Sports Commission Equips Primary PE Teachers with Foundational Movement Skills
Photos: TCI Sports Commission
The Turks and Caicos Islands Sports Commission successfully concluded its two-day Foundational Movement Skills professional development workshop, the opening phase of the Foundational Movement Skills Development Initiative, a new approach to Physical Education delivered in collaboration with the Department of Education.
The workshop was facilitated by Cynthia Garcia and Carla Gamez Vela, PE experts, from of Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States of America. Over both days, the facilitators worked directly with Grade 3 and Grade 4 Physical Education teachers on Physical Literacy, Fundamental Movement Skills, and Long Term Athlete Development principles, moving between classroom instruction and practical, on court application.
Teachers from all seven Government Primary Schools, were joined by colleagues from invited private schools, to take part in the initial phase of the programme: Eliza Simons, Ona Glinton, Thelma Lighbourne, Enid Capron, Ianthe Pratt, Oseta Jolly, Iris Stubbs, Adelaide Oemler, Charles Hubert James, Doris Robinson, Shinning Stars, Best Institue, and Wesley Methodist Primary Schools.
Between the ages of seven and ten, children learn to move in a way they will not learn again. Coordination, balance, control and confidence are acquired most readily between these ages and what is built there carries into every sport, every classroom and every active habit that follows. Knowing what it costs when that window passes untaught, the Sport’s Commission built this initiative to strengthen athletes where they actually start learning: at school in Physical Education. The Foundational Movement Skills Development Initiative is designed around that Grade 3 and 4 window, embedding structured instruction across six movement domains, locomotor skills, object control, jumping and landing, balance and stability, coordination and rhythm, and foundational strength patterns, into PE education curriculum so that movement competence is taught deliberately.
Teachers left the workshop with practical lesson structures, movement progressions, and assessment tools designed to fit inside existing PE lessons without adding to instructional workload. What they carry back to their schools is small in scale and considerable in reach. Teachers who have taught PE for years described seeing familiar work in a new frame, with clearer purpose and a national standard behind it, and that renewed energy is what will reach the children first. Long before the assessment data arrives, the change will show up in how a Grade 3 lesson feels on a Tuesday afternoon.
"I want to commend every Physical Education teacher who gave their time to this workshop. You have taken on something that will shape children long after they leave your classrooms. I also commend the Sports Commission and the Department of Education for the partnership that made this possible. Physical Education is not an extra in our schools. It is where our children learn confidence, health and discipline, and this Ministry is committed to seeing it taught to a standard our young people deserve” said Honourable Rachel Taylor, Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture."Our teachers are asked to do a great deal, so what mattered to us about this programme is that it works inside the lessons they already teach rather than adding to them. Standardised movement instruction in Grades 3 and 4 gives every child in our Government Primary Schools the same foundation, regardless of which school they attend, and that consistency is exactly what a national curriculum should deliver. The Department of Education is pleased to support this work and looks forward to seeing it grow” said the David Bowen, Education Officer for the Ministry of Education.
"The idea I had for this workshop came to a reality at the conclusion of the workshop. It’s purupose was to emphasize fundamental movements in our physical education system because these fundamental movements not only help us move as athletes, but live better, healthier lives. And every Turks and Caicos Islander deserves that. I’m excited to see the strategies, theories, and the resources that the teachers are taking back to their classrooms because I know that they’re engaged and they’re ready for more. Although it will not happen overnight, I believe that Turks and Caicos is heading in the right direction.” said Angelo Garland, Head of Sports Performance, Turks and Caicos Islands Sports Commission.
The workshop marks the start of a four year implementation model that moves from pilot delivery to national expansion and eventual integration into the country's Physical Education framework. The Sports Performance Department will provide ongoing support through virtual professional development sessions, classroom feedback, and annual in person recalibration workshops. Student movement competency will be tracked and programme effectiveness will be measured through teacher feedback and excitingly, long term monitoring of athlete readiness on entry into the high school sports.
This initiative sits at the entry point of the National Sport Ecosystem, reinforcing the first stage of the athlete development pathway that continues through school sport, the High School Sports Performance Programme, National Sport Governing Bodies, and national representation.
Comments