Students are running fitness classes for adults and are being exposed to sports they normally wouldn’t find in a regional Queensland town, thanks to this innovative Health and Physical Education (HPE) teacher. Injune P-10 State School (ISS) teacher Michael Tucker has been developing night sports in the community and Secondary Sport Gala days for the four school schools in the local area. He’s even pitted students against their parents in a softball game. The diversification of sport in Injune has driven up the number of students participating in extra-curricular activities and sporting events. It’s also engaging the wider community.
ISS Head of Curriculum and Science Teacher Sarah Cook says Michael, who is also a Mathematics teacher and the school’s Sport Coordinator, has been a key leader and facilitator in developing a monthly cluster of HPE teachers who meet via video conferencing. Michael’s innovation includes using Information and Communication Technology—including drones, video analysis, online programs, video creation and the interactive lesson platform Nearpod—to engage his students in sport. “Michael’s number one strategy for engaging learning is creating after-school life and real-life links,” Sarah says. “Examples of this are engaging in the Sport Education model which has students run sporting competitions where they experience roles such as public relations, coaching, refereeing, managing and videography,” she says. “Similarly, Michael often uses peer and younger peer coaching as teaching and assessment, as it gives students authentic activities.” Michael has travelled many thousands of kilometres each year to participate in professional development, including attending Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation retreats, conferences and courses. He has also completed Level 1 coaching accreditation courses in hockey, swimming, rugby league, cricket, Australian football league, and tennis, and a level 2 coaching course in ruby union. Congratulations Michael on your nomination.