Pewaukee teacher’s action research finds student choice in middle‑school PE raised engagement

Michelle Stanke, a seventh‑grade physical education teacher, told the Pewaukee School District Board of Education that an action‑research project she ran titled “More choice, more movement” noticeably increased student engagement and participation in PE classes. "I want kids to love movement," Stanke said, describing a semester‑long implementation in which students chose among activities such as capture the flag, cross‑country laps and video‑based bodyweight workouts.

The project used pedometers and student surveys to track activity and attitudes. Stanke said students who had choices showed higher participation rates, "decreased resistance," and fewer excuses or medical‑type absences. She added that students who chose nontraditional activities still met accountability expectations: "We were still able to assess students when they were making their choices," she said.

Board members asked whether increased engagement in PE carried over to classroom performance. Stanke said the survey measured engagement within PE and she did not collect classroom data, but she expects improved attention and behavior could follow: "I would hope that we would over time... start to see that connection take place," she said. The board and staff discussed observable behavior improvements and classroom management benefits noted by administrators.

Stanke described logistical steps taken to make choice work: keeping students with a primary class for main sports while allowing limited switches to alternate activities, setting clear expectations and consequences up front, and using pedometer goals to equalize effort across activities. She also credited a K–12 curriculum platform used to deliver videos and lesson plans and to enable optional tracking of individual student progress.

District staff framed the project as part of the board’s professional development and action‑research pathway, where experienced teachers propose and test classroom innovations. A district presenter said the action‑research option is reviewed by a committee and is intended to translate teacher findings into systemwide practice.

Stanke said the program has been used with seventh graders for a full semester and partially in another teacher’s section; the district hopes to expand the choice model into eighth grade while continuing traditional skill introductions in sixth grade. The board discussed barriers to broader rollout—planning time, supervision and space—but noted the program’s positive student response.

The presentation ended with board appreciation for the work and a plan to monitor implementation and consider expansion next year.