Do you have a policy on how games lessons begin in your school? Is this school wide, or is it every man for himself? Have you considered the potential impact of this part of all sessions ?
Consider the following, observed a few months ago in a middle ability Year 9 group in a reputable English independent school.
Pupils have been house trained to meet their coach on their distant field for a 2.15 pm start. Half a dozen small but enthusiastic pupils arrive early, shortly after 2 pm. There is nothing for them to do, so their chase each other about, before finding a frog on the field, which them commands their attention. Their coach - a non specialist academic teacher with considerable games coaching experience - arrives relatively promptly ( at 2.17 pm), carrying the undisputed tools of his trade: a sack of rugby balls, pile of cones and a clipboard. The enthusiasts abandon the frog and surround him, eagerly requesting access to the balls. This is denied, and they are requested to sit down on the grass. Reluctantly, they acquiesce.
By this time, three quarters of the group have arrived, and the others are trailed out like a washing line between the pitch and the pavilion. The teacher shouts at the late comers to hurry, resulting in a token jog from the two overweight boys at the back, whose laces drag along the grass behind them. He ignores a further request, pessimistically half hearted, from the seated group for access to the balls. By the time the group is seated before him, the time is 2.23 pm.
The the clip board comes to the fore. The register is taken, the whereabouts of absentees considered, and the intrusions of the music timetable discussed. When the clipboard is discarded - it's work done - it is now 2.29 pm.
What comes next?
You may predict this... The run round the pitch!
With the balls safely in their sack, the pupils embark, with varying degrees of reluctance, on a circuit of the pitch. The enthusiasts run all the way, taking in the corners of the pitch, returning in a respectable time of 2 minutes 15 seconds. The trailing laces break into a walk after 70 metres, responding reluctantly to shouts of derision and threats of punishment to resume their perambulation. Their final time of 4 minutes 25 threatens no records. It is now 2.36 pm, and everyone is sitting again, whilst any physiological impact of warm up slowly dissipates whilst it's value is discussed.
The balls are finally shaken free of the sack and first touched by a boy at 2.40 on: approximately 37 minutes after the first pupils arrived at the pitch.
Whilst this may be an extreme example, variations on the theme can be observed in may schools. Schools which frequently devote a lot of time to games, in order that their school teams can be competitive, but then use much of it inefficiently.
What are the alternatives? What is the purpose of the start of the session ?
- Engagement. It is well documented that the start of lessons has a significant impact on the quality of the learning environment and the tone of the session. Pupils want to be active and to play with the implements of the game in question. They want to try out new things. Those who are enthusiastic and arrive before the minimum time should be rewarded with the opportunity to play in an unstructured way. The fact that something appealing is available often encourages others to run towards the session in the knowledge that this will be rewarded by play opportunities. If they know that they will have to wait for the last laces to arrive, and be tied, no such incentive exists.
- Activity. The great majority of pupils enjoy being active, thought few enjoy aimless running round the arena, followed by the inevitable wait for the least athletic to complete their humiliation. The tone of the session is set at at downbeat level, and any enjoyment is, at best, delayed. There exists an opportunity to harness the power of play and the joy of activity which many pupils bring to games. The possibilities of play have a better chance of engaging the less enthusiastic than the prospect of pointless perambulation.
- Warm up is overrated. Formal warm up and stretching programmes make modest contribution to the session. Many games lessons occur after pupils have been engaged in informal play at breaks and lunchtimes, for which they have had no warm up, and sustained no soft tissue injury. Static "warm up activities" contribute to the negative tone of the start of the session, and deny the engaging possibilities of the power of play.
So what is the answer? Consider the following:
A school wide policy for active, engaging session starts. All sports, all groups, both sexes.
- Pre session availability of equipment. For any activity at which it is possible for pupils to arrive early (eg in lunch or other breaks), equipment and supervision are available at least ten minutes before the scheduled start. Pupils are encouraged to arrive early and play with balls, sticks, rackets etc, but must do so running, and in a confined area. Aimless stationary kicking/hitting is not permitted.
- Prompt start of unstructured activity. At the appointed lesson time, unstructured play based on the availability of a ball,each, or between two, begins. Eg. Dribble the ball around the area, carry the ball and pass not more than two metres, two touches on the ball.
- Plenty of touches of the ball for all pupils. Research clearly concludes that the development of skill is directly proportional to the amount of purposeful practice undertaken. If the first ten minutes of a lesson are spent with unstructured activity, plenty of balls and intensive activity, most pupils will double the number of touches of the ball that they will have in a 70 minute session. Conduct your own research; the impact is remarkable. If you believe that skill development is proportional to the number of touches of the ball, the argument for skill based introductory activity in every session is indisputable.
It may be that the biggest impact on the development of coaching in your school might be an institutional commitment to improving the start of the session to harness the engaging power of games.
