M.Ed. in Physical Education
- Vancouver Cohort Program

The Program

Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) - Teachers who use this approach see their students as active participants (mentally, physical, emotional) in the process of learning games. As we all know, students and adults alike learn in a variety of ways and progress at different rates. Knowing that students are always at different stages of understanding, teachers can use the TGfU model to focus in on individual, social and contextual processes.

Students learn about the games presented through a series of modified games. These games are designed to highlight tactical problems – situations that engage students and help them develop the skills they need at that time. Students do practice skills, but in the context of a game rather than separate from it. As they play, they consider what they might best do, before they are taught how best to do it.

This Master’s Program comes on the heels of the recent International TGfU Conference held at UBC in May 2008. Our internationally known instructors will build upon the practical ideas, shared research, and reflections that presenters brought to this landmark event, and use publications that emerged as a result of their collaborations. Courses will examine current teaching perspectives, constructs of ability, and curriculums, move into analyzing TGfU from pedagogical and learning theory perspectives, and finally, consider, define, and implement developmentally appropriate TGfU activities.

 

program faculty & visiting scholars

	Dr. Joy Butler, UBC Vancouver (Canada) is Undergraduate Coordinator and Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) Coordinator in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Butler taught secondary school Physical Education in England for ten years, as well as well coaching girls’ basketball teams to national finals. After serving as a department chair, she moved to the US in 1989 and earned her doctorate at Boston University. She convened the 1st International Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) Conference in 2001 and founded the TGfU International Task Force in 2002 now a Special Interest Group (SIG) of Association Internationale des Ecoles Superieures D’Education Physique (AIESEP). She was keynote speaker at the 2003 TGfU International Conference in Australia and at the National Convention for PE in Taiwan in 2005. Dr. Butler has been invited to give presentations and workshops on TGfU in many different countries, including Finland, Singapore, Australia, Spain, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Most recently she convened the 4th international TGfU conference at UBC in May 2008, which attracted 350 delegates from 26 countries and 6 continents. Dr. Butler is the co-editor of two books in Teaching Games for Understanding and has authored many articles in the areas of physical education learning and teaching, curriculum innovations, and teacher education. Dr Butler was appointed to UBC in 2005 and is building provincial and international PE professional and research communities through the UBC PETE Association, TGfU international conferences, International TGfU SIG and a developing international master degree program.
	Linda L. Griffin, Umass Amherst (USA) received her B.S. from Black Hills State University, M. S. from Ithaca College and Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. She has been educator for 32 years and has taught at all levels (elementary, middle and high school) as well as coached at the high school and collegiate (NCAA Division III) level. Linda has co-authored 5 books of those the most significant is the 2006 second edition of Teaching Sport Concepts and Skills: A Tactical Games Approach with Steve Mitchell and Judy Oslin. She also has co-edited 3 books, published 8 book chapters and over 35 articles. Linda has made numerous presentations and workshops nationally and international. She has always had and continues to have passion for the teaching and learning of sport-related games. Presently, Linda is a Professor and Associate Dean in the School of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA.
	Professor Richard Light, Sydney University (Australia) is Professor of Sport and Physical Education, Carnegie Faculty of Sport and Education, Leeds Metropolitan University and was formerly at the University of Sydney. Richard is a leading researcher working in the field of sport and physical education pedagogy from a socio-cultural perspective. He was Invited Professor at the University of Franche Compte in France during 2007 and keynote speaker at the 2004 conference, Reading Asia and Oceania through Sport in Japan, the 2005 Teaching Games for Understanding International Conference in Hong Kong and the 2008 ISCPES World Congress in Macau leading up to the Beijing Olympics. He has conducted and published extensive research on sport and physical education pedagogy on youth sport and physical education across a range of cultural settings such as Australia, Singapore, Japan, the USA and France. He is the author of Sport in the lives of young Australians, published in 2008 and has edited five special issues of journals since 2005 including the journals Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy (2005) and Sport, Education and Society (2008). He is widely published in the highest impact journal in the field such as Sport, Education and Society, Quest, the Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, European Physical Education Review and Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy. Richard has been deeply involved in the development and promotion of TGfU. He was a foundation member of the TGFU International Task Force that operated within AIESEP until the development of the AIESEP TGfU SIG from 2008. He convened the 2nd International Teaching Games for Understanding Conference in Melbourne Australia in 2003 and convened TGfU pre conference symposia at AIESEP World Congress in Finland (2006) and Japan (2008) as well as at the 2008 ISCPES conference. Richard is now one of the leading theorists in TGfU and has conducted lectures and practical workshops across Asia ( Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and Macau), in France, Canada and the USA and in Australia. Visit Dr. Light's webpage.
	Tim Hopper, UVic (Canada) is an associate professor and faculty member in the School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education (EPHE), Faculty of Education, University of Victoria. He received his Masters and PhD from the University of Alberta. Dr Hopper’s research focuses on PE teacher education, in particular, conceptual approaches to teaching such as Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) and Movement Education. Dr Hopper has taught at all levels of the school curriculum both in Canada and the UK. He maintains strong links with local schools through a teacher education approach known as school integrated teacher education (SITE) where, observed and assisted by his student teachers, he teaches PE to classes of children with the eventual goal of the student teachers taking over the teaching. Dr Hopper is now the past president of the Canadian Association for Teacher Education (CATE) and recipient of the Faculty of Education Teaching Excellence Award (2005). Dr Hopper’s research interests focus on qualitative research methodologies focused on teacher education and physical education. His recent work is on program-wide electronic portfolio development and understanding the complexities of learning to teach from situated learning experiences. Dr Hopper has conducted workshops on TGfU in England, Canada and Hong Kong. He is a co-editor of a TGfU book to be published from conference papers presented at the 4th International TGfU conference held at UBC in 2008. He has published many articles on the TGfU approach. Working with his student teachers, Dr Hopper has created a continuously expanding website of TGfU units of instruction. Visit Dr. Hopper's webpage.

Program Schedule

The UBC M.Ed. in Physical Education consists of 30 credits of course work. The proposed schedule is as follows:

* Note that there will be pre-reading requirements for the Summer Institutes.

Communication

Participants must have computer and e-mail/internet access. One way UBC students can get Internet and e-mail access is through Netinfo, http://www.netinfo.ubc.ca/, a service provided by the UBC Library and ITServices.

Admission

All students must meet the requirements for this program, which include:

• Normally two years’ teaching experience or other relevant professional experience.

• A resumé and 600-word statement of intent clearly outlining your experiences and interests in physical education, physical education teaching, and physical education research.

• Statements of support from three referees who can speak to your engagement with physical education teaching, including, whenever possible, professors familiar with your academic work.

• A completed 4-year undergraduate degree and an average of at least 76% on all senior-level credits.

pre-requisites

There are no specific pre-requisites for this program.

 

Tuition

Program fees will be paid over a minimum of seven (7) installments of $1,739.63 payable in September, January and May of each year. The program total is $12,177.36 plus applicable student fees.

The first payment for this program will be July 2009.

Tuition fees are in Canadian dollars, are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors, and are subject to change.

Application Process

Application Deadline: January 26, 2009
Online application is now available.

In addition to your on-line application, please forward:

• Two official (sealed) transcripts from all post-secondary institutions (except from UBC)
• Three (sealed) letters of reference. It is strongly recommended that references be submitted electronically (by filling in the referee's email address when completing the online application). If you wish to submit references by mail, the form is available here.
• A one page statement indicating how you think this program will contribute to your work in this field (if you did not complete that in the online application)

You must apply for this program on-line; please print out these instructions and refer to them when actually making your on-line application.

Important Note: If you apply to the wrong program, the Faculty of Graduate Studies will not refund your application fee, or transfer or cancel your application, so please ensure you select the appropriate program or you will have to re-apply and pay an additional $90 application fee.

• Go to http://www.grad.ubc.ca/apply/online/
• Before beginning your application, read all of the instructions
• When you are ready to apply, click on "Apply Online"
• Read the instructions, and click on "Create Your Account" (unless you have already begun your application, in which case you should "Login")
• Once you have created your account, choose "New Application" and then click on "Start a Completely New Application"
• Under "Degree Selection," choose "Master of Education" in the pulldown menu
• Under "Specialization," you must choose "EPLT VANCOUVER TEACHING GAMES FOR UNDERSTANDING - TGU1"
• Proceed with your application as instructed
• When finished entering your information, you must click "Submit" for the application to work
• You will automatically receive an email acknowledgement, with instructions on documentation and deadlines

Some application reminders

• We need sealed transcripts from EVERY post-secondary institution you attended, whether or not they issued you a degree, except UBC. If you are a UBC alumnus, please provide your student number and we will print your transcript.
• If you have transcripts, please enclose or fax us photocopies (604-822-2015). We can make a quick adjudication of your eligibility even before all of your "official" documents arrive. Please note that this adjudication is not official until we have received your sealed transcripts.
• Send everything - EVERYTHING - to EPLT (1304-2125 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4). The most common delay in admissions is caused by the search for documents that are at other locations on this huge campus.
• It is preferred that references are submitted electronically:  when you submit your application, include the referee's email address.  This will generate an automatic email which contains a link to a site where your referee can enter his/her reference, and then submit it.  They can type as much as they want, despite the apparent size of the text box. This link will only be available when your application is submitted.  If you plan on having your referee(s) submit a reference by mail, please leave the email address blank on the application.
• If you decide to submit any or all of your references by hard copy you can download the reference form for this program here. A letter can take the place of the reference form but it must answer the questions posed in the reference form. The reference form is designed for professors to fill out. If your referee is not a professor, please ask him or her to write about your ability to successfully complete a graduate degree in this particular focus.  Please note:  the reference letters must be received here in sealed envelopes with the referee's signature written across the sealed envelope flap.

For More Information

For academic information contact:

Dr. Joy Butler , Cohort Advisor
UBC Faculty of Education
Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy
604-822-4974 
joy.butler@ubc.ca

For program, admisison and applications contact:

Linda Haftner , Senior Program Assistant
UBC Faculty of Education
External Programs and Learning Technologies
604-822-4499 or Toll Free 1-888-492-1122
linda.haftner@ubc.ca