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YCYW Empowers PE Educators at Dynamic Workshops
News
21 Mar, 2025
10 : 49
On 13-14 March 2025, YCYW hosted a dynamic two-day Physical Education (PE) Professional Development event at YCIS Hong Kong's Secondary Campus. Heads of Departments (HODs), Lead PE Teachers, and Athletic Coordinators from across YCYW schools participated.
The event had several goals: to provide the educators with innovative teaching strategies, to unify curriculum standards, and to promote collaboration, thereby improving the quality of PE instruction throughout YCYW.
The event unveiled YCYW's newly designed physical education curriculum, which seeks to standardise teaching practices, while also accommodating the unique circumstances of its schools throughout China. Dr Simon Lo, Chief Physical Education and Health Officer of YCYW, emphasised the importance of this initiative: "In the past, schools improvised based on their situations. Now, we have established a systematic framework with clear rubrics, ensuring that every student, whether in Beijing or Hong Kong SAR, receives consistent, high-quality PE instruction."
The workshops integrated theory and practice to empower the educators. Day one began with an introduction to ManageBac, an online learning management system. This was followed by an in-depth exploration of the new Curriculum Framework, which outlines standards, teaching methods, and assessment rubrics.
The educators also participated in hands-on sessions led by Mr Ric Thompson, Physical Activity Advisor at the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER). The educators learned how to promote student inclusion and engagement with limited resources. The afternoon focused on skill development and the strategies to teach a net/wall sport, using the sport of pickleball as the example. The teachers also explored key movement skills, and strategic concepts.
" I think the most important thing for PE is that we accept new ideas, not only the skills, but also new ideas and new elements ," said Dr Lo.
Day two continued with sessions on Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) and the Game Sense Approach. The educators practiced game-based strategies to teach running, jumping, and target sports like bocce, which emphasise problem-solving and tactical thinking. The event concluded with the planning and a Q&A session for the YCYW School Games. This reinforced the importance of organisation and unity for YCYW-wide events and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
YCYW continues to strengthen its commitment to sports and health by leveraging the excellent facilities across its schools and providing students a diverse curriculum from introductory to competitive levels. Each Yew Chung and Yew Wah school operates as part of a larger network, sharing the same sports spirit, while maintaining autonomy to offer diverse options in sports based on geographic location and campus characteristics. For example, some campuses offer unique activities such as sailing, kayaking, climbing, or skiing to enrich the experiences of students and foster a lifelong love for sports.
Due to the strong support of the school's physical education curriculum, sports teams from Yew Chung and Yew Wah schools have achieved remarkable results in various competitions. Recently, YCIS Hong Kong's performance has been particularly outstanding: the U20 girls' volleyball and basketball teams both won championships in the ACAMIS Yellow Division competition, and the U20 boys' football team claimed the top prize in the D3K2 competition of the Schools Sports Federation of Hong Kong, China (HKSSF). Additionally, the girls' volleyball team from YCIS Shanghai Puxi secured the runner-up position in the 2024 ACAMIS tournament.
Mr Michael Hampshire, YCYW's Regional Sports Manager, highlighted the broader vision: "We're driving alignment across our schools. While each has its own niche, we must ensure adherence to foundational teaching and learning standards. This event supports our staff—the ones on the ground—to implement the curriculum effectively."
As Mr Brendan Markey, the Athletic Coordinator at YCIS Beijing, wrote in an edition of the school's Sports Weekly, "Success is not just about winning. It's about growing, learning, and improving every single day." With aligned curricula, empowered educators, and a focus on inclusivity, YCYW will continue to raise PE standards and student outcomes across its schools, thus fostering a culture where every student feels capable, connected, and inspired to move.
Challenge Yourself.Inspire Others
Highlights of Selected Sports Programmes at YCYW
# Football
# Volleyball
# Basketball
# Tennis
# Skiing
# Badminton
# Golf
# Swimming
# Handball
# Triathlon
# Aquathlon
# Chess
# Netball
