Models Based Practice is one of the many modules I have studied within my degree at university. Currently, this is a module that has interested me the most as I found it interesting to learn about the different models that can be used within PE lessons. I am intrigued to know if teachers use it on a day-to-day basis. This section will look at an introductory to the subject as well as looking at the benefits and drawbacks of this. Then the next two pages will look at 2 specific models: Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) and Sports Education (SE). The last page will look at the application of the 2 models in PE.    

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​Models Based Practice can be defined as a mechanism or a pedagogical approach through which to move away from privileging PE subject matter (i.e., curriculum) or the teacher (i.e., instructional) and instead aligns outcomes with the student's needs and the teaching / instructional style (Casey, n.d.). PE teachers, that is you in this instance, can use one of the many pedagogical models to teach their lesson effectively. This can be effectively used in your Physical Education (PE) lessons to engage the students and to more importantly develop themselves, the students, as people. PE has a long history of constructing curriculums that inevitably serve to guide instructional practices within content units (Dyson. et al, 2016). However, Models Based Practice (MBP) has been advocated by some physical education (PE) theorists as a means of moving away from the well-documented limitations of a traditional PE model (Metzler, 2011). Goodyear (2015) states that the curriculum is generally organized by a multi-activity approach. For example, this could be 6 lessons on Netball then 6 lessons on Cricket, etc. However, this particular approach doesn’t promote a physically active life for the students and this approach is only for a short duration of time. Therefore, this would not benefit the student’s long-term physical active life.   

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One major advantage possessed by this proposal for a models-based approach to physical education is that several well-researched and well-developed pedagogical models already exist (Kirk, 2013). This is because there are many papers, books, and journal articles that have been published that look and talk about models-based practice and how it can be applied within the PE settings. These models have a number of specific characteristics and therefore, pursue specific objectives (Metzler, 2005). However, they share common elements that underpin their practical application and even allow them to be combined and hybridized (Casey and MacPhail, 2018). This could an advantage because this means that all of the different pedagogical models have something in common. This is the consideration of the student’s maturity, the teacher’s own expectations and experiences, the creation of favourable learning environments that could depend on which pedagogical model you choose to use (Hernando-Garijo, et al, 2021). However, there are drawbacks for models-based practice as a whole or as an individual model. One disadvantage would be that it requires a huge investment of time to use MBP (Sinelnikov 2009). This means that it takes a huge investment of time for the teachers to learn MBP. Casey (2014) states that learning a new way of doing things was also an issue for teachers in terms of their implementation of a new pedagogical approach. This clearly shows that teachers, being you, are afraid of implementing using MBP within their curriculum. Hopefully, this website/blog changes your mind and you start to use this within your lessons. This is because critical curriculum theorists have also warned that change is complex (Casey, 2014). In addition, Casey (2014) states that effort can hinder teachers to use the models-based approach. You might not have the effort of wanting to learn a new approach to teaching therefore this will stop you from developing your teaching within your PE lessons. In spite of this website/blog, I hope you find the information useful and perchance out effort into learning and using the different pedagogical models.  

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