Why we've introduced the new DP Sports, Exercise and Health Science course to Northbridge

Why we've introduced the new DP Sports, Exercise and Health Science course to Northbridge The 2020-2021 academic year sees a new, exciting course offered to our IB Diploma students for the first time here at Northbridge International School Cambodia.

The 2020-2021 academic year sees a new, exciting course offered to our IB Diploma students for the first time here at Northbridge International School Cambodia. 

Sports, Exercise and Health Science (SEHS) is an experimental science course combining academic study with practical and investigative skills. SEHS explores the science underpinning physical performance and provides the opportunity to apply these principles.

This year I will be leading the delivery of this course, which will allow our students to understand the theory behind performance and give our students the opportunity to put their knowledge, literally, to the test. 

Students have already completed the first unit of Anatomy: Musculoskeletal System.  The human skeleton, bones, joints and muscles were studied, culminating in a laboratory practical where students dissected a chicken wing to explore the process of movement. 

Further units will be undertaken over the course of the 2 year DP programme, these include Exercise Physiology, Energy Systems, Movement Analysis, and Skills in Sport and Measurement in Performance. One of the following two options will be undertaken in the 2nd year: Optimal Performance or Psychology of Sport. The students will choose.

From the titles of the units it is evident that a practical element is essential in the full understanding of the course. Students, who are active in sports will gain most from this programme as it builds upon their previous learning and their inherent passion.

In these difficult times it has never been more important that we undertake exercise regularly, safely and with the full understanding of the processes involved in performance. For this year’s Grade 10 choices for DP, we hope that many students will choose the SEHS, so they may join our current cohort in investigating the subject and undertaking a challenging yet rewarding, diploma subject.

Talking from experience, the learning process is a great deal easier if you are passionate about the subject. As a young man many years ago in the UK, hoping for a career in professional sport, I made a conscious decision to understand why the training and exercises that I undertook made me a better athlete.

Moving forward 30 years, I have enjoyed a wide range of sporting experiences and a career as an educator, coach and facilitator of sports in many countries. My sporting abilities were not of the level to earn a living as an athlete unfortunately, but my knowledge coupled with experience and enthusiasm allowed my passion to be my career.

My suggestion to all students is to take advice from the ancient Greek Hippocratic philosophy that states the ideal of ‘healthy mind in a healthy body’.