The educational value of Sport Education: a critical response to Kirk (2013)

When we think of sport or any form of physical activity, we often remember the great successes or heart-breaking failures of the past. However, we can overlook what’s most important about sport and physical activity – the kind of people it makes us become. Kretchmar (2005) discusses the virtue and morality of sport in how it defines us by the decisions we make, either good or bad and how this greatly impacts on our own personal values in everyday life. Whether it’s Zinedine Zidane head-butting Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final, Mike Tyson biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear in 1997 or even Lance Armstrong’s drug use throughout all of his achievements, all sport and forms of physical activity taught to us in our youth have a lasting impact on the decisions we make in life, our morals and respect for others.

This has a significant correlation to our school environment and our roles as Physical educators in the classroom. How can we help students to achieve their goals in physical education, while also helping them understand the role of physical education in their decision making in everyday life? When we examine the role of physical education in schools, it is, as Tannehill, MacPhail & Van Der Mars (2013) declare as engaging students in sport and physical activity beyond the physical education environment and providing pathways to maintain such involvement for the future. In order to do so, Kirk (2013) believes that model based practice is the way forward, particularly through the curriculum model of sport education.

 

As an aspiring physical educator, I believe David Kirk’s argument towards model based practice particularly, using sport education as a means to provide a solid foundation for students in physical education. Kirk (2013) suggests that the traditional method of physical education teaching or the “one size fits all”, sport technique approach does not work. In order to provide achievement outcomes for students across all educational domains, we need to go beyond traditional practices of skill, progression and game time to using the sport education curriculum model.

 

Sport education encourages students to become “competent, literate and enthusiastic sportspeople” (Kirk, 2013, p.980). While at times teachers may be too involved in directly instructing lessons, this approach to learning involves the teacher taking on a facilitator role, encouraging what is described as “guided discovery” and “problem solving” (Kirk, 2013, p.980). I think that this approach to learning is more beneficial to students in taking more control and responsibility for their own learning, ultimately becoming more independent learners in preparation for life after school. In addition to this, the curriculum model helps students develop socially and focuses on student ethics and morals, fairness, equality and inclusion which are so important for outside of school life. Moreover, the physical education blogger Whitehead (2014) states that sport education develops so many key skills that they see their students “grow up in lessons” right in front of them.

I question, however, if the model is sufficient for holistic student development, whether it focuses too much on student roles and responsibilities and impacts on actual skill development and progression time for those hoping to achieve in their different movement forms.

In conclusion, I believe that Kirk (2013) is correct in stating that sport education is best for student learning. Essentially, it develops what I want my students to achieve within physical education in preparation for adult life – taking responsibility for learning, independence, social skills, respect for others, inclusiveness and physical literacy. Such traits directly link to my value orientation of self-actualisation, where I want to place student needs and interests at the core of my lessons.

 

References

Kirk, D. (2013). Educational Value and Models-Based Practice in Physical Education. Educational Philosophy and Theory. 45 (9), p. 973-986.

Kretchmar, R.S (2005). Practical Philosophy of Sport and Physical Activity. Leeds: Human Kinetics. p. 183-204.

Tannehill, D. Van Der Mars, H. MacPhail, A. (2013). Building Effective Physical Education Programs. MA: Jones and Bartlett. p. 1-402.

Whitehead, M. (2014). A models based approach to PE: Sport Education. Available: https://drowningintheshallow.wordpress.com/2014/09/13/a-model-sport-education/. Last accessed 24th Feb 2018.