The session will provide insight on how you can incorporate mindfulness, as a class or set of tools for classes, into your secondary physical education program. Information will be provided on how to implement mindfulness, the skills and concepts, along with an example curriculum and practice using mindfulness tools. The presenter will supply examples from his program and share resources for developing mindfulness lessons.
Think line dancing is only for “dance people”? Think again.
This high-energy, beginner-friendly session is designed specifically for physical educators who want simple, engaging, school-appropriate dances that instantly boost participation, confidence, community, and FUN across K–12 settings. No dance background required!
Participants will learn easy-to-teach line dances, breakdown strategies, classroom management tips, music suggestions, and confidence-building cues that help even reluctant movers experience success. Experience practical ways to teach dance without intimidation while creating an environment where students feel safe, energized, and connected!
As an added bonus, many of the dances taught during this session will appear later that evening at the SHAPE PA All-Conference Social — giving attendees a fun head start before hitting the dance floor together that night!
Come ready to move, laugh, sweat a little, and leave with activities you can use immediately in your PE program!
Join WCU HPE faculty member, Dr. Dlugolecki, and a panel of WCU students for an engaging and informative presentation on aligning secondary physical education (PE) activities and assessments with the 2024 SHAPE America National Standards.
This session will explore effective strategies for integrating the standards into secondary PE curricula. You’ll learn how to design meaningful and engaging PE activities (fitness, adventure, games, etc.) that align with the content outlined in the SHAPE National standards, and gain practical tools for developing assessments that accurately measure student progress and achievement.
Whether you’re an experienced PE teacher or just entering the profession, this presentation will offer valuable insights and resources to elevate your PE program and support student success.
Students need meaningful connections now more than ever, and physical education is a powerful setting to build them. This interactive session explores practical strategies for fostering a culture of belonging through intentional routines and engaging activities. Discover ways to strengthen relationships, support social and emotional learning, and create an environment where every student feels seen, valued, and excited to participate. Leave with ready-to-use ideas to weave connection into every lesson.
Looking to energize your secondary physical education classes with meaningful, student-centered activities? Join this dynamic mother-daughter duo as they share a collection of engaging recreational games for middle and high school students. This session blends experience and fresh perspective to provide practical, ready-to-use activities that promote participation, teamwork, and lifelong fitness. Attendees will explore a variety of innovative and inclusive games that go beyond traditional team sports, making physical education more accessible and enjoyable for all students, regardless of skill level. Each activity is intentionally aligned with the SHAPE America National Physical Education Standards, ensuring that fun and learning go hand in hand. Participants will leave with strategies to increase student engagement, foster positive class environments, and confidently implement recreational units that support physical literacy and social development. Whether you are a new teacher or a seasoned educator looking to refresh your curriculum, this session will provide inspiration, resources, and practical tools you can use immediately in your classroom. Come ready to move, collaborate, and reimagine what recreational units can look like in your program!
The Big Idea: Students today face an exhausting digital siege that causes severe social isolation and mental fatigue. Traditional compliance models and stress-inducing scoreboards will not earn their buy-in. To optimize student engagement, we must prioritize one core truth: connection is the prerequisite for learning. Why It Matters: When you build your curriculum around what is immediately meaningful to kids, physical education transforms into a deeply rewarding sanctuary for both students and teachers. The Framework: This session blends foundational educational strategies with insights from best-selling texts (such as The Joy of Movement, Do Hard Things, and The Anxious Generation) to introduce The Meaningful HPE "Feel-Good Now" Triangle. You will learn to stabilize student well-being by balancing: 🟥 The RED Floor: Physical Foundation (feeling light, responsive, and pain-free today). 🟨 The YELLOW Wall: Social Atmosphere (an inclusive, judgment-free group environment). 🟦 The BLUE Wall: Mental Clarity (intentional pauses to short-circuit digital overstimulation). Immediate "Monday Morning" Takeaways: The "Culture Catalyst" Protocol: A transparent, non-punitive strategy utilizing the Ideal Team Player framework to evaluate and celebrate collaborative behaviors. The "Internal Pharmacy" Matrix: A simple student-facing chart mapping classroom routines directly to immediate chemical wins like endorphins, oxytocin, and dopamine. The "Upstream" Advocacy Script: High-impact, research-backed messaging designed to position your physical literacy program to school boards as a vital mental wellness intervention. The Bottom Line By explicitly targeting diverse student profiles, you will learn to activate their internal chemistry, defeat educator burnout, and help every child reclaim their personal sovereignty right now.
One of the greatest things that can ever come out of a single conference, or years of attending them, is a true friendship based on a mutual love of each other and our incredible profession. This high energy, interactive session will showcase exactly those things. Three great friends from across the country, joyfully reunited at this wonderful conference, sharing tried and true activities they use and they love. Come join Dan, Ladonda and Doug in this combined session designed to help you and your students "Just Be Joyful!"
This is a team strongmen & team strongwomen competition between other surrounding school districts. It is a whole-school community approach to advocate for fitness & wellness in a fun-competitive social setting. The concept is based on teamwork, team strategy, agility, muscular strength, muscular endurance and cardiorespiratory endurance challenges. The events do not include standard weight lifting exercises and is not your typical "best athletes" competition. All students have an opportunity to feel success as they advocate for fitness in a brand new way. The L.I.F.E. Competition can be done from grades 4-12. Come and see what it's all about!
Managing large classes, keeping students engaged, assessing learning in real time, and moving smoothly between activities are all part of the daily reality in physical education, yet many of these routines are still supported by systems that can feel time-consuming and inefficient in today’s digital world. This session reimagines classroom management through a “new-school” lens, demonstrating how purposeful technology integration can streamline instruction and simplify daily routines. Designed for elementary, middle, and high school physical educators, the session emphasizes developmentally appropriate, standards-aligned strategies, positioning technology as a supportive tool rather than the driver of instruction. Participants will explore practical, easy-to-use tools and platforms that enhance organization, improve instructional flow, and support teachers in feeling more confident and in control of their learning environment. Throughout the session, educators will learn how to manage large classes more efficiently, track and assess student progress in real time, increase engagement through interactive strategies, and integrate technology into daily routines in ways that are simple and sustainable. Participants will leave with ready-to-use tools and practical strategies that reduce stress, improve efficiency, and enhance overall instructional effectiveness.
What if PE moved beyond team sports to engage students who often stay on the sidelines?
See how non-traditional activities like skateboarding, bowling, cardio drumming, curling, and sport stacking can elevate PE by creating engaging, meaningful experiences. These fit the Meaningful PE framework: motor competence, social interaction, challenge, relevance, and fun.
Join a Movement Lab with quick versions of creative activities for any school. See how these activities: - Reach students who don’t connect with team sports - Foster inclusivity and authentic participation - Build confidence, resilience, and physical literacy - Offer real opportunities for student voice and choice
Elementary PE examples will show alignment with standards and more engagement. Learn how to adapt these activities for older students.
All activities are low- or no-cost, with creative equipment and community partnership ideas for any school’s access.
Leave with ready-to-use activities, strategies, and tools to help more students thrive in PE.
When every student finds their place in PE, the program becomes the heartbeat of education.
Presentation 2: Practical Applications (Lesson & Unit Focus)
Proposed Title: Implementing the Feel-Good Triangle in Health & PE: Empowering Students to be Healthy for Life Best Mode of Delivery: Active Participation / Movement Session (Gym Floor)
Session Description: The Big Idea: How do you translate modern behavioral psychology and best-selling productivity frameworks directly into students' lives? By replacing rigid, intimidating drills with active, high-energy "Movement Landscapes" where challenge matches readiness and background. Why It Matters: Many students reject old-school HPE hierarchies but eagerly want physical and emotional vitality. This session models how to layer The Meaningful HPE "Feel-Good Now" Triangle throughout a lifetime activity based curriculum so every student can find their personal playground. What You Will Experience: Attendees will lace up their sneakers and actively move through sample lessons from a complete, battle-tested lifetime curriculum map: Community Foundation: Team building, field initiatives, and low ropes setups engineered to build trust and emotional vulnerability. Aerobic & Skill Development: Blending engaging aerobic games with hiking, walking, and Pose Method running mechanics. Functional Strength: Integrating natural bodyweight patterns, rucking, and foundational Olympic lifts configured for lifelong joint health. Mental & Lifetime Health: Utilizing pickleball to explicitly coach social-emotional skills. Adventure Sports: Implementing biking, disc golf, geocaching, and adventure racing units. Group Fitness: Maximizing student autonomy through yoga, cardio boxing, and HIIT structures.
Immediate "Monday Morning" Takeaways: The "Vulnerability First" Opening Unit: A step-by-step low-ropes and field initiative sequence engineered to dissolve social hierarchies during the very first week of school. The "Adventure Strength" Blueprint: A modular setup guide for organizing cross-functional stations that weave geocaching trackers, rucking packs, and bodyweight elements into any standard gym configuration. The "Pose & Pacing" Challenge Tracker: A simple, data-driven checklist to teach running and walking as life-long mechanical skills rather than endurance punishments.
The Bottom Line Experience the ORANGE, GREEN, and PURPLE Corners firsthand—where physical effort meets social connection to trigger an instant oxytocin surge that lowers student stress on the spot.
This engaging session demonstrates how purposeful tag games can be used for all ages to meet SHAPE America National Standards while maximizing student participation, safety, and fun. Participants will experience a wide variety of developmentally appropriate tag games designed to intentionally teach movement concepts, strategies, and personal responsibility. Through active participation, attendees will explore how to embed locomotor skills, nonlocomotor movements, and fitness components into game play. Each activity will highlight clear connections to standards-based outcomes, including skill development, strategic thinking, and social-emotional learning. Emphasis will be placed on creating inclusive, safe environments where all students can be successful. Participants will learn practical modifications, progressions, and management strategies to ensure safety, maximize engagement, and reduce downtime. In addition, the session will showcase how simple adjustments to traditional tag games can elevate them into intentional learning experiences aligned with standards. Attendees will leave with a ready-to-use collection of tag games, clear instructional cues, and strategies to design their own standards-based activities. Whether you are looking to enhance student engagement, reinforce key movement concepts, or align your instruction with best practices, this session will provide tools to transform “just playing tag” into meaningful, standards-driven learning.
Invasion games are a cornerstone of physical education, yet too often we jump into the game without intentionally teaching the concepts and strategies students need to succeed. This session focuses on spiraling and sequencing skills, building understanding, and designing accessible lead-up activities that invite all students to participate confidently. Participants will explore lead-up games, small-sided challenges, and tactical concepts that make invasion games accessible and enjoyable for all learners.
Discover high-energy, inclusive large group games that are perfect for all grade levels and adaptable to both indoor and outdoor spaces. This session will showcase creative, easy-to-implement activities that promote teamwork, movement and fun, whether you’re in a gym, on the blacktop, or out on the field. Walk away with ready-to-use strategies and game variations to keep your students active, engaged & excited to play!
resentation 3: Reflective Tools & Assessment Proposed Title: Assessment in Meaningful PE, Reflective Practices, and the Science of Joy Best Mode of Delivery: Interactive Workshop / Lecture Hybrid Session Description: The Big Idea: To ensure students internalize the value of movement for a lifetime, we must replace compliance-based grading with deep, introspective self-assessment. Why It Matters: When students understand the direct connection between physical effort and their current energy level and mental state, they transition from passive participants to active owners of their well-being. The Strategy: Driven by top educational texts and psychological frameworks, this workshop provides a step-by-step toolkit to explicitly assess physical literacy and emotional regulation. We will unpack: The "Running Leap" Framework: Learning to accurately read student task avoidance or modification as an autonomous psychological adjustment rather than a discipline problem. 🟪 The PURPLE Corner (Physical + Mental): Utilizing reflection to track how muscle contraction secretes "hope molecules" (myokines) to make us feel better now.. 🟩 The GREEN Corner (Social + Mental): Using structured reflections to capture moments of collective wonder and absolute psychological safety. 🟧 The Orange Corner (Physical + Social): The Internal Pharmacy Win: Moving collaboratively with your crew triggers an immediate flood of oxytocin (the trust molecule). Immediate "Monday Morning" Takeaways: The "60-Second Pillar Prompt": A zero-cost reflection routine that changes class dismissal from "line up at the door" into meaningful partner connections on challenge and delight. The "Running Leap" Response Matrix: A quick-reference communication card providing specific verbal cues that validate student effort and encourage autonomous problem-solving. Digital "Pharmacy Log" Templates: Ready-to-use digital portfolio rubrics using a simple behavioral Mood Meter to help students track and analyze emotional clarity after workouts.
The Bottom Line Master precise "narration language" that validates student progress, tracks real-time emotional data, and teaches young people to successfully run their built-in internal pharmacy.
Get ready for a high-energy whirlwind of games, management strategies, movement experiences, music integration, cooperative activities, instant engagement tools, creative equipment ideas, authentic assessment strategies, and crowd-favorite activities that students absolutely LOVE.
Former PE Teacher of the Year Scotty Williams shares practical, field-tested ideas from elementary through secondary physical education that can immediately elevate your program, boost participation, improve culture, and bring fresh energy into your teaching.
Expect rapid-fire sharing, laughter, movement, and dozens of “I can use this Monday” moments. Whether you teach elementary, middle, or high school PE, you’ll leave with new favorites, renewed excitement, and a notebook full of ideas your students will be talking about long after class ends.
