Table 1 Examples of how Transform-Ed! key messages and active teaching strategies were embedded into the ‘Introduction to Curriculum and Pedagogy’ unit of the Bachelor of Education (Primary) degree

Active academic lessons

• Normal planned lessons, where the delivery method rather than the content is changed.

• The lecturer modelled how to increase physical activity and decrease sedentary behaviour in primary class lessons by integrating active teaching strategies into lectures and practical seminars.

• The pre-service teachers were educated (pedagogical theory) around the skills, strategies, organisational and managerial concepts required to teach actively.

• Pre-service teachers were provided with a comprehensive resource of active teaching examples/exemplars.

• Pre-service teachers were provided the opportunity to practice skills, strategies, organisational and managerial concepts required to teach actively, and received peer and lecturer feedback on their performance.

• Active numeracy: Measure that space: students physically measure the size of a large area and/or objects in that area with a range of tools and describe the area in terms of formal (e.g. tape measure, ruler etc.) and informal measurements (e.g. piece of A4 paper, string, cricket bat, steps etc.). Students begin by making or finding ‘measuring tools’, then measure the space and/or object, using both sets of devices and record, tabulate then discuss the measurements.

• Active literacy: All students stand. The teacher gives all of the students a ‘part of speech’ (e.g. noun, pronoun, verb, etc.) to focus on. The teacher reads sentences or a passage aloud, and each time that part of speech is used, the students perform an exercise that has been chosen by the teacher or students (e.g. star jump, hop, squat etc.)

Active breaks from sitting

• During extended teaching blocks, short active breaks were used interrupt prolonged periods of sitting.

• The lecturer modelled how to increase physical activity and decrease sedentary behaviour in class lessons, by integrating active beaks into lectures and seminars.

• The pre-service teachers were educated (pedagogical theory) around the skills, strategies, organisational and managerial concepts required to incorporate active breaks into teaching.

• Pre-service teachers were provided with comprehensive resources related to active breaks.

• Pre-service teachers were provided the opportunity to practice skills, strategies, organisational and managerial concepts required to break sitting time and received peer and lecturer feedback on their performance.

• Stand and discuss (stand up and tell your partner about one new thing you just learned)

• Stand up and ‘move like a …’ for 30 s (categories may include the natural environment (e.g. oceans, earthquakes); modes of transport, animals, etc.

• True or false: Allocate one side of the classroom as ‘true’ and the opposite as ‘false’. Ask students a question, the students who believe the answer is true move to the ‘true’ side and the students who believe the answer is false move to the ‘false’ side.

Transform-Ed! health lesson curriculum content

• Class lessons, which aim to build skills and increase knowledge about the importance of being active and sitting less.

• Pre-service teachers were are educated around the importance of adequate physical activity, with a particular focus on physical activity and school children/school environment.

• Pre-service teachers provided with comprehensive resources for future teaching around the importance of physical activity.

• Pre-service teachers provided opportunity for micro teaching (peer teaching) in regard to delivering activities and lessons around physical activity. Pre-service teachers received peer and lecturer feedback around their performance.

• Stencil yourself: Students work in groups and stencil around one group member on a large piece of butcher’s paper. The students brainstorm how physical activity affects them and record the ideas on the stencilled paper. Students are encouraged to include physical, social, cognitive and psychological influences. Students then move around groups, learning from others and adding suggestions where appropriate.

Active environments/promoting activity during recess and lunchtime

• Signage/posters, equipment/facilities and teacher encouragement promoting physical activity at recess and lunchtime.

• The lecturer delivers a seminar on playground-based activities that could be used by pre-service teachers to increase primary students PA at recess/lunchtime.

• Pre-service teachers provided with comprehensive resources around playground based activities.

• Pre-service teachers provided opportunity for micro teaching (peer teaching) in regard to delivering playground based physical activity. Pre-service teachers received peer and lecturer feedback around their performance.

• Using existing asphalt playground line markings around school to encourage movement.

• Providing tubs of sports and novel PA equipment (e.g. ribbons, hula-hoops, balls, juggling batons etc.) in each classroom for student use at lunchtime and recess.

• Teacher ‘on duty’ encouraging and modelling active play.

Engaging families

• Newsletters and activities provided for parents and children to engage with to reinforce the importance of children being active and sitting less.

• The lecturer delivered a seminar on active homework strategies that could be used by pre-service teachers to engage families around the importance of increasing PA and decreasing sitting time at home. In addition, pre-service teachers were educated around the importance of engaging families and the community when addressing physical activity behaviour (e.g. ecological model).

• Pre-service teachers provided with comprehensive resources around active homework examples/exemplars.

• Pre-service teachers provided opportunity for micro teaching (peer teaching) in regard to developing and delivering active homework.

Setting children active homework encouraging collaboration with all family members, for example:

• Calculate the number of right angles as you walk through from your front door to the backdoor.

• Using stride length as a reference, which is the largest room in your house?

• Think of all your ‘free time’ at home. How do you spend this time? Are you physically active (in other words, do you move your body) or do you sit down a lot? Create a table and add up your active time and sitting time. As a family think of strategies you could put in place to decrease the amount of sitting and increase the amount of physically active ‘free time’