Sport matters!

All members of the teaching team are keen to develop strategies to improve the delivery in the vocational areas we service. One such area is Sports and Exercise. Although successful in the past, a meeting was set up to discuss the possibility of a radical change to meet the needs of the learners in 2011-12. Rather than the traditional two semester delivery of Core Skills Communication, it was decided that in semester one we would deliver Communication followed by the Oral Presentation Skills Unit in semester two. We also adopt an interactive section at the start of each class to discuss news items in the world of sport. Using catchy headlines to engage the students, this has worked very well indeed so far.

Important CfE issues are covered as well and the recent Disptatches documentary which investigated the use of both recreational and performance-enhancing substances in our national game will be viewed, analysed and evaluated with a view to being turned into a summative writing task as well as invaluable formative speaking practice. To give some context to the documentary, reporter Antony Barnett examined football's drug-testing regime, raised questions about how the sport deals with its drug cheats and also looked at the use of some bizarre but legal treatments players undergo.

The lecturers delivering the Units have been in regular contact with the Sports and Exercise SL and have a few innovative ideas for the second semester to include evaluating presentations on healthy eating, delivering assessed student talks in the Centre for Sports and Exercise and analysing topical issues within their vocational area.

Below is a snapshot of some of the areas that have been discussed in the 'Sport Matters' section of our teaching. 

 

Sport matters

View more presentations from Mark Hetherington

Plans for the 2011-12 academic session

The team are committed to developing our learning and teaching strategy in the 2011-12 academic session. Future posts will include detail on the following areas to name but a few:

• A visit to SCE in early 2012 by Janice Galloway, one of the UK's most versatile and gifted writers, the author of novels, short stories, non-fiction, collaborative works with visual artists and musicians, song and opera libretti and prose-poetry.
• An educational blog for 'Directed Study' which has been developed for students to give their thoughts and perceptions on how they're faring with their HIPS Programme of Study especially assignments which have to be done outside of class time.
• Applying communication skills within the Science curriculum at SCE and delivering papers with colleagues from SCE and Italy as part of a funded Comenius programme. This will be an example of applying skills in a collegiate manner represented by staff from Communication and English, Science and (Eco) Tourism.
• Using technology to evaluate student feedback in line with principles laid out by the Curriculum for Excellence.
• Raising money for Alzheimer's Society by selling text books to staff and students no longer taught within the curriculum.