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In this special episode, Dr. Tim Fletcher re-joins the podcast to discuss impressions and takeaways from the first 8 episodes of the Meaningful PE podcast. Other discussion topics include the role of practitioner reflection on their vision for PE, and whether or not MPE is suitable for those who already have found their PE experience meaningful. The episode concludes by setting resolutions of how each of us hopes to continue to explore and pursue ideas related to MPE in 2025. 

Thanks to Isaiah ([email protected]) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

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In this bonus episode, Dr. Risto Marttinen, Associate Professor of Physical Education at George Mason University and host of the Playing with Research in Health & Physical Education podcast joins the show to talk about, well, podcasts! In this conversation, we discuss the changing landscape of the podcast world and the place of podcasts in academia, professional development and teacher education.

Links from Episode

Playing with Research in Health & Physical Education (Risto’s Podcast)

Listening.io (PDF to Speech)

Conferences Referenced in Episode 

AIESEP Conference, St. Petersburg, Florida

PHASE Conference (Asia)

PHE Canada Conference, Niagara Falls, ON

Thanks to Isaiah ([email protected]) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

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Episode FOUR introduces Kyle Beattie and Riley Derksen - both part of the class of 2022 in the HPE MEd Cohort here at the University of Alberta who teach in Alberta and Saskatchewan respectively. Our discussion dives into the practicalities of teaching through a Meaningful PE lens, changing philosophies, shifting practice, meeting ALL students where they’re at, authentic reflection and more. 

Kyle L. Beattie,  MEd, is an Associate Principal at a grade 7-12 school in rural Alberta. He has spent most of his career teaching Physical Education, other subjects in grades 7 to 9 and promoting youth sport in his community.  

Riley Derksen is a public school high school physical education and health teacher in Saskatchewan. At her school she is a part of the learning council and is the physical education department head. She completed her Kinesiology and Education degrees at the University of Saskatchewan. She has also completed her masters in physical education and health at the University of Alberta. She is passionate about growing as a teacher and infusing the meaningful physical education framework in her classes!

Links:

• “Back to School” - Class of 2022 Book (Amazon) - Christmas special - two books (also the 2020 Cohort book - "Our Journey") for only $19.95 CAD (about $14 USD or $13 EUR)!
  • Kyle’s Chapter (3) and Meaningful PE paper (PHEnex Journal)
  • Riley’s Chapter (5)
• Joey’s podcast on student feedback (and lots more!) can be found on his website: The Physical Educator.
• HPE MEd Cohort website

Thanks to Isaiah ([email protected]) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

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In this bonus episode, Dr. Scott Kretchmar joins the podcast to discuss how teachers can lead their students on a journey toward joy & meaning.  Dr. Kretchmar is a Professor Emeritus of Exercise and Sport Science at Penn State University. He has written extensively on the role of games and play in human evolution. His work has featured prominently in the development of the Meaningful Physical Education framework, especially pertaining to the features of joy and delight. In this episode, Dr. Kretchmar discusses how teachers can “grow playgrounds” through the formation of good habits, time, adventure, and creating some ‘delicious uncertainty’ through competition. 

Links from the episode:

• Butler & Griffin (2005) Teaching Games for Understanding
• Kretchmar (2000) Moving and Being Moved: Implications for Practice
• Kretchmar (2008) The Increasing Utility of Elementary School Physical Education

Thanks to Isaiah ([email protected]) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

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Episode THREE Introduces - Jodi Harding-Kuriger. In this episode, Jodi dives into her dissertation research which focused on using Group Concept Mapping (GCM) to unpack what secondary students find most meaningful about physical education. Jodi shares ideas of how teachers can apply the ideas of GCM to better understand how to meet the needs of their students. 

Jodi Harding Kuriger, PhD, is a dedicated Health and Physical Educator with a passion for promoting the love of movement. Currently coordinating grade 4-6 Arts, Hockey and MultiSport academies in Maskekosak (Enoch Cree Nation) while balancing an active lifestyle with her husband, Mike, and three energetic children. Committed to lifelong learning and professional development, Jodi’s research foci include meaningful PE experiences, group concept mapping, and research as service with Indigenous communities.

Show Notes:

• Jodi Harding-Kuriger (Dissertation, 2023) Conceptualizing meaningful physical education: A secondary school study
• Harding-Kuriger, Gleddie, Ni Chroinin & Lessard (2024). Using Group Concept Mapping to Conceptualize Meaningfulness in Physical Education with Secondary Students. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education.
• groupwisdom.com the Group Concept Mapping platform that Jodi used in her research.
• AIESEP 2024 Poster Presentation
• Meaningful Physical Education: An Approach for Teaching and Learning (Amazon)

Thanks to Isaiah ([email protected]) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

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In this episode, Dale Roth & Court Rustemeyer, two Outdoor Educators from Alberta (Canada), join the show to discuss their philosophy related to Outdoor Education and how they facilitate meaningful experiences for students in the outdoors. Topics of discussion include the role of reflective practice in facilitating meaningfulness, as well as 'features' of meaningful outdoor experiences; a connection with nature, belonging, and a sense of adventure.

Connect with Court on X (@Rusty1122)
Connect with Dale on X (@RothDale)

Links from the episode:

• Global Environmental, & Outdoor Education Council (GEOEC) for the event mentioned by Court after the episode.
• Hill & Flemons (2023) Creating space for meaningful physical activity at home: women’s stories of social interaction, micro-adventure, and the joy of feeling strong
• Metheny (1968) Movement and Meaning
• Arnold (1979) Meaning in Movement, Sport & Physical Education

Thanks to Isaiah ([email protected]) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

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Episode TWO introduces -  Anita MacDougall and Mel Trojanovic. In this episode, Anita and Mel share how they think about and enact meaningful PE has evolved, the metaphors they use to make sense of the meaningful PE framework, and all the successes and challenges along the way. As Champion teachers in Ontario, Mel and Anita conclude the episode with advice for those interested in implementing MPE in their contexts. 

Anita MacDougall has been a teacher in Ontario for the past 24 years, the most recent 12 have been spent teaching Physical Education at the Elementary and Middle School level. Anita was the 23/24 recipient of PHE Canada’s Teaching Excellence award. Anita is a Champion of Meaningful PE, and works alongside teachers hoping to facilitate for meaningful experiences for their students. 

Mel Trojanovic has been a physical educator in Ontario, Canada for 28 years, teaching students from Kindergarten through Grade 8. She has had the opportunity to present and develop physical activity resources throughout her career with her local school board and provincial organizations including CIRA Ontario and OPHEA. Mel is a Champion of Meaningful PE, and the author of Chapter 3: Meaningful Physical Education and Immigrant Newcomers in the Meaningful Physical Education book (see show notes).

Show Notes:

• Learning About Meaningful Physical Education 
• Meaningful Physical Education: An Approach for Teaching & Learning

Thanks to Isaiah ([email protected]) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

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This first ever BONUS Episode of the Meaningful Podcast Experience features Sarah Succee and Lila Berg - recent grads of the HPE MEd Cohort here at the University of Alberta. The conversation ranges from their Cohort experiences and advice, Sarah's duoethnography research on burnout as a badge of honour, Lila's research on PE advocacy and much more!

Links:

• Health and Physical Education MEd Cohort website
• Sarah's MEd thesis (forthcoming)
• Lila's paper (forthcoming)

Thanks to Isaiah ([email protected]) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

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Episode ONE introduces our first guests - the OGs of Meaningful Physical Education - Drs Tim Fletcher, Steph Beni (Riedel) and Deirdre Ni Chroinin. We talk about the origins and foundations of the framework, exciting developments and lots more!

Dr. Tim Fletcher is an associate professor in physical education pedagogy in the Department of Kinesiology at Brock University. Dr. Fletcher’s research focuses on two major lines of inquiry: teacher learning and self-study of teacher education practices. Dr. Fletcher is interested in the ways that reflecting on experience can inform how teachers learn to teach as well as how it can help his own learning about becoming a teacher educator. Dr. Fletcher has a number of publications in peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and monographs.  More information about Dr. Fletcher’s research may be found here.

Dr. Déirdre Ní Chróinín is a senior lecturer in physical education at Mary Immaculate College. Dr. Ní Chróinín’s research interests are in teacher education in elementary physical education and on the place and meaning of physical education, physical activity and sport in children’s lives.  Dr. Ní Chróinín is also involved in self-study research reflecting upon her own practices.  Dr. Ní Chróinín has a number of publications in peer-reviewed journal articles. For more information about Dr. Ní Chróinín’s research click here.

Dr. Stephanie Beni is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences in Oslo, Norway. Her research interests lie primarily in understanding the ways young people experience meaningfulness in physical education and identifying practical tools by which physical education teachers can foster meaningful experiences for students. In addition, she enjoys studying her own practice and the process of supporting teachers in their professional learning.

Links from the episode:

• Beni et al. (2017) Meaningful Experiences in Physical Education & Youth Sport: A Review of the Literature
• Blankenship & Ayers (2010) The Role of PETE in Developing Joy-Oriented Physical Educators 
• Hill & Flemons (2023) Creating space for meaningful physical activity at home: women’s stories of social interaction, micro-adventure, and the joy of feeling strong
• Learning About Meaningful Physical Education Website
• Meaningful Physical Education: An Approach for Teaching & Learning (Amazon)
• Kretchmar (2008) The Increasing Utility of Elementary School Physical Education

Acknowledgments
Thanks to Isaiah Gleddie for the stellar (and original!) guitar intro/ outro.

Thanks to our three special guests!

This podcast is partially funded by SSHRC.

Thanks to Isaiah ([email protected]) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

To contact us:

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[email protected]

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Episode ZERO introduces listeners to the Meaningful Podcast Experience. Ty and Doug introduce themselves, share the purpose and goals of the podcast, talk a bit about how they came to Meaningful PE. The episode closes with their advice and a hint about who’s coming on next.

Douglas Gleddie is a Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta. He teaches physical education curriculum and pedagogy to undergraduate students. He also teaches graduate courses in health and physical education, reflective practice, physical literacy and research methods. Dr. Gleddie’s research foci include: narratives of physical education; school sport; physical literacy praxis; meaningful physical education and; teacher education.

Ty Riddick is a Physical Education teacher at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir school in Okotoks, Alberta. He is currently pursuing a Doctoral degree at the University of Alberta with an emphasis on meaningfulness in Physical Education (PE) and is interested in how applying the MPE framework can impact student experiences in PE. Ty writes and shares about his attempts at implementation and other ideas related to meaningful PE on his blog.


Show Notes

• Blankenship & Ayers (2010) The Role of PETE in Developing Joy-Oriented Physical Educators 
• Learning About Meaningful Physical Education Website
• Meaningful Physical Education: An Approach for Teaching & Learning (Amazon)
• Run Your Life Podcast w/ Scott Kretchmar
• Kretchmar (2000) Moving and Being Moved: Implications for Practice
• Kretchmar (2008) The Increasing Utility of Elementary School Physical Education

Acknowledgements
Thanks to Isaiah Gleddie for the beauty guitar intro!

This podcast is partially funded by SSHRC.

Thanks to Isaiah ([email protected]) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

To contact us:

[email protected]

[email protected]