ABSTRACT
As a student PE teacher you are embarking on the long, but exciting, process of becoming an
effective teacher; of translating your knowledge and love of PE into the ability to encourage
pupils’ learning and progress into enthusiastic and committed participants who maintain
physical activity for life. You need to understand both the wider role of the teacher and your
specific role as a PE teacher, as well as what you are aiming to achieve in your lessons. There
are numerous teaching skills you need to develop, along with the ability to use the right
teaching skill in the right way at the right time to improve pupil learning. An understanding
of how teaching skills interact with each other in a lesson is also valuable. To develop into
an effective teacher you also need to be aware of the range of factors that impact on your
teaching, including understanding yourself, your values, attitudes and beliefs, and be able
to reflect on how these influence what you are doing and therefore on how they impact on
pupils’ learning (see Chapter 16 for further information about teacher beliefs).
