What is Stop, Start, Consider!: Student-Centred Practices in H&PE?
Stop, Start, Consider! is a free downloadable poster series developed to support educators, school staff, and other members of the school community in creating identity-affirming, safer Health and Physical Education (H&PE) learning environments for every student. When used as a reference during planning and/or displayed in H&PE learning environments, Stop, Start, Consider! posters support school community members in sparking conversations about important equity considerations, shifting away from potentially harmful practices, and promoting inclusive learning environments by demonstrating to every student that they are welcome and valued within H&PE. Students who experience feelings of belonging at school are more likely to achieve their full learning potential.
Stop, Start, Consider! posters explore themes connected to oppressive systems and specific forms of discrimination that students may navigate or be exposed to within H&PE learning environments. In developing this resource, Ophea brought together youth with lived experience, subject matter experts, and education system-level decision makers to discuss these issues and highlight potential opportunities to improve feelings of belonging through pedagogy.
In keeping with Ophea’s equity-centred strategy, So Every Student Can Thrive, youth voice is at the forefront of Stop, Start, Consider!: Student-Centred Practices in H&PE. By listening to, learning from and — most importantly — centering those who have experienced marginalization, we can all contribute to a future where every student feels that they belong in their school community, and that their health and well-being is prioritized and supported.
Stop, Start, Consider!: Doing Gender-Inclusive Physical Education & Sport
The first iteration of Stop, Start, Consider! posters explores gendered experiences within H&PE, and seeks to expand access to feelings of belonging in H&PE learning environments to students of all genders. Cisnormativity is the overarching power structure that dictates our cultural and social understandings of gender, and our Re-Imagining Gender in H&PE advocacy session sought to identify how unquestioned cisnormative values might impact student feelings of belonging and participation opportunities within H&PE and physical activity at school. Read our resulting advocacy statement.
The Stop, Start, Consider!: Doing Gender-Inclusive Physical Education and Sport poster series was developed in close partnership with gegi.ca and support from additional community partners. The goal of gegi.ca is to equip all Ontario students and educators – whether transgender or cisgender – with the tools to advocate for the right to express and live their gender in their own way without experiencing discrimination, harassment or violence, and without being told they have to change.
The youth voices in our Re-Imagining Gender n H&PE advocacy session highlighted practices in H&PE that are an extension of cisnormative belief systems, including (but not limited to):
- Using binary gender as the only means of organizing students (i.e., “boys” vs. “girls” teams or activities, separation by binary gender for health class);
- Assuming that “boys” are by default stronger, more athletic, and more interested in H&PE than “girls”; and,
- Excluding trans representation from health education, including Human Development and Sexual Health.
It became clear that as they are typically structured, H&PE learning environments can unintentionally promote harmful stereotypes regarding gender roles, body image, and athletic prowess. Rigid ideas about gender and the practices they inform can negatively affect many students, and learning environments that uphold these ideas risk perpetuating barriers to student participation and engagement in physical activity opportunities at school.
For example, the use of a simple binary system (i.e. “boys” vs “girls”) as a means of organizing students for physical education and activity opportunities excludes (and therefore devalues) experiences of gender which are not so easily described, or which differ from the social expectations associated with “boys” and “girls”. While the ways in which such practices can specifically erase transgender, non-binary, and otherwise gender-diverse students are clear, the potential negative impacts extend to other students too.
As noted during our advocacy session, the same gendered expectations that can lead to H&PE feeling unsafe for trans, non-binary, and otherwise gender non-conforming students can also perpetuate the false, harmful stereotype that boys are more likely than girls to enjoy and succeed in H&PE. When this idea goes unchallenged, it contributes to an existing discrepancy in participation rates in physical activity and sport for girls (which data indicates continues throughout their lifetimes). Stop, Start, Consider!: Doing Gender-Inclusive Physical Activity and Sport posters highlight integrating opportunities for student voice and choice in program/lesson planning and promoting physical activity as an opportunity for social connection in inclusive learning and physical activity environments as proven strategies to support girls’ participation in sport!
When implemented effectively, inclusive teaching practices that celebrate a diversity of experiences within H&PE can help challenge harmful stereotypes rooted in cisnormativity, mitigating participation barriers for students. By fostering an atmosphere that respects and includes all genders, body types, and skill levels, educators can meet curricular goals of developing an appreciation for lifelong healthy, active living while dismantling harmful societal norms.
Why now?
Considering ongoing public discourse threatening the rights of transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse students across Canada, Doing Gender-Inclusive Physical Education & Sport reaffirms Ophea’s belief that every student, regardless of their gender and/or gender expression, deserves access to quality H&PE programming where they feel they belong.
In addition to supporting feelings of well-being and overall mental health, research consistently demonstrates that identity-affirming teaching practices positively affect learning outcomes. When students feel a sense of belonging and feel engaged in learning processes that reflect their voice, their motivation and performance soar. In this way, inclusive H&PE learning environments create a conducive atmosphere for students to meet their learning potential and explore, learn, and excel without the hindrance of stereotypes or biases.
The benefits of inclusive, identity-affirming practices extend well beyond the classroom, and can assist in preparing students for the diverse world outside of their school communities. As schools across Ontario move towards inclusive practices that aim to support every student, educators can critically examine and, if necessary, adjust their practices to foster learning environments that promote and celebrate gender diversity.
What next?
Future versions of Stop, Start, Consider!: Student-Centred Practices in H&PE are in development! As we expand this series to address how other oppressive systems might manifest in H&PE learning environments, our hope is to equip educators with tools to foster inclusive, supporting learning environments that expand student access to feelings of belonging and the lifelong benefits of healthy, active living.