Learn how two schools incorporated coaching and officiating courses into their high school curriculums. Students from both high schools received PIAA Certification FREE of charge while also completing PIAA and NFHS coaching requirements.
Join Mary McCarley, SHAPE America’s 2016 Southern District Health Teacher of the Year and Health Education Content Specialist with Goodheart-Willcox, as she shares instructional strategies to engage students in practicing health skills. From warm up activities to in-class assessments and exit tickets, participants will leave with instructional best practices and health assessments for their teacher toolbox as well as complimentary access to Goodheart-Willcox’s updated skills-based middle and high school health program.
PlayLab redefines the entry process into the gym. Based on work inspired by Megaera Regan, Adrienne Ferretti and Joey Feith, this short readiness block invites students to engage in student-directed play using a small assortment of equipment from a designated cart. The structure helps students regulate energy, share space and equipment, and work through small social challenges with peers before the main lesson content is delivered. This session outlines how PlayLab is introduced, organized, and sustained as a consistent start to class.
Every teaching decision is shaped by a frame—whether we are aware of it or not. This session invites participants to examine how implicit and explicit frames influence planning, instruction, and assessment in physical education. Using Meaningful Physical Education (MPE) as a lens, participants will consider how an intentional frame can bring coherence and clarity to everyday decision-making.
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.
Help kids and teens navigate roadway safety. Bicycle and pedestrian safety is a learned skill — and early education makes a difference. PennDOT has developed materials that incorporates proven tools and strategies for teaching bicycle and pedestrian safety at key developmental stages, helping young people build lifelong habits that reduce risk, and increase independence. Participants will learn instructional strategies that combine classroom discussion, video, and interactive activities to reinforce lifelong safety habits. The session will provide implementation guidance, lesson planning tools, and practical tips for launching VRU safety education programs in rural, suburban, and urban communities.
The pulse of our planet centers upon its people. We, the people of SHAPE PA, thrive upon learning through the ages, where we become impacted by others and create impact upon others that often is remembered forever. This presentation will address your unique underlying characteristics to perhaps inspire you to build a legacy of long-lasting impact upon other people, places or events. You will become familiar with the 12 Creative Keys: A Framework for Building Legacy Leadership, to help you set your pathway to performance and contributions to the society you teach, coach, mentor, advocate for. Because you are a SHAPE PA member you are, in your own way, serving as a leader. Now, what's the impact and legacy you can start to build?
