ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Educators are always looking for fun and fresh ways to teach students concepts and important information that will last (hopefully) a lifetime. But where can physical education teachers find those resources?
The answer for 2021: the Olde English Consortium on Physical Education (OEC).
Winthrop University hosted more than 200 physical education professionals on Oct. 18 in the Lois Rhame West Health, Physical Education and Wellness Center and on the Campus Green for the OEC’s annual professional development conference. Jared Androzzi, director of Winthrop’s physical education teacher education program, helped facilitate the event.
“Every year, the Olde English Consortium is offered at a different local school,” he explained. “This year, we offered to host it at Winthrop. It’s a way to provide professional development for physical educators across multiple counties in South Carolina, with examples of modern physical education, learning activities, teaching methods guided by best practices, and much more.”
A sample of sessions included elementary hip-hop dance; quidditch, a sport made popular by the Harry Potter book series; large group games; korfball; bowling; and more. The conference also featured more introspective topics, such as recognizing addictions, preventing sexual violence and assessing physical statistics.
Androzzi led a session, “2 for the Cost of 1: Combining Basketball Skills and Fitness,” with junior physical education major Garrett Bowers (Kershaw, South Carolina). It was the first time he had led a presentation of this magnitude.
“I like being involved [at Winthrop] and advocating for physical education,” Bowers said. “I also wanted the presentation experience. I love the networking aspect of this conference. …You can come here, get fresh ideas, see what other people are doing that’s working for them. I call it Swiss Army Knife teaching, because you can do multiple things.”
After graduation, Bowers hopes to teach physical education at the elementary school level and then travel the United States advocating for physical education.
For more information on the OEC, contact Androzzi at 803/323-4872 or androzzij@winthrop.edu.
