Big Ideas are derived from the Learning Area essence statement and capture the essence of a subject, ensuring coherence rather than fragmentation of learning. At the subject level, they inform the Significant Learning – learning that is critical for students to know, understand, and do in relation to a subject by the end of each Curriculum Level. This covers knowledge, skills, competencies, and attitudes and also includes level-appropriate contexts that ākonga should encounter in senior secondary education.

The Significant Learning is collated into a Learning Matrix and progresses across Curriculum Levels 6-8. Teachers can use the Learning Matrix as a tool to construct learning programmes that cover all the 'not to be missed' learning in a subject. There is no prescribed order to the Learning Matrix within each level. A programme of learning might begin with a context that is relevant to the local area of the school or an idea that students are particularly interested in. This topic or context has to relate to at least one Big Idea and may also link to other Big Ideas. The Learning Matrix is designed so that educators have the freedom to create courses that are both flexible and coherent.

There are four Big Ideas for Physical Education – one overarching Big Idea, and three which explore the central strands of Physical Education, in, through, and about movement.

Overarching Big Idea – Movement is integral to hauora

This Big Idea summarises the essence of why we study Physical Education – the understanding that movement is fundamental to our lives, and contributes to the development of individuals and communities.

Learning in, through, and about movement makes a significant contribution to hauora. We learn in movement by developing physical skills and experiencing enjoyment and personal competence. Through our participation in movement, we are able to develop social, emotional, intellectual, and cultural capabilities. By learning about how and why people move, we understand what influences our own and the movement of others, as well as what has an influence on movement settings and trends.

Ākonga will have the opportunity to explore what movement means to them through different models of and approaches to hauora. They will engage in play, games, sport, exercise, recreation, adventure, and expressive movement in diverse physical and social environments.

In Physical Education, hauora is holistic and draws from physical, social, mental and emotional, and spiritual wellness. These aspects of hauora can be influenced by the way in which we move and approach movement. Aotearoa’s unique identity provides ākonga with the opportunity to explore the relationship between movement and whenua, and their connections to place and space, for example through mana atua, mana tangata, and taiao.

Participation in movement enriches our lives

This Big Idea focuses on the importance of taking part in movement and the joy it can bring to people’s lives. This recognises that in taking part in movement and learning to move, we can find enjoyment, enrichment, and make meaning for ourselves by moving. This not only contributes to an improvement in performance but has a positive impact on our hauora. Ākonga will explore their bodies as a taonga to be challenged, nurtured, and developed through movement, making meaning of their actions.

In each element of Physical Education, participating in movement is essential to understanding how it develops. We work with others in movement contexts, reflecting critically on movement, and developing personal and shared meaning of movement. Through this, we understand how the act of physical activity can develop identity and skills, and deepen understanding of how our lives can be enriched by movement.

At Level 6, this focuses on skill development and learning to move, as well as understanding how movement can be a source of enjoyment through engagement. This will progress to looking at improving to move and reflecting on strategies to improve movement at Levels 7 and 8.

Through movement we develop diverse capabilities

This Big Idea focuses on the capabilities and interpersonal skills which we gain through movement. This Big Idea recognises that movement is a powerful means of learning social, emotional, intellectual, and cultural capabilities that support the wellbeing of self, others, and society. These capabilities include effective listening, whanaungatanga, assertiveness, manaakitanga, showing empathy, problem solving, negotiation and compromise, mediation, and giving and receiving feedback.

These capabilities support ākonga to work more effectively with others to respond to new or challenging situations. Ākonga may engage with issues surrounding barriers to participation in movement, but they will also be equipped with skills to engage in issues related to wider social injustice in movement contexts.

At Level 6 ākonga will build their capabilities and gain a sense of how and why they impact others. In building unity, fostering strong relationships, and working collectively though kotahitanga, ākonga will gain skills and build an understanding of tikanga in movement contexts. They will experience and reflect on the ways in which they relate to others, and understand the implications of these interactions. This will enable them to participate more effectively in movement contexts, offering opportunities to explore different roles within a group, collaborate towards achieving shared goals, and manage challenging situations.

This will progress to exploring different leadership roles, reciprocal relationships in gaining and sharing knowledge, and how actions influence others at Level 7. At Level 8, ākonga will focus on future needs in responding to challenges within Physical Education and be responsive when implementing strategies in different contexts.

There are diverse ways of understanding movement contexts and the moving body

This Big Idea focuses on an exploration of understandings about how the body works, and ways to maintain and enhance physical experiences. It also explores the socio-cultural factors that impact movement and movement contexts.

Knowledge about the body and movement is contested and can be understood and critically examined from multiple diverse worldviews. Through criticality, we develop an understanding of tikanga in movement contexts and create meaning which is informed by ākonga bringing their own experiences and understanding and the concerns of their own communities. Ākonga will engage with a range of biophysical, socio-cultural, kinaesthetic, and embodied ways of knowing, through a te ao Māori lens and diverse cultural understandings.

At Level 6, this means exploring how different factors affect movement. Ākonga will explore biophysical aspects such as functional anatomy, exercise physiology, sports psychology, and biomechanics and how these relate to experience of movement and quality movement. Through exploring socio-cultural factors, they will provide criticality on representations of sport and physical activity in different forms of media and cultural settings and they will develop their ability to make sound choices for improving hauora.

This will progress to exploring value systems in communities and tackling barriers to participation, as well as the interrelationship between socio-cultural and biophysical factors at Level 7. At Level 8, ākonga will focus on choosing appropriate ways of engagement to respond to diverse needs and influence change on a systemic level.