Is it Possible to Add Coding to Physical Education?

Triggering Event

What are ways in which students can use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources?

My Trigger Event Question based on Reading

How can coding and/or gaming be used in PE or Health to help develop critical thinking or problem solving skills?

Article Connection/Explanation to Standard and Trigger Question

It seems like everywhere you turn, coding is the topic of conversation. There are TV commercials for new tech toys and even monthly subscription boxes full of products to teach coding. With coding taking over I figured it was time to investigate how I can include it in physical education. I found an article on TeachHub that talks about the importance of adding coding to the classroom because it’s not a trend; it’s the future. The article talks about adding 60 minutes of coding to your classroom each week. The article linked to code.org, which contains example lesson plans and activity ideas to add coding.  It was a really user friendly site and lets you modify the search based on experience level, age group, subject etc. Unfortunately, PE was not one of the subjects included in this.

Based on my research, it does not seem common to add coding or gaming to PE in the traditional sense however I feel optimistic that I could incorporate it in some fashion.  I strongly believe that our only limit is our creativity and just because someone has not done it yet, does not mean it can’t be done.  For example, like I could create a scavenger hunt workout with the pieces needed to complete the coding sequence. 

Figure 1

Another idea, as seen in Figure 1 (activity from Hour of Code), after the students created the tour in coding, I could have a physical “tour” created in the gym or running around the school.  Again, although the research and ideas in coding and gaming in PE are limited, I enjoy the challenge of creating something new and unexpected in PE.  

Resources

Hour of Code. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2017, from https://hourofcode.com/us/learn

Kiang, D. (2014). 3 ways coding and gaming can enhance learning. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/coding-and-gaming-enhance-learning-Douglas-kiang

Technology in the Classroom: The Hour of Code. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2017, from http://www.teachhub.com/technology-classroom-hour-code