A new website helps bring more movement into teaching, with UWB also involved

How can children be encouraged to move more during the school day? A new educational platform, EDIS-school, offers a solution. Teachers can choose from hundreds of courses focused on incorporating physical activity into lessons, some of which are also prepared by the Faculty of Education at UWB.

According to experts, children today spend more and more time sitting - both at school and at home. This is precisely why the EDIS-school (EDucation In Sport) platform was created. It offers educators a comprehensive system of courses that integrates physical activities into teaching and everyday school life. The courses are developed by a group of public universities from across the Czech Republic, including the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. Its Faculty of Education (FPE) contributes to the project through the Centre for Physical Education and Sport, which provides its own lifelong learning courses on the platform.

Users can easily search and select courses in the system by topic, content, target group, or date. “The course content helps educators develop physical activities in the school environment while also showing how movement can be naturally integrated into other subjects. Teachers thus gain both inspiration and concrete methodological support for their teaching,” said Petra Špottová from the FPE Centre for Physical Education and Sport. The platform currently offers more than 300 courses, and according to the Ministry of Education, more will be added gradually. “Our goal is to create a school environment where movement is a natural part of every day, while also supporting students’ mental resilience,” said Minister of Education Robert Plaga.

In the coming period, the Faculty of Education at UWB will offer courses such as Compensation for Sedentary Work for Teaching and Non-Teaching Staff and Psychomotor Skills. These courses focus on practical ways to incorporate movement into the school environment or to counterbalance long periods of sitting. “Our involvement in the project allows us to offer our educational activities to a wider range of educators and further strengthen the connection between the university environment and school practice,” added Špottová. The courses available on EDIS-school can be used by teachers from kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, as well as school leaders and other teaching and non-teaching staff.

According to the Ministry, the project aligns with the Active School concept developed by the Czech School Inspectorate to support students’ physical activity throughout the school year. In cooperation with sports faculties across the country, the Inspectorate presents examples of inspiring practice that improve conditions for physical activity in schools.

The cooperation of universities involved in the EDIS-school project is coordinated by VICTORIA, the University Sports Centre of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, which also guarantees the professional quality of the educational content. More information about the platform and the current course offer is available on the project website.