TEACHING SPORTSMANSHIP AND FAIR PLAY EVERY DAY

written by Tom Winiecki, Mott Road Elementary School, Fayetteville, NY

As educators, we are always looking for more effective ways to teach and reinforce different skills. We attend conferences, read journals, visit web sites like this one, and pick other teachers' brains. We do this all in an effort to find something to enable our students to learn more completely. You may come across a great lesson that reinforces something you teach; perhaps controlling a ball. It may fit right into what you are teaching at the time. Well, guess what? If you can't figure out a way to re-use this concept of control throughout the year, your students will soon lose anything they learned from your great find of a lesson.

If your kids think "control" only looks like dribbling a basketball then they didn't learn the over-all encompassing concept of "control." If, on the other hand, they learn that "control" means keeping something close while moving, they have grasped a more meaningful concept; it has true meaning. Now they understand what you expect when they learn to control a basketball, hockey stick, soccer ball, paddle, or even a lacrosse stick.

By re-using this concept throughout the school year, your students see all the various ways that it can be applied and how important it is for them to learn it. The same goes for things like sportsmanship. It is one of those things that have to be constantly taught, and expected of all students all the time. If I went to a conference and saw that someone was going to speak on the "perfect lesson" to teach sportsmanship, I would probably go the other way real quick! Concepts like sportsmanship cannot be taught in one lesson. Sportsmanship cannot be taught by addressing it just a few times throughout the school year. I don't care how “good” the lesson is; it can't be done!

Where to start? A good place to start would be to ask "Where does good character show up in a physical education class?" And perhaps most importantly, "What does it look like?"

Based on my experience, I suppose you could say that it might look something like this:

• Helping & including others in a game situation.
• Passing to teammates before always shooting first all the time.
• Calling fouls & penalties fairly for both sides (even when it is their friends).
• Taking pride in their own efforts and improvements. Students would take the time to work on improving themselves, and not just biding their time to get to play the game at the end of class.

The next question would be, "How do we, as teachers, get this type of behavior from our students?" My opinion is to make these behaviors the expectations of your class. Make a conscious effort to point out positive behavior. Make it clear to your class that what they expect from you (an enjoyable experience, having fun, improved fitness and/or skills…) can be achieved through good character, which in the gym often shows up as good sportsmanship.

Conduct your lessons and classes in a way where working together is both encouraged and expected. Place your emphasis on the process, not the product (end point/goal). When kids see you model what you expect, in the way that you teach, they will accept it. Teach students not to worry about mistakes, because they're going to happen. Show them that mistakes are okay, as long as they try to learn from them and aren't defeated by them.

Let's take the first item from the above list; "helping & including others." Wouldn't it be great if all of our kids automatically did that! Well, if you expect it, model it, and teach it, it will happen. One way for children to learn this is through "peer teaching."

"Peer teaching," quite simply, is a scenario (that you set up) where one student observes and gives feedback to another classmate. Usually this is done in a one-on-one situation. It is something a lot of us already do. In its simplest form, one student works on a particular skill - say an overhand throw by a third grader. A partner observes 4-5 attempts. After the last attempt, the observer gives feedback. Here is where character comes in. Here is where that first point of helping & including others can be addressed. Design this situation so that the only feedback to be given first is what they saw done correctly. Save any mistakes for last. Those mistakes must be paired by a way to correct them.

By doing it this way, the "practicer" hears good things about their efforts from their classmate first. Then they not only hear what mistakes they might have made, but they also hear a solution to those mistakes. The 'practicer' sees someone else trying to help them improve, not just catch them in a mistake. The "observer" also has a stake in this. They are responsible for recognizing correct technique, as well as any form breaks. They also are responsible for knowing how to correct a problem. This reinforces your teaching as well.

What this also does is to begin creating a bit of a connection between these two students. They had a stake in each other's learning. You can apply this to any movement/sport activity that you choose. Let's say that you conclude your lesson on throwing with some type of "throwing" game. You can put these same two students (from peer teaching) on the same team. They can be given responsibility for giving each other tips to improve each other's performance during the activity. Between rounds of the game, have them group together and remind each other of the correct form they were practicing earlier in the lesson.

Again, the emphasis is on the process. You teach the kids what to look for, and how to look for it. When they do find a fault in someone's technique, not only have they been taught what to look for but also how it can be fixed. You have shown them how to successfully communicate with another person. You have taught them to look for someone's strengths first, and their faults second. Also, you have taught them that when someone falls short, there's a 'right way' to help them fix it. You don't just tell them what they did wrong, and then leave them without help or hope of recovery.

You have taught students' to learn' to use each other as resources, not as opponents, (because remember) it's the process that is important, not the product. Let me add something else here. We are all trying to teach our kids correct form in many things. We want them to do it right eventually. But, we can't get so caught up in the end product that we lose sight of teaching them to continue wanting to learn. We want them to embrace mistakes as steps to eventually getting it right, not as reasons to feel defeat and to quit trying.

You are teaching students how to get more fit, how to improve their skills, and how to use those skills/fitness in different ways. You want them to be "educated movers" that feel comfortable getting involved in any type of physical activity. You want your students to feel comfortable both getting and giving feedback to others. It all starts with the environment you foster in your classes.

You can come up with any number of partner activities, cooperative activities, and project adventure activities. All of these should be designed to "teach teamwork." But, if those qualities are not daily emphasized in your teaching, learning that your kids gained from these activities will eventually diminish.

It doesn't specifically matter what you're working on in your class, whether you're teaching about fitness concepts, ball skills, rhythmic activities or something else. The focus should be on the long term and big picture. Your focus is keeping all of your students motivated to continue improving at everything they are offered. This stems from an atmosphere you develop in your gym based on self-respect as well as respect for others.

What about behavior problems that show up, despite our best efforts? Shouldn't the kids just have to learn by sitting out of an activity that they like? Isn’t that enough? Quite simply, no it is not enough. Don't make any infractions a negative thing you impose on your students. The trick is to make them realize that their actions were their decision, and any consequences are a result of that decision - not your interpretations.

Since we are educators and are in the business of having our kids learn and improve from their mistakes, we need to offer them the opportunity to re-enter the class, but on the correct terms. They need to be shown that it's their personal actions and choices that got them into trouble in the first place, and that they can get themselves out of trouble and into class again. We can say something like: "When you can tell me what you won't do again, I will be able to let you back in. If you can't do this, you will have to remain out. Do you understand?"

This exchange causes the student to make a conscious choice regarding their behavior. They must physically get up, find you in the gym, and tell you what they will not do anymore. They are, in essence, making a decision to visibly be more accountable for their behavior. If their behavior changes for the better then “all is well” and the class goes on. If not, they have "broken their word" to you.

Basically, they have lied to you about their behavior choice just to re-join the activity. This now opens up an entirely new conversation about promises and keeping one's word to others. This puts them in a position to know that they did in fact lie to you. This is a pretty strong statement, but it's a true one. Immediately, your elementary student realizes that they have let you down, and you really expect them to show sportsmanship and good character all the time, not just when it is convenient for them.

It's also important to let this particular student know they will be positively noticed by you the minute they do something right. This could be something along the lines of sportsmanship and good character, or along the lines of hard work paying off in success with a particular skill. Students need to see that while you will strictly enforce your expectations with all students, you will also notice those who do something right. That can be as simple as immediately noticing someone who settles down and is ready for the next directions, or telling someone you have noticed their hard work in class and see their improved skills as a result of their choice to work hard at something. Remember, we are in the business of catching them doing something right!

In my opinion, sportsmanship and good character cannot be taught in a few specially designed lessons. They need to be themes that run through everything you do and teach every day. We not only want our kids to develop skills needed to feel comfortable using once they leave us, but we also want them to use those skills in a way that is enjoyable for them and those around them. These are some methods for inspiring a lifetime interest in staying active.

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