Token Economy: Reinforcing GENUINE thinking or Ulterior Motives?

Bethany Oddy 2014 Department of Education

The School The Marchant-Holliday school is an independent school for boys aged 5-13 with Behavioural, Emotional and Social special needs. Most boys board and teachers and care staff work together to support socio-emotional development and academic and behavioural progress. The school aims to provide a safe and nurturing environment that raises development to a level that will allow the boys to become a valued member of society and potentially lead back to mainstream schooling. Marchant-Holliday School Brochure. The boys often come from unstable, dysfunctional and troubled family backgrounds. Their experience of school can be solely as a chaotic and debilitating place. The school transforms these negative associations by promoting happiness, Placement Experience self-esteem/worth, physical and During my placement, I worked both as a TA, and as part emotional wellbeing and positive of the care team including before and after-school experiences within and attitudes routines, social activities, clubs and day trips. I worked towards ‘school’. with children of all ages and with a multitude of BESDs such as Autism, ADHD, ASD, ODD, Attachment disorders, Dyslexia, Anxiety disorders and boys capable of particularly violent, hostile behaviour. Token Economy: Reinforcing Eddie

GENUINE thinking or only Ulterior Motives? Leo

The school uses a well-established Token System to modify Chris behaviour. Based on the principles of operant conditioning, it rewards and punishes the children with ‘tokens’ and ‘blips’ for positive and negative behaviour (respectively).The number of ‘Thinking about Others’ Token Sheet in the youngest class. tokens achieved each day affects the extent of choice each boy has over their free-time activities. At the end of the week, boys with a sufficient number of tokens are rewarded with token ‘cheques’, which are used to redeem prizes. Although research indicates that Token Economy is particularly successful for children with ADHD and behaviour disorders (Bender and Mathes, 1995; Truchlicka et al.,1998), my own personal observations suggest that Token Economy cannot guarantee the reinforcement of GENUINE thinking and concern for other’s feelings. The question is raised whether all forms of operant conditioning used in institutional settings instil a deep-down change in thinking and behaviour, or whether this is only surface-level and superficial. Significant issues for the sustainability of the reinforced behaviours are therefore a concern, and requires further research.

Readings Notes on paper Text book Google-whether genuine Malawi, Africa: Volunteering as a secondary school teacher Claire Jardine - Department of Education

My Placement- I worked in a secondary boarding school in very rural, northern Malawi. The school has around 400 students and has 24 teachers. I taught English and Life Skills to form 1 (first year) and form 4 (final year), with 100 students in each class. The school lacked basic recourses like text books and necessary teaching materials, meaning that a lot of my teaching required creative thinking and improvisation.

I lived in a small brick, tinned roofed house My role as a teacher – about a 5 minute walk from the school. I had no electricity or phone signal, limited access independently taught classes of 100, • I to clean running water and was taught to enthusiastic students build and cook on an open fire. • I planned lessons and marked homework • I wrote and marked exam papers •I ran several English and Drama clubs within the school.

My role in the community – • I helped teach some of the teachers basic computer skills and set up email accounts for Malawi as a country – them Malawi is a beautiful small, landlocked • I orchestrated a large scale pen pal scheme country in central eastern Africa, and has between two schools in England and nearly 200 rightfully earned its nickname ‘The Warm students at the school in Malawi Heart of Africa.’ The African culture is very • I became very integrated in the community and simple, honest and humbling and I found the have learnt a lot about a truly different way of life whole experience truly fantastic. Sydney International Grammar School: Life as a Teaching Assistant Emma Sparkes 2013/2014 Department of Education

‘Unity in Diversity’ The International Grammar School adopts an Immersion Language Program to promote a bilingual education starting from preschool. This is an important part of the school in promoting the acceptance of difference, following the school’s Pros motto; Unity in Diversity, derived from the Latin • Living in Sydney phrase; ‘Concordia per Diversitatem’. - I lived in Sydney for the entire first term of the Studying a second language is compulsory for all school year. It was amazing to explore Sydney during students from preschool to year 10. Students can weekends and experience a different school setting to choose to study French, German, Italian or Japanese. the UK. • Responsibility - I was given the opportunity to work with smaller groups and even teach the whole class under the supervision of the class teacher. Cons - Cost - As the placement is unpaid the overall cost of flights and living expenses amounts to a lot. Therefore, this can limit the amount of time you could spend doing this placement. - Finding somewhere to live - This can be difficult to arrange in advance with the time difference in Australia. It can also be challenging to find somewhere reasonably priced and close to the International Grammar School if you do Importance of Language not know Sydney that well.

The biggest difference I noticed from working in a school in the UK to Sydney was the focus on language from such a young age. The importance of a bilingual education was not something that was held by the UK state school that I also worked in, so it was interesting to observe the children’s attitudes towards learning languages from preschool. Youth Cafés – what’s the point? Faye Smith 2013/2014 Department of Education

Bath: it’s the “elegant, unique and stylish city” - But– how does it look through a teenager’s eye?

In Literature… “There are no places to go when “Hanging around in groups on it rains… street corners… is viewed as at least none that inappropriate in the structured are free.” ordered streets of our cities”. (Rush & Wiles (Malone 2002). 2013).

“Public space therefore is not… a space where teenagers are freely able to participate in street life… but is a highly regulated – or closed – space.” “Jack-Shit.” – What this teenager does with her weekend. (Valentine 1996).

Young people arriving at a Bath YFC Youth Café

Bath Youth for Christ is a local charity that aims to serve and support the young people of this city. This is done in a large variety of way, including:

. Mentoring . Schools work . Sex and Relationship courses . Street Dance Projects . Football Projects . Kids Clubs Young people need a space in which to socialise and . Breakfast Clubs claim ownership of. Youth Cafés provide this space. . Youth Cafés Here, youth workers can create a safe environment in which to meet with young people and support them through any issues or concerns they may be facing.

The Hope Project - Cambodia (March-May 2014) Organisation Logo

Lily Stickland 2013/2014 Department of Education

Cambodia is a small country During my second year at university located in south-east Asia. When we investigated the Education for all deciding on my placements for my proposal. At the time I had not visited placement year I decided not only a country such as Cambodia, and did I want a vast variety in the therefore, thought it was mad that not types of things I was doing, but I everyone had access to free also wanted to visit a different education. From my time spent in country. Cambodia is a developing Cambodia it is evident to me that the country that has had a harrowing idea is being introduced, however, it past following the Khmer Rouge is much harder to enforce due to a regime and this is still present in under developed government, and every day life for the Cambodians. many hard to reach/keep track of There is no national curriculum put rural areas. into place in the country and many Many of the children and children are unable to attend families living in the village in school due to lack of money and which the school was based in having to help at home, e.g. cannot even afford the basics, childcare or farming with parents. which is very hard to sit back and see. There were families The duration of my placement was spent that could not afford food, in the south east of Cambodia, in a small resulting in their children being school in the traditional village of Bakod. very ill due to malnutrition. I The Cambodian culture is very different think this was one of the to the western ways, and therefore, it hardest things that I found took nearly a week to adapt to the during my time in Cambodia climate and to the living conditions as it is something that we take (sleeping on the floor, bucket showers for granted at home. etc). Therefore, to try and help we picked some of the poorest The volunteers families and delivered food didn’t only help with parcels, which for some of the teaching side of them, saved their lives. the project, but also the children’s general health. At By teaching my two classes a day I grew to really the end of each get to know the children and their families. I was lesson the children often invited round to the children’s homes for lunch would go to the which was an amazing way to see their culture first water pump just hand, and to experience how lovely and welcoming outside the school they truly are. and brush their From Cambodia I believe I have become a better teeth, this was one person. I have not only acquired more teaching skills of my favourite jobs, for foreign languages, but I also believe my levels of and provided a huge self confidence have improved dramatically. I would amount of recommend travelling to Cambodia to anyone who is amusement. looking to do a placement abroad as you get to see so many developments and changes first hand. I will definitely visit again as the children are amazing, and their smiles are truly contagious. L I G H T S Project – (August-March 2014)

Lily Stickland 2013/2014 Department of Education

What is the Lights project? My placement at the lights project consisted of This is a programme funded by 7 months and as this was something which I Bournemouth borough council which had never done before I was eager to find out uses play therapy techniques to aid more about play therapy. During the first few children that have been or are being months I predominantly shadowed the play affected by substance mis-use in therapist for the project, I then took on more their everyday lives. responsibility for planning and reviewing some of the group sessions that we conducted together in a local primary school.

The main aim of the “sunshine” group in the What is play therapy? local school was to improved the affected Play therapy is a technique which is children’s self esteem, provide coping employed to aid children to express their techniques, and to allow the children to let feelings and emotions that have built up their hair down, play, and be the children that inside them through self guided play they should be. sessions. The play therapist will analyse the ways in which the children are playing and often stories can be devised to explain the ways in which some children behave. Without play therapy and projects such as Lights, many of these children in the school environment would just be labelled as trouble When working at the Lights project I was children, without being aware of their difficult based at the Bournemouth learning centre backgrounds. in an office with lots of other professionals Play therapy has been present for a long that worked along side helping families. I time, since Plato, however, it is only in more decided to take advantage of this and recent years, with greater research that it has decided to sit in on a programme of a been put into action more. One of the most parenting course. This lasted 6 weeks and important things about play therapy is that it consisted of about 20 parents that had been allows freedom of expression in children, this invited/advised to take the course. Lots of ensures that young vulnerable infants do not these parents were ex-users and therefore find the sessions intimidating and in time are potential parents of lots of the children that likely to open up to the play therapist about had been referred to lights. It was very their past. Play therapy has been greatly interesting to hear their points of view, and improved and is now not only used on a one then see the ways in which they had to one basis. During my placement I worked developed, and their parenting skills had in a theraplay group which still used the core developed through the course of the six aspects of play therapy but adapted the weeks. structure of the sessions to accommodate a group. The Marchant Holliday School! Lucy Persiva 2013/2014 Department of Education

Direct Instruction Child Centered

“The pressure of work can exacerbate the difficulties of BESD Children to the point where the system merely REINFORCES their failings…” ! ! MHS Behaviour Policy!

Teaches:! ü Controls BEHAVIOUR A balance is ü Interpersonal Skills ü Sets firm BOUNDARIES needed, but can ü Social REASONING ü Gets the work DONE the two co exist? ü Reciprocal RELATIONSHIPS

X Less intrinsic motivation X Less structured and disciplined X Presents relationships as one-way X Standard of work can suffer as a result

The staff at MHS are “realistic about the increasingly complex needs of their pupils”, often viewing ‘promoting good relationships’ as the primary aim, one that must sometimes outweigh the schools academic expectations. MHS Behaviour Policy Aims

Working as a Teacher Assistant at a boarding school for boys with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD), I have had the opportunity to witness the paradox of ‘child initiated’ and ‘direct instruction’ teaching styles that exists throughout the school. It seems that, when behaviour management is a major issue, both styles have their place, the first ensuring healthy social and emotional development and the second creating a disciplined environment where learning can successfully take place. Rules verses Reciprocal Relationships Families, Effective Learning and Literacy (FELL) Research Group Department of Education, University of Oxford Rebecca Tracz 2013/2014 Department of Education

What is FELL? The Good bits

The University of Oxford’s Families, Effective Learning - You are working with leading researchers at the cutting and Literacy (FELL) research group carries out cutting edge of educational research edge, policy related research into the impact of care, - There is the potential to become a named author on family and educational environments on the social, published academic work cognitive and emotional development of children - FELL is a very friendly and welcoming environment between birth and age 11, with a special interest in - You work alongside other Bath students language and literacy and educational effectiveness - You get the opportunity to attend seminars within the studies of institutional influences on learning. University of Oxford - The supervision is excellent and you can get lots of help What do we do? with your dissertation - You are given weekly tutorials in research methodology There are four or five Bath interns working as research and statistics to help with your dissertation and your assistants, each of which is assigned to work with one studies in final year of the lead researchers within the department so the - You have access to the department’s research data work varies greatly between interns and depending on which you can use for your dissertation current research projects. - You work 4 days a week with one study day - You are paid a bursary of £500 per term Examples of work; - There is the opportunity for paid work during the holidays (you also get long holidays!) Everyday jobs: - You have the opportunity to join societies within the • answering phone calls; University • sending emails; - There may be the opportunity to conduct field work and • collecting post; primary data collection • Photocopying; - Oxford is a really nice city and place to live! • organising travel arrangements; and, • completing expense claims.

Other tasks: • Conducting literature searches • Proof reading, reference checking and formatting • Preparation of lecture materials • Running statistical models and tabling data • Writing literature reviews for publication • Working on research papers to be published • Correspondence with and making arrangements for seminar speakers and academic guests

Contact Details Rebecca Tracz [email protected] Design Matters? The effects of new schools on Students’, Teachers’ and Parents’ actions and perceptions Sarah Roper 2013/2014 Department of Education

My Placement Experience For 30 weeks, I took on the role of a research assistant, working as part of the Design Matters team based in the Department of Education at the University of Oxford. My role involved attending fieldwork trips to carry out data collection in various schools, organisation and analysis of data, presentations, attending quantitative & qualitative tutorial courses, writing a paper on children’s perceptions of school transitions as well as general administrative tasks.

The Study

A study of post-occupancy usage of five newly built schools. Its aim is to understand the impacts of design of such schools on students’, teachers’ and parents’ engagement in the educational process on a number of levels. This addresses an important policy issue but also has implications for architectural practice, educational theory and methodology.

Aims & Objectives •To develop understandings of the relationship between school design and pedagogic practgices and offer new insights for future researchers in this under-researched field. Methods •Interview architects; contractors; school personnel; educational advisors to establish how a school strategic educational vision was developed and how this translated into a material design. •Explore the development of approximately 300 students, in relation to their perceptions of the school environment and feelings of school connectedness, as they move from one school context to another and during their first year in their new school. •Carry out a series of observations and interviews with school personnel to establish their perceptions of their educational experience in newly designed schools. •Ask parents to complete Likert type questionnaires in order to gain an understanding of their perceptions of a newly designed school. •Collect data on attainment, attendance, exclusions and deprivation from the 5 main project schools (newly designed schools) relating to the current school site and previous (old build) school site. Beneficiaries of the Research •School Communities •Government Audienes •Business Users: Architects •General Public

For more information visit the Design Matters website - http://designmatters.education.ox.ac.uk/ Terri Parkin 2013/2014 Families, Effective Learning and Literacy Research University of Bath, Department of Education Group Department of Education, University of Oxford

What is involved in the placement? Work undertaken by FELL interns varies depending on their interests, strengths, and the nature of current work being carried out within the research group. University of Bath student interns work alongside lead academics and fellow bath students, and are assigned an individual supervisor with whom they work closely throughout the placement

The role of FELL research assistant typically involves the following: o Data handling o Literature searches o Proof-reading / Formatting o Conducting fieldwork / Primary data collection What is FELL? o Assisting in writing reports for publication o Referencing University of Oxford’s Families, o Preparing lecture materials Effective Learning and Literacy o Attending meetings (FELL) research group investigates o Participating in weekly tutorials covering topics such as Developmental Psychology and Statistics (from the basics!) how care, family, and educational Other everyday tasks: environments effect the cognitive, o Photocopying social and emotional development o Handling expense claims of children between birth and age o Email correspondence o Collecting post 11, with a special interest in o Answering the telephone language and literacy and o General administration educational policy

Benefits of working in FELL:

- You will be working alongside leading academics and researchers - There may be the opportunity for you to become a participating author on published academic work - You are able to access existing research data for use in your final-year - You receive a bursary of £500 per term (i.e. dissertation £1500 across the academic year) - You work only four days per week, the fifth being a ‘study day’ - Develop your IT skills by using data analysis - You are invited to attend weekly seminars alongside University of software Oxford students and faculty - You could undertake paid work during the - You receive dissertation support holidays (Christmas, Easter and Summer) - You attend weekly tutorials in statistics and research methodology - You can join University of Oxford student delivered by departmental faculty, which run just for Bath students! societies

Terri Parkin – BA (Hons) Childhood, Youth and Education Studies E-Mail: [email protected] Ellen Raymond

Placement Year at The Hurley Surfing Australia High Performance Centre Where is the HPC?

Casuarina Beach, New South Wales, Australia. Close to Brisbane.

A famous stretch of coastline for surfing, with beautiful beaches and countryside. What does the HPC do? • An elite athlete programme, for some of the best Australian competitive surfers. • Training camps for selected young surfers with the potential to succeed in competitive surfing. • User-paid surf training camps, open to everyone. Elite Athlete Programme • Provides training and sport science support for surfers competing on the World Championship Tour and/or World Qualifying Series. • Helping these athletes to excel in elite competitive surfing, with the ultimate goal of winning world titles. • Overseen by Sport Science Manager, Dr Jeremy Sheppard and National Coach, Andy King. My Role Within the elite athlete programme, working with the PhD students and Dr Jeremy Sheppard. • Training – In the gym, in the pool, and at a high school. With a range of ages and competitive levels. • Testing – For athlete monitoring, as well as data collection for research projects. Mainly in relation to physiology and biomechanics. • Research – Assisting with data collection and analysis, as well as co-writing some research papers on performance analysis of the World Tour. Athlete Training Strength and conditioning

Gymnastics including rolls, rotations and trampoline work. Athlete Testing Athletes are tested to track changes, and for research. Tests include: • Strength • Power • Sprint paddle (15m) • Endurance paddle (400m) • Movement competency • Time to stabilisation and force in landing • Anthropometry Research • Research is undertaken by the PhD students who work and study at the HPC. This is very new to the sport of surfing. • They aim to use their results to enhance training of elite surfers, so Australia can continue to produce world class athletes. Research • I’ve had the opportunity to co-write two research papers with one of the PhD students, analysing the scores achieved by male and female surfers on the WCT. • This has greatly improved my skills in scientific writing, data analysis and statistics, which will help a lot in future. What I’ve gained • Amazing hands on experience in a combined sport science and research environment. • Application of knowledge, and improved practical skills. • Worked with world class athletes, within a sport I’m passionate about and really interested in. • Moving away on my own, a long way from home, has improved my confidence and independence. • Improved my ability to work by my own initiative, and with responsibility. • I feel I’m much more prepared for final year, and a job. My Placement Year at NSWIS Organisation: New South Wales Institute of Sport Place: Sydney, Australia Role: Sport science intern (Multi-discipline & Multi-sport) What is NSWIS? A high performance sport institute • Provides coaching and high performance services to elite and emerging athletes

My role = assist with high performance services -Physiology -Performance Analysis -Biomechanics -Nutrition -Strength & Conditioning Physiology • Laboratory & field testing – calibrating equipment, running the tests, taking blood samples & recording testing variables • Environment room (heat/hypoxic) monitoring & pre/post testing • GPS data analysis • Taking conditioning sessions • Athlete monitoring e.g sleep reports • Data input Strength & Conditioning • Level 1 ASCA qualification • Gym shifts – supervising gym floor during athlete open hours • Coaching athletes • Functional movement screenings Strength & Conditioning • Strength testing • Jump testing (using force plates & vertical jump) • Speed & agility testing using Swift Timing Gates • Use of GymAware Project – write & implement strength programmes for two hockey players returning from injury - Additional off feet conditioning sessions - 3+ sessions/ week - Originally a 6 week project, extended to when I leave Biomechanics • Vicon testing • Force plate testing • Track and field comps. – Set up, video capture & analysis, laser • Swimming comps. – video capture & analysis • Kayaking comps. – filming, Mini-maxx data analysis • Water polo shooting analysis – overhead camera's and digitising Performance Analysis • Filming games & competitions across a number of sports • Creating code windows with Sports Code • Coding water polo games • Filming & coding diving training • U21 Netball Nationals - 1 week in Adelaide - Film & code games live - produce statistics for games Swimming altitude camp in Thredbo  Monitoring of athletes through training diaries  Lead S&C session  Assist coaches with pool sessions – test sets  Underwater camera set up & use  Hydration monitoring by USG & pre/post training weight  Walk to peak of Mt. Kosciusko Just some of the technical skills gained: • Ability to write and implement successful strength & rehab programmes • Ability to set up, carry out & analyse Vicon testing • Blood collection & analysis (e.g lactate, Hb) • Gas analysis (calibration & set up, software use) • Monitoring of athletes through multiple measures – Reactive strength index, hydration, sleep • Excel skills Personal development • Improved organisation and time management skills • Developed communication skills • Ability to work in high pressure environment • Increased independence & confidence • Ability to apply knowledge practically • Increased awareness of the integration of areas in high performance sport (The Difficulty In) Engaging The Disengaged

Abbey Cotton 2013/2014 Department of Education

My Placement The difficulty in fulfilling these psychological needs: I completed two placements in the context of physical education, in primary schools as an external coach and at St Ivo Secondary School. I Autonomy taught a range of sports to children aged 4-16; a • PrescriptiveAutonomy nature of the curriculum reduces opportunity for valuable experience that will aid in academic study choice,• Prescriptive particularly nature of the in curriculum Key Stage and sports 3 required to cover, reducing opportunity for choice of activity, particularly in key stage 3 and hopefully a career in education! • Rigidity• Rigidity in how how skills skills are performed should reducing be performed flexibility and reducingcontrol over discovery andperformance control of performance • Difficult to reach an agreement upon a sport within a class who all want to do a number of different activities • May feel unnatural for teachers to give responsibility of learning to pupils and It is understood both in academic and practical doing so may not be suitable for some classes contexts that motivating adolescent female pupils to engage in PE is a constant battle. Experiencing this Relatedness as a teacher highlighted its daily prevalence and • Difficult to relate sporting skill to development for future careers pushed the need to review motivational techniques. • Implicit learning processes in PE creates a difficulty in understanding the relevance of lessons

• No grade or qualification in Core PE as can be achieved elsewhere in Key Stage 4 For teachers to create an environment that • Away from friends and discrepancies arise between pupils of enhances pupils’ intrinsic motivation, ensuring their differing abilities future health and well-being (Mitchell et al. 2013; Lyu and Gill 2011), Deci and Ryan (1985) propose the Competence following psychological needs should to be met: • Analysis of movement and the body difficult for adolescent girls struggling with body image • Difficult to disguise low ability in PE • New activities leave little for pupils to pre-judge their ability on and consequently, their perceived competence will be lowered (William 2011) Intrinsic Autonomy Relatedness Competence • Reluctance to participate is understandable then when the Motivation natural response is to avoid situations threatening self-image, fuelled by low self-efficacy (Eccles et al. 1983)

Self-Determination Theory/Cognitive Evaluation Theory (Deci and Ryan 1985) How then, can the psychological needs of pupils be met? References: DECI, E. and RYAN, R., 1985. Intrinsic motivation and A digression from broadly adapting the learning environment to instead self-determination in human behaviour. London: Plenum; ECCLES, J., ADLER, T.F., FUTTERMAN, R. GOFF, S.B. and KACZALA, C.M., implementing smaller changes has been explored in literature and lessons: 1983. Expectancies, values and academic behaviours. In: SPENCE, J.T., 1983. Achievement and Achievement Motivation. San Utilising (and choice in) task difficulty differentiation; creativity in and exploration of Francisco: Freeman, pp. 75 – 146; MANDIGO, J. and HOLT, N., techniques; self-evaluation and goal setting (Mandigo and Holt 2000); grouped by 2000. Putting theory into practice: How CET can help us motivate children in physical activity environments. Journal of PE, ability or friendships in activities; reduce pupil comparisons; transparency regarding Recreation and Dance, 71 (1), 44-49; MITCHELL, F., GRAY, S. and INCHLEY, J., 2013. ‘This choice thing really works…’ Changes in implicit learning intentions. experiences and engagement of adolescent girls in physical education classes, during a school-based physical activity Hopefully by investing in the areas identified as crucial in intrinsic motivation, programme. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy [online]. willingness to engage will increase. An awareness of the need to motivate pupils Available from: http://www.tandfonline.com.ezp1.bath.ac.uk/doi/abs/10.1080/17 as opposed to pertaining expectations that they already are, is also necessary. 408989.2013.837433#.U1pwvc8o9jo. Accessed: 5/04/14. LYU, M. and GILL, D. L., 2011. Perceived physical competence, enjoyment and effort in same-sex and co-educational physical education classes. Educational Psychology, 31 (2), 247 – 260; WILLIAM, D., 2011. Embedded Formative Assessment. USA: Solution Press.

North Otago Rugby: Life as a Wandering Welshman. Adam Anzani-Jones - Department of Education

My Placement During my placement year I worked for the North Otago Rugby Football Union in New Zealand. I managed to fill various different roles including: • Delivering a fundamental rugby skills programme for school children • Managing social media and maintaining websites • Evaluating potential revenue streams and sponsorship • Event planning and management • Administrative duties including accounting and registrations

Best Moments • Immersing myself in a new culture, learning new traditions and customs from the Maori and Polynesian peoples • Having the opportunity to play rugby in NZ and work in the most rugby-orientated country in the world • Travelling around an amazing part of the world and making some friends for life along the way!

My Challenge – The influence of a mentor on my development as a coach When I was initially coaching the fundamental skills programme I struggled to successfully implement the aims of the programme whilst delivering a fun and enjoyable session. In order to aid my development as a coach I worked alongside the junior rugby administrator and observed his coaching methods as he was experienced in this area.

Cushion (2001) states that coaching experience and the observation of other coaches remains the primary source of knowledge for coaches. With regards to my ability to deliver a successful and enjoyable session the observations proved to be very beneficial as I adapted to become a facilitator for fun learning rather than an instructor.

Concluding Ideas It is evident that Cushion’s ideas are pertinent to my experience and that observing experienced coaches can enhance development. In future I feel coach education should focus on the social process surrounding coaching to develop what Jones (2000) describes as necessary, intellectual and practical competencies, namely, creative thinking and personal , yet effective, coaching views and techniques. Saint Nicholas Independent School: Life as a Teaching Assistant Alexandra Hill 2013/2014 Department of Education

My Placement

Saint Nicholas is an independent day school for children aged 4 – 16.

My placement at the school was the 10 months. In this time I worked alongside the head of girls Physical Education and games. The sports I was involved in include swimming, cross country, football, netball, hockey, athletics, dance and rounder's. I primarily focused on girls sport from years 3 – 11 however when assisting with year 1 and 2 the classes were mixed. I not only lead lessons in school time but also lead extra curricular activities and attended fixtures from local to national level.

My Experience I enjoyed every aspect of my placement; in particular leading specific sports (hockey, athletics, swimming, fitness) weekly from beginning to the end of term. Leading the whole time meant I was able to witness a progression and development of skills and confidence from the children as well as observe them accomplish their own goals and targets. I enjoyed having the opportunity to work with such a broad age range of children aged 4 – 16 in a wide range of sports meaning I was able to learn new skills and become adaptable in my own teaching style. My achievements range from helping the new young children learn how to swim to assisting girls and boys to a national level in cross country and athletics as well as other sporting tournaments.

The Challenge

In the early stages of my teaching it became increasingly obvious that myself and the children were more comfortable adopting a traditional approach to teaching and learning, whereby, “the teacher is the exclusive decision maker. Decisions of what to do and how to do it are all determined by the teacher” Nicholls (1994). This usually meant I would demonstrate a skill and the class would then repeat. The ‘one size fits all’, decontextualized regime (Armour 2011) meant the lessons became slow and rigid. Bunker and Thorpe (1986) suggest this would have been because the traditional approach focuses solely on specific skill and techniques which are taught in isolation.

The Solution

To overcome this problem I spoke to my supervisor to gain insight in utilizing more complex exciting ways of teaching. I began to adopt a constructivist approach, “Constructivism adopts a holistic view of learning and cognition that extends beyond the mind as a separate entity to include the body and all its senses” (Light 2008, p.22). This allowed the learners to take more responsibility by utilizing skills such as problem solving, team work and creativity. Rather than simply demonstrate a skill I became more flexible in listening to ideas and guiding groups or individuals to overcome the problems themselves. This way the lessons were not only more enjoyable but more worthwhile for the children in terms of thinking for themselves and working together. Trust Me, I’m A Doctor: The Issues Of Assumptions Within Research Amelia Aylett 2013/2014 Department of Education

My Placement: I am spending my placement year with my lecturer, and researcher, Dr Sam Carr, as a research assistant. Within my placement I am helping to conduct a research project within the field of sport psychology, focusing upon attachment theory and current literature pertaining to this concept. I have been able to develop and utilise the skills learned on the Sport and Social Sciences programme to design and deliver questionnaires, conduct interviews and explore literature; as well as learning new abilities such as numerical data analysis, statistics interpretation and deeper, clinical psychology interviewing. My knowledge of psychology as a whole has expanded due to the emphasis applied to my placement year of developing understanding through critical reading and linking information to form solid proofs. This is the element of my year I have chosen to focus upon, as I believe the acquiring of knowledge through mindless and unquestioned reading is a highly dangerous area of research in any field, especially within psychology.

Can We Trust What We Read? Researchers are trusted implicitly and explicitly by undergraduates, in particular. The emphasis of our degree is upon using the knowledge of others to justify What aspect of science can these truly our own arguments, to form evidence to support our represent without further understanding? theories and to develop our knowledge within a subject. But the area we are not focusing upon enough is the validity and reliability of this research. As young researchers we should be questioning everything…

What Do The Experts Think? Do We Really Know What People Mean? Ironically, there is very little literature on the When asked to clarify what they understood importance of valid and trustworthy literature the following statement to mean, the four within research. Carr has discussed the issue of responses below show significant differences: making assumptions between attachment styles “I have strong feelings for my coach.” without considering the implications; which links --’strong feelings to me implies you fancy them or into the concern of creating ‘solid data’ from weak something….or you hate them. I don’t think this results and building theories upon data with says what feelings you have, a bit confusing’’ insignificant understanding and meaning. --’ bizarre question this, originally to took this as a feeling of attraction to them which obviously I'm not, ended up answering it on What is theory, then? Is basis of friends as whether I see them as a good theory based upon data friend or not.’ gained, or data --’strong feeling signifies you respect them and manipulated to create a admire them, as you would an idol or someone.’ new theory? What --’maybe like a parent figure, or a best friend? I would a researcher gain have strong feelings for my best friend… Or is from completing like you want them, want them?’ inaccurate exploration? Gap Student at Lancing College: A Schools Big Brother?

Ben Parkin 2014 Department of Education

Within the first week of being at Lancing I had worked out this was all very new. Not just for me but for the kids as well. They had had ‘gappers’ before, but normally Aussies or Kiwis who were there to gain money for their travels. I however was using this as a stepping stone to a potential career so needed to be a bit less laidback than they had been in the past, by hearing stories from the boys. I feel this may have thrown them off. But as being a ‘gapper’ I felt I was in-between student and teacher. This then made me feel like I had assumed the ‘older brother’ role, especially in the boarding house. I did find that with having good kids around you, being integrated into groups and being trusted During house duties and when spending time in within conversations, it makes the year go very lessons (whether helping out or running quickly and makes it extremely enjoyable. coaching sessions) I felt to start off with you had Obviously with different age groups means to really throw yourself into everything you did. differing approaches to be taken. The elder they Whether that’s being enthusiastic in the sport are the more friendly and open you can be with you were coaching or playing in. With boys it’s a them. Whilst the younger years I felt I needed to be little easier I presume, you just need to add a bit a bit more closed off. This then made discipline a of competition into it, especially when playing. bit easier with the younger years as I could still deal And as with being older and new I felt I was with it appropriately. targeted to be beaten in table football, table However along with this, the same needs to be with tennis or being dribbled round in football… as a the teachers at the school and thus a balance needs younger brother would to his elder sibling. to be made. You didn’t spend all the time with the kids however. Helping around the school takes up a lot of the day as well. Once again real enthusiasm to start with makes life a lot easier later on (especially in the pouring rain on a Tuesday morning on the farm in January). Do football academies neglect their responsibilities to provide quality education and to promote the holistic needs of their academy intake? Daniel Makroum 2013/2014 Department of Education

Like most modern day football clubs Redhill Football Club are blessed to have a football academy which is affiliated with a local college.

Students that are accepted into the Redhill Football Club academy are given the opportunity to combine education with an academy that facilitates their football needs, with top class facilities and professional football coaches, in an attempt to produce athletes that they hope may one day make a living from football. A big part of my role on my placement year was to review our

current academy structure. After speaking to several of the current academy players I was stunned to discover that often they are encouraged to skip and miss lessons to attend football training sessions and fixtures . With the enormous pressure to succeed it appears that the football academy take advantage of this and will go to extreme lengths to ensure that they are able to produce the best athletes at the expense of their other needs; their needs to develop

emotionally and psychologically and their need to a quality education that inevitably will shape their future. In one instance I recall a student had overslept and turned up 30 minutes late for an AS-Level exam as a result of getting in at 02:00 the night before from an away fixture for the academy in Brighton.

Adopting a holistic approach when coaching the academy players will enable the athletes to enhance their psychomotor, cognitive and affective development Cote (2009). Most importantly when a coach is viewing an individual holistically they are less likely to neglect the value of a good education and encourage the important balance that needs to take place between education and football in an academy setting.

COTE, J. & GILBERT, W. (2009). An Integrative Definition of Coaching, Effectiveness and Expertise, International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching Volume 4,Number 3 ,2009 Multi Science Publishing.. Dumpton School: Life as a Student Teacher

Emma – Jo Farrell 2013/2014 Department of Education

Dumpton School Dumpton is a day school for boys and girls aged 21/2 to 13, and still retains much of the atmosphere of the days when there were boarders too. The Headmaster, Andrew Browning, and his family live in the school and the pastoral care and attention readily given to all pupils is still considered to be of paramount importance.

My Placement During the 10 months working at Dumpton school I fulfilled a numerous amount of teaching and coaching within the school setting. In the mornings I would help out in year 3 as a support teacher giving my help to students with learning difficulties and students who may find a particular subject challenging. In the afternoons I would be coaching multiple sports to all different years. As the year progressed I was given more responsibilities, resulting in taking whole lessons in netball, tennis and hockey. I would umpire and manage teams in multiple sports. Additionally during these ten months, I completed a number of qualifications including a swimming teacher award and a netball coaching and umpiring award.

My Pressing Issue – Pressures of Parental Involvement in Competitive Sport By witnessing over the preceding months of being at Dumpton School, it has come to my attention that parental pressures in sporting practices have a huge impact of the experiences and values of school sport. It was only recently that I read an article in the Daily Telegraph that strengthened my views on this current issue. The paper presented figures resulting from a modern survey carried out by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and cricketing charity, Chance to Shine suggested that “children ‘no longer care’ about winning or losing in sport” (The daily Telegraph 2014). Interestingly, rather than the children’s wanting to triumph in competitive sport, it is more in the interest of the parents to see a result at the end of a sporting fixture.

Parents are seen to be in a position to either be supportive, to lessen the amount of stress or to be an additional stressor by applying external pressures to perform and gain success in sport. Similarly, parental involvement effects enjoyment of sport suggested by Brustad (1988) that the less parental pressures on sport the higher the enjoyment and fuels their drive to compete and reach full potential. To read more visit http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10777936/Children-no-longer-care- about-winning-or-losing-in-sport.html Let Me Play: Sport for a Better Tomorrow

Finley Matheson 2013/2014 Department of Education Let Me Play

Let Me Play (LMP) is a sports, education and outreach organisation that works specifically with young people. Established in 2004, Let Me Play now provides coaching and teaching programmes for schools and colleges, delivers government-funded projects, operates NEET Education Centres across London, and delivers specialist residential camps at Loughborough University.

My Placement

My placement was from September 2013 until May 2014 and I enjoyed the opportunity to undertake a number of different roles, including:

• Playing a key part in the marketing, promotion and management of LMP's Hammersmith & Fulham government funded programme. • Being responsible for the marketing and driving of sales on LMP's residential camps. • Growing all of LMP's social media channels and managing & developing several of LMP websites. • Developing marketing strategies to fit with organisational objectives, such as press releases.

The role was demanding but I will certainly look back on my experience with Let Me Play as an excellent one and would recommend it to anyone looking for a career in marketing.

My Challenge

The Government’s ‘Positive Activities for Young People’ initiative was created for young people aged 8-19 who are at risk of social exclusion, or of being involved in community crime (PAYP 2006). Every school holiday, Hammersmith and Fulham Council funds Let Me Play to run positive activities throughout the borough. Let Me Play chose to focus the majority of their activities around sport.

What the experts say. If participants developed an interest in sport it would reduce offending as it would provide a diversion from crime. The benefits of sport will help to reduce to opportunities to become involved in criminal activities. (Nichols 2007)

The hardest part of each holiday was getting the disadvantaged and hard-to- reach young people to attend LMP's events. We recognise the importance of their attendance at our sports camps and activities, so would promote them in the borough's schools, on the streets and offer the youngsters incentives such as Nando’s vouchers, prizes and bonuses for attending. Scotch College: Life as a Teacher & Boarding Assistant

Gwenan Price 2013/2014 Department of Education

My Placement

• Scotch College is a Pre-school to Year 12 co-educational day and boarding school. • Teaching Assistant within the PE department in the Junior, Middle and Senior School. • Involved in both practical and theory lessons and additional duties e.g. admin and organisation. • School sporting calendar; swimming carnival, sports day. • Extra-curricular sport teams: coaching, managing and overseeing. • Outdoor education camps, agriculture camps, junior school camps & school day trips. • Boarding Assistant monitoring over a 100 boarders – day, evening, sleepover shifts and external activities. • Assist boarders with study, organisation, and guidance within everyday ‘home’ and school life.

Tops Tips • Image = appropriate professional clothing, the College’s dress code for PE Staff. • Behaviour and conduct = In a manner expected of a member of staff. Careful with the nature of personal relationship with students. Scotch is a close community therefore remove yourself from compromising positions. • Be qualified and have confidence in your ability to perform your knowledge/ skills. • Prioritise, be organised and efficient – demanding schedule but very enjoyable. • Be prepared: hard working, focused, independent, healthy attitude, professional, give it your all. • Respect the campus and staff. It is your home. Be visual professionally but discrete socially. • Attitude with students: firm, caring, approachable, confidentiality and sound judgement. • Excellent interpersonal skills. Provide a role model as a parent, big sibling or respected friend. Fully understand and perform ‘Duty of Care’.

Guiding students to live a healthy lifestyle • One of the most challenging issues as a boarding tutor is to find your place with your role as a guardian. To a degree we are their parents. • Many of the students aren't living a ‘healthy’ lifestyle. • Over 100 students are hard to keep track off and they are aloud their privacy. • Diet is extremely poor as they avoid all nutritious food options and pile on dessert. • IT based teaching, laptops with every student, social media and technology is everywhere. • Exercise and physical activity is often non existent and many are overweight. This is worrying regarding their health status and their age. • Challenge – how do you approach this? Do I overstep the mark mentioning a sensitive issue? Parents complaining? Boarding a prison for kids? See exercise as physical punishment? Harbour Sport, New Zealand ‘Where too much sport is never enough’ Holly Clemens 2014/2015 Department of Education

My Placement For the past 12 months I have been working to improve/build the capability of sport deliverers in the North Harbour Region as part of the Sport Capability Team at Harbour Sport.

Example projects this year • Little Kauri Leadership Programme is a school programme designed to build the leadership qualities of young people (income generation programme). • KiwiSport is seed funding from the NZ government. It funds short term projects (up to 3 years). • Events- Shore to Shore, Mud Rush, Sport Excellence Awards • Bikes in Schools- ‘Learn to Ride’ and ‘Intro to Road’ The Harbour Sport Team programmes

My Challenge- ‘Funding within Harbour Sport’ In New Zealand national gaming trusts are vital to funding sport with $73,351,181 granted in 2010 (SPARC , 2011). This pays for salaries, event/tournaments, sports equipment and maintenance (SPARC 2007) which is vital for the operation at Harbour Sport. Gaining funding for new projects is an ongoing challenge I have experienced this year specifically relating to gaining funding for the Little Kauri Leadership Programme.

Research Holt et al (2011) showed funding's importance stating that ‘funding (is) clearly needed to help sustain sport participation’ (p. 497). Caisley et al (2013) supports this suggesting that in New Zealand ‘without grant funding many of the organisations would…cease to exist’.

My year at Harbour Sport has repeatedly shown me the importance of funding, but KiwiSport has also made me aware of potential issues, such as projects becoming reliant on funding and being unsustainable. Caisley et al (2013) supports this saying that 46% (n=295) of programmes researched could no longer operate with no funding and 87% (n=558) would be seriously affected with no funding.

What I have learnt Funding is vital to the set up of sporting programmes but ensuring future financial plans are in place are necessary to make programmes successful and sustainable. The extent to how worthwhile funding actually is can therefore be researched further.

For further information contact: Holly Clemens on [email protected] The management of multiple student groups with alternate perspectives and opinions Jack Stanbury 2013/2014 Department of Education

Over the last 12 months during my placement year I have undertaken the role of ‘Sport Development Coordinator’. This is a role that is split between two separate, but majorly intertwined organisations, The University of Bath Students’ Union (SU) and The Department for Sport Development and Recreation (DSDR). The role encompasses a large amount of tasks, both with external groups and within the university also, but a large part of the role involves dealing with students, and in particular student clubs. One of the aims for the year was to help develop ten student clubs’ current recreational offer into an offer that is more inclusive, resulting in greater participation.

Working with members from different groups within the student body proved to be a challenge. Although all parties were striving for the same goal, there was a frequent conflict of opinion and proposed direction. This provoked the notion that there must be a more efficient way of managing multiple groups to achieve the same aim.

Brugnack et al. (2010) conducted an enquiry into this problem and how to address it. They suggested that to address the problem the lead should deploy a “series of strategies based on rational problem solving, persuasion, dialogue, negotiation and opposition” (p.83). This method of dealing with differing opinions, although potentially exhaustive seems straightforward and was a method that I used when directing the student groups to set them in a direction that was both informed and efficient. However, the final decision on how to address and approach the improvement of a clubs recreational offer will ultimately come down to me. A notion that is echoed by Brugnack et al. This raises the question, should the lead in a project like this make the final decision, or should they oversee the clubs as they make their own decisions and merely guide them away from mistakes and help with problems that arise?

Despite this challenge, working with multiple groups and multiple organisations has really broadened my understanding of sports development and opened my eyes to what a career in this field may entail. It has also helped me to make the decision that sports development is likely the career path that I will choose to take.

Brugnack, M., DeWulf, A., Henriksen, H.J. and Van Der Keur, P., 2010. More is not always better: Coping with ambiguity in natural resources management. Journal of Environmental Management. 92(1), pp.78-84.

Rostrevor College: Life as a Student teacher Organisation Logo

Jay Underdown 2013/2014 Department of Education

My Placement- I worked at Rostrevor college in Adelaide, Rostrevor Boarding House South Australia from July 2013 to July 2014.

My main job was working in the Boarding House at the school where I was a boarding house supervisor. This job included:

•Supervising the Boarders and keeping them safe in a welcoming environment

•Answering the office phones and dealing with any inquiries made

•Dealing with visitors to the boarding house and answering there questions in a professional manner.

There was also the opportunity to assist with the P.E teachers in the Secondary and Primary schools P.E department. This job included:

•Assisting the teachers with the effective running of there classes

•Assisting in the set up and running of school events such as Sports Day and Swimming Carnival

•Being in charge of a team for one of the Co-curricular sports on offer such as Cricket and Soccer.

Mt Doom- NZ Additional Advantages of the Placement Sydney Opera House

In the school holidays you can travel Australia and New Zealand!

This will further develop you as an individual as well as the placment by the experiences you have and the places you see and people you meet!

My Issue

Working for the P.E department I was fiving the opportunity to take a P.E session by myself where the teacher supervised but did not intervene with my session. One point raised by the teacher was my confidence in the delivery of the session so the class knew I had something to say. Student teachers may lack the confidence to deliver a session due to being similar ages to the pupils (Jacklin et al., 2006).

This was evident with me by my projection of my voice being low and the teacher mentioning it.

Concluding Thoughts

With time the student teacher confidence will improve by the issue I am raising is. Could more be done in the student teacher placement for the confidence to improve quicker? Therefore producing more confident teachers from the start.

If you would like more information regarding my placement and would like any questions answered about the issues you think may happen with a placement abroad, I would be happy to answer them: - [email protected]. The University of Bath Football Club: Making the most of Football Development.

Jordan Guttridge 2013/2014 Department of Education

The Placement…

The role within UOBFC as ‘Football Development Co-ordinator’, was one that offered versatility and opportunity for skill development in different areas. A vision of the placement was to undertake the role of a coach within the club along with a prospect to develop strong links with Somerset FA. This would be with a view for the UOB to host Coach Education courses. The placement encompassed an expansive administrative aspect including website updates, newsletters and creating coaching forums. Due to the nature of the placement, being flexible with time, attendance and location, there was plenty of opportunity to association and affiliation with club partners, such as Somerset FA (SFA) and BUCS.

Networking

A recurring problem I found with my placement was that there was not always a steady work flow. I tried to combat this by networking and gaining experience elsewhere. After being asked to become involved with SFA and BUCS there was an abundance of opportunity for the increase of my knowledge in Sport Development on a Nationwide scale. This was knowledge that could be absorbed and adapted to introduce into UOBFC. Lederman (2011) introduces her theory of ‘Likeability’ and I feel this was a helpful tool in gaining important contacts in my professional field, as I began to know people personally as well as professionally.

Networking ‘From the Hart…’

Rupert Hart (1997) suggests that ‘Networking is essential for job hunting’ and it ‘Helps you find hidden opportunities and can help you differentiate yourself from the competition.’ He also goes onto mention that ‘Over 80% of jobs are not advertised,’ showing that if you have the appropriate contacts you may be aware of an opening the rest of your competition are not.

Hart’s 3 steps to growing your network are: • Going out of your way to be where people are. • Getting into the habit of talking to people you meet. • Recording the contact details of people you meet.

Concluding Thoughts

I have felt that over the course of my placement year that the contacts I have managed to acquire and the networks I have established have enhanced the placement in itself. I have been able to take nationwide programmes and shrink them down to fit into UOBFC. The development of my coaching skills, professionalism and personal attributes has been greater due to the extent of my placement.

Warminster School: Life as a Sports Gapper Laura Palmer 2013/2014 Department of Education

My Placement For the 2013-14 Academic Year I was on Placement at Warminster School as a Sports Gapper and Boarding House Tutor.

During this time I had a number of responsibilities in the Sports Department: - Teacher of Physical Education - Sports Coach - Administrative Assistant for the Girls PE & Games Department

Dual roles of a Teacher-Coach In the past, many have coined the phrase, ‘teaching is coaching, and coaching is teaching’. However I have found that these are markedly different occupations.

In my position, I often interchanged between the two professions, and thus had to adapt my approach – taking into account the size, ability and motivation of the group, and ultimately the skill level that I was intending on developing (basic or advanced).

Noticeable dissimilarities in the primary goals of each vocation, namely: 1. Coaching - performance goals, emphasis on results. 2. Teaching - “the psychomotor, cognitive and affective developments of students” (Figone 1994, p.29)

Impact “the dual roles of teacher-coach may have some consequences for… the school” (Chellandurai & Kuga 1996, p.470)

It is thought that the differences in the two roles may sometimes cause conflict for a professional required to do both – forcing one of the roles, usually coaching, to be favoured (Siedentop et al. 1986).

Key question & concluding thoughts In future research it would be interesting to examine the effects/consequence upon students. Do students perform differently depending upon the approach the ‘professional’ (teacher/coach) adopts?

Overall I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Warminster and have been encouraged to develop and hone my teaching and coaching skills. The most important piece of advice I can give, is to make the most of every opportunity whilst on placement, as I have learnt an incredible amount in one year. Surfers Against Sewage: The Impact We have on our coastline Laura Pryor 2013/2014 Department of Education

My Role: The main challenge: I worked as the fundraising intern at The reality of getting people to Surfers Against Sewage, an listen and to realise the impact that environmental charity that focuses on humans have on the ocean and protecting the UK coastline, beaches coastline. and ocean. Whether it was individuals littering beaches or large companies I was responsible for: pumping raw sewage in to the - Compiling a research report for ocean which so many people use. funding for a project involving giving under privileged children living in Connell et al., (2006) argue that if coastal communities environmental it does not affect the individual workshops, organising beach cleans directly then they will not think and being rewarded with free surf about the consequences of their lessons. actions. However what will it take - Contacting potential donors and donor for multimillion pound businesses care. to realise what they are doing to - The annual SAS raffle which raised our beautiful coastline? over £18000. - Data entry and helping with ‘Protect SAS are working on this by our Waves’ petition increasingly publicising the issues - Assisting the team as a whole. by: - increasing their network of supporters/members. Highlights: - Gaining government support to - The Greenaway Pro surf competition help protect the UK coastline. and charity concert working with pro - There is more information and surfers such as Billy Stairmand and full reports of everything they headliner Ben Howard. do on their website: www.sas.org.uk - Lunch break surfs due to the amazing location. - Working in a fun and friendly work environment. - Helping make an impact on something that is so important and special to me. - Working with people such as Kelly Slater and Jack Johnson who are all big supporters of SAS. - Completing the Isles of Scilly inter- island walk whilst raising awareness of the work SAS does. Uplands Prep School and College, South Africa: A sport intern in Africa Laura Pryor 2013/2014 Department of Education My Role: I worked as a sports intern at Uplands College and Prep School. It is a private school located in White River, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Highlights: Issue: - Being located so close to the I worked with children who had Kruger National Park. everything a child could want but - Travelling an amazing country. took it for granted, while some of - Weekend Sports Derby's. their neighbours have nothing. - Meeting some incredible people. - Teaching Grade 1 netball- They South Africa is a country of had never played before! diverse wealth. While some - The wildlife. children are lucky enough to have - The weather! luxuries such as Ipad’s, others in - Teaching in a beautiful school. nearby townships face problems - Different Culture. such as HIV/AIDS, lack of clean - BEING IN SOUTH AFRICA! water, food and no access to education. My Responsibilities: In the Prep School: Darling-Hammond (2010) - Helping in the grade 4 maths identifies that equity in education classes each morning. will help shape the future. - Teaching Physical Education to Children must understand that grades 000-7. there are people out there who - Assisting the Sports Co-ordinator are less fortunate than them and with events. the world does face problems of - Grade 1 netball coach. inequality. Especially as children - Boarding House duties. are our future and can therefore In the College: change it! But how can we - 2nd team netball coach. change a child's mind-set to help - Under 15 netball coach. them realise how fortunate they are?

Uplands helps its students understand how lucky they are by giving them the opportunity to help those who are less fortunate via ‘Outreach’. Outreach has the objective of partnering with schools serving disadvantaged communities to help overcome the disparity in educational standards in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The Royal High School, Bath Are we getting the best out of our students by having mixed ability classes? Laura Webb 2013/2014 Department of Education The Placement Working at an Independent Girls School in Bath, I joined the Physical Education (PE) department for the full year of my placement. During my time at the school I have;

• Shadowed members of the department • Helped lead sections of lessons • Lead extra-curricular activities including hockey goalkeeping sessions and football • Coached and Umpired key fixtures (including netball, hockey, rounders)

During my time at the school, I was given the opportunity to undertake my FA Level 1 Football Coaching Qualification and also organise and personally ran a number of events including a Year 6 Netball Tournament and a 12-Hour “Sportathon” in aid of Sport Relief. All were fantastic opportunities. A place at the Royal High is definitely one that I would highly recommend.

One key thing I have learnt , for anyone thinking about a placement year (however cliché) is “the more you give to the placement the more you will get from it”. The Challenge My own PE experiences during my school years consisted of “set ability” lessons, which I loved, being challenged in an environment, around those of a similar ability to myself. On the whole academic subjects (such as maths and science) are taught in set ability groups, so why not PE?

Wilkinson and Penney (2013) suggest that differentiating students by ability advances students’ motivation, social skills, independence and success, suggesting that it allows teachers to differentiate content, learning outcomes, teaching methods and pace more precisely, “reducing the likelihood that students will become overwhelmed by learning material that is too difficult or be bored by material that is too easy.”

At the Royal High School, students are taught PE in mixed ability groups, with very able students being taught alongside there less able and willing peers which lends itself to difficulties in class differentiation within the lessons. Would setting students by ability be beneficial to both sets of performers? Are those at the top continuing to improve as quickly as they should? Are those that aren't so confident , getting the most out of their PE lessons , compared to those at the top who are keen to focus on improving their sporting performance?

So the question is, should we set students based on ability? Are we getting the most out of them?

WILKINSON, S. and PENNEY, D., 2013. The effects of setting on classroom teaching and student learning in mainstream Mathematics, English and Science lessons: a critical review of the literature in England, Educational Review, pp. 1-17.

Motivational Issues in Personal Fitness Exertion

Job Titles: Duration: 8 months • Personal Trainer • Fitness Motivator • Social Media Coordinator

During my work placement with Everyone Active, I was given the responsibility to train clients on a one-to-one basis, work on the gym floor acting as a fitness motivator and also to look after the centre’s social media offering. This gave me the opportunity to interact directly with members of the public.

One of my main responsibilities during my time with Everyone Active was ensuring that the customers of the Centre remained motivated to exercise – thereby increasing attendance and generating revenue. As a third party individual, I could, of course, only communicate motivation in an extrinsic manner. The real issue I faced was trying to internalise that extrinsic motivation. This would allow for members of the public to exercise and maintain a healthier lifestyle without needing stimulation from an external source.

Motivating people to lead an active lifestyle is an extremely pertinent issue in today’s society. Biddle et al (2004) looked at obesity in juveniles and linked it “partly to television viewing, computer games and other sedentary behaviour”. People are encouraged to lead an increasingly sedentary lifestyle thanks to technological advances, round-the-clock television and the expansion of the gaming industry.

Key Issue: I believe that the key issue with motivation with regards, not only to personal fitness exertion, but to all areas of life, is extrinsically motivating individuals in a manner in which that individual can create internalised motivation to carry out the behaviour. Lucy Nicolaides 2014 Department of Education “What do you mean you hate PE?!” How should PE teachers engage students that hate PE?!

It would seem logical that majority of PE teachers have a passion for sports, so how do we respond to those who have such differing views towards physical education?

Personally this is a problem that I have encountered when teaching at The Royal High School, an all girls school in Bath. Especially teaching years 11 upwards when PE is treated as ‘a choice’ by the girls instead of a compulsory subject.

As someone with highly competitive and need to achieve traits I sometimes struggle to empathize with the few students that repel competition and shy away from involvement. Some research suggests that taking away the perceived assessment is more likely to engage girls participation (Shropshire et al, 1997) due to personality dispositions such as ‘need to avoid failure’. By improving their perceived competence also is likely to improve their participation (Ntoumanis, 2001) however I’m starting to believe that for a small number, their thoughts/attitudes and cooperative learning towards PE may never change and their as stubborn in their ways of thinking as me. What do YOU think? References Shropshire, J. , Carroll, B., and Yim., S., 1997. Primary School Children's Attitudes to Physical Education: Gender Differences. European Journal of Physical Education.. 2, pp23-38. Ntoumanis, N., 2001. A self-determination approach to the understanding of motivation in physical education.. British Journal of Educational Psychology. 71, pp225–242. Team GB at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

Max England 2013/2014 Department of Education

My Placement: I spent a year long internship working for the British Olympic Association (Team GB) throughout the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games; my job title being that of a Communications and Commercial Assistant. As such, this meant that I was based within the Press Office, dealing directly with members of the worldwide media, British Media, general public, National Governing Bodies and various other organisations.

My main roles and responsibilities included: • Being heavily depended on for pre and post Olympic media events and activities, including the British Olympic Ball, Team GB Kitting Out, Athlete Homecoming Conference and British Media Briefings. • Dealing on a personal level with British Athletes (both present and past) • Producing a monthly Team GB newsletter. • Managing Sochi 2014 Media Accreditations. • Publishing content onto all Social Media channels and the Team GB Website, as well as monitoring SM channels for interesting content/spam, and sending out various press releases. • Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games Qualification tracking. • Internal Winter Olympic Competition Scheduling. • Statistical research and data collection. • Drafting Press Releases • Updating internal media database

My Personal Experiences: Working within a communications department means that there is a necessity to understand those being dealt with on both a personal and professional level. I feel that although the Team GB staff executed this function efficiently on an external scale, they at times lacked effective internal communication, which according to Darling and Daniels (2003) is often the most important skill to develop in a workplace. As a result, this meant that crucial information was often not conveyed to me, and thus overcoming inter-employee communicational breakdowns formed one of biggest challenges during my placement year.

This was prime at the start of my placement, when I was still settling into a new environment, and as such often made me feel deflated and unwanted at times. Sheehan (1999), explains how effective communication is vital to ensure positive experiences within the workplace. I felt at times that I was pestering others for information that should have already been communicated with me.

From these experiences, I feel it is important for further research to be carried out into students perceptions of internships; particularly on how they feel they have been treated during their time in the workplace. Students should come away from an internship with numerous positive experiences, however they often come away with feelings of mistreatment (Daugherty et al. 1998). Further research would act to eradicate such negative consequences.

King Edward’s School Personal Judgement of Squad Selection

- My Placement Experience - Throughout my Placement I have assisted the School PE & Games Department with the coaching, umpiring & managing of all sports teams in each term (Ages 8-18). I have predominantly assisted with the running of Boys Games; within which Rugby, Hockey & Cricket represent the termly sports, alongside other minor sports options, such as Athletics. For two of the three terms, I have been a year groups ‘lead coach’, meaning that I am responsible for their involvement, development & commitment to fixtures. I have genuinely loved - The School - my Placement due to the breadth of sporting involvement King Edward’s School, Bath, is an within the School & the affable nature of the staff. Independent Co-Educational Day School; there are currently 700 Team Selection According to pupils in the Senior School (210 in Sixth Form), 190 in the Junior School. From a sporting perspective, Assessed Levels of Ability the pupils are offered both academic

(GCSE / A-Level) & practical

- The Challenge - Physical Education, alongside

As a Lead Coach for both the U14 Hockey, & U15 Cricket timetabled Games lessons teams, it has largely been my responsibility to select the A / B throughout the school week. Each squad players for their fixtures. This presented myself with a new academic term brings a different major challenge, that of assessing a year groups ability & sporting focus in the Games lessons, picking the ‘most able’, in a neutrally informed manner. within which competitive fixtures - Academic Theory - are arranged against other schools. According to Cassidy et al. (2009), ‘making judgments as to who has ability, or not, is not a neutral practice’, largely due to the fact that ones understanding of ‘ability’ is a personal

opinion (Hay, 2005). In relation to my Placement experience,

this means that my potentially eugenic judgments may be misguided when selecting a team; basing my choices upon ‘far less visible judgments' (Hay, 2005), especially when compared to another individuals judgment of ones sporting ‘ability’. - What I Learnt - I should try to judge ones sporting ‘ability’ in a holistic manner, gaining as much information from different & reliable sources. - Further Information -

http://www.kesbath.com/ [email protected]

Rob Mann (2013/2014) Department of Education What difficulties did I encounter in regards to time management in the workplace and what strategies could be implemented to promote effective behavioural change? Simon Murgatroyd 2013/2014 Department of Education

For my placement I have spent the last 12 months working at the University of Bath as a ‘Sports Development Co-ordinator’; within the role, my time has been shared between two fundamental departments, the Students’ Union and Department for Sports Development and Recreation.

For me, the most pertinent issues faced whilst on placement have been of a managerial nature, both in terms of time and personnel. You face problems of a similar nature as a student in an academic environment, having to find a balance between social, sporting and academic commitments. In my working environment, I have faced similar tribulations but with the additive of constant interruption – which is to be expected when working daily with an extremely active student body.

Eison and Holtschlag (1989) sought to develop a theory that would outline the most typical dimensions of poor time management, specifically in students. The “Problems in Time” Survey (PITS) was used to identify problems that students had with; Academic Goal Setting, Work Overload, Procrastination, Poor Planning and Organisation, Inadequate Speed, Distracting Activities and Irrational Thinking. Having completed the first two years of my degree, and having dealt with all of these issues, I thought the research to be relevant particularly given my quick transition into the professional workplace from that of an academic environment. Taking into account both the literature surrounding time management and personal experience, I could ask the question, ‘What difficulties did I encounter in regards to time management in the workplace and what strategies could be implemented to promote effective behavioural change?’

The battles I faced with time management as a student were only enhanced in an office, particularly when working in an institution where you must simultaneously cater for the needs of its students in and amongst the completion of personal project and administrative work. In my role, the ‘3:Thirty’ club was a prime example of a project that ran continuously over the course the year. Its success relied heavily upon weekly organisation of session leads, facilities and the acquisition of usernames, which required liaison with DSDR staff as well as student leads. Additionally, several ADHOC events were run over a number of weekends. For the 3:Thirty club to function smoothly, effective time management was essential. The chaotic nature of our office meant constant distraction as well as work overload, with menial tasks such as setting up products and answering copious numbers of queries (Eison and Holtschlag 1989) affecting the speed at which jobs were completed; quality was also occasionally compromised as a result.

Notable Achievements/Responsibilities:

Freshers’ Week/3:Thirty timetabling Sports clubs facility allocations Freshers’ Week trials and tasters Clubmark KPMG Sponsorship BUCS Analysis (Strategy) WP Analysis Kit Survey Report Active Universities Bid Blues Awards

Eison, J and Holtschlag, D. 1989. Time management difficulties: A self-assessment and problem-solving activity. Journal of The First- YearExperience & Students in Transition, 1(1), pp.99-110. West Bromwich Albion Academy: From Sport Development to Elite Sport Tom King | 2013/14 | Department of Education

My Placement Experience My role within the West Bromwich Albion Academy was to assist with the development of the Academy's U6-U16 players. This was accomplished, mainly, by leading and assisting with training sessions. Prior to working in this elite environment, my only coaching experiences were at grassroots and sport development levels. At this lower level on the performance pyramid, the demands and expectations of the coach are very different to those in a selective setting.

The Objectives Changing my approach from a grassroots / sport development coach to an elite coach was challenging. As the objectives and requirements differ greatly, my habitual coaching style and the personality that I brought to coaching required alteration. Particularly, I had to shift the focus Sport Development Elite Sport of the end product to performance Enjoyment Performance improvements. Relaxed Strict

The Shift of Focus - A Change in my Approach The main aim of a coach working in sport development is to facilitate enjoyment and to promote sport and exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle (Szabo 2012). Lesyk and Kornspan (2000) also highlight learning life skills, building confidence and being part of a team as key aims for the coaches. The expectations of a coach at West Bromwich Albion, however, are to produce players for the first team. Everything is structured towards improving performance. Although enjoyment is an important aspect of all training sessions, it is not the main objective. To meet the expectations of improving player performance, I had to alter my coaching style. This changed from leading relaxed, no consequences, enjoyment focused sessions to strictly disciplined ones where everything is geared towards producing top class performers. This transformation took months to achieve. But which environment suits my coaching style better? Or can I succeed in both? Is a person suited to one style of coaching more than another because of who they are?

Does an individual's personality determine a certain type of coaching style / suit a particular coaching environment? ‘leading and supporting the development of sport and recreation Harbour Sport community within North Harbour’ Regional Sports Trust Tom Leonard 2013/2014 Department of Education MY PLACEMENT I spent a year working across the Sports Capability and the Community Sport teams at Harbour Sport, with heavy involvement in the events team, volunteer engagement, and health-related projects. PROJECTS & RESPONSIBILITIES • Involved with the logistics and delivery of events • Lead and developed a volunteer recognition programme • Provided support to the Green Prescription programme, including phone support, resource development, and online communications • Assisted in the delivery of a volunteering programme for Asian students in the North Harbour Region • Delivered cycling training in schools throughout Auckland • Provided general coaching assistance and completed various administration tasks

A PROBLEM & APPROACH Sport New Zealand (2013) want to have a million kiwis volunteering by 2015. This is achieved by working with partners such as Harbour Sport. Lotto NZ (2013) believe that volunteers are fundamental to sports existence, which is why they support us with campaigns such as the Volunteer of the Month Award. Whilst acknowledging volunteers has proved to be useful, recruiting them is often an issue – using our event, the Mud Rush, as the example. Farrell et al (1998) tested the 28 item special event volunteer motivation scale, which identified the main motives behind volunteering as being: for society’s benefit; and a passion for the sport or event in question – a factor which was supported by the findings of Coyne and Coyne (2011). The research would therefore suggest that when recruiting volunteers, we look for local community groups and seek participants or volunteers from similar events, such as the Tough Mudder. TOM’S TOP TIPS + Incredible professional and personal development opportunity – take every offer you get + You’re on the other side of the world – travel as much as you can + Looks great on your CV, and more reference opportunities - An unpaid placement – make sure you save lots of money - Time difference – be prepared for a late night or early morning Skype - Relationships – long distance is hard and stressful (try to avoid) Maintaining a professional relationship: Should we be friends?

My Living and Boarding accommodation Tom Riley 2013/2014 Introduction to the Placement Department of Education I completed my placement year at Rostrevor College in South Australia. My responsibilities included The School at Night supervising students in the boarding house, as well as assisting the P.E faculty during the school day. I was also able to coach co-curtricular sports teams and take part in school camps including kayaking and mountain biking expeditions

Thoughts about the placement My Issue Before beginning the placement I felt confident about assisting I struggled with the idea that I should not attempt to build any kind of significant and leading P.E lessons. My concerns lay in the boarding house relationship with the boarders, and should instead be seen just as a ‘supervisor’. I work. Living with and working alongside students only a few believed that this kind of attitude was actually creating resentment in the years younger than myself had the potential to bring up many boarding house and causing boys to misbehave. Baker (1999) supports this idea as issues. Having worked in residential sports camp in the past she found that a caring, supportive and positive environment between teacher (or where I was expected to build a strong friendship with each supervisor) and student would significantly raise school satisfaction for the ‘camper’ and get to know them on a personal level I assumed student. It was also found to improve their behaviour within school and the work would be very similar . However, this was definitely not differences could be seen from teacher to teacher. This is clearly true in the the case. From the outset we were told in strict terms to be boarding house as the boys behave very negatively towards the supervisors who ‘familiar but not friendly’ with the boys. I often found this very show no interest in building a relationship with them. This is linked to Wamocha difficult as they would approach me wanting to be friends and et al.(2002) idea that creating an idea of dominance, rather than of support, will ‘have a laugh’ result in destructive behaviour. Overcoming the issue So as not to create feelings of dissatisfaction amongst students I believe the boarding house should adopt a different approach to the relationships they create with the students. By being supportive and caring towards the boys I believe behaviour would improve, as well as the overall atmosphere in the boarding house. Of course there is a line and it is important to establish early where that line is. No teacher or supervisor should be connecting to a student in anyway via social media (Munoz and Towner 2009), or be socialising with them outside of the school enviroment. At first I tfound it difficult to maintain a positive, caring and friendly relationship with the boarders without becoming ‘overfamiliar’. As they saw me as a friend they were less likely to listen to instructions from me. However, once I realised this was becoming an issue I was able to change my behaviour, ensuring I was always seen as a profesional. I made sure all of my private life remained private and presented myself as a strong positive role model to the students. Although I wanted to have fun with the students I made sure that this was done at the right times and in the right way. I think this helped me gain more respect from the students and made my year working in the boarding house a lot more enjoyable.

Kayaking camp on the Murray river Final thoughts T Top TIps for future students Taking your placement year at Rostrevor -Get involved in as much as you can! Volunteer College is something I highly recommend. for camps, join sports teams and ask to coach as Although it has been difficult at times it has many different teams as possible, you never given me a valuable insight into what it takes know where they will lead. to be succesful as a teacher, or in any -Have a good time with the boys but make sure profession that involves working with the relationship stays professional, keep your children. I have learnt a considerable amount private life private! from already well established teachers and -Be careful with your money. The cost of living in now feel confident in delivering P.E lessons to Australia is high so make sure you save enough to students, both in primary and secondary allow you to travel in the school holidays school. I have also been able to see some of -See as much of the country as possible, the 2 the most amazing parts of the world. month summer holiday over christmas is perfect