Page 14 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12: Health and Physical Education, 2015 - revised

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9–12 | Health and Physical Education
health practices and coping skills, healthy child development, availability and quality of health services, gender, culture, and other factors. Other recent models describe and group the factors differently and include additional factors, such as stress, food insecurity, care in early life, and Aboriginal status.4
Together, such factors affect an individual’s overall state of physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being. They influence not only whether a person stays healthy or becomes ill but also the extent to which the person possesses the physical, social, and personal resources needed to identify and achieve personal aspirations, satisfy needs, and cope with the environment. These factors also have an impact on student learning as a whole, and are strongly connected to learning in health and physical education. Although students have varying degrees of control over these factors, it is important to be aware of them as contributing factors in student performance. It is also important to recognize the value
of personal strategies that can be learned and practised to foster well-being in the face of stressful and challenging life circumstances.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Students
Students’ responsibilities with respect to their own learning develop gradually and increase over time as they progress through elementary and secondary school. With appropriate instruction and with experience, students come to see how an applied effort can enhance learning and improve achievement and well-being. As they mature and as they develop the ability to persist, to manage their behaviour and impulses, to take responsible risks, and to listen with understanding, students become better able to take more responsibility for their learning and progress. There are some students, however, who are less able to take full responsibility for their learning because of unique challenges they face. The attention, patience, and encouragement of teachers can be extremely important to the success of these students. Learning to take responsibility for their achievement and improvement
is an important part of every student’s education, regardless of his or her circumstances.
Mastering the skills and concepts connected with learning in the health and physical education curriculum requires ongoing practice, an effort to respond to feedback (to the extent possible), personal reflection, and commitment from students. It also requires a willingness to try new activities, work with peers, and always follow safety practices. Through ongoing practice and reflection about their development, students deepen their appreciation and understanding of themselves and others, and of their health
and well-being.
Students’ attitudes towards health and physical education can have a significant effect on their learning and their achievement of the expectations. Students who are strongly engaged and who are given opportunities to provide leadership are more likely to adopt practices and behaviours that support healthy, active living.
With teacher support and encouragement, students learn that they can apply the skills they acquire in one subject to various other contexts and subjects. For example, they can apply the problem-solving skills they use in mathematics as they learn new skills in health
4. For detailed current information on determinants of health, see the website of the Public Health Agency of Canada, at www.publichealth.gc.ca.
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