By Elves Tembe, Sarah Stolley, and Dayna Daltorio

As part of our ongoing professional development, our HPE Department explored a critical question, that most educators also might think of: How can we make intentional, positive use of AI to meaningfully impact student learning?

During our discussions, several core questions emerged that shaped our perspective on integrating technology into the Health and Physical Education curriculum.

Key Questions and Reflection Points

1. Is PE a place where we can use AI in an intentional, but limited, way?

As a department, we recognise how powerful AI can be as an educational tool. However, considering how heavily students may interact with AI in other academic subjects, we found ourselves asking: Is it okay for Physical Education to remain a space where students disconnect from screens and learn purely through movement?

While AI clearly offers opportunities to enhance technique or explore new movement strategies, we wonder if students deserve a dedicated physical environment free from digital tools. Is “less AI” actually more valuable in a PE setting?

2. Is it a true “Value Add” or just “Using AI for the sake of using AI?”

Whether applying AI in Health classes or PE, technology must actively enrich the student experience, bringing new perspectives, deeper knowledge, or improved skill execution. If a lesson yields the exact same learning outcomes without technology, we must re-evaluate its purpose.

Our goal is to remain mindful and deliberate about how these tools impact our learners. We invite fellow educators to reflect on these questions before introducing new tech into the classroom. We would love to hear your insights, please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

3. When do habits become bad?

“Habits become bad when they start to interfere with the things that matter.”

How does the presence of AI influence our students habits, and how is that reflected in our lessons? As educators, we must ensure that AI serves to increase student productivity and build better, more reflective learners rather than replacing critical thinking or social interaction.

How are we thinking about applying the AI Framework to Health & Physical Education Units?

Rather than using AI universally, we looked at our existing Health units to identify specific, high-impact opportunities where AI can elevate lessons and assessments:

• HPE II: Fitness & Exercise Science (Setting a Plan)

  Students utilise introductory prompt engineering to help design tailored fitness plans. After establishing baseline exercises, AI assists in tailoring progressions based on individual fitness data.

• HPE II: ATOD (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs)

  Integrating AI tools to help model and refine refusal skills, allowing students to practice navigating peer-pressure scenarios in structured ways.

• HPE I: Building Resilience (Community Storytelling)

  Students practice real-world social skills by interviewing school and local community members to gather stories of resilience. They then use AI tools to synthesize these stories into creative media products to share back with the community, blending human connection with technological output.

• HPE I: Positive Relationships & Sexual Health

  Students use AI to compare and contrast social interactions in the digital realm versus the real world, reflecting on how communication channels alter relationship dynamics and health outcomes.

At the end of our discussion, we came up with the “Algorithm Audit.”

On a broader note, our discussions led us to examine how our digital footprints reflect our values and choices. We challenged ourselves to ask: Does our time on social media reflect who we truly are? Are we proud of the online choices we make?

To address this, we developed the concept of an Algorithm Audit.

Through this activity, students will check in on their digital environments to evaluate whether their personalized algorithms are hindering or enhancing their health. We will then equip them with practical tools to curate their digital feeds so that their online spaces actively support their physical and mental well-being.

We hope sharing our journey inspires you to reflect on your own practice, ask the tough questions about technology, and make purposeful adjustments that enrich the student experience.