Integrating cultural competency in Physical Education with Numbers on iPad

Goal: To leverage technology to support the well-being of ALL students 

Overview: 

Create a weekly check-in on iPad (using the Numbers App) that makes it easy for students (High School Boys) to keep track of how they are

feeling. The table identifies the four key areas that make up well-being in Māori culture — 

• Taha tinana (physical well-being)
• Taha hinengaro (mental and emotional well-being)
• Taha whanau (social well-being)
• Taha wairua (spiritual well-being)

Learning:

In our Year 9 Physical Education (PE) class, we’re not just focusing on physical skills but also on cultural competency and holistic well-being.The mobility and versatility of iPad enables us to create a learning environment that puts our student’s well-being first — inside and outside of the classroom. Recently, we explored Te Whare Tapa Whā, the Māori Health Framework. With 28 boys in the class, we meet three times a week throughout the year, giving us the opportunity to build strong connections.

The learning intention for this lesson is to help students understand and reflect on each of the dimensions in the Te Whare Tapa Whā model. We use Numbers because of its multiple tabs and infinite workspace that make it easy for students to keep all their work in one place, and I can easily review. This also allows my students to interact with the material in a way that is organised and accessible.

To foster relationships and build connections, we start with a pepeha task. This activity not only helps the boys connect with each other but also allows me to understand their backgrounds and strengthen our teacher-student relationships — a key focus in our PE department.

Students use conditionally formatted cells in Numbers to select an emoji that represents how they feel in each of the well-being dimensions. Using Apple Classroom, I could see these responses in real-time, which helps me identify students that might need additional support or a conversation about their well-being.

By integrating cultural competency and inclusiveness into our curriculum, we’re not just teaching PE—we’re supporting the holistic development of our young men, ensuring they feel seen, supported, and connected in all aspects of their lives.

 Here is the Numbers document you can download and modify for your learners.

https://www.icloud.com/numbers/094ve3p4np1ErGDg56isRb3Ug#Apple_Portfolio_-_Year_9

Learn more about our school HERE https://www.apple.com/nz/education/k12/success-stories/rotorua/