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In this episode, we discuss YOUR questions (posted on LinkedIn and X) about Meaningful PE with Dr. Steph Beni.

Stephanie Beni is an Assistant Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. Her research interests lie primarily in understanding the ways young people experience meaningfulness in physical education and physical activity and identifying practical tools by which physical education teachers and coaches can foster meaningful experiences for students. Her research also focuses on supporting teachers’ professional learning and studying her own practice as a teacher educator and researcher.

Connect with Steph on LinkedIn

Meaningful Physical Education: An Approach for Teaching & Learning (Book)

The Meaningful Physical Education Approach: A Scoping Review. 2025. Strittmater, Fletcher & Richards

Switch - How to Change Things When Change is Hard - book by Chip & Dale Heath

Nicola’s Episode

Will’s Episode

Thanks to Isaiah (steelandbone1997@gmail.com) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

To contact us:

dgleddie@ualberta.ca

riddick@ualberta.ca

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Ingrid Elnan works at the Department of Teacher Education at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. She is currently working on a doctoral project titled 'Meaningful Experiences in the Context of Outdoor Aquatic Education.' In 2020, the Norwegian curriculum for physical education moved parts of aquatic education outdoors to let pupils practice and learn in the outdoor environment, where almost all drowning accidents in Norway occur. The focus of Ingrid’s research is on pupils' meaningful experiences in aquatic education, on how teachers perceive outdoor aquatic education as a meaningful activity in school, and on the factors that influence its implementation. The data is generated in a lower-secondary school.

For information on Ingrid’s Doctoral project: https://www.ntnu.edu/ilu/research/meaningful-physical-education-outdoor-swimming-lower-secondary-school

Elnan, I. (2025). Pupils’ experiences of aquatic education as a meaningful activity in physical education. Sport, Education and Society, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2025.2532137

Andy Vasiliy’s Episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2358344/episodes/16694058

Thanks to Isaiah (steelandbone1997@gmail.com) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

To contact us:

dgleddie@ualberta.ca

riddick@ualberta.ca

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Nicola Cosgrove is a passionate Physical Education educator with over 13 years of experience, including nine internationally. Currently teaching at Leysin American School in Switzerland, she emphasizes learner agency and process-driven growth. Nicola has worked as a department head, mentored new teachers, and volunteered with NEASC accreditation teams. She champions holistic learning that prioritizes soft skills and fostering inclusive environments where students build confidence and agency. Nicola is committed to helping educators grow and support their learners so they can thrive beyond the classroom.

Connect with Nicola on LinkedIn

Show Notes

• Student Agency Starter Map
  • Most likely to succeed (movie about education - student agency - in the resource above).

Thanks to Isaiah (steelandbone1997@gmail.com) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

To contact us:

dgleddie@ualberta.ca

riddick@ualberta.ca

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This episode features Professor Déirdre Ní Chróinín and Dr. Richard Bowles from Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, Ireland. We talk about their Erasmus+ research project on Meaningful PE, student and teacher reflection and more of their initial findings.

Show Notes:

• Erasmus+ https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/
• https://www.mic.ul.ie/research/research-at-mic/research-projects/champions-of-inclusion-and-diversity-using-meaningful?index=0
• https://meaningfulpe.wordpress.com/champions-for-inclusion-diversity/
• New case studies from this work - coming soon to the LAMPE site
• The reference to Chasing Chickens or Fixing Fences is from Paul Kilgannon in the CARVER Coaching and Performance Newsletter shared with us by Richard.
• Kristi Mally’s episode on our podcast

Thanks to Isaiah (steelandbone1997@gmail.com) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

To contact us:

dgleddie@ualberta.ca

riddick@ualberta.ca

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Dr. Marcos Godoi is a professor at the School of Physical Education at the Federal University of Mato Grosso, located in Cuiabá, Brazil. Marcos also worked as a PE teacher in schools for twenty years, and currently supervises four Master's students who are interested in exploring Meaningful PE in their contexts. Marcos's research interests are related to the analysis of physical education pedagogical and curricular practices, the professional development of physical education teachers, and of course, meaningful physical education.

In this episode, we discuss contextual challenges and opportunities in the Portuguese-speaking countries of Brazil, Portugal, and Mozambique, where Marcos conducts his studies. Marcos shares some of the recurring and new features that have emerged from his exploratory study.

Show Notes:

• Ang Chen - Meaningfulness in Physical Education: A Description of High School Students’ Conceptions The translation mistakenly describes Chen as a Hawaiin researcher, than the research being conducted in Hawaii.

Thanks to Isaiah (steelandbone1997@gmail.com) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

To contact us:

dgleddie@ualberta.ca

riddick@ualberta.ca

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O professor Marcos Godoi é docente na Faculdade de Educação Física da Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), localizada em Cuiabá, Brasil. Marcos também trabalhou como professor de Educação Física em escolas por vinte anos e, atualmente, orienta quatro alunos de mestrado interessados em explorar a Educação Física Significativa (Meaningful PE) em seus contextos. Seus interesses de pesquisa estão relacionados à análise das práticas pedagógicas e curriculares na educação física, ao desenvolvimento profissional de professores da área e, é claro, à educação física significativa. Neste episódio, discutimos os desafios e as oportunidades contextuais nos países de língua portuguesa — Brasil, Portugal e Moçambique — onde Marcos realiza seus estudos. Ele compartilha algumas das características recorrentes e novas que emergiram de seu estudo exploratório.

Show Notes:

• Ang Chen - Meaningfulness in Physical Education: A Description of High School Students’ Conceptions

Thanks to Isaiah (steelandbone1997@gmail.com) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

To contact us:

dgleddie@ualberta.ca

riddick@ualberta.ca

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Episode 2 features Dr. Kristi Mally (bio below). We talk about all things Meaningful PE, PE Teacher Education, a romantic view of movement/ PE and dive into Kristi's methods, passion, excellence and heart!

Kristi is a professor at Winona State University in Winona, MN, where she prepares future physical education teachers. Before joining WSU, she taught at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in La Crosse, WI. Kristy has been preparing teachers since 2003. Her Ph.D. is in developmental kinesiology from the University of Minnesota. Prior to joining higher education, she taught both middle school and elementary school, and has several years of experience coaching. Kristi's superpower is her curiosity, love of learning, and willingness to ask herself why. She enjoy thinking deeply about her craft! She believes that PE could be so much more than it is - not only for individual children, but for the entire school community - but we have to be willing to think and do differently. Kristi has five children (four boys and a girl), four grandchildren (in 2nd grade to 7th grade), and is married to a middle school science teacher and high school Cross-Country coach.

• Stuart Brown - Play (the book where play personalities come from)
• Andy’s Episode
• Jo’s Episode
• Learning about Meaningful PE

Thanks to Isaiah (steelandbone1997@gmail.com) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

To contact us:

dgleddie@ualberta.ca

riddick@ualberta.ca

Send us a text

Jorge Rodriguez is originally from McAllen, Texas. He attended the University of Houston where he was a high jumper on the track team and earned his bachelor's degree in Kinesiology . Jorge later went to receive his Master's degree in Educational Leadership from American College of Education. Jorge spent time as a PE teacher and Activities Coordinator in his 7 years at the The KAUST School in Saudi Arabia. He is also the host of the Unfinished Thoughts podcast (formerly Global PhysEd) a podcast featuring educators from around the world. Jorge absolutely loves his profession and is dedicated to do all he can to make it better! Jorge currently teaches at an international school in Chengdu (China) where he is slowly and deliberately introducing his students to the world of Meaningful PE.

Episode Notes

• Check out the Unfinished Thoughts podcast.
• Jorge’s micro-blog about ‘The Journey’
• Meaningful Physical Education: An Approach for Teaching & Learning (Book)
• More About Andy Vasily - Andy features on Season 1 Episode 7 of the MPE podcast.
• More About Matt Young
• More about Seneca

Thanks to Isaiah (steelandbone1997@gmail.com) for the guitar pieces, SSHRC for some funding and our guests for sharing!

To contact us:

dgleddie@ualberta.ca

riddick@ualberta.ca