Modern History through Sport

Teaching and Learning Strategies:

Video footage, of both movies and documentaries, can be used effectively for parts of several classes in this module. They stimulate interest and clarify material. Access to IT facilities is desirable for some of the classes, to enable students to take personal responsibility for their learning, investigating internet sources and doing portions of project work on different sporting events/personalities relating to the topic. Team teaching may be another option the assistance of the schools PE, Science and CSPE teachers, for instance, could be valuable. Debates and discussions form an important part of the module. If students show particular interest in one part of it, more time can naturally be given to it, provided the learning objectives can still be achieved. Field trip opportunities may be limited, though both the Croke Park museum in Dublin and, to a lesser extent, the GAA museum in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, can be worth a visit if not too far away. Visiting speakers, perhaps local sporting figures, could be useful if their visit can be focused in some way around the material being studied. However, even if the visitor does no more than heighten students interest, it can still be a worthwhile learning exercise.

5. Content:

Generally speaking, it is envisaged that one or two periods, at the teachers discretion, would be given to each of the following:

6. Assessment:

The key assessment forms used are oral questioning, aural assessment and project work. Oral questioning is useful in every class as a revision tool and a means of gauging understanding. Aural assessment can take the form of an oral presentation of a project done by a student, with perhaps a questions-and-answers session afterwards with the other students. Within a few classes of commencing with this module, it should be possible to have students begin their projects. As far as possible, let them identify areas which interest them favourite football teams origins, interesting personalities, etc. The greatest difficulty will be to ensure the historical validity and relevance of the work. This is very suited to internet research by students, though be mindful of the obvious pitfalls with this. It is essential to tap into students interests in the project work historical learning will follow almost automatically!