Teaching Persistence through Physical Activity
Few would dispute the desirability of children developing persistence in the face of difficulty. Many would feel that physical activities can contribute to this development, and would occasionally refer to this (or the more vague concept of developing "character") as a justification of the prominence of Games in school life. Yet watching many schools' attempts at "cross country" or middle distance Athletics would suggest that the unintended consequence is that many pupils are learning to give up in the face if difficulty. And even more are not learning how to persist: they are simply demonstrating an existing capacity.
So, if persistence is desirable, can it be learned? Can it be taught? Can schools have a proactive strategy for developing this dimension of education through the physical? Or are programmes confined to education of the physical, with moral qualities an optional add-on left to the individual inclination of the teacher?
Schools expend time and energy on many aspects of their planning, and tend to be successful in the areas to which they turn their attention and creative energies. But not many schools sit around the table scratching their heads and discussing the question, "How can we use the time with our pupils to develop persistence in children of all sporting abilities?". If they did, they would undoubtedly come up with some great ideas.
If schools wanted to incorporate the specific teaching of persistence within their PE programme, what form might this take? What activities might be used, and what approaches adopted? Here are a few ideas:
- Emphasise the psychological process. It is necessary for children to be aware that they are predominantly learning psychological, not physical, skills in these sessions. There may be physical benefits as well, but the principal learning outcome is a psychological one
- Establish why determination would be desirable. This is an attempt to create internal motivation, through children seeing a benefit to them. Discussion questions might include: "Would you like to be more determined? "What would be the benefits to you?" "How could improved determination impact on other areas of your life?" It is important that pupils who don't see a value in Games can recognise the significance for academic and other achievement
- Be clear that persistence is not dependent on physical ability. It is easy for the less able to assume that persistence equates to games playing ability, and is therefore only available to athletic children. The irony is that many running activities in schools demand greater persistence of the less able, as fixed distances require slower runners to run for longer periods of time.
- Link to previous experience to dispel fear of unknown. Discuss occasions in previous weeks, years and activities when pupils have felt the temptation to stop. Consider what it will feel like at various stages, and how the temptation to give in manifests itself. Create an awareness of the feel good factor of triumphing against temptation. For many, feelings of discomfort and stress can be rare, and an advance recognition can establish a feeling of being in control of the process
- Acknowledge difficulty, and create measures of difficulty and determination. The way endurance activities are positioned can create the impression that persistence is easy to achieve. Teachers can help pupils recognise that this is not the case, and that they value the significance of the achievement. Pupils can be asked to measure (out of 10) how difficult they think the task will be for them, and how determined they are feeling at different stages
- Seeing value in the result. A random 1500 metre time has little significance or value for many teenagers. Linking determination to results that they will value more highly, such as health benefits, or implications for academic success, can enhance motivation. Competition to defeat classmates is relevant to some pupils, but not others. For some it is a demotivator, and yet many school endurance events have the same distance of run/swim for all, and a public rank order at the end. This is the type of competition that many teenagers reject. It is internal motivation that fuels determination.
- Establish the success criteria. Determination is linked to a specific goal. The psychological process is one of setting a goal and persisting through difficulty and potential discomfort (physical or mental) to achieve it. This is the satisfaction. It therefore makes sense to involve children in setting goals that are meaningful to them, eg how long can you run without stopping? What heart rate would you like to establish, and for how long? If the goals are developed in stages, then they are more realistic and more likely to be achieved. Goals can be individual, or in groups of different sizes
- Link to desirable future result ("if I want that, I had better do this first"). This is the essence of delayed gratification. It is vital that the goal is sufficiently relevant to sustain motivation. This is arguably the most important lesson that children can learn in schools.
- Link to desirable role models (cultural prominence of hard work messages). The visibility of hard work and determination messages around a school and its PE Department is central to establishing a culture of endeavour. It is easy for pupils to assume that success comes easily to outstanding performers. The constant prominence of persistence messages reinforces a school's cultural values
- Leverage peer support. Encourage pupils to work in pairs or small groups and discuss how this supports determination. Let them set group goals, discuss and explain anticipated difficulties and monitor personal successes
- Celebrate successes. Like any other achievement, persistence responds to recognition and reinforcement. Achievement of goals, or endeavour in pursuit of them encourages children to see that this praise is accessible to everyone, regardless of games playing ability. Rewarding effort is an area in which physical activity can contribute to the self esteem of all pupils. Setting and achieving individual or group goals promotes this.
A lot of time and effort is expended in in schools enhancing standards of coaching in skill and strategy. Whilst no one would dispute the importance of developing personal qualities in children, the level of attention it conventionally demands has lagged behind. Maybe it is the next great opportunity