Safety
All students deserve the right to be safe. One of the Fundamental Principles in Health and Physical Education is based on the following principle (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010):
3. Physical and emotional safety is a precondition for effective learning in health and physical education.
Students learn best in an environment that is physically and emotionally safe. In health and physical education, students are learning new skills and participating in a physical environment where there is inherent risk. They are learning in a public space where others can see them explore, learn, succeed, and make mistakes. They discuss health topics that have implications for their personal health and well-being. It is critical that teachers provide a physically and emotionally safe environment for learning by emphasizing the importance of safety in physical activity, treating students with respect at all times, being sensitive to individual differences, following all board safety guidelines, and providing an inclusive learning environment that accommodates individual strengths,needs, and interests.
3. Physical and emotional safety is a precondition for effective learning in health and physical education.
Students learn best in an environment that is physically and emotionally safe. In health and physical education, students are learning new skills and participating in a physical environment where there is inherent risk. They are learning in a public space where others can see them explore, learn, succeed, and make mistakes. They discuss health topics that have implications for their personal health and well-being. It is critical that teachers provide a physically and emotionally safe environment for learning by emphasizing the importance of safety in physical activity, treating students with respect at all times, being sensitive to individual differences, following all board safety guidelines, and providing an inclusive learning environment that accommodates individual strengths,needs, and interests.
Both teachers and students must work towards a safe environment. At the beginning of the year students and teachers should develop safety rules and considerations together that should be practiced and incorporated in the day-to-day routines and activities of the gym. Teachers must ensure that appropriate precautions are taken when designing lessons and that safety issues are conveyed to the students and taken seriously. Students can can be encouraged to recognize safe practices by filling out sheets such as the ones above, when they are unable to participate in the gym activity because of inappropriate equipment, injury or a time-out for inappropriate behaviour that may or may not be safety related.
OPHEA Safety Resources
OPHEA has online resources that describe safety guidelines for a variety of sports and activities. The guidelines are specific to sports and lead up games to those activities. Examples of OPHEA safety guidelines are found below for reference.
OPHEA Safety Resources
OPHEA Safety Resources