Subject:
Level:
Title:
Physical Education
Year 11
Skills for Teamwork
Authors:
Lorna Gillespie
Email address: lornagillespie@xtra.co.nz
All Curriculum Support Days resources reflect the work of subject specialists during a
two-day forum. You should view them as ‘work-in- progress’, not as finished units to
download and use. They demonstrate a range of ways of thinking about how you
might build the ‘front end’ of the NZ Curriculum (the Vision, Principles, Values, Key
Competencies, Effective Pedagogies and Learning Area Statements) into your existing
units of work, by re-focusing how you teach rather than changing what you teach.
The questions and comments recorded in the body of each resource are at least as
important as the unit itself. If for some reason your software does not display such
questions and comments, it is likely that you need to make some technical adjustment
to how you are viewing the resource. References in senior units to achievement or
unit standards are to current standards, and generally do not take into account
possible revisions of these standards to take effect from 2011.
1. Why is the unit “Skills for Teamwork” worth re-working?
The development and use of interpersonal skills are part of what make us human. In games
and teams, as in other aspects of life, there are influences that at times create situations
where our positive use of interpersonal skills may become variable!
This unit of work has been reflected on, revised and tweaked every year and has developed
into unit of work that the teachers and the students really enjoy. The student learning is
significant in that the unit explicitly teaches interpersonal skills and group processes and
provides opportunities to practise these. Formative opportunities to provide feedback and
feedforward are embedded in the unit. Students learn to lead, to follow, to give and receive
feedback, to take responsibility for their own learning and behaviours. They make the links
between values and what these really “look like” and overall develop as people. This unit has
been considered a very good unit of work, and apart from all the learning, it serves to set
expectations for the year and provides good links to school values and goals. (But….it still
needs work in relation to NZC!)
2. Rethinking the Unit
The following unit outline has comments boxes that describe my thinking as I reflect on the
unit in relation to NZC.
I have applied the “Planning for Learning in Physical Education” questions to this unit. This
reflective process has enabled me to consider the ‘front end’ of NZC, the necessary effective
pedagogy, and bring it together with the ‘back end’ of NZC.
While this reflective process and changes feel like a relatively lengthy process at this time, I
feel I need an approach that enables me to take account for all aspects of NZC in my
planning.
Unit Overview – Year 11: Level 1
Unit 1: Skills for Teamwork (pre-revision)
We wish to acknowledge and thank the Riccarton High School
Physical Education Department for providing this unit of work.
(Thanks team!
)
Unit Focus: This unit is designed to provide learning opportunities to develop and apply
interpersonal skills, and to reflect on this development as well as their ability to apply these in
a team / group context.
Attitudes and values
Socio-ecological perspective
Explicitly taught
Relating to others
Managing self
Participating and contributing
6A4
Students will be able to
articulate the factors that
contribute to personal
identity and demonstrate
acceptance of
individuality and
diversity.
I can
 State factors that
contribute to personal
identity
 Show I positively
accept all others in my
group
Underlying Concepts
Hauora
Health Promotion
Key competencies
Supported and developed
Thinking
Using language, symbols and text
Learning Intentions
6C2
Students will plan group
activities that ensure own
and others rights and
responsibilities are
recognised and that activities
avoid or minimise ‘social
risk’.
Success criteria
I can
 Plan activities that take
account for everyone’s
right to learn, contribute
and participate.
 Plan activities that aim to
ensure there is minimal
social risk for group
members
6C3
Students will demonstrate
interpersonal skills, reflect on
the strategies used and make
appropriate changes to their
interpersonal skill use.
I can
 Demonstrate a range of
interpersonal skills
 Reflect on my use of
interpersonal skills and
make changes as
necessary
Self and Peer reflection
Teacher observation
Discussion group activity
Assessment method/s
Self and peer assessment
Achievement Standard 1.5
Peer and self reflection
Formative tasks
Teacher observation
Achievement Standard 1.5
Learning Activities
3. The Revised Unit
Unit Aims Overview – Year 11: Level 1
Unit 1: Skills for Teamwork (Revised version)
This unit has been adapted from a unit developed by the Riccarton High
School Physical Education Department. (Thanks team!
)
Unit learning Focus
This unit it designed to provide students with learning opportunities to develop and apply
interpersonal skills, and to reflect on this development as well as their ability to apply these in
a team/group context. The Underlying Concepts that are the focus of the unit will support
school-wide understanding of and development of the NZC values, in particular respect,
diversity, excellence and equity.
Interpersonal skills are not learned by osmosis, and once we understand them, they need to
be practised and refined in a range of contexts. The students are explicitly taught
interpersonal skills pertinent to learning and playing in a team game context. In groups they
then utilise group expertise and resources available to practise as a team and prepare for
softball games within the class. They reflect on the use of their interpersonal skills in an
ongoing manner – during practices as well as games - and consider how they have
contributed to the success of the group / team. The focus is about the learning, use of and
reflection on interpersonal skills, and much less about the skills of the game. Learning
experiences will enable students to transfer their learning to school and their lives beyond
school.
It is envisaged this unit comprises approximately 20 – 24 hours of class time.
Vision, Principles and Values
This unit may contribute to the school wide understanding of the vision, principles and values
in the following ways:
Values
Excellence The learning intentions, success criteria and the way the unit is implemented will
set high expectations of students.
Innovation, inquiry and curiosity
The unit aims to give students the opportunity to develop and implement planned activities
with their peers. They will need to use their interpersonal skills as well as investigate what
activities will help their group / team develop and prepare for softball games.
Diversity, equity and respect
Students will be working in self-managing groups. The successful functioning of their group /
team will be somewhat dependent on their actions modelling these values.
Community and participation for the common good will be inherent in a group that is
functioning positively and successfully.
Principles
High expectations
This unit will set high expectations for students to develop and apply their interpersonal skills
and be positive and effective group / team members.
Learning to learn
This unit will encourage and support students to identify their own learning needs and to take
action to develop their own learning and the learning of others in terms of practical skill
development.
Coherence
This unit offers opportunities to identify other learning areas and situations where
interpersonal skills and effective groups / teams are used. Students will also be able to
identify how the learning in this unit links to school values and goals. It also offers
opportunities to transfer to, bring co-curricular and community sporting experiences into the
learning.
Future focus
Students will be enabled to make links between their learning and citizenship.
Vision
Confident
This unit aims to provide students with experiences that develop their interpersonal skills –
skills for life. This will support their confidence and the way they view themselves as people
and learners.
Connected
The learning focus of this unit provides students with the skills and knowledge to connect
with others.
Life Long learners
This unit will provide students with learning process that encourages them to look at their
own learning and the learning of others and how they can contribute to both of these.
Underlying Concepts
Hauora
Socio-ecological perspective
Health Promotion
Attitudes and values
The need for students to come to understand hauora /
Wellbeing underpins this unit.
The need for students to come to understand understanding about the
inter-relationships between self, others and society underpins this unit
The need for students to come to understand processes that develop and
maintain a supportive physical and emotional environment in a team
context underpins this unit.
The need for students to come to understand of a need for positive,
responsible attitude, respect, care and concern for others, and a sense of
social justice underpins this unit.
6A4
Students will be able to
articulate the factors that
contribute to personal
identity and demonstrate
acceptance of
individuality and
diversity.
Learning Intentions
6C2
6C3
Students will plan group
Students will demonstrate
activities that ensure own
interpersonal skills, reflect on
and others’ rights and
the strategies used and make
responsibilities are
appropriate changes to their
recognised and that activities interpersonal skill use.
avoid or minimise ‘social
risk’.
Success criteria
I can
I can
I can
 State factors that
 Plan activities that take
 Demonstrate a range of
contribute to personal
account for everyone’s
interpersonal skills
identity
right to learn, contribute
 Reflect on my use of
and participate.
 Show I positively
interpersonal skills and
accept all others in my  Plan activities that aim to
make changes as
group
ensure there is minimal
necessary
social risk for group
members
Key competencies
Explicitly taught
Supported and developed
Relating to others
Thinking
The learning intentions for this unit relate The learning activities for this unit will
directly to this KC. Students will be
enable the development of thinking.
explicitly taught interpersonal skills and
Reflection, making decisions, shaping
processes that enable interaction with
actions and constructing knowledge with
others in teams/groups. They will have
their peers are inherent in this unit and will
opportunities to develop and practise
contribute to their development as thinkers.
these skills, reflect on them, give and
receive feedback and feed-forward about
relating to others and using their IP skills.
Managing self
For successful learning in this unit,
students will need to self manage. They
will be expected to be autonomous and
self directed. They will be explicitly taught
the skills of self management and identify
what self-management ‘looks like’ in
action in this context.
Using language, symbols and text
This unit will enable the development of
understanding of the use of signals and
codes in a movement context.
Movement is the main language within this
unit and there is meaning to be derived
within this, and studetns will develop
understanding of movements, be able to
anticipate moves, and be aware of body
language and involvement in their group.
Participating and contributing
For successful learning in this unit,
participation and contribution will be
necessary. Students will be explicitly
taught what active participation consists
of and learning around effective groups
will include the need for and benefits of
contributing. The success criteria include
them contributing by planning activities.
Assessment method/s
Self and peer reflection
Self and peer assessment
Teacher observation
Achievement Standard 1.5
Discussion group activity
Peer and self reflection
Formative tasks
Teacher observation
Achievement Standard 1.5
Learning Activities
Reflection
What happened as a result of the teaching?
 How well did the students do?
 Did they learn as a result of teaching and learning?
 Was the learning challenging enough or was it too challenging?



Was the learning differentiated sufficiently to extend all students in their learning?
Was there enough time for students to develop/practise their learning?
Did teaching/learning activities support students work towards their intended learning
and what was it about the activities that made a difference?
1. What supported the students’ learning in this unit, and what were the barriers to
students’ learning?
2. Were students enabled to transfer their learning to other contexts?
4. Reflecting on the Process
In reworking this unit it is clear to me that while many of our units may be close to reflecting
the intent of NZC, there is still a need to rework these and consider learning goals for the
year group and the learning for each unit. The use of the questions in “Planning for
Learning in Physical Education” has enabled a good level of reflection and encouraged a
number of changes.
Teaching as Inquiry
Teaching inquiry
What strategies (evidencebased) are most likely to help
my students learn this?
Teaching
Learning
Focusing inquiry
What is important (and
therefore worth spending
time one), given where my
students are at?
Learning Inquiry
What happened as a result of the
teaching, and what are the
implications for future teaching?
Is there something I need to change?
What are the next steps for learning?
Teaching strategies in Physical Education, as in any learning area, will work differently
in different contexts for different students. Effective pedagogy requires that teachers
inquire into and reflect upon the impact of their teaching on their students.
Inquiry is a cyclical process.
Focusing inquiry will help to establish the WHAT and WHY
Teaching inquiry will help establish the HOW, and the detail of the WHAT
Learning inquiry will help establish the WHAT HAPPENED and the SO WHAT
Because of the cyclical nature of Inquiry, the SO WHAT in turn may become the next
round of WHAT and WHY
The following set of questions “Planning for Learning in Physical Education” provides
teachers with a set of questions for planning that attempts to draw together the “front
end” and the “back end” of NZC.
Planning for Learning in Physical Education
Focusing
Inquiry
What are the students’ needs?
Effective pedagogy (NZC p.34-35) links in bold
italics
What do you want students to learn and
why?
Supportive environment
 How might you encourage continued flow of
learning from school to home/community
and back again?
 What can the different cultures in your class
contribute to this unit?
Relevance of new learning
 How will this learning be relevant to student
lives, how will you know, who makes the
decisions about what is relevant?
 How and when will you involve students in
the direction the learning might take?
How will the learning contribute to the
school goals and NZC vision?
How do decisions made in planning the unit
contribute to the principles of NZC?
Which values are inherent in this unit of
work and what are the links to the Health
and Physical Education in the New Zealand
Curriculum Attitudes and Values?
How will the underlying concepts underpin
the unit?
Hauora. How will this unit support student
understanding of wellbeing?
Socio-ecological Perspective. How will this
unit support student understanding and learning
about the influences that might affect their
participation, confidence and ability in this unit?
Health Promotion. How might this unit support
student understanding of processes that
develop and maintain a supportive physical and
emotional environment?
Attitudes and Values. How might this unit
support students understanding of attitudes and
values (from HPE learning area).
Learning intentions/outcomes are written in
students’ language and linked to the HPE
learning area achievement objectives?
Relevance of new learning
 How will you share intended learning with
students?
Teaching Learning
Inquiry
Inquiry
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
What knowledge might students bring to this
unit?
Connections to prior learning and
experience
 Has students existing knowledge been
incorporated?
 How have students’ learning needs been
identified and incorporated?
 How are connections across learning areas,
home and community being made?
Success criteria have been written /
negotiated with students where appropriate.
What learning activities will be used and
how do they work students towards learning
intentions?
Relevance of new learning
 How will you switch students on to the
possibilities for this learning and tune them
in?
Facilitating shared learning
 What learning activities exist that encourage
sharing knowledge and experience?
 How will you include cooperative activities?
 How are conversations with others- family,
wider community-encouraged?
 Is there opportunity for the teacher to be a
learner?
 How are students supported and
challenged?
 How is ongoing feedback available? How is
ongoing feedback delivered?
Providing sufficient opportunities to learn
 Are there multiple opportunities for students
to engage with and practise new learning?
 Will there be learning activities for varying
ability levels?
 Will students be given feedback on their
learning and time to act on the feedback?
 Is new learning occurring in a variety of
contexts or different tasks?
 Have the students’ learning experiences
been meaningfully sequenced over time?
Encouraging reflective thought and action
 Do students have opportunities to reflect on
their learning and adapt as a result of the
reflection?
Creating a supportive learning environment
 How have you taken into account the
different language needs of your students?
When considering the learning activities,
which of the key competencies will be
X
X
X
X
X
X
explicitly taught, and which will be
supported and developed?
The primary purpose of assessment is to improve student learning and teachers
teaching as both student and teacher respond to the information that it provides
pg 39 NZC
Is formative practice embedded throughout
the unit?
 How will you ensure that students
understand criteria for success?
 How will you select evidence gathering
strategies and how and when will you share
this information with students?
 How will you involve students in the process
of evidence gathering and reflection?
 How will you provide opportunities for
feedback throughout the unit and not just at
the end of the unit?
 Lessons plans are developed as a result of
assessment information gathered
throughout the unit of work
X
X
At the completion of the unit of work teachers and students should be involved in
a reflection process to inform future units of work
Gather assessment information and then ask
the following questions
 Was the learning challenging enough or was
it too challenging?
 Is / was the learning differentiated
sufficiently to extend all students in their
learning?
 Was there enough time for students to
develop/practise their learning?
 Did teaching/learning activities support
students work towards their intended
learning and what was it about the activities
that made a difference?
What supported the students’ learning in
this unit, and what were the barriers to
students’ learning?
Were students enabled to transfer their
learning to other contexts?
X
X
X
X