Students should feel valued by their teacher and their peers in physical education class. Students should feel included by peers and by the teacher, and should also feel safe in regards to physical risks and social interactions. Creating student anticipation for learning is necessary, as is providing clearly posted learning goals and success criteria in view ¾ both encourage student questioning. A positive and inclusive learning community should be established so that all students feel valued and use respectful language. Additionally, students should have confidence in their teacher’s ability to establish an environment that meets their physical, emotional, and social needs.

The physical space should be bright and open with as much natural light as possible (Victorian Institute of Teaching, 2014). Teachers may feel it useful to set up or set out some equipment so students can anticipate and question what the class is going to entail (DomNwachukwu, 2005). For safety reasons, all activity areas should be visible, clean and free of hazards. Equipment offered should be clean and in good repair (Jenkinson & Benson, 2010). The facility and equipment need to be accessible for all students. Teachers should offer students a wide variety of equipment as this allows for autonomy and this increases students’ engagement and feelings of perceived respect (Beasley & Garn, 2013; Hopper, 1996).

Beasley E. K., Garn A. C., (2013) An Investigation of Adolescent Girls’ Global Self

Concept, Physical Self-Concept, Identified Regulation, and Leisure-Time Physical Activity in Physical Education, Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 32, 237-252.

DomNwachukwu, C.S., (2005) Standards-Based Planning and Teaching in a

Multicultural Classroom, Multicultural Education, v13 n1 p40.

Jenkinson, K. A. and Benson, A.C. (2010), Barriers to Providing Physical Education and Physical Activity in Victorian State Secondary Schools, Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 35(8), 1-17.

Victorian Institute of Teaching, The Effect of the Physical Learning Environment

on Teaching and Learning, (September 12, 2014), retrieved from http://www.vit.vic.edu.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/1137_The-Effect-of-the-Physical-Learning-Environment-on-Teaching-and-Learning.pdf