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Sports Program

PLAYING TO ‘EXPRESS’ RATHER THAN ‘IMPRESS’
‘An inclusive Sports Program which celebrates all’

The Empathy Exercise:


As a classroom teacher who is not normally on the sports field, visit some sports sessions that your students participate in. Observe your students in a different environment and see what students are uncomfortable in this scenario and why that might be.


Particularly pay attention to when teams are being picked and put yourself in the shoes of one of the less talented students who is picked at the end!


Step 1
Feel

We experienced

Typical school sport programs tend to focus on the fastest, fittest and strongest. Some students may thus approach sports sessions with fear of failure and even boredom or disinterest!

Watch Kiran share the incident which sparked the re-design and implementation of the Sports program at Riverside.

3:00

Our Insights

Sports sessions are not viewed with equal anticipation by all students. We realized that there were multiple reasons for this:

  • Some students were naturally not inclined towards it, and some did not have the physical capacity to perform. For many, sports was just a compulsory games period which they were happy to excuse themselves from!
  • Often due to the relentless focus on the fastest, the fittest and the strongest in the group, sports evoked a fear of failure or trepidation in some students.
  • It was rare to find teachers and students participating in Sports together and thus sports became distanced from everything else that was happening in the classroom.

This led to feelings of ‘us and them’ between those who play well and those who did not.

Step 2
IMAGINE
What if

sports sessions are a fantastic opportunity to build leadership skills and inclusion for all students, as well as teachers?

We designed

Regular sports sessions in the morning for building expertise, student led coaching sessions during the day for building leadership and communication, and an inclusive sports day for building community!

This helped bring inclusivity into the narrative. Sports coaches were selected from students based on their attitude and sportsmanship which enhanced the well being and character of students, leading to greater confidence and self esteem.

We saw the students move from an atmosphere of competition to one of collaboration which had a profound impact on the dynamics between the students even in the classroom.

Involvement of teachers in the Sports Program helped them see their students in a new light and develop a new found appreciation for each other, and also helped build a community of enthusiastic sportspeople!

Step 3
Do

Here is What we Do

This set of video helps make visible the process of the Sports Program from ‘intention’ to ‘action’:

03:50

In the video above you’ll find an overview and glimpse of the Inclusive Sports Coaching Process, defined by Sports teacher Niall and shared by a Grade 10 student.

  • 02:25

    b) ‘Tone setting’ by the School Sports Teacher where he establishes relevance and vision of a Sports program along with students.

  • 06:30

    c) Glimpses of the ‘Squads Sports Day’ (Key stage 3). Sports teacher and students talk about relevance, planning and final event at Riverside


  • 02:56

    d) Glimpses of the ‘Squads Sports Day’ (Key stage 2). Here the Sports coach and students talk about the relevance, planning and final event at Riverside.

  • 02:32

    e) Teacher’s Role in Sports Day This video provides insight into the role of the teacher during the Squads Sports Day in KS3.

Meet the Stakeholders:

EduHero Niall Walsh has been teaching literature and language at Riverside in Key Stage 3 (grade 8-12) for the past four years. His imaginative and creative blend helps him to make learning both meaningful and engaging for his students. Besides being a language teacher, he juggles the role of leading the Sports Program at the school.

  • 06:12

    FAQ Video Sports Program

    Watch how he shares the relevance of a Sports Program that builds leadership skills and also promotes inclusivity

  • 04:51

    FAQ Video Sports Day

    Watch Niall share the key points to remember, when planning and executing an inclusive Sports Day.




  • 04:10

    Impact Video

    Here the Impact of the overall Sports Program is shared by Suja, a homeroom teacher who has been involved in the planning and implementation of the process!

Resources

At a Glance Reflection Templates Ice Breakers Squad Picking Template Timetable and points structure

Tips for the Leader

  • Before beginning the sports program with your students, it is important to first ensure that all of your teachers are on the same page regarding the purpose and relevance of the inclusive program.
  • Try co-creating the sports program with your teachers so that they will buy into the philosophy of the curriculum. This can be done directly after the teachers have gone through the experience of a typical ‘coaching’ session themselves to give them a taste of what sports can be!
  • Teachers should then be encouraged to put forward their ideas of what values they would like to see cultivated in the sports program.
  • Our experience tells us that in sports sessions where students and teachers participate actively, everyone feels like a child again and it builds a bond between the student and teachers.
Step 4
Share

Share with us your experience of how you have used this process in your context, any challenges you might have faced or just inspire us with your story :-)

Still Curious?

Write us any questions you have about this process, and we’ll get back to you.

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