Every year I set my high school students an exciting challenge that might, at

first, sound unusual. I ask them to become personal trainers for their teachers.
(…) Students are allocated* 1 a teacher for whom they create an exercise
programme.

5 The project is explained in class and then teachers are invited to sign up* 2.
However, getting them involved can be tricky* 3 – I need willing*4 participants
who are free at the time my class runs* 5. (…)

Teachers who volunteer must share information about themselves, including their fitness levels and whether they
have any history of injury* 6. Every volunteer has been co-operative. Teachers also need to be willing to take
10 direction*7 from students. (…) When I cannot get a teacher for every child I get students to work together. (…) But
the ideal situation is to have one teacher per student.

The first lesson involves getting students to think what information they need to design a good exercise programme.
They write questions, such as “do you play sport”? “In what other ways do you work out?” Students are encouraged
to ask follow-up questions based on the information they gather* 8. (…) Groups of around three share information
15 and then we talk as a class. I try to get students to solve problems themselves.

Over the next two or three classes we build routines. Students write down which exercises they are implementing
and how they’ll teach them. They state* 9 why they’ve set*10 these exercises and how much time should be spent on
each activity. Once the students feel that they have written a proper programme, it is submitted for review. After
I’ve looked at it, students take a classmate through the programme, practicing teaching cues* 11, timing and getting
20 feedback.

In the final lesson, teachers come to the gym for a dynamic warm-up while student trainers make sure everything is
in order. Then I step back and my class takes over. I watch as they apply their learning, and colleagues joke that they
regret signing up as sweat beads*12 roll down their face. (…)

The class must understand the proper form and technique for each exercise. Nothing can derail* 13 the experience
25 more quickly than an injury. They also need to realise how serious the project is and handle themselves* 14 in a
mature manner.

I often get asked, “Why do I need to do this, Sir?”. It’s not just up to a teacher to explain the relevance* 15 of
classroom learning. When young people reflect personally and talk through ideas with peers* 16 they get more from
their studies. This allows students to do something practical with their learning. (…)

30 At the end of the process there is laughter, gasping* 17 for air and gluggling of water. I can hear my students telling
their teacher volunteers why this program fits their goals and why fitness is relevant to their life. (…)

If you introduce this programme, make sure you show what you’ve done. Take pictures and videos and ask the
school paper to do a report.

to allocate*1 : to be in charge of taking care of to set*10 : to prepare

someone
to sign up*2 : to agree to be part of an activity
tricky*3 : difficult
willing*4  : happy to do something
run*5 (in this newspaper article) : to be
injury*6 : physical damage to the body
to take directions*7 : to obey and apply instructions
to gather*8  : to collect information
cues*11 : a signal to do something
sweat beads*12 : water produced by your body when you’re too hot and/or
exercise
to derail*13  : to stop something from being a success
to handle oneself*14  : to conduct yourself, the way you behave
relevance*15  : the connection and usefulness with the subject you are discussing
peers*16  : somebody who is the same age
to gasp*17 : to breathe loudly, to get more air
to state*9 : to explain

1. General comprehension

a. The person who wrote this article is : a student a professional journalist a PE teacher

b. This newspaper article is about : a teaching experiment practising PE outside the classroom
the difficulty of being a PE teacher

c. The PE teacher in question : never works with his other colleagues only works with PE colleagues
involves the colleagues of other subjects

d. For his project : questions to prepare it are necessary no questions are necessary not mentioned

2. True or false ? Quote the text to justify your answer.

a. The students choose the teacher they want. True - False Line : 3« Students are allocated*1 a teacher »
b. Teachers are forced to participate. True - False Line : 5 « teachers are invited to sign up »  ; 6 « I
need willing participants »;8 «  teachers who
volunteer »
c. Charles Rizzuto supervises the programmes. True - False Line : 18 «  it is submitted for review. After I’ve
looked at it »
d. It’s important that the students take this seriously. True - False Line : 24 « They also need to realise how serious the
project is and handle themselves*14 in a mature
manner »

3. Detailed comprehension.

a. Why can it be complicated for the teachers who participate to this project to « be willing to take directions » l.9 ?

Because it usually is the teachers who give directions to their students, so the roles are reversed.

b. «  Nothing can derail*13 the experience more quickly than an injury.  » l. 23 : can you explain this sentence ?

If a teacher injures himself, he/she is going to stop the experiment, be discouraged, and not trust the student in
charge of him/her.

c. «  If you introduce this programme, make sure you show what you’ve done. Take pictures and videos and ask the
school paper to do a report.  » l.31 : why do you think it is important ?

It’s a good way to highlight this PE lesson and the students and teachers who participated. It could motivate other
people to participate the following year.

4. Write it up ! Imagine you leave a memo in the staffroom to find volunteers to participate to this
project !