EDUC 9N856 - Honour Specialist Heath & Physical Education
Programming Description
The Honours Specialist in Health and Physical Education course is designed for educators who want to strengthen their HPE knowledge and take on leadership roles in their schools and communities. The course aligns with the Ontario College of Teachers’ Standards of Practice and supports you in building strong, equitable HPE programs.
You will explore key HPE policies, curriculum, and frameworks, and learn how to create instruction and assessment practices that are student-centred, inclusive, and grounded in current research. The course also examines leadership approaches that help you support colleagues, mentor others, and contribute to positive change in HPE education.
A strong focus is placed on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Social Justice, and Accessibility (EDISJA). You will learn how to identify and address systemic barriers and design HPE learning experiences that reflect and affirm the diverse identities of students. Throughout the course, you will engage in reflective practice, collaborate with peers, and apply strategies that strengthen your own professional growth.
By the end of the course, you will be prepared to lead comprehensive HPE programs, support school and community initiatives, and advocate for safe, active, and inclusive learning environments where all students can thrive.
Learner Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will
• Explain the significance of key Health and Physical Education (HPE) policies, legislation, frameworks and guidelines as important foundations within the classroom.
• Demonstrate an ability to apply knowledge and skills in a leadership position by collaborating, mentoring and sharing with colleagues in professional learning communities.
• Explore various leadership approaches within school and community settings that help support inclusive HPE programming and develop physical literacy and health promotion as life-long pursuits.
• Examine various forms of systemic biases through Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Social Justice and accessibility (EDISJA) frameworks and develop a plan to respond to them in meaningful ways.
• Design and implement meaningful instructional, assessment and evaluation strategies that promote student-centred learning and are supported by theories of learning, social-emotional learning and teaching pedagogy.
• Reflect critically on how your past experiences have affected your current pedagogical practice by developing a plan that identifies opportunities for growth and strategies for improvement.
