HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION

The knowledge, understanding and skills taught through Health and Physical Education enable students to explore and enhance their own and others’ health and physical activity in diverse and changing contexts. Development of the physical, intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual capacities necessary in the strands of ‘Movement and physical activity’ and ‘Personal, social and community health’ are key components of the P–10 Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education. They provide the foundations for learning and alignment to the QCAA Physical Education and Health senior syllabuses, to build increasingly complex and developmental courses of study in the senior years.

The knowledge, understanding and skills taught through Health and Physical Education enable students to explore and enhance their own and others’ health and physical activity in diverse and changing contexts.

Development of the physical, intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual capacities necessary in the strands of ‘Movement and physical activity’ and ‘Personal, social and community health’ are key components of the P–10 Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education. They provide the foundations for learning and alignment to the QCAA Physical Education and Health senior syllabuses, to build increasingly complex and developmental courses of study in the senior years.

The Health syllabus provides students with a contextualised strengths-based inquiry of the various determinants that create and promote lifelong health, learning and active citizenship. Drawing from the health, behavioural, social and physical sciences, the Health syllabus offers students an action, advocacy and evaluation-oriented curriculum. Embedded in Health is the Health inquiry model that provides the conceptual framework for this syllabus.

The Health syllabus is developmental and becomes increasingly more complex across the four units through the use of the Health inquiry model. This syllabus is underpinned by a salutogenic (strengths-based) approach, which focuses on how health resources are accessed and enhanced. Resilience as a personal health resource in Unit 1, establishes key teaching and learning concepts, which build capacity for the depth of understanding over the course of study.

Unit 2 focuses on the role and influence of peers and family as resources through one topic selected from two choices:

• Elective topic 1: Alcohol; or
• Elective topic 2: Body image.

Unit 3 explores the role of the community in shaping resources through one topic selected from three choices:

• Elective topic 1: Homelessness; or
• Elective topic 2: Transport safety; or
• Elective topic 3: Anxiety.

The culminating unit challenges students to investigate and evaluate innovations that influence respectful relationships to help them navigate the post-schooling life course transition.

Health uses an inquiry approach informed by the critical analysis of health information to investigate sustainable health change at personal, peer, family and community levels. Students define and understand broad health topics, which they reframe into specific contextualised health issues for further investigation. Students plan, implement, evaluate and reflect on action strategies that mediate, enable and advocate change through health promotion. 

Studying Health will highlight the value and dynamic nature of the discipline, alongside the purposeful processes and empathetic approach needed to enact change. The investigative skills required to understand complex issues and problems will enable interdisciplinary learning and prepare students for further study and a diverse range of career pathways. The development of problem-solving and decision-making skills will serve to enable learning now and in the future.

The health industry is currently experiencing strong growth and is recognised as the largest industry for new employment in Australia, with continued expansion predicted due to ageing population trends. A demand for individualised health care services increases the need for health-educated people who can solve problems and contribute to improved health outcomes across the lifespan at individual, family, local, national and global levels. The preventive health agenda is future-focused to develop 21st century skills, empowering students to be critical and creative thinkers, with strong communication and collaboration skills equipped with a range of personal, social and ICT skills.

Sport and recreation activities are a part of the fabric of Australian life and are an intrinsic part of Australian culture. These activities can encompass social and competitive sport, aquatic and community recreation, fitness and outdoor recreation. For many people, sport and recreation activities form a substantial component of their leisure time. Participation in sport and recreation can make positive contributions to a person’s wellbeing.

Sport and recreation activities also represent growth industries in Australia, providing many employment opportunities, many of which will be directly or indirectly associated with hosting Commonwealth, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The skills developed in Sport & Recreation may be oriented toward work, personal fitness or general health and wellbeing. Students will be involved in learning experiences that allow them to develop their interpersonal abilities and encourage them to appreciate and value active involvement in sport and recreational activities, contributing to ongoing personal and community development throughout their lives.

Sport is defined as activities requiring physical exertion, personal challenge and skills as the primary focus, along with elements of competition. Within these activities, rules and patterns of behaviour governing the activity exist formally through organisations. Recreation activities are defined as active pastimes engaged in for the purpose of relaxation, health and wellbeing and/or enjoyment and are recognised as having socially worthwhile qualities. Active recreation requires physical exertion and human activity. Physical activities that meet these classifications can include active play and minor games, challenge and adventure activities, games and sports, lifelong physical activities, and rhythmic and expressive movement activities.

Active participation in sport and recreation activities is central to the learning in Sport & Recreation. Sport & Recreation enables students to engage in sport and recreation activities to experience and learn about the role of sport and recreation in their lives, the lives of others and the community. Engagement in these activities provides a unique and powerful opportunity for students to experience the challenge and fun of physical activity while developing vocational, life and physical skills.

Each unit requires that students engage in sport and/or recreation activities. They investigate, plan, perform and evaluate procedures and strategies and communicate appropriately to particular audiences for particular purposes.