Mission
Down With PE has been created to help support physical and health educators on their ongoing pursuit of new knowledge and skills that are purposeful for both teaching and student learning.
Marcus Down
Educator | Leader | Consultant
Marcus is an experienced health and physical educator. He began teaching physical education (PE) in 2009. Since then, he has taught at public, independent, and international schools using a variety of curricula (British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Australian Curriculum Assessment & Reporting Authority - ACARA). In 2014, Marcus completed his Masters of Arts (Kinesiology) at the University of Victoria. His research mostly focussed on PE instructional models that achieve a wide range of educational outcomes for school-age children and youth.
Marcus has taught elementary PE at International Baccalaureate (IB) schools in Hong Kong, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, and Vietnam. He is an IB Workshop Leader and continues to lead a wide range of workshops for educators around the world. Additionally, Marcus has had the privilege to present his work at local, provincial (BCPHE, Ophea), national (PHE Canada), and international (Asia, Middle East) PE conferences. He has also been provided the opportunity to help lead workshops and courses for continuing teachers and undergraduate students at multiple universities across Canada.
In 2016, Marcus was identified as an educator who advocates for impactful technology, and innovates to improve classrooms, schools and local communities and was selected as a Google Innovator. He has supported the Google for Education Certified Innovator Program by scoring Innovator applications on multiple occasions. Additionally, Marcus served as a committee member (2019-2022) for the Physical Education, Health & Wellness, Athletics, Sports, and Experiential Learning (PHASE) Conference held annually in Asia, contributing his time and expertise to advance professional learning and foster collaboration among educators in the region.
After spending seven consecutive years teaching abroad, Marcus returned to Canada in 2022 with his wife and two daughters. Since his return, he launched a resource website, downwithpe.ca, and began consulting with schools in Europe and North America, both in-person and online. Marcus also served as an instructor in the Faculty of Education at Vancouver Island University where he taught pre-service teachers best practices in health and physical education. Currently, he is a vice principal on the Southern Gulf Islands in British Columbia, where he continues to teach K-7 health and physical education on a daily basis.​​