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Why did PKP change its kinesiology training system?

We changed PKP to meet the new Unit Standards into which the NZQA had divided kinesiology. In 1991 the New Zealand government called all Health Practitioners together to organise the ’Health Industry’ into a set of standards similar to the ISO 9000 standards we see in ’normal’ industry. Eight years later we achieved a NZ National Diploma in Kinesiology, issued by the NZ Qualifications Authority, (NZQA), a Government Body, not by individual colleges. This gave us national recognition of kinesiology in New Zealand.

This huge task allowed us the opportunity to ask ourselves, "how would we teach the material if we were to start all over again". The result was the ICPKP with a kinesiology training system that is competency-based, systematic rather than historical in the presentation of material and student-centred in its approach.

The NZ National Diploma in Kinesiology involved several awarenesses and making changes:

1. TFH is a "lay" course not designed to train Practitioners
The Touch For Health book is great for use in the home. It is not adequate as the primary textbook for Practitioner training. TFH Founder, Dr John Thie DC said this from the beginning. The TFH courses are taught too quickly (60 hours) to achieve competency. Changes were needed.

Building Professional Kinesiology Practitioner training on the foundation of TFH was not in the students best interests.
We re-designed the basic classes to meet the needs for Practitioner training that are not been addressed in TFH.
The new Basic Kinesiology Practice course for Practitioners (BKP 101 - BKP 110) is ten units not 4 weekend workshops.
The kinesiology basic material is similar to TFH but presented with different emphasis, in a different order, from a different perspective and in a greater depth over almost 300 hours instead of the 60 hours in TFH.

In the past we had not assessed every student to make certain they were able to do everything taught in one class before moving on to the next level.

NZQA required that all training was assessed both during and at the conclusion of each and every unit of training.
NZQA calls these Formative and Summative Assessments respectively. (You probably called them weekly tests and exams at school.)
Also, nobody passes or fails anymore. You either achieve Competency or you are considered Not Yet Competent (NYC). We have had to absorb this culture into the PKP system.

A third challenge was to realise just how long it takes to become Competent. NZQA allowed 280 -320 hours for the basic material.

This was more time than most of us took to learn TFH and PKP I - IV.
However, Competency means actually knowing and being able to demonstrate that you know the material.
In practical terms this meant, for us at PKP, breaking down everything we teach in the PKP classes into "Elements of Learning" that had clearly defined Performance Criteria. As we said, you do not pass or fail, you are either able to demonstrate the Performance Criteria or you are NYC (not yet competent at doing it).

The fourth challenge was working with Credits rather than hours.

NZQA do not allot a certain number of hours for Unit Standards.
The Unit Standard is worth a certain number of Credits.It no longer matters if Teacher A takes 12 hours to teach the material, teacher B takes 14 hours and teacher C takes 10 hours. The material is worth one credit no matter how long it took you to learn it. (In reality a credit is about 12 hours work.)
Once you are used to this system it is very ’freeing’ - especially to students.
If you achieve Competency in a Unit Standard it does not matter how long you took to learn it.

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