On May 15th 2019, the Physical Education and Sport Sciences Department held a Leaving Certificate Physical Education (LCPE) workshop day for 8 post-primary schools who are enacting the LCPE curriculum. PESS staff and post-graduates ran seven simultaneous workshops which addressed learning outcomes from LCPE strand one (Towards Optimum Performance).
- Phil Kearney’s workshop focused on learning and improving skill and technique (topic one) and students focused on learning about defining a skilled performance.
- Brendan O’Keeffe’s workshop on physical and psychological demands on performance (topic two) and taught students about health and performance related fitness.
- Catherine Norton’s workshop also focused onphysical and psychological demands on performance (topic two) but students learned about diet and nutrition through this workshop.
- Arthur Lynch’s practical workshop targeted strength training inphysical and psychological demands on performance (topic two).
- Ursula Freyne and Claire Walsh’s workshop on structures, strategies, roles and conventions (topic three) addressed the learning outcomes on safe practice through acrosport.
- Missy Parker and Jessica Mangioue’s workshop also on structures, strategies, roles and conventions (topic three) focused on the role of the coach through volleyball.
- Antonio Calderon and Cathal Óg O’Sullivan’s workshop’s on planning for optimum performance (topic four) examined the role of digital technology in analysing performance.
- Finally, Evan Crotty provided a workshop to the teachers on sprint start technique and the use of sprint blocks.
This was a very successful day which built relationships between the participating schools and their students and the PESS Department.
The aim of the LCPE curriculum is “to develop the learner’s capacity to become an informed, skilled, self-directed and reflective performer in physical education and physical activity in senior cycle and in their future life” (Physical Education Curriculum Specification, 2018, p.7). There are two major strands to the LCPE specification. The first strands addressed how to optimize performance. Students will learn about: Learning and improving skill and technique; Physical and psychological demands of performance; Structure, strategies, roles and conventions; and planning for optimum performance. The second strand addresses contemporary issues in physical activity and students will learn about: Promoting physical activity; Ethics and fair play; Physical activity and inclusion; Technology, media and sport; Gender and physical activity; and business and enterprise in physical activity and sport. More information on the curriculum can be found here: https://www.ncca.ie/en/senior-cycle/curriculum-developments/leaving-certificate-physical-education-lcpe
Dylan Scanlon is a Postgraduate Researcher in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences at the University of Limerick. His current research interests include curriculum development and assessment re physical education. You can contact Dylan via email dylan.scanlon@ul.ie or follow him on twitter @DylanScanlon1
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