Inspirational lessons

"China has been putting more emphasis on physical education and health in recent decades, which is particularly reflected in the revisions of the national curriculum standards, and the increasing portion of PE scores in our unique senior high school entrance examination, or zhongkao. Physical education at Chinese schools has seen enormous changes," said Liu.

He explained that the updated national curriculum standards have made physical education and health a compulsory course in schools.

The students have diverse options and are expected to learn basic sports skills like walking, running and jumping in the first two grades at primary school, followed by more targeted skills in senior grades, such as ball games, track and field, gymnastics, swimming, and a diverse range of other activities. Notably, traditional Chinese sports and cultural pastimes, such as tai chi, dragon boating, dragon and lion dances, as well as trendy sports like skateboarding and rock climbing, are also included in the PE courses at schools.

During the exchange visit, a PE class featuring dragon dancing at the Shanghai Min Li High School impressed many of the delegates. After observing the lesson, the visitors joined the students in a double dragon dance practice together.

On a visit to the Shanghai Datong High School, the delegates played a basketball game with students, and, on a visit to Shanghai No 8 Senior High School, they were inspired by the application of digital technologies.

They also observed the differences between Chinese and American physical education.

"I was fascinated (by the differences). The teachers gave very organized and well-structured lessons. They had the students active the entire time, with very little downtime and very little instruction," said Paterson.

"I would say that what I like about Chinese PE is that it's very traditional, which means the teacher has a bigger role in the class, making sure that things are flowing smoothly, and that students are following directions.

"In America, the biggest thing that we try to do is to meet the needs of our students, and we are trying to explore various teaching options."

Kayla Marsh, a 24-year-old delegate, shared similar sentiments: "I think the biggest difference is the students here are putting in a lot of effort by being physically active for probably 80 percent of the lesson, if not more. Whereas, in the US, we have a lot to focus on, such as on the social and emotional aspects, so there is less time on the physical activity side. I don't think one is more correct than the other, but it's been very interesting."

Kelly Simonton, assistant professor of Physical Education Teacher Education at the University of Wyoming, and an instructor of the delegation, got to see another side. He noticed that Chinese students tend to prioritize one or two sports, and became skilled and very knowledgeable about them, while American students have more general exposure, learning 15 or even 20 different sports.

However, despite the differences, both Chinese and American physical educators have similar goals. They aim to help students develop the skills necessary to participate in various physical activities, promote a healthy lifestyle and create lifelong movers.

Liu pointed out that being the main instructor offering physical fitness knowledge and skills, the PE teacher also plays a vital role in contributing to students' social, personal and emotional growth, in which the American delegates are sharing valuable experience.