Because professional development never stops, and neither does the journey towards mastery, this summer might be the BEST opportunity EVER to attend a conference, and learn, connect and grow. In no particular order, here are NINE amazing, in-person conferences that are running this summer. Click on the links for more details and see which option is best for you. Top 3 Reasons To Attend Workshops & Conferences SHAPE America Summer Institute July 29-30. Minnesota. Fresh off the back of an amazing National Convention AND with the continued buzz of excitement regarding the recently launc ..read more

The quadrennial behemoth that is the Olympic Games is the sporting celebration that can be everything to everyone. Depending on the lens through which you view the Games, you’ll notice things, have different views and experience the event in ways different from others consuming exactly the same events. If you’re a traditionalist, like me, you view the Olympics through an Ancient Grecian lens, admiring the efforts of those athletes competing in ‘traditional’ sports. There’s something very Olympian to me in boxing, wrestling, and marathon running. None are sports that I watch at any other time o ..read more

Launched in 2020, over 200 educators and authors have joined in with the last four #microblog events here on slowchathealth.com. All four have been a huge success, lasting a whole month and featuring voices from across the globe. Sharing bite-sized blog posts of approximately 500 words, there have been submissions from experienced bloggers, first-time writers, authors, teachers, and some students eager to share their passion for health and physical education. Looking to build on the popularity of the past four years, I announce that this May will again be Micro Blog Month, and I encourage you ..read more

Regular readers of this site will know that I have been exploring all things #MeaningfulPE in physical education classes with my junior and senior students. This semester, my students have viewed a series of short video reflections from educators nationwide. These personal ‘movement journey’ narratives aim to inspire my students and expose them to diverse experiences. Once students view the 3-4 minute videos, they answer a series of prompts, each encouraging them to identify connections between the educator’s story and their own. My aim with this (ongoing) project* is to help students apprecia ..read more

With the SHAPE America National Convention almost upon us, I am launching a social media initiative that offers numerous advantages for both convention attendees and those engaging virtually on social platforms. The Inspiration Recently, on Instagram, I saw a series of posts from Adam Walker in which he asked attendees at his Podfest Expo session to record a short video summarizing their thoughts on what they learned from him. This got me thinking. What if we were to do something similar at #SHAPECleveland and encouraged educators to share their thoughts after attending each session. Surely th ..read more

Addressing the elephant in the (class)room, attending a conference, let alone the upcoming National Convention in Cleveland, IS expensive*. Even if your school allows travel to professional development during the week, travel out of your state, travel overnight, have professional development funding, and can find substitute teachers to cover your classes, the likelihood of you attending a large conference can be slim, and for many, is unlikely. If you’re looking for free professional development ideas and/or are eager to hone your craft in your own time, I’ve collated some ideas for you. #1 Re ..read more

Wanting to discover my students’ relationship with movement and identify how movement is meaningful to them, I recently set my Lifetime Activities class an autobiographical assignment. I was inspired to do so, not only by the Doug Gleddie and Jodi Harding-Kuriger chapter in the Meaningful Physical Education book but also by a blog post from Sporticus. Doug and Jodi identify that asking students to share their movement autobiographies not only reveals a wealth of unique stories, which allows students to appreciate the experience of others, but it also provides ..read more

With renewed confidence in traveling, conference attendance numbers are almost at their pre-COVID high, following the buzz from the fantastic #SHAPESeattle conference last year, attendees are seeking advice on social media regarding how to make the most of their limited time at one of the most significant professional development opportunities of the year. The 2024 SHAPE America National Convention and Expo – the nation’s leading convention for health and physical education professionals runs from March 12th to 16th in Cleveland, Ohio, and I’ve got tips for maximizing your experience. Whether ..read more

This guest post comes from Kevin Shephard, who you might know through his work with supportREALteachers.org, an initiative of the Center for Advancement of Standards-based Physical Education Reform (CASPER). The point of this post is to spark discussion on the topic. As the repercussions of climate change reverberate across all facets of our lives, the realm of sports is no exception. Athletes, fans, and sporting events worldwide are increasingly confronted with the tangible consequences of a warming planet, ranging from extreme weather events disrupting oppo ..read more

One constant during my 28 years of teaching is that the break from school at the end of the calendar year – winter for me and summer for my Southern Hemisphere friends – comes at just the right time. Leaving for school in the dark, arriving home in the dark, the end of a long semester of teaching (and the behavior of a few students) all have me yearning for a few weeks at home with family, seasonal fun, and the opportunity to reflect on the 12 months that came before me. Before the pandemic, my message at this time of year would have been “Let’s finish strong,” “Push on through,” or “Crush tho ..read more