PLT4M For PE Programs – Fitness Education

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Meet Jessica Shawley

• Shape America National Teacher of the Year
• National Board Certified (NBCT) Physical Education Teacher
• Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Idaho
• Nationally recognized educational speaker and professional development trainer (currently serving on the Shape America Physical Education Council)
• Check out her previous podcast and article on Grant Writing 

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PLT4M For PE Programs – Fitness Education

In a dynamic field such as ours, Physical Education, Athletics & Fitness, we need quality resources that will help support the way we educate students. There is no one set edition of a printed, published curriculum in which we can quickly just adopt and follow. It is with this freedom that comes a great responsibility to provide a quality, standards-based program for students.  I am always on the search for quality curricular resources that will improve my teaching and student learning, and I value the importance of sharing resources and success stories so others may be able to benefit in their programs. It is for these reasons I write this blog. I came across PLT4M and have started using it as a foundation for fitness education in my secondary physical education classes. It has been a big year of transition as I just finished 15 years of teaching physical education at the jr. high/middle school level, including 8 years as a head varsity coach for the softball program, to now be teaching high school Health & Physical Education. The high school P.E. department I transferred to already had a lot of great things going on. I knew my teaching and coaching background would provide a solid foundation for the courses I was to teach; however, I knew there was room for improvement regarding our fitness education progression.  Secondary physical education programs, especially the high school level, are a critical last stop before adulthood for students to fortify their lifelong fitness skills. I am now using PLT4M as a go-to component of my program’s fitness education. From a curriculum perspective, here are my top reasons for using PLT4M in secondary physical education. 

1. PROGRAMS: Quality Fitness Education. 

PLT4M offers teachers an innovative fitness education curriculum with multiple modules/programs for all levels of secondary teachers and coaches (Grades 6 – 12) and can also complement a school’s staff wellness program. PLT4M is a robust platform that is motivating for students and includes assessment measures and data tracking for teachers.  It is not often you will find a platform that offers everything PLT4M does. There is a purposeful progression of fitness programs, teaching and instructional videos for every move, weekly programs, daily lessons, customization options, tracking of student progress, and printable reports.

2. PERSONALIZATION: Quality Differentiation & Personalized Learning. 

Personalizing learning is an essential part of teaching. I appreciate the variety of programs/modules I can choose from to best meet the needs of students. For example:   My weight training classes benefit from these programs: 

• Intro to Weight Training
• Personal Weight Training
• Total Athlete
• Off-Season & In-Season Training
• Speed, Agility & Conditioning

  My General P.E. & Dance-Yoga Fitness classes benefit from these programs: 

• Intro to Fitness
• Intro to Training
• Personal Fitness
• Mastering Mobility

Using PLT4M, I can have multiple programs going on in the same class and assigned to different students based upon their needs, and these can be adjusted at any time based upon their progress. I love how students access their program using my class iPads (I assign groups of 4 per iPad) and log their results as they workout to best track their progress.  When outside of class, students maintain access on their devices using the PLT4M app, which allows them to see their progress, check out workouts, and look at results, in real-time, all of which helps personalize the learning experience and increase student satisfaction and overall motivation. My weight training students are constantly checking their progress, are proud to celebrate a new gain, and have seen incredible benefits overall because of the way the program is structured.    [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

Check out how your Physical Education program can partner with PLT4M!

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3. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Quality Teacher Support. 

Another key to supporting not only student learning but also teacher learning are the instructional videos, visuals and resources PLT4M offers. As I began to use PLT4M, I quickly realized it was more than a fitness education program for my students. It was also providing quality, ongoing professional development for myself. I like the fact that I am not wasting money on a curriculum that will sit on the shelves in a binder or having to sit through professional development training that didn’t apply to me.  PLT4M is dialed in specifically for physical education teachers and athletic coaches. It offers continuing professional development as the programs are continually updated, including new tutorial instructional videos, educational blogs, and topical teaching podcasts. All of these are a great source of teacher education and have greatly enhanced my teaching. I am now seeing PLT4M is starting to include other written assessments; this will only further strengthen their program as a fitness education platform. Teachers should advocate for PLT4M as part of their professional development plan. No matter how many classes a teacher would use PLT4M for, the professional development and resources you have access to are of great value. 

4. PEOPLE-FOCUSED: Quality Customer Service.

Her name is Jackie. She is my dedicated customer success rep. Yep, she knows me. I know her (Hi Jackie!). I can schedule a call with her anytime, and she has always been there for me. She answers all of my questions, even re-answers them as I sometimes forget. She walks me through how to do things, helps me assign programs, design my instructional calendars, and always has excellent advice for how to implement the programs overall. She follows up every call with a dedicated email summary of our phone call with hyperlinks to different tutorial video links as needed, helpful reminders, and action items. I appreciate how she even follows up later to check in on how things are going. What great customer service.  I also value how PLT4M is built by teachers, coaches and certified trainers who are in the trenches and active with students and athletes daily. They are talking the talk and walking the walk. They believe in what they do. Their motto is: “In Pursuit of Better” and I think they’re on to something great. As they continue to grow, PLT4M has the potential to become a comprehensive fitness education platform for teachers. PLT4M has already made my teaching and physical education program better. I’m excited for what the future holds for PLT4M. 

What’s Next?

Thinking ‘big picture,’ my vision would be for middle schools to incorporate PLT4M’s Intro to Fitness program as a way to support the teaching and learning of essential fitness and movement skills as part of a secondary level fitness education foundation progression. Hence, students could then come to the high school level with a solid foundation that can then be built upon with more advanced movements and training techniques offered in the other PLT4M programs.  As mentioned earlier, I also envision using PLT4M as an opportunity for Staff Wellness. Physical education teachers would offer workouts for teachers through the PLT4M app and help contribute to overall school wellness and be a component of implementing a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) as recommended by SHAPE America.  PLT4M is a great, versatile tool that can significantly support fitness education in schools and is worth checking out. #InPursuitOfBetter  [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]