Physical Education and English integrated learning

PE-in-CLIL is a holistic approach that uses the basic yet essential principle of learning that ‘we learn by doing’. Based on tasks which push the class to go further but which also give them the support to do so, PE-in-CLIL fosters content, language, cognition and cultural awareness. A lesson is a short-term plan involving a sequence of tasks. Each task is composed of specific activities, drills or motor development problems that coin- cide with specific goals, processes and steps. To complete the tasks, the class has to attain clearly-defined goals by using different motor, communicative, cognitive and volitive procedures.

The lesson plan should include the following: the teaching aims; the contents relat- ed to motor learning experiences; the vocabulary, structures and functions; thinking skills and personal and social development; the resources and facilities that will be needed; and a sequence of activities, usually divided in three phases. Although some routines are inherent to both school procedures and PE lessons, at the beginning of the school year it is important for the class to know what protocols will affect the PE-in-CLIL class management (if need be, this should be explained to them in their native lan- guage). At this point the class should be told all about the routines, the groups’ organi- sation and roles, the language that will be needed to ask for equipment, and the roll calls and dressing room procedures. It is also very important for the subject teachers to reach an agreement with the language teachers about which language to use for class management, especially where younger learners are involved.

Although there are variants in the initial and concluding stages, traditionally the three parts of a PE class are the warm-up, main body and cool-down. The most com- mon way of starting a lesson is to prepare the class physically for doing a specific type of activity. However, Velázquez and Hernández (2010) recommend an introductory phase explaining the goals of the lesson and introducing activities that connect with the previous lessons. Language teachers use a similar lesson plan when they introduce the topic and elicit learners’ previous knowledge through brainstorming. Graham (2008) highlights the concept of instant activity as a means to facilitate a quick start. Children usually come to physical education class ready to move and they want to be active, not listen to the teacher talking. Instant activity is an effective way to direct ener- gy and calm children down. To use this type of introduction, scaffolding should be provided. For example, flashcards, visuals or written cards are posted around the court or gym giving instructions about the activity to be done. After a few minutes, when the class has burnt some of its initial energy, the children are ready to listen. Then, the goals of the lesson are explained and the key vocabulary or concepts are introduced. Instant activity is also used in foreign language lessons. The teacher exhibits lesson objectives, key vocabulary and flashcards on the walls around the classroom and this provides learners with a language-rich environment that encourages them to discover what the lesson is about. Songs, tongue-twisters and introductory games are also usual, especial- ly with younger learners.

PE-in-CLIL lessons must provide an introduction that covers the physical, psycho- logical and language preparation the class will need to complete the activities that follow. Although teachers can use any of introductions described above, the information related to the goals of the lesson should be provided, the key vocabulary or concepts should be explained and a physical game or activity should be performed. At this point, it is very useful to have learners play physical games that appeal to them and are designed to introduce the key vocabulary without slowing down the pace of the class. _{The main body or development phase is the core of the lesson, and it focuses on} knowledge and skills acquisition through practical activities. The development phase provides the class with opportunities to demonstrate what they can do and should encourage oral interaction. Teachers are recommended to use a sequence of connected tasks to facilitate motor learning, language use, thinking skills and social development. As Coral (2012) observes, research demonstrates that many features of PE tasks that promote integrated learning are linked to balanced tasks. A task is said to be balanced when it requires equal measures of motor, communication and cognition skill. A bal- anced and efficient task must meet five conditions: it must be motivating, include phys- ical activity, foster oral interaction, develop thinking and be socially conducive. Drills with long explanations that encroach upon the time allotted to physical activity are rejected, and tasks that incorporate language and movement without slowing down the pace of the activity are the most advantageous. In order to create balanced tasks, language must be embedded in physical activity. Language needs to be incorporated in tasks without slowing down the pace of the physical activity and good examples of how to do this include asking learners to report the actions or results of a game, justify the decisions of the referee’s team in a sport, explain a game, give instructions recipro- cally, lead a workout, make predictions about performance speed, chant while jumping over moving objects or skipping ropes, or write down notes in the rest phase of a cir- cuit. Still, fully balanced tasks are difficult to design. Generally, content or language assumes priority according to the task sequence (Gajo, 2007) and so teachers may also consider set-tasks composed of unbalanced integrated tasks. Considered as a whole, a lesson is balanced when the teacher presents a carefully designed sequence of unbal- anced tasks. To facilitate the creation of PE-in-CLIL tasks, both the CLIL matrix (Coyle et al., 2010) and the PE-in-CLIL teaching guidelines based on Bloom’s taxonomy should be considered (Coral, 2012).

Traditionally, the aim of the cool-down or conclusion phase of the PE lesson is to calm the class down. This is the phase where learners are often asked to complete stretching activities. Different authors (Velázquez & Hernández, 2010; Graham, 2008, Doherty & Brennan, 2008) recommend cognition activities such as self-assessment and high order-questioning to promote reflection and critical thinking or have learners summarise the lesson. Similarly, teachers in language learning and CLIL settings are recommended to use a plenary structure at the end of the lesson, asking the whole class questions about what they have learned, and monitoring understanding and re- teaching the content. In PE-in-CLIL, the conclusion phase of the lesson is also a good moment for activities that foster integration between content and language both orally and in writing. Labelling and matching are easy activities for young learners. Gap-filling or classifying tasks can be easily applied to older primary school learners. Written diaries should also be considered for secondary school learners.