Concept-Based Learning in PE: A Practical Introduction for Teachers

By Jarrod Robinson · June 5, 2026 · 4 min read

What if PE lessons were organised around big ideas instead of isolated activities? Concept-based learning helps students understand the 'why' behind movement. Here's how to get started — with practical examples from Rachel Ford's framework.

Most PE programs are organised around activities: a basketball unit, a gymnastics unit, a swimming unit. But what if they were organised around ideas instead?

That's the shift concept-based learning proposes. Instead of teaching basketball as a standalone topic, you teach the concept of creating space — and basketball becomes one of many contexts where students explore that concept.

The difference matters. Activity-based PE produces students who can play basketball. Concept-based PE produces students who understand movement principles they can apply to any physical activity — in school and beyond.

It's an approach that's gaining momentum worldwide, and Rachel Ford — one of the leading voices in concept-based PE — has developed a practical framework that any teacher can start using.

What Is Concept-Based Learning?

Concept-based learning (CBL) is an approach where teaching is organised around transferable concepts rather than discrete topics. It was developed by Lynn Erickson for classroom subjects and has been adapted for PE by educators including Rachel Ford.

In PE, the key shift is:

• Activity-based: "This term we're doing basketball. You'll learn dribbling, passing, and shooting."
• Concept-based: "This term we're exploring creating and using space. We'll use basketball, soccer, and handball to understand how this concept works across invasion games."

The activities are still there — students still play basketball, still learn to dribble and pass. But the purpose is different. The goal isn't to get good at basketball; it's to understand a movement concept that transfers to many contexts.

Why It Matters for PE

Traditional activity-based PE has a transfer problem. Students learn skills in one context and struggle to apply them in another. They can chest pass in basketball but don't recognise the same passing principle in netball. They can dodge in tag games but don't connect it to evasion in rugby.

Concept-based learning solves this by making the underlying principle explicit:

• Deeper understanding. Students don't just know how to move — they understand why. Why does creating space matter? Because every invasion game requires it. Why does balance matter? Because every movement skill depends on it.
• Greater transfer. When students learn the concept of "force production" through throwing, they can apply that understanding to kicking, striking, and jumping. The concept transfers; the activity is just the context.
• More meaningful assessment. You're assessing understanding of concepts, not just performance of skills. A student who can explain why they chose a particular strategy demonstrates deeper learning than one who simply executes a technique.
• Curriculum coherence. Instead of a random sequence of unconnected units, your program tells a story. Concepts build on each other across terms and years, creating a coherent learning journey.
• Student agency. When students understand concepts, they can make informed choices about movement. They become independent movers, not just followers of instructions.

Rachel Ford's Framework: From Topics to Concepts

Rachel Ford's approach provides a practical pathway for PE teachers to shift from topic-based to concept-based planning. The framework has three layers:

1. Macro Concepts

These are the big, overarching ideas that span your entire PE program. Examples:

• Movement
• Strategy
• Health and Wellbeing
• Communication
• Identity

Macro concepts are too broad to teach directly — they're the umbrella under which everything sits.

2. Micro Concepts

These are the teachable, specific concepts that sit under macro concepts. This is where your unit planning happens:

• Under Movement: balance, force, rotation, spatial awareness, rhythm
• Under Strategy: creating space, defending space, deception, decision-making
• Under Health and Wellbeing: effort, recovery, persistence, self-regulation
• Under Communication: leadership, cooperation, feedback, non-verbal signalling

A unit is organised around one or two micro concepts, explored through multiple activities.

3. Generalisations (Enduring Understandings)

These are the statements of understanding you want students to arrive at — the "so what" of the unit. Examples:

• "Creating space allows individuals and teams to maintain possession and create scoring opportunities."
• "Effective communication enables groups to coordinate movement and solve problems together."
• "Understanding force production helps us generate power in throwing, striking, and jumping."

Students should be able to articulate these generalisations by the end of a unit — in their own words, with evidence from their experiences.

A Practical Example: "Creating Space" Unit (Year 5/6)

Here's how a concept-based unit might look compared to a traditional unit:

Traditional Approach

• Week 1–2: Basketball dribbling
• Week 3–4: Basketball passing
• Week 5–6: Basketball shooting and game play

Concept-Based Approach

• Week 1: Exploring "creating space" through a simple tag game — where is the space? How do you find it?
• Week 2: Creating space in a 3v3 invasion game (no specific sport) — how does the concept apply when you have a ball?
• Week 3: Creating space in basketball — applying the concept to a specific sport context
• Week 4: Creating space in soccer — same concept, different context. What transfers? What's different?
• Week 5: Student-designed games that require creating space — can they apply the concept independently?
• Week 6: Assessment and reflection — can students articulate why creating space matters and how it works across different games?

Same amount of basketball. But students also play soccer, design games, and — most importantly — understand a transferable concept they can apply to any invasion game they encounter in the future.

Getting Started: 5 Steps

1. Identify the concepts you already teach. You're probably teaching concepts already without labelling them. When you teach "teamwork" in a basketball unit, that's a concept. When you emphasise "balance" in gymnastics, that's a concept. Start by naming them.
2. Group your activities under concepts. Instead of planning "Term 1: Basketball, Term 2: Gymnastics," try "Term 1: Creating Space (basketball, soccer, handball), Term 2: Balance and Control (gymnastics, yoga, dance)." The activities serve the concept.
3. Write generalisations for each unit. What do you want students to understand — not just do? Write it as a statement: "Effective communication enables teams to make faster decisions." That becomes your assessment target.
4. Use questioning to surface understanding. During lessons, ask: "Why did that work?" "Where is this concept the same as last week?" "Can you explain the idea behind what you just did?" Concept-based learning requires students to think, not just move.
5. Assess understanding, not just performance. Include reflection tasks, concept maps, or verbal explanations alongside physical performance. "Show me how you create space" AND "explain why creating space helps your team."

Learn From the Expert: Rachel Ford on ConnectedPE

Rachel Ford's full course — Introducing Concept-Based Learning in PE — is available on ConnectedPE. It includes:

• Video walkthroughs of the framework
• Practical examples for primary and secondary PE
• Template for mapping concepts across your program
• Assessment strategies for concept-based units
• Certificate for your professional development portfolio

It pairs perfectly with Dr. Aaron Beighle's companion session on conceptual approaches to physical activity, also available on the platform.

Create a free ConnectedPE account to explore both courses and start shifting your program from activity-based to concept-based.

Teach Ideas, Not Just Activities

The best PE programs don't just produce students who can play sports. They produce students who understand movement — who can walk into any physical activity, identify the underlying concepts, and participate meaningfully.

Concept-based learning is how you get there. It's not about abandoning activities — it's about giving them purpose.

Start with one concept, one unit, one term. See how it changes the way your students think about movement. Then build from there.

Tags: Concept-Based Learning, PE Pedagogy, Physical Education, Teaching Strategies, Curriculum Design