#18 - Motivating Secondary Students Through Student Choice with Austin Olsen and Caitlin Schoville

Distinguished Physical Education Podcast Episodes

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My guests today are Caitlin Schoville and Austin Olsen, two nationally recognized middle school physical educators.

Caitlin teaches 7th and 8th grade health and PE at Pleasant Valley Junior High in eastern Iowa. She was named SHAPE Iowa’s Middle School Teacher of the Year in 2022 and SHAPE America’s Central District Teacher of the Year in 2024. Austin teaches 8th grade at Pacific Trails Middle School in California. He was named the SHAPE America Western District Teacher of the Year and California Middle School PE Teacher of the Year in 2023.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The power of student choice in physical education

• Strategies to motivate and engage middle school learners

• How to integrate standards-based social skills into units and lessons

• The impact of building a student-centered classroom culture

Join us over at The Health and PE Collective!

If you enjoy this podcast and are interested in learning more about how you or the PE teachers in your district can earn licensure renewal credits through a facilitated book study based on the book Becoming a Distinguished Physical Education Teacher, please fill out this form or email [email protected].

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