Sport Education Model

Although this model was not incorporated into our unit, it has been proven an effective strategy for engaging a class. A sport education model could easily be incorporated into a badminton unit, and exactly how it is done is up to the educator to decide.

What is sport education?

"A curriculum and instruction model designed to provide authentic, educationally rich sport experiences for students in the context of school PE. It has six basic features that derive from the authentic form of the activity within the larger culture" (Browne et al., 2004). The 6 key principles of a sport education model according to Siedentop are"(1) sport activity is seasonal and follows a seasonal format; (2) players are members of teams and remain on those teams for the entire season; (3) seasons are defined by formal competition, which is interspersed with a practice season; (4) each season has a culminating event; (5) records are extensively kept; and (6) there is a festive atmosphere in which the season, and particularly the culminating event, take place" (Bennett & Hastie, 1997).

Basic foundations

The basic principle of the sport education model is that every student is a member of a team, which they remain a part of for the entire season. Each student has a role to fulfill as a member of that team, and therefore every student's participation is required for the success of the program. Some roles include coach, equipment manager, official, and score keeper. By using this model students' tend to take ownership over their role and the activity gains meaning for them. Studies have shown that the model creates an environment in which students are held accountable for their actions by their fellow peers, and their contribution to the team is recognized and valued.

Naturally, there is still research to be done on the effectiveness of the program and whether it may have an adverse impact in some situations, but overall student testimonials on the program have been positive.

Teaching Styles

Reciprocal:

This teaching style requires the students to evaluate each other on their performance in a specified task and give feedback to their partner. The teacher is present to facilitate their learning, and should circulate and provide feedback to the learner on his or her progress and the observer on his or her feedback. It is the teacher’s duty to ensure that the students are aware of the teaching cues they should be giving their partner, and the specific aspects of the skill they are looking for.

Tournaments

The last lesson of our unit included a tournament style of game play. Tournaments are a fun and inclusive way to conclude a unit, and music can be played to contribute to an energetic atmosphere. It was a small class so the pre- planning did not require a complex structure or system. We arranged our teams in advance, trying to make the competition fair based on skill level. We then had a rotation for game play so all teams would have a chance to play each other.

To organize a round robin tournament for a larger class would involve more planning, but the same principles apply: select the teams in advance, create a schedule of who plays who on what court and when. A better system for classes with students of varied ability would be a

Equipment

Birdies, racquets and other equipment to be used during the lesson should be laid out in an organized fashion prior to the class, and students come get it as the teacher instructs them to. It helps to have the equipment in small piles inside a hula hoop for ease of access, particularly for a large class.

If nets need to be set up, the class can help to do so as they enter the gym. If the initial set up involves cones to mark boundaries, it's a good idea to have this ready to go before the students enter the gym. The students can help put away the equipment including nets at the end of the lesson, and if you've established routines then they should know where everything belongs.

Managerial Routines

Procedures

-Attendance: the teacher takes attendance at the beginning of class

-15 minutes are allotted before and after class for the girls to change, but is expected that once they enter the gym they are ready to go and on task.

-Once the teacher calls for attention, the students are silent and listening. For starting a new activity, the teacher calls the students in and they immediately hustle to where the teacher is standing, ready to listen to the next set of instructions.

-Students wait until the teacher dismisses them to head to the locker room to change.

Groupings

If you ask the students to find a partner, they should be able to do so quickly. To make sure everyone has a partner, the teacher may ask "does everyone have a partner?" and if not, quickly group together students without a partner. To ensure that students are not always with the same person, the teacher may intervene and switch the partners.

Another option is having set groups/ partners for each week, and reading out the groups at the beginning of the week. The students would be responsible for remembering who is in their group.

Classroom Guidelines

The students should be aware of the classroom guidelines, and to ensure there are no discrepancies, the guidelines should be written somewhere in the gym where they are visible. These guidelines may consist of safety and equipment rules, bathroom privileges, and general behaviour conduct expectations. Most grade 10 classrooms will have implicit teacher- student trust, so it would typically be understood that a student will not ask to go to the bathroom but will return when he or she is done.