhythmic activities and dance. Incoming
Grade 5 students may audition for the program. Its drive is to allow
students to function as dance performers in the academic
community.

G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 G9 G10 G11 G12

Integrated PE Movement PE Program

Program

!81
 MPE Program begins in Grade 5. Incoming students audition
for the program. Four units of the curriculum content will be
required. The class will collectively choose the other four units to
make it an 8-unit course for an academic year. Students have the
freedom to choose units from other programs too (for example,
sports).

Curriculum Content of the Program

THE HEART OF THE PROGRAM - Dance
MUST-LEARN LESSONS - Movement
Education, Physical Fitness and Health
ELECTIVES - Sports, Recreation

The Innovative Physical Education Program (InPE)

gives attention to innovating activities, games and dance. Incoming
Grade 9 students may apply for the program. Its drive is to allow
students to function as innovators/inventors of physical activities in
the academic community.

G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 G9 G10 G11 G12

Integrated PE Athletic PE Program Innovative PE

Program Movement PE Program Program

InPE Program begins in Grade 9. Four units of the

curriculum content will be required and the class will collectively
choose the other four units to make it an 8-unit course for an
academic year. Students have the freedom to choose units from other
programs too (for example, dance or sports).

Curriculum Content of the Program

THE HEART OF THE PROGRAM -
Technology in PE, Innovations in PE
MUST-LEARN LESSONS - Movement
Education, Physical Fitness and Health
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 ELECTIVES - Sports, Dance, Recreation

The Leadership Physical Education Program (LPE)

combines all programs while highlighting management,
organization, and leadership in academic physical education and
extra-curricular activities. Its drive is to allow students to function as
leaders and organizers in the academic community.

G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 G9 G10 G11 G12

Integrated PE Athletic PE Program Leadership PE

Program Movement PE Program Program

LPE Program begins in Grade 9. Four units of the curriculum

content will be required and the class will collectively choose the
other four units to make it an 8-unit course for an academic year.
Students have the freedom to choose units from other programs too
(for example, dance or sports).

Curriculum Content of the Program

THE HEART OF THE PROGRAM -
Organization and Management in PE
MUST-LEARN LESSONS - Movement
Education, Physical Fitness and Health
ELECTIVES - Sports, Dance, Recreation

Must-learn and can-be-learned lessons

The ChoiceBook also classifies topics/units into two

categories - MUST UNITS and CAN UNITS. This classification is
based on the interests and needs of learners, two components of a
child-centered education.

!83
 MUST UNITS
Movement Education

Fundamental Movement Skills

Non-locomotor Movements, Locomotor Movements, Non-
manipulative Movements, Manipulative Movements
Movement Concepts
Body Awareness, Space Awareness, Effort Awareness, Relationship
Awareness

Physical Fitness and Health

Exercise and Physical Activities

Definition of Exercise and Physical Activities, Health Benefits of
Exercise and Physical Activities, Types of Exercise and Physical
Activities, The Physical Activity Pyramid

Safety in Physical Activity

Physical Activity Readiness, Common Injuries and Prevention,
Importance of Warming Up and Cooling Down, Guidelines for Safety,
Dangerous Exercises

Physical Fitness and Health

Concepts of Physical Fitness and Health, Principles of Training,
Methods of Training

Fitness Activities
Aerobics, Zumba, Yoga for Flexibility, Yoga for Balance, Pilates,
Bootcamp, Body Weight Exercise, Weight Training, Cross-fit, High
Intensity Interval Training

Other Fitness Activities

If learners can think of other fitness activities not mentioned in the
ChoiceBook, they may write them down.

!84
 CAN UNITS
Dance

Folk Dance
Indigenous Dances, Philippine Folk Dances, ASEAN Folk Dances,
Asian Folk Dances, Foreign Folk Dances

Dance Styles
Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Modern (Dance Improvisations), Line
Dancing, Social (Latin), DanceSports, Hip Hop and Street

Dance Studies
History of Dance, Dance Technique, Dance Culture, Dance Science

Other Rhythmic Activities

Just Dance, Zumba, Aerobics, Cheerleading, Theatre, Rhythmic
Gymnastics, Capoeira

Sports

Individual and Dual Sports

Archery, Artistic Gymnastics, Aquatics, Acrobatic Gymnastics,
Badminton, Tennis, Individual Track Events - Athletics, Individual
Field Events - Athletics, Individual Events in Swimming, Table Tennis
Triathlon, Trampolining, Spikeball

Team Sports
Basketball, Track Events - Relays, Football, Sepak takraw, Softball,
Floorball, Handball, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball, Tchoukball, Group
Swimming Events- Medleys

Martial Arts
Arnis, Muay Thai, Capoeira, Silat, Tai Chi, Taekwondo, Wushu,
Karate, Aikido

Recreation

Active Leisure Activities

Children’s Outdoor Games, Playground Games,
Chasing, Fleeing and Dodging Games

Active Sports for Fun

Basketball, Badminton, Athletics, Aquatics, Volleyball, Football/
Futsal, Frisbee, Table Tennis, Capoeira, Triathlon

!85
 Outdoor Recreation
Orienteering, Biking, Trekking, Kite Flying, Canoeing/Kayaking,
Camping, Nature Study, Picnicking, Eco Tourism, Fun Run

Traditional Games
Cultural and Traditional Games in ASEAN

Commercial Recreation
Activities run by commercial activity providers

Choices after school

The ChoiceBook also elaborates the three (3) types of extra-

curricular activities that are part of PhysEdXTRA, extra curricular
activities in Physical EducASEAN. These are:

1. PhysEdX After School. These are after-school activities with

voluntary participation by learners in the school premises such
as sports club training, dance club rehearsals, recreation club
activities, wellness club activities, campus journalism in sports,
dance, fitness, recreation, and leadership club activities.

2. PhysEdX Off-School. These are activities provided by

accredited establishments around the community. They can
either be commercial activity providers or a community
organization offering safe and quality type physical activities.

3. PhysEdX Inter-School. These are inter-school events that

either take place during school hours or on weekends such as
athletic meets, dance contests, recreation events, fitness
contests, leadership summits, and event journalism summits.
These can be local or international events.


!86
Selecting Activity Units
in PhysEdX Pedagogy
While learners may have many options to include in their PE
class, learners need to consider the following EASY guidelines when
choosing their units:

EASY Guidelines on Selecting Units

Equipment and Facilities
Where will you conduct the activity?

E
If you have no facility for the activity, do you
have an alternative space which you can use?
Are you willing to purchase your own
equipment if it is not available at school?
Do you have enough equipment to carry out
the activity you have chosen?

Ask your Teacher

Is he/she capable of teaching the unit?

A
(Example, if the class chooses skateboarding,
would the teacher be able to teach this unit?)
If not, what resources will your class need in
order to carry out the unit your class has
selected?

Safety
Is your chosen activity safe?

S
What are the risks involved?
What preventive measures are you going to
apply to avoid injuries?

Your Parents/Guardians
Do you think parents would agree with the

Y
chosen activities?
Do you think they would help purchase the
equipment needed for the chosen activities?
Talk to them. If they have questions, let them
talk to the teacher.

!87
 At the start of the academic year, during the first week of
school, schools must present the  MUST  units in the orientation.
Each learner will be provided with worksheets and a Physical
EducASEAN ChoiceBook which contains a variety of physical
activity choices. The first day of PE class will be spent on planning.
Teachers will guide their learners in the process. The process of class
selection is similar to the process of a class election. The only
difference is that the names that are nominated are for preferred
physical activities rather than student names.

Required (Must Units) 1, 3, 5, & 7 Preferred (Can Units) 2, 4, 6, & 8

Department/Ministry of Education Class Selection
and School Selection

Quarter 1

Unit 1 ____________________ Unit 2 ________________________

Quarter 2

Unit 3 ____________________ Unit 4 ________________________

Quarter 3

Unit 5 ____________________ Unit 6 ________________________

Quarter 4
Unit 7 ____________________ Unit 8 ________________________

The above decisions from the class are only a proposal of

subjects which will be reviewed by each parent or guardian following
the EASY guidelines. Each learner will bring a copy of this proposal
to show to their parents or guardians. Parents may see the PE teacher
if further clarification is needed. After parents’ review and approval,
the PE teacher will then recommend the proposal for the approval of
the head of the school or department.

!88
The Physical EducASEAN
MissionBook
There are 10 missions for every unit, just as there are 10
ASEAN countries. These missions are flexible and customizable,
allowing physical educators to easily modify them in order to
achieve their teaching goals and objectives.

Within PhysEdX Pedagogy, these 10 missions are

strategically arranged. Missions may be related to the standards,
expected learning outcomes, and purpose of integrating Physical
Education as an academic discipline. This purpose aims to guide
students to be active both inside school and outside of school, for
their lifetimes.

MissionBook Components

The MissionBook contains the following parts:

1. Unit Checkpoint
2. Mission 1: Unit Planning and Preparation
3. Mission 2: Theories and Concepts
4. Missions 3-8: Practical Tasks
5. Mission 9: Unit Evaluation
6. Mission 10: Goal Setting and Life Application

Unit Checkpoint. Before the unit begins, learners will have to

declare that they are fit to do the unit. Schools will need to make
policies about special cases. For example, special arrangement to
join another class or to choose a preferred activity that will be
conducted after school with additional fees.

!89
Unit Planning and Preparation. The first mission deals with
the prerequisites needed to successfully perform the unit. It
involves planning for the equipment and facilities, safety and first
aid, PE uniform, athletic shoes, activity readiness, medical
readiness, participation, emergency response preparation and
contingency plan. Students will be closely involved in planning
and preparing for the unit.

Theories and Concepts. The second mission deals with the

theories and concepts involved in the unit. This mission may be
combined with language arts for a cross-curricular opportunity if
needed. It involves reading comprehension, discussion, lecture,
open forum, and thorough examination of concepts. Assessment
tools to measure this cognitive task include, pencil and paper
exam, oral recitations, and quizzes.

Practical Tasks. The six missions from 3 to 8 are mainly

practical. They involve individual skill acquisition, development,
refinement, as well as rehearsals, game practices, scrimmages,
tournaments, dance presentations, and other methods chosen by
the teacher.

For example:
Mission 3 Skill acquisition - Basketball dribbling drills
Mission 4 Skill acquisition - Basketball shooting drills
Mission 5 Skill development - Practice dribbling and shooting skills
Mission 6 Skill refinement - Enrichment drills for dribbling and shooting
Mission 7 3X3 Basketball scrimmage
Mission 8 5X5 Basketball scrimmage

Unit Evaluation. Mission 9 gives students the chance to relate

the unit to their preference and reflect on how they were
motivated to do the activity. They will make a statement about
whether they were able to develop interest in the activity or not. If

!90
they have become interested in the activity, they will also make a
statement on how they will keep themselves engaged in the
learned activity. This guides them in developing their preferences.
They will also be able to evaluate themselves and identify some
factors as to why they may not have liked the activity.

Goal Setting and Life Application. The last mission leads

students to set their goals and transfer the Mission 9 evaluation to
their real life situations. It requires students to consider what is
next. Will they join an after school club related to the activity? Will
they participate in a similar activity offered outside of school?
What are their thoughts about joining a competition?

!91
 PART 4
Assessment in
Physical EducASEAN

A physical education teacher who once taught middle school PE in Bangkok

evaluated his learners’ running skills in Athletics using the following scale:

1-2 Has little or no understanding of pacing oneself in distance events,

often sprinting and then walking towards the end of the race.
3-4 Has more awareness of the need to pace oneself over longer distances,
although does sprint, walk and sprint again.
5-6 Has a much better understanding of the need to pace oneself in
distance events and is beginning to show correct style and more even
pacing.
7-8 Has a relaxed running style, shows greater pacing ability and a sprint
finish is becoming evident.
9-10 Has a relaxed and efficient running style, the ability to pace accurately
and the awareness of tactics during the race.

At first glance, the above scale is excellent to measure learners’ individual running
skills. Typical PE teachers would latch on to the scale and use it for their evaluation in
Athletics. In fact, there’s nothing wrong with this evaluation scale in terms of its construction
and validity. However, the following arguments
!92 provide evidence that there is something
wrong with this evaluation scale.
What Should
PE Grades Reflect?
It's never about evaluating what students can do, what they
are expected to do, and what they are capable of doing. No matter
what teachers do, learners will never perform physical skills in the
same manner as Olympic synchronized swimmers do. Learners’ skills
and performances are vastly relative. Therefore, grades based on
evaluation that measure learners’ skills or performance are not
appropriate. Grades should not paint a picture of who the learner is
in terms of individual skills, physical activity, capabilities and
incapabilities. However, if the purpose in evaluation is assessment,
for the physical educator to prescribe an intervention program to
improve weak skills, then physical motor skill tests are very valid.

For this reason, all sports skill evaluations, fitness tests, and
other assessments that evaluate the skills of learners have been
separated from academic PE and will be conducted after school by
the Leadership PE Program under Physical Fitness and Sports Skills
Testing Club that operates throughout the academic year. These tests
will not be part of PE lessons anymore, but will become part of extra-
curricular activities and sometimes, special missions. These too, are
not going to be the basis of students’ PE grades. Rather, they serve as
formal diagnostic tests conducted to improve the skills learners need
for PE class.

The nature of evaluation in PhysEdX Pedagogy is mission

completion. It is not just the outcomes that we focus on when
grading - it is the process of learning. Each mission focuses on a
particular domain of learning - cognitive, affective, and psychomotor.

Each mission weighs as 10% of the total unit. One hundred

percent (100%) means that 10 out of 10 missions are excellently
completed.


!93
 4 - excellent

3 - satisfactory

2 - improving

1 - needs improvement

0 - not completed

Missions will be evaluated as: 0 - not completed, 1 - needs improvement, 2 -

improving, 3 - satisfactory, and 4 - excellent. At the end of the unit, the highest
possible total score will be 40. A special term called “EdX Rewards” is used in the
pedagogy to make every score an opportunity to give rewards to learners as an
extrinsic motivating factor.

The Physical EducASEAN

Standards
Standard 1. SAFETY. The ASEAN learner adheres to the
general policies for safety and well-being in all physical
activities.

Standard 2. PROBLEM SOLVING. The ASEAN learner

recognizes strengths, acknowledges weaknesses, and acts to
overcome setbacks.

Standard 3. ADHERENCE. The ASEAN learner demonstrates

adherence to his/her physical activity preferences.

!94
Standard 4. SELF-REGULATION. The ASEAN learner is
self-regulating in performing physical activities when working
independently or with a group.

Standard 5. SELF-EVALUATION. The ASEAN learner

evaluates himself/herself, environment, engagement, enjoyment
and the physical activity.

Standard 6. GOAL SETTING. The ASEAN learner sets goals

focused on education and behavior change leading to physical
activity outside of class.


!95
 PART 5
Gamification in
Physical EducASEAN

The author of Physical EducASEAN has created “PhysEdX

Gamified” to be able to apply game-design elements and game principles
when teaching Physical Education in schools all over Southeast Asia. The
aim of the gamification is to maintain the interest of learners for the subject
through the entertainment aspects of a game.

PhysEdX Gamified is a game design which links academics to extra-

curricular activities. This chapter presents the concept of the game design
from method to practice, evaluation to recognition, and academic PE class to
extra-curricular activity participation. !96
 The Physical EducASEAN
Level Achievement Goals
There are 32 Levels in Physical EducASEAN. Beginning from
Grade 5, each grade has corresponding target levels that serve as
achievement goals. Learners should earn 70 MotivASEAN (the
rewards system of Physical EducASEAN) from completing PhysEdX
Missions in PE class, at least 10 XMotivASEAN (10 hours) from
participating in extra-curricular activities, and completing a
challenge from a list of challenges outlined in the LevelBook in order
to step up from one level to another.

How to step up from one level to another?

70 MotivASEAN 10 XMotivASEAN Choose and complete

from PhysEdX from Extra- a challenge from the
MissionBook curricular LevelBook
Activities

!97
 The PhysEdX
Gamified Mechanics
Materials:

Learners’ Game Sets

ChoiceBook
MissionBook
LevelBook
Program Passport

ChoiceBook
It acts as the catalog of activity units
for each curricular PE program and
provides information about extra-
curricular activity choices after
school, inter-school and off-school.

MissionBook
It serves as the workbook for PE. Each
MissionBook has a unit containing
10 missions. Learners will be able to
follow their progress through the units.

!98
 LevelBook
It guides learners through the
game. It shows the amount of
EdX Rewards that is required to
complete a LEVEL, how many
hours of extra-curricular
activities to complete, and the
surprise special challenge.

Physical
EducASEAN
Passport
Each learner will have a
PASSPORT of a different
color, depending on which
program he or she is enrolled
in. This passport serves as the
learner’s identification
document and as proof that
his/her school is a Physical
EducASEAN school. LEVEL
BADGES will be kept inside.
For more advanced school
set-ups, learners can use their
passports or program IDs to
avail discounts in accredited
community and commercial
partners where they can
receive MotivASEAN for the
game.


!99
Teachers’ Game Sets

Yearly Block Plan

It contains suggested yearly
MUST-units for each program
offering from Grade 1 to Grade
12.

Educator’s Unit Plan

This is a unit plan template. It
will guide teachers in creating
tasks for their activity units.
This unit plan is customizable.

Level Badge Certificate

It serves as an achievement
certificate. Teachers award a badge
to a learner who has completed a
level. Learners can track their
progress in PE using these badges.
It reminds learners of their level of
achievement and their next goal.
Some badges also contain rewards
in the form of physical activities.
!100
MotivASEAN
Rewards
Never let a mission completed
by a learner go unnoticed or
unevaluated. At the end of
every unit, learners will claim
their MotivASEAN from their
PE teacher. The amount of
MotivASEAN they will receive
is equal to the performance on
the mission they have
completed. The evaluation
scale is: Needs Improvement
(M1.00), Improving (M2.00),
Satisfactory (M3.00), and
Excellent (M4.00). The perfect
score for an activity unit is 40.
Therefore, the perfect reward
for a unit is also 40
MotivASEAN.
Gempowers
They are hexagon-shaped stickers that
look like gems used with a learner’s
LevelBook. Learners exchange
MotivASEAN for gempowers from their
teachers. The Sapphire Gempowers is
equivalent to 10 MotivASEAN that come
from MissionBook completion while the
Onyx Gempowers is equivalent to 5
XMotivASEAN which can be obtained
from extra-curricular activities. The
Ruby Gempowers can only be obtained
using a Challenge MotivASEAN.


!101
How is Academic PhysEdX Gamified
Played?
1. Learners select and enroll in a PE Program
in any grade level from Grades 5-12.
2. Learners will collectively select four
(4) activity units to supplement their
yearly block plan (See: Selecting
Activity Units, p. 87)
3. In PE class, learners complete up to 80
yearly academic missions as indicated in their
MissionBook. Every mission will be evaluated for academic grading
and as a basis for MotivASEAN.
4. LevelBooks will be provided to each learner. The LevelBook will be
used as a guide in achieving a level.
5. Learners need to exchange their MotivASEAN with gempowers. To
complete a level, they will need 7 sapphire gempowers.
6. After getting a page level of the LevelBook completely filled with the
required gempowers, they will get a PhysEdX level badge certificate.
7. The level badge will be attached to and kept in the program
passport. It could also be a PVC badge depending on the school’s
desire.

How is Extra-curricular PhysEdX Gamified Played?

8. Learners select and enroll in an extra-curricular activity after school,
off-school or inter-school.
9. Calculation for XMotivASEAN is per hour.
10. Everything done in extra-curricular activities after school, inter-
school, and off school counts! Everything will be recognized and will
be given extra credit.
Every participation in after school extra-curricular
activities
Every event competed in/attended within the
community (inter-school events)

!102
 Every voluntary participation at any accredited
community or commercial activity providers
Every participation in international events
11. XMotivASEAN obtained from extra-curricular activities may be used
to collect the onyx gempowers specific for PhysEdXTRA from
Grades 5 to 12.
12. Learners will need 2 onyx gempowers in addition to the 7 sapphire
gempowers to complete a level.

The Challenge Mission

13. There are a number of challenges outlined in the LevelBook to
choose from. Select and perform a challenge to the PE teacher.
Collect the challenge MotivASEAN, exchange it with a ruby
gempower and finally, add it with the 2 onyx gempowers and 7
sapphire gempowers. That's it. The learner has just completed a
level.


!103
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!108
 APPENDIX A
Career Opportunities for
Graduates of PE
ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
JOBS
Athletic Trainer
Coach – many different
sports
Assistant Coach
Associate Athletic Director
Athletic Director
Physical Education
Instructor
Marketing and
Promotions Coordinator
Athletic Program
Development Director
Sports Information
Director
HEALTH AND FITNESS JOBS
Athletic Trainer
Physical Therapist
Medical Assistant
Sports Medicine Aide
Assistant Athletic Trainer
Physical Therapy
Assistant
Sports Massage Therapist
Sports and Fitness
Nutritionist
Strength and Conditioning
Coach
Exercise Physiologist
Sports Physician
Sports Psychologist
CRUISE SHIP JOBS
Shipboard Golf
Professional Jobs
Cruise Director Jobs
Youth Program Director
Jobs
Youth Staff Jobs
Recreational Manager
Jobs
JOBS AT SPORTS VENUES
Games Coordination
Relations with other
organizations
Finance
Marketing
Legal Affairs
Technology Sporting Goods Commercial Fisher
Operations Salesperson Concert Promoter/
Communications Sports Store Business Festival Director
Medical staff Owner Convention Director/
Team Dealer Planner
SPORTS WRITING Corporate Travel Manager
JOB OR BROADCASTING JOBS AT LOCAL YMCA BOYS Cruise Ship Activity
CAREER AND GIRLS CLUB Director
Sportscaster Youth Sports Dive Master/Instructor
Sports News Reporter Administrator Equipment Manager
Television Sports Recreation Manager Equipment Salesperson
Producer Director
Radio Sports Producer Recreation Aid Facility Manager
Internet Sports Producer Recreation Specialist Fish & Game Warden
Sports Writer Recreation Therapist Fitness Trainer/Health
Sports Photographer Recreation Planner Club Manager
Sports Talk Show Host Teen Coordinator Flight Attendant
Sports Columnist Health & Fitness Director Forest Ranger
Sports Television Talent Instructor Government Tourism
Director Facility Manager Manager
Editor Aquatic Director Grounds Supervisor
Publisher Summer Camp Positions Marketing Director
Mountain Guide
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS DANCE JOBS Nursing Home Program
TEAM JOBS Dance Teacher Director
Coach Choreographer Outdoor Activity Leader
Strength and Conditioning arts administrator for a Park Naturalist
Coach dance company or theater Park Ranger
Scout Yoga or Pilates instructor Superintendent
Team President Marketing/Graphic Personal Assistant 
General Manager designer Professional Athlete
Business Manager Dance Photographer/ Professional Sports
Director of Minor League videographer Team Manager
Operations Costume or clothing Recreation Center
Marketing Director designer Coordinator/Manager
Promotion Director Physical therapist or Recreation Therapist
Director of Community dance medicine specialist Recycling Manager
Relations Retail Sales Associate
Ticket Operations RECREATION Sports and Fitness
Manager MANAGEMENT JOBS Nutritionist
Traveling Secretary Adventure Travel Sports Announcer
Executive Director Coordinator Sports Promotion
Stadium Manager Aerobics Instructor Director
Sports Events Coordinator Amusement Park Sports Writer
Equipment Manager Operator Stadium Manager
Scoreboard Operator Athletic Coach Tour Guide
Public Address Announcer Boat Captain Tournaments Planner
Camp Counselor/Director
SPORTING GOODS Campus Recreation
Manufacturer’s Director
Representative Children Activities Resort
Sporting Goods Store Facilitator
Manager

References:
JobMonkey (2017). Sports Industry Section. Retrieved from http://www.jobmonkey.com/sports/types_of_sports_jobs/
New York Film Academy (2014). 8 Dance Related Careers To Pursue After Dance Life. Retrieved from https://www.nyfa.edu/student-
resources/dance-related-careers/
Appalachian State University (n.d.). Recreation Management. Retrieved from https://careerexploration.appstate.edu/pagesmith/108

!109
 APPENDIX B
Type
PHYSICAL


of PEPREFERENCE
ACTIVITY Learners and
AND TYPE
Their
OFPreferences Questionnaire
LEARNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
ACTIVITIES YOU LIKE MOST
PROFILE OF THE LEARNER
Tick the box which corresponds to activities
Name: that you like or you wish to do.

Age: Aerobics Ballet, Jazz or

Bodybuilding Contemporary
Zumba HipHop or Street
Sex: Male Female Yoga Theatre performing
Pilates Orienteering / Amazing
Body Weight Exercise Race / Treasure
Height: Cycling Hunting
Weight Training Biking
Cross-fit Trekking / Hiking
Weight: High Intensity Interval Kite Flying
Training Canoeing/Kayaking
Archery Camping
Grade Level: Track and Field Nature Study
Badminton Picnicking
Bowling Fun Run
Basketball White water rafting
HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS A Boxing Sky diving
PARTICIPANT IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY? Cricket Snorkelling
Equestrian Mountain climbing
Tick the box that best describes you as a learner. Frisbee Zip lining
Football Laro ng Lahi
Golf (Philippine Games)
I think I am an ATHLETE. I love SPORTS very Gymnastics Parlor Games
much. I enjoy the thrill of COMPETITION. I like Hockey Dodgeball
winning a match or a game and I like to be a Karate Skateboarding/
champion in my event. Martial Arts Rollerskating/ Ice-
Netball skating
Sepak Takraw Sports officiating such
I think I am a PERFORMER. I love DANCING and Softball/Baseball as refereeing,
PERFORMING in front of many people on a stage. I Swimming umpiring, score
enjoy entertaining my audience with my artistic Tennis keeping, and line
Table Tennis judging
performances. Whether for contest or for enjoyment, Volleyball Coaching a sports
as long as there’s music, I will move to the rhythm of POKEMON GO or team
the beat. phone app-based Leading aerobics,
physical activities Zumba or group
Outdoor photography exercise
I think I am BOTH an ATHLETE and a Hoverboarding Organizing and
PERFORMER. I like to perform and play sports in Video clips / film - managing sports,
front of many people. I want to make the audience making dance, and other
happy either with me dancing or playing my favorite DJ-ing activities
Technical roles such as
sport. I won’t choose one over the other because I lights and sounds List activities that you like
love them both. directing in dance that are not on the list:
productions __________________
I think I am NEITHER an athlete NOR a performer. Dancing __________________
I don’t like to dance in front of many people in as Cheerleading __________________
DanceSports __________________
much as I don’t want to be in sports. I’d rather Ballroom Dancing __________________
WATCH others perform or play. I’d rather participate Folk Dance
in fun activities like RECREATION and health-
enhancing FITNESS activities.

I think I am a GEEK. I like physical activities that involve the use of my phone or my laptop. I like taking up
responsibilities that involve gadgets, sound system, camera, or videocam. I like doing activities that are not usually
participated by many.

I think I am a LEADER. I like to be the one organizing, managing, and influencing others to participate in physical
activities, contests, competitions, tournaments, and other events that involve physical activity participation.

© 2017 Oliver Gomez PE Innovations

!110
 RANK THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES
ACCORDING TO YOUR PREFERENCE:
Choose 3 activities from a list of 6. Rank them
first to third. Write the corresponding letter in the
box that corresponds to their rank.
A Basketball
B Cheerleading
C Yoga and Stretching
D White water rafting
E Hoverboarding
F Refereeing
A Swimming
B DanceSports/Ballroom
C Stationary Cycling
2nd
D Playing Laro ng Lahi
E Film-making
F Managing a tournament
A Track and Field
B Modern Dance
C Bodybuilding
D Mountain Climbing
E Outdoor Photography
F Coaching your team
A Table Tennis
B Dance Drama
C Calisthenics
D Dodgeball
E PokemonGo
F Directing
© 2017 Oliver Gomez PE Innovations
IF YOU ARE TO CHOOSE THE KIND OF PE PROGRAM
YOU WANT FOR YOURSELF, YOU LIKE THE PE
PROGRAM TO…
BE FOR FUN AND ENJOYMENT ONLY.
Activities included in the PE program must be
consistently enjoyable such as recreational
activities and games, dance for fun, and sports
for fun.
1st
FOCUS ON FITNESS AND HEALTH. PE
program must focus mainly on improving and
2nd enhancing physical fitness. This involves the two
components health-related physical fitness and
skill-related physical fitness.
3rd
BE COMPETITIVE IN SPORTS. PE Programs
should have many opportunities for learners to
compete in class, within the school, and with
other schools.
1st
PROMOTE PERFORMING ARTS. PE Programs
must promote performing arts where learners
can train themselves to be performers in dance,
acting, and music.
3rd
TRAIN LEARNERS TO ORGANIZE/MANAGE
EVENTS. PE must prepare learners to become
activity leaders. Lessons in PE program must be
about organizing, management, and leadership
in sports, dance and physical education.
1st
BE IN LINE WITH TODAY’S INNOVATIONS
AND TECHNOLOGY. PE should introduce more
2nd innovative physical activities which includes the
use of phones and laptops for physical activity
participation, the use of machines, and
3rd manipulation of technology.
A Badminton
1st B Hiphop/Street Dance 1st
C Jogging
2nd 2nd
D Skateboarding
E DJ-ing
3rd 3rd
F Leading Aerobic Workouts
!111
 HOW DO YOU LIKE EACH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY?



Use the rating scale below. Write the number of the rating
in the box to describe the degree of how much you like the Advanced methods in exercise (Cross-fit, circuit training)
stated physical activity.
Competitive Dancing (Cheerleading, DanceSports)

1 I DON’T LIKE THIS

Playground Games (Laro ng lahi, tag)

2 I LIKE THIS A LITTLE Individual Sports (Golf, Bowling, Swimming)

3 I LIKE THIS Film-making

4 I EXTREMELY LIKE THIS Organizing and managing events

Aerobic Exercises (jogging, cycling, running) Flexibility exercises (yoga, pilates,)

Partner Dances (DanceSports, ballroom) Street Dance (HipHop, Harlem, B-Boy,)

Outdoor Activities (Mountain climbing) Aquatic Activities (Canoeing, kayaking)

Racket Sports (badminton, table tennis, tennis) Team Sports (basketball, volleyball, softball)

App-based innovations (PokemonGo, pedometer,) Photography (Nature, sports, events)

Officiating sports (refereeing, umpiring) Coaching your team (being a team captain)

Weight training (bodybuilding, push ups) Zumba Fitness™

Theatre Dances (Jazz, contemporary, ballet) Recreational Dancing - dancing for enjoyment

Extreme Sports (Zip lining, sky-diving) Orienteering, treasure hunting, amazing race

Combative Sports (Boxing, taekwondo, karate) Competing in sports

Producing music (DJ-ing,) Social media to encourage physical activity

Leading the dance steps for others to follow Organizing a workshop

WHAT’S YOUR REASON FOR PARTICIPATION?

Tick the box that best describes your purpose in physical activity participation.

TO IMPROVE SELF-CONFIDENCE TO ENHANCE HEALTH AND FITNESS

TO TRAIN AND DEVELOP SKILLS TO WIN COMPETITIONS/CONTESTS

TO HAVE FUN! TO BE WITH FRIENDS TO IMPROVE BODY FIGURE

© 2017 Oliver Gomez PE Innovations

!112
WHAT ROLE DO YOU PLAY (OR THE ROLE YOU WANT TO PLAY IF YOU’VE
BEEN GIVEN A CHANCE) IN AN EVENT?

Which
PE WHICH
tribe do
TRIBE DO YOU
you belong
BELONG TO
IN AN EVENT?
to?
Te
hn c
olo
yT g
rib
e

SPECTATOR TRIBE. Also known as “the audience” or “the crowd”. They love the thrill
and the excitement of watching a sports event or a live performance.

RECUPERATING TRIBE. Also known as “the learners with special needs”. They are
either for a long term or a few months of rehabilitation so that they can recover.

ATHLETIC TRIBE. Also known as “athletes”. They either love playing all types of sports
activities or a particular sport event. They are motivated to compete. Sports is always a
fun experience whether in a competition or just playing with friends!

PERFORMANCE TRIBE. Also known as “performers”. They love to be on stage

performing a skill - dancing, acting, singing, acrobatics… They are motivated by their
need to express their artistic experience to others.

TECHNOLOGY TRIBE. Also known as “the geeks”. Their choice of activities is

influenced by the advancement of technology. The use of gadgets for physical activity
or using technology for physical activity is their expertise.

SPEARHEAD
LEADER TRIBE. TRIBE. Also known
Also known asleaders”.
as “the “the leaders”.
HavingHaving or possessing
or possessing leadership
leadership
qualities, they plan, organize, lead
lead and
and implement
implement activities
activities and
and encourage
encourageparticipation
participation
in physical activities. !113

© 2017 Oliver Gomez PE Innovations

 THE AUTHOR

Oliver Napila Gomez, a native of Brgy.

Kilikili East, Wao, Lanao del Sur, earned his
degree in Bachelor of Science in Physical
Education, major in Dance and minor in Sports
at the College of Sports, Physical Education and
Recreation in Mindanao State University, Marawi
City in 2009, Magna Cum Laude. He worked as
college instructor in the Philippines, education
consultant in Myanmar, ESL teacher in China, and PE
teacher in Thailand. He also developed education and
recreation programs that cater to corporate and school
groups for BOUNCEInc Thailand, the largest trampoline park in
Asia. He has travelled across most Southeast Asian
countries. Working and traveling opened up his eyes on
the issues and challenges PE has been facing not only in
the Philippines but in the ASEAN region as well. This
inspired him to step forward and to design an identity for his
profession, an original pedagogy shaped by various
concepts for the 21st century ASEAN learner.

He is currently in Cagayan de Oro City,

Philippines to help schools and physical educators improve
their methods of teaching incorporating and emphasizing
the concepts of inclusion, child-centeredness, flexibility and
customizability of curriculum, valid and reliable evaluation
and assessment, and gamification.

Connect with
Oliver Gomez
PE Innovations™
email physedinnovations@gmail.com !114
fb @PhysicalEducASEAN

twitter @olivercspear
Photo credits: BAGAN by Marlon S. Timbang