Maha Bodhi School’s Professional Inquiry into Nonlinear Pedagogy in Physical Education

Exploring Differentiated Instruction: Introduction to Non-Linear Pedagogy (NLP)

Our journey began as we sought ways to differentiate instruction without segregating groups based on readiness. This led us to non-linear pedagogy (NLP), a concept that captured our attention. We were intrigued to know if NLP can benefit students in the primary level and if it can also help us to differentiate instruction to help all students to learn more effectively.

Attending the PESTA workshop and delving into journal articles on NLP enabled us to grasp how its design principles could facilitate differentiated instruction (DI) and holistic pupil development.

Initiating Action Research: Applying NLP to Primary Education

Taking the next step, a departmental action-research was initiated to understand how NLP's design principles (DPs) could be applied in lessons and whether our students could benefit similarly to what was reported in the journal articles.

Progressing through skill development in the primary syllabus, we selected primary 2 and primary 5 students to investigate the application of design principles in skill and concept-based learning objectives respectively.

We crafted two sets of lesson flows, one emphasizing direct instructions and techniques with teaching cues, while the other focused on outcomes through success criteria. These served as frameworks for collectively planning the entire lesson package.

Refinement through Expert Guidance and Teacher Training

To ensure we were on the right track, we sought Dr. Chow Jiayi’s expertise to review our lesson flow and action research methodology. Following his advice, we refined our pre and post-test parameters for both P2 and P5 groups that will ensure a reliable and valid quantitative data. In addition to quantitative data from pre and post-test results, we collected qualitative data from teachers’ reflections after each lesson to learn more about each teacher’s individual feedback and challenges when attempting to enact the lesson plans.

Our final step was to expose teachers to the application of the design principles when enacting the lessons. A group of us who have attended PESTA’s NLP workshop conducted a micro-teaching session where we highlighted the differences in teaching instructions when adopting the NLP approach for both the P2 and P5 lesson.

Learning with and from the Fraternity: ‘Iron Sharpens Iron’

Although the quantitative data did not indicate a significant difference, teachers' reflections revealed that NLP provided more thinking and discussion opportunities for students. In addition, as tasks are representative, it allowed pupils to practice in an authentic game situation. However, teachers also reflected that they lack the ability to simplify tasks and are unsure if they are carrying out the DPs properly.

To address their concerns, a group of us joined a ‘network learning community’ (NLC) led by Mr. Lim Wei Sheng, a former PESTA Academy Officer, now HOD of Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Primary). Collaborating with Catholic High School and Bukit View Primary School, we aimed to deepen our understanding of NLP and in utilizing DPs more effectively.

Participating in the NLC increased our understanding of the DPs and enhanced its application in our classes in various learning area. We further deepened our understanding in the application of the DPs across learning areas and levels when we were presented with opportunities to be associate trainers in 2022 and, more recently, in 2023, during the NLP workshop with PESTA officers, MTT Nasrun Bin Mizzy and Academy Officer Mr. Karthik, and NIE Teaching Fellow Mr. Irfan Ismail. It was an enriching experience to get first-hand experience from PESTA officers and to learn from participants who demonstrated their use of the DPs to achieve various learning outcomes.

Key Learning Points from our NLP Journey

Through our experiences, we gained useful key takeaways which we shared with our department members.

These are the 3 main learning points from the NLC:

1. A lesson is not a “NLP lesson”; we leverage DPs with a specific intent to enable students to attain success criteria through our teaching instruction and students’ collaborative problem-solving.

2. It is best to anchor a DP for a task. This will allow our teaching instructions to be more focused. However, features of other DPs may naturally overlap within it.

3. NLP enables self-directedness through indirect instruction, but teaching instructions should be differentiated based on students’ readiness, sitting along the LP-NLP spectrum.

Impact on Teachers and Students: Holistic Development

This journey has impacted both teachers and students in our school. Teachers have an increased repertoire of pedagogical approach when it comes to differentiating instruction. NLP has enabled us to plan lessons that nurture and develop students holistically. Enhanced 21st century competencies such as ‘adaptive and inventive thinking’ ties in perfectly with the nature of NLP. ‘Communication’ too plays a huge role especially during small group or class discussions where students learn to be effective communicators, active listeners and practice perspective taking. These learning experiences enrich students’ quality of learning and allows them to be at the forefront of lessons where teachers take a facilitative role.

It is important to note that an acclimatization period may be necessary for both teachers and students. Instances where lessons might be “chaotic” can be expected when trying something new. Adjustments to routines and classroom management would be required. Previously, as our teaching instructions have been more linear and prescriptive, students may need more guidance and time to adapt to the different teaching instructions when adopting NLP. Teachers may need to toggle down the LP-NLP spectrum and adjust in accordance with students’ readiness. Eventually though, the aim is to allow students the opportunity to adapt and invent movement solutions from our teaching instructions. 

Nurturing Growth of Students: A Collective, Consistent Effort

As teachers, we are constantly reflecting and reviewing our practices to continuously refine them so that our practices remain relevant and effective for students to learn. However, alone, we can only impact a small group of students. Therefore, collaborating with like-minded colleagues, or ideally, the entire department, would significantly enhance the quality of students' learning. Changes need not be massive from the get-go. That would be too overwhelming and would not be sustainable. Therefore, progressive but consistent, targeted changes must be made so that both teachers and students can adapt. If done collectively, consistently and with the intention that it is for the betterment of our students, eventually, we will see students embodying characteristics that aligns with the desired outcomes of education.

Article Contributed by: 

Mr Abdul Khabir Bin Abdul Razak (ST PE)

Mr Ahmad Arif Bin Ibrahim (PE Teacher)

Ms Carolyn Angelina Chan Hui Ming (PE Teacher)

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