F=- r1

rtrft"[tJff'L]::i
5 p o nrEo u ca rr oN

C a ryD.Kin ch in,
Cr a igWa rc i l a
e nd Pe te rF l as ti e
pres entthe t h ir d art ic l ein t h e irc o n ti nui n g
SportEd uc ati on
s er ie swh
, i c ht h is i s su e
fo c us eson a t hle t ic s. . .

SportEducotio
wAghEe&Ees
he following article is the third in a series of units
writt en in Spo r t Edu c at io nst y le .
The aim,of'the previous articles (Sport Education-
Tennis,PE&SI,lssue l6,Au.tumn 2004 and Sport Education-
TableTennis,lssue lS,Summer2005) was to provide a more
detailed planningsupport for teachers in the form of tried
and tested games units using Sport Educationas a tool for
teaching.
The flexibility of Sport Education means it can be easily
incorporated into gamesfor understandingapproach,as
demonstrated by the two units, yet discussionswith
teachers who have adopted Sport Educationin their
teaching revealsthat generally,many find difficulty adapting
so m e o f t he S p ort E d uc at i onpr in cip lest o a r ea s o f th e
cu r ricu l u m such as g y m na st ic sor a t hle t ic s. Thefu nda m e n ta l
Sport Education principles of: a) elongated units lastingup
to 2 0 sess ion sin l e ng t h;b) pu pi ls r e main ingo n t h e s ame
team for the duration of the season;c) formal competition
s prin k l ed wi th pra ctic e;d) se as on sf in ish i ngwi th a
c ulmina tingev en t/fi na lt ou r na me nt ; e ) r e cor ds / st a t is ti c s
being kept; f) festivity emphasizedthrough the use of team
n a mes and un i form s (Si ed en t op ,1994 ; 1 99 8) ca n a ll be
adapted to the teachingof athletics.

PE& SportToday.Autumn zoo5 43

 Ratherthan outlinea plannedteachingunit this articleaims e Ea cho f t he 12 team swoul d s endtw o pupil sto runs ,
to demonstratewaysour departmentdeliveredathleticsusing tw o to throw sand tw o to jum ps .(1)
the fundamentalprinciplesof Sport Education- e The unit wo ul d cul mi nat ewi th the' Ol ymp ic s'wher
, e
Due to the safetyimplicationsassociatedwith the teaching pupi lswo ul d repr es entt hei r team in c omp eti ton .
of many athleticseyents,some teachers may be less likely to o ThreePEstaff (4)would be availablefor the unit.
'experiment'with new teachingmethodsand so includedin the e Ea chmemb erof s taffwa sas signe da ' cat egory 'th at
article are some diagramsoutliningthe ways in which we they would teachfor the entire unit.
organisedlessonsto allow us to fully utilise Sport Educationas o An outline of the unit was drawn up, as seen below.
our main teachingtool.
YEAR8 ATHLETICS
UNITOFWORK
Pl an n ingth e u nit
Traditionallyschoolstry and squeezetheir athleticsunit into l2
to l5 weeks or less.Thisgenerallymeansone eventis taughtper Group I Group 2 Group 3
lesson.As a departmentwe questionedhow pupilscan actually LESSON RUN JUMP THRO\^/
learn,practiceand progressin sucha short spaceof time. Sprint starts - l00m Longjump Javelin
Funhermore,aspupilsmakelittle progressin an event (e.g. z Sprinttechnique-100m Longjump Javelin
javelin)in one yea6wefelt that teacherscould delivera'recap'
3 Bend running- 200m Longiump Javelin
lessona year late6aimingto fill any gaps.Thisleadsto little progress
4 Bend running- 200m Long jump Javelin
in the secondyear and this processthen repeatsitselfwhereby
pupilscanget the same(avelin)lessonfour times in their school 5 Middledistance- 800m Triole iumo Discus
life. Alternatively,some teachers may not teach a recap lessona 6 Middledistance- 1500m Triple jump Discus
year later but deliverthe'next' progressionin that event.lf a pupil woRLD CHAMPTONSHTPS(2)
hasmissedthe previousyearl lessonthen there will be issuesof B Bend running- 400m Triplejump Discus
disparityin the class.After discussionswith the secondand third
9 Bend running- 400m friple jump Discus
authorswe concludedthat asa departmentwe shouldattempt to
U Relay- baton changing High jump Shot putt
enhancepupil progressionthroughthe consistencyof delivery.
I Hurdles High jump Shot putt
How would we enhanceconsistency
of deliveryl 1 Hurdles High iump Shot outt
Manypupils,wefelt,are'turnedoff' athleticseachyear as they 3 H urdle s High jump
participate in eventsthat they either do not enjoy or that their 4 oLYMPTCGAMES (3)
body type meansthey strugglewith. Sport Educationwas designed
to promote a positive,inclusiveand contextualizedspon
experiencefor all pupils(Kinchin,Wardleet.a|.2004,Siedentop,
1994).Topathletesspecialise in a particulareventor evens,so why
can pupilsnot specialise? Notes:
Ratherthan specialise in one event(e.g.longjump) we decided
that pupilswould havethe option of specialising in an event ( I ) This would still resultin three classesof 24 but the pupils
category i.e.runs,jumps or throws.This way,they would get the havehad the opportunity to plan as a group who they think
opportunity to experiencea minimumofthree eventseachyear will best suit each event.
and as the skillsare ransferable there should be the potential for (2)TheWorld Championshipsare an inter classcompetition
greater learningand progression. where the pupils compete in the eventsthey have learnt so
far. Although all three classesare participatingin the
Pl an n i ngth e un it competition eachgroup is isolatedfrom each other.
(3)All three classescompetein the Olympics,whichcan be run
o The athletic block was to be l5 lessons(of 50 minutes) long. like a mini sports day.
c Each l e sson wo ul d be ma de u p o f t hr ee c las s es( g ro up s (4)A common problem in many schools is the safetyof non
A,B& C ). specialiststaff,especiallyteachingthrows.The advantageof
cEachclasswas alreadysplit into four teams of six pupils (24 this systemis that they can teach either runs or jumps with
pupilsper class). the specialist the throws.
staffsupervising
o Eachteam had a name (see diagrambelow).
lmplementation
of the unit
Hastie(l99Bb) statedthat the use of smallgroupswho remain
Team G ro u pA Group B Group C
togetherprovidesmore opportunitiesfor pupilsto come into
contactwith the contentto be learned.Kinchinet al (2004)
I Rhino Rhino Rhino
supportedthis theorl claimingthe sustainedteam structure
2 Tisers Tigers Tigers inherentin Sport.Educationdoes increasethe chancefor
J Warriors Warriors Warriors continuity and progressionof l-earningover time. As previously
4 Wildcats Wildcats Wildcats mentioned,the gamessyllabuslendsitselfvery easilyto the use

44 PE& SportToday.Autumn zoo5

 of smallgroups or teamsfor teachingbut
athleticsis generally level of participation by pupils, givingthem
more problematicas much of the work is far grearer jumps and
individualor partner allowingthem to practicetechniques.
based-As a departmentwe decidedto
assessthe way we
organiseathleticslessonsand deviseways
we could makethe I. As teamsare steggeredthey shouldnot
team ethos work. collidewith anyone
when jumpinginto the pit. pupilscan work
Generallyin athleticslessonspupilsare split at their pace.Set
into pairsthat tnem up on a task and pairstake it in turns jrrmp.
work akernativelythroughout rhe lesson,e.g. to
one pupil throws, 2. Once you start addingthe run up,pupils
the other waits. Often time can be wasted rnry .rr.a clearing
as pupilschoose the pit, so it is important to tell pupilsto be
partners. However,to savetime and ensure aware and adjust
teams are working their take off cone to suit their distance.
together each Sport Educationteam paired
off and would 3. One important rule is only one of each
remain partners for the unit.To ensure immediate pair in the pit at a
identification time.Toavoidtoo manypeoplein the pit,
eachteam continuedro wear their team colours number two! must
(bibs).Finally, wait until their partner is backat the run
rather than randomlyspreadthe pairsout, up marker before
we had all three they start their iump and vice versa.
pairs from each team working next to each
other or in the
same vicinity.
Throws:Discus
Below are a series of diagramsstating how
we organised
lessonsto allow the team srructure to work.

J u mps Teacherposition

Pir I

o
o
o

KEY
KEY

O Non thrower marker

O Ru nu p m ar ker
j-
<- Direction of throws
OTakeoff marker
O-------a Tapemeasure
-------) Directionof jump

Pupilsare paired off and number each other

Once paired up eachpair standsby one ofthe one or rwo.
numberedcones. Number one'sstandat
lf you have two pits, both can be set up the throwing cones numbered one to l2
as aboveso all the pupils and number two's
sit at a cone 5m behindtheir partner (marked
are jumping into the pits.lf there is only one pit
available then with the black circle).Ensureeachteam is
two teams set up as above in the pit and the working next to each
other rwo teams other,i.e.Rhinoswork on cones 1,2,3,Warriors
set up as above on grass. on cones4,5. 6
etc.
Long jump and triple jump are activiriesthat could
leadto
high levelsof inactivitydue to the amount of time
pupitsspend l. On the teachercommandnumberone! throw
waitingto jump into the pit.Traditionally the discusand
a whole classwould then crouch by their cone,thisway the teacher
line up on the run way and wait their turn to jump.This can see all
leadsto pupilswho havethrown.
pupilsonly gettingtwo or three jumps eachlesson
and iittle 2. On the teacher! commandpupilscollect
opportunity to learn and practicetechniques their discusand
to improve placeit by the throwing cone.
performance.The main advantageof organizing
a lessonas 3. Pupilsthen changeposition,so one sitsand
above (either in the pit or on grass)is that it does two becomesthe
allow a high tnrower.

PE& Sport Today. Autumn 2oo7

45
 4. After both pupils havethrown and discusreturned all pupils
move one cone to their right,i.e.pupilsat cone three move
to two, two to one, one to l2 etc.
5. Placea tape measureat cone one and | 2 so pupilscan
measurea distancewhen they get to these cones.
It is important to note that for safety reasons this
method of organisation can only be used when pupils
are not spinning.
The main advantagesof usingthis method of organisationis
that all pupilswill get an opporrunity to accuratelymeasure
their throws and see any improvement and also the teacher!
angle of view is much narrower than a traditional set up,
therefore givinga better view of all pupils.
Shot putt
1,3,5
+--*- watk oact {{}
1'3'5
l'3'5
t-
KEY
o Non throwing cone
-> Direction of throw
Tape measure
The radius of the circle is five metres with roughlya two metre
gap between each cone.
pupilsare pairedoffand numberedone and two,one'swill
rhrow outwards,away from the centre of the circle and number
two's sit on a cone two metres behind their partner.Thethree
oairs from each team work at consecutivenumbered cones.
I . On the teacher command number one's throw the shot and
46 PE& SportToday'Autumnzoo5
then crouch by their cone,this way the teachercan see all
the pupilswho havethrown.
2. On the teacher'scommandpupilscollecttheir shot and
placeit by the throwingcone.
3. Pupilsthen changeposition,so one sits and two becomes
the thrower.
4. After both pupils havethrown and the shot is returned all
pupilsmove clockwisearound the circle,i.e.pupilsat cone
three move to four^,
four to five,five to six etc.
5. Placea tape measureat cone l2 and six so pupilscan
measurea distancewhen they get to these cones.
Again,for safetyit is important to make sure pupils crouch
after they havethrown so that you can see all pupils in the
circle.Also all waitingpupilsshouldbe sat down.
It is important to note that.for safety reasons this
method of organization can only be used when pupils
are not spinning.
Runs:Sprints
rlr I F- Watk back
ttt
2
YO 2,4 16
-r A. lF
q 2,4,6
\n/^
Y VG] tl
5
6 21 4,6
\A/; A, Frf,(3
B 2,4,6
TC of eachteam numberspupilsone to six.Theteams are then
divided into two groups of three, odd numbers in one group,
and even in the other-Eachteam is allocatedtwo lanesof the
track as above(odd numbersrun in an odd lane numbenevens
run in an even lane).Rather than haveall the groups at the
starting line running down the track in one direction, to give
pupilsmore spaceeachgroup of three will run down their
allocatedlane,turn and walk (recovery period) back down the
adlacentlane,asdemonstratedwith the Rhino team in lanes
one and two.
All four teams run at the same tlme on the teachers
command.Once the first set of runners are half way back
teacher cominandsthe next set of runners to go (two and five
of eachteam)'
The distancethatthe pupilsrun shouldbe progressive and as
disuncesget further the starting position of the pupilswill need
to be moved further back.Thiswill also allow some
differentiation,either pupil or teacher led.Startingpupilsat
differentdistancesfrom the finish line will 'even' out ability levels'
 B ends 4. There was a greaterinterestand involvementin representing
the schoolat extra curricularmeets.
t- 1^ 2^ 5. The greatestnumber of pupilsever partlcipatedin the school
sportsday at the end of year.

Eachteam set up an oval approximately20m x l0m.The team
then pair off, partneringthemselveswith someoneof a similar
ability.TheTCnumberseachpair,one,two or three and within
eachpair the pupilslabelthemselves 'a' or'b'. Eachteam then
organisethemselvesis the diagramabove.
By beingpairedwith someoneof a similarabilityeachpupil
will havedirect competitioneachtime they run, increasing
motivationlevelsthroughoutthe lesson.However,during
exerciseswhere techniqueis beingrefinedteachersmay decide
to renlove the competitive element,as this can decrease
technique.Once techniqueshavebeen practicedand'honed'
pupilscan attempt to applythem in competition.
The distancesand pace pupilsrun shouldbe progressive - teaching.
just becausethere is a full circlemarkedout doesn'tmeanpupils
must run all the way around.Only two pupilsshouldrun at a
time, e.g.number one\, when they stop and are returningto
their start position,then the numbertwo! can go.
The organisationof a lessonas above allows both the 200m
an..400m to be taught in a specificenvironmentand it lends
itself to a natural progressionfor teachingrelay.
P r ob l ems
an dsol u t io ns
Organisingthe athleticsunit as outlinedabovemeansthere is
the potentialfor some pupilsto'miss out'as they only learnone
eventin year B.Theonly way this can be alleviatedis to ensure
that in year 9 pupilschoose a different event.However,by
restrictingchoiceyou may be returningto the scenariowhere
pupilsare doingeventsthey don't succeedat or enjoy.
Also,by allowingthe teamsto dictatewhich pupilsattend
which event,there is the potentialfor some pupilsto'be
volunteered'into an eventthey don't want to do.We expected
this problemto arise,however,not one pupilfrom any event
expressedconcernat any time in the module.Asa staffwe felt
that by explaininghow the modulewould run,with teams
workingtowardswinningthe Olympics,on the whole teams
analysedindividualstrengthsand weaknesses and distributed
themselveswisely.
Con clu si on
The above athletics unit and organisation of lessons were
desig n e da n d i mple m en t ed to su it the pu pi ls of our sch oo l . l t is
important to reiterate that Sport Education modules are flexible
an d c an be ad ap ted to su it each sch ool o r i ndi vi du altea chi ng un it .
We appreciate there are many ways that lessons can be
oi' ga nise d .T heaim o f th e articl e i s n ot to d ict ate h o.rr ath l et ics
l es son s sho uld be org an i se d but to sha re w ays w e fo un d to
su cc e ssfu ll yinco rpora te sp ort e d ucat ion i n ou r ath l et ics

Resultsof the module

Although no statisticaldata was collected from pupilsthere
were significantfindingsfrom teachingthe modulein a Sport
Educationformat.

l. Teachersobservedan increasedcompetitivespirit,leadingto
greater enthusiasmand motivation that havepreviouslybeen
absentfrom athleticslessons'This supPortsGrantt ( | 992)
research,statingtwo out of three pupilsclaimedthey worked
harder duringthe Sport Educationunit than before'
2. There was a continuedfosteringof the team ethos as PuPils
not only tried to improve personalperformancebut would
atsoassisteachother,analysing techniqueand givingconcise,
relevantfeedback to enhancetheir team'schancesof winning
the Olympics.
3. Teacherassessment greaterattainmentin skill
highlighted
levelsthan previous yearsdue to the lengthof time pupils
event.
learnt a Darticular

PE& SportToday. Autumn