Meeting the Challenge of Physical Education During Remote Learning (New York)

Profile

P.S. 59 is a Public School in District 14 in Brooklyn, New York, and serves 340 students in Pre-K to 5^th grade.

Shawn Scheps is a physical education teacher in New York City with more than 18 years of instructional experience.

“Pre-K students often don’t leave their classrooms. With Walkabouts, we provide opportunities for fun, movement-based learning.” 

“Our school leaders see the power of Walkabouts in the classroom.”

– Shawn Scheps

Challenge

With COVID-19 closures, P.S. 59 elementary looked for digital resources to keep students actively learning and engaged from home. Physical Education teacher, Shawn Scheps, found Walkabouts, a web-based curriculum supplement that integrates language arts, math, and reading content with movement and exercise.

Solution

After evaluating several options, Scheps decided to sign up for free access to Walkabouts. Scheps liked how easy it is to find a standards-aligned lesson. He began using the Walkabouts platform several times per week with his remote classes. With 25-50 minutes of total class time, depending on the grade, Scheps played two or more Walkabouts per period. The more he used Walkabouts, the more excited students felt. Using the split screen option in Zoom, Scheps displayed a Walkabout while completing all of the movements alongside his students. 

Additional Outcomes

During uncharted times, students at P.S. 59 looked forward to their Physical Education classes and were both highly engaged and excited throughout. When the school pivoted to hybrid learning, Scheps continued using Walkabouts with younger grades. When school leaders observed those classes, they shared the same enthusiasm. Walkabouts is great at getting students, wherever they are learning from, up and out of their seats with a fun, collaborative learning experience.