The Future of PE: Let’s Dream Big!

I believe the fundamentals of PE will remain. Physical activity will still be at the heart of it, and PE will continue to be a platform for teaching important life skills like teamwork, collaboration, and self-management. What will change, however, is how students learn and how teachers teach.

Technology will be deeply woven into everyday life. Imagine this—every PE teacher will have a smart assistant in the form of AI-powered smart glasses. With just a glance or a voice command, teachers will be able to access lesson ideas, analyse student progress, and even retrieve real-time recordings of students’ movements for instant feedback. AI could assess a student’s performance and suggest personalised tasks, while drones track movement patterns, shot accuracy, and heat maps during gameplay.

And what about the students? Their smart glasses could help refine their skills without requiring actual equipment. Picture a student perfecting their batting technique using AR simulations or practising dribbling in a virtual game environment. PE lessons could go beyond the school field—students might find themselves navigating the streets of Paris for an orienteering exercise or sprinting through the Alps in a virtual endurance challenge. Learning would be immersive, interactive, and more exciting than ever.

With AI playing such a big role, what does this mean for PE teachers? Will we still be needed? The answer is a resounding yes! Teaching has always evolved, and it will continue to do so.

In the future, knowledge will be at students’ fingertips. But rather than just being the knowledgeable other, our role as teachers will shift. We will become facilitators, helping students make sense of all the data available. We will ask the right questions, guide them toward self-directed learning, and ensure they develop the essential thinking skills, learning attitude, and dispositions.

Despite all the advancements, I firmly believe students will still play—the old-fashioned way. They will still run, jump, and compete without relying on technology, because nothing replaces the pure joy of movement, the thrill of a game, and the bonds formed through physical activity.

While AI may assist us, it will never replace us. The heart of PE lies in the relationships we build with our students—the encouragement, support, and genuine care for their well-being. No technology can replicate that. What AI can do, however, is help us know our students better, so we can teach them more effectively.

The future of PE is limitless. Technology is advancing at an astonishing pace, and the possibilities are endless. So let’s dream big, embrace change, and prepare for an exciting journey. The next 50 years of PE will be a game-changer—I can’t wait to see where it takes us!