Rhona McWalter, a probationer teacher at Ferryden primary school in Montrose, has been awarded the George D Gray award for the best undergraduate thesis in teacher education in Scotland.
She graduated BEd with first-class honours from Dundee University in June and is the first mature student to receive the award, worth pound;500, which is supported by a trust fund set up by Ethel Gray, the widow of George Gray, who was the first GTC registrar.
Mrs McWalter’s thesis on “Inactive Children, A Ticking Time Bomb” concluded that “children’s enjoyment of physical activity is a motivating factor in participation and may encourage children to be habitually active.
“This has implications for teachers to provide a variety of activities and present these activities as ‘fun.’
“The range and type of activities being offered by schools need to be carefully considered, with as much emphasis on lifetime activities, such as walking and active play, as on traditional competitive sports.”
