Introducing PEL
PEL is ‘Physical Education is for Life’ and it focusses on the lifelong and life-wide physical activity journeys of everyone: children, young people and adults. PEL begins at birth and carries on for 100 and more years and it takes place in all our life-wide spaces: across the school, across the local community and at home.
Framed by principles from complexity thinking, PEL represents a unique approach to school PE because it focuses on this lifelong and life-wide vision. PEL takes the view that school PE should be the ’connective catalyst’ that sets the foundation for all children and young people’s PEL journeys: their lifelong and life-wide physical activity journeys.
To make PEL happen, school PE focusses on the holistic learning that helps to set a positive foundation for all PEL journeys. That is the physical and the cognitive, social and emotional learning that are so critical in helping set this PEL foundation. In this way, PEL extends the range of school PE experiences that are educationally worthwhile and also involves all the different lifelong and life-wide stakeholders in this experience.
PEL is a process that requires teachers and other stakeholders to become the curriculum makers and flexible practitioners who can create meaningful foundation experiences for all children and young people as they progress along their PEL journeys.