Transferable Skills from Sports to the Classroom

Edwin Juma analyses his experience with playing and teaching sports, and the transferable skills from the pitch to the classroom

For the past two and a half years, I have been working in an international school in Muscat. I started as a PYP teacher and progressed to grade leader. My main inspiration for becoming a teacher was my love for sports, in particular sports coaching. Throughout my teaching career, I have taught a range of sports, such as athletics, basketball, rugby, handball, swimming, soccer, cricket and boxing through several different settings. My niche in rugby grew from my high school days where I played locally.

I eventually gravitated towards rugby and joined the Harlequins rugby team after high school and later went on to play for the Mombasa sports club. Here my interest in coaching and refereeing was ignited. My social demeanour enabled me to be put forward for mentoring into the IRB level 1 and level 2 coaching for Rugby.

During my time at Braeburn Mombasa International School, I was given an opportunity to work with other schools in the vicinity to coach a team in a variety of sports such as cricket, water polo, rounders, and hockey. As a result of this experience, I was able to attract opportunities for training and attending coaching clinics. To make a long story short, I ended up with the privilege of managing the Mombasa sports club rugby team for five years. During this time, the team and I took part in national and multinational rugby events such as the Kenya Cup and the East Africa Mamba-Hatch cup, among others. My experience in coaching sports has had a great impact in my teaching practice.

During my teaching experience, I have learned that children learn best by playing an active role in their learning. In addition, they come to school with different backgrounds, attitudes, experiences and preferences. Hooking children’s interest in learning activities is among the many challenges that teachers face. For instance, I have been able to build a meaningful positive relationship with key stage 3 and 4, by examining the best approach to classroom management (Quay, J. and Peters, J., 2008). Most of the children I coach have respect for the sports that they play and they looked forward to our after-school sessions. Therefore, I have been able to harness their interest in sports to reflect in their everyday classroom activities. By contributing and working harder during their everyday learning, children have been rewarded by participating in afterschool activities. Where they play sports, they like and interact with other children. Overall, I have found that this approach has improved both mental and physical health as well as instilling a sense of responsibility in them.

One of my most memorable experiences as a teacher is when three children with ADHD and one with dyslexia were placed under my care. I observed that they had challenges with learning and working with their peers. I decided that it would be beneficial to them to revise their Individual Education Plan in consultation with the Special Education Needs Coordinator, as well as their parents. I encouraged the children to join after school sports activities. I coached them in rugby, cricket, hockey and athletics and later realized that their confidence and interest in class activities had improved and they had fewer disruptions. Many studies inspired by this approach have made note that some sports skills benefit children in their everyday learning (Demetriou, 2018 & Kurz, 2008). 

• Self-discipline. Through learning, training and applying the rules and skills of the game consistently, self-discipline can be transferred from the field/track to the classroom to encourage students to adhere to behaviour expectations and understand that actions lead to consequences.
• Social skills. Children learn to work together as a team for the shared common goal. They also learn to value the contributions of each member of the team. Over time this was seen to have an impact in the classroom when they were working in a group situation.
• Sportsmanship. In team games children must learn how to handle disappointment and take responsibility for their part in whether they win or lose. Encouraging positive sportsmanship and individual consequences resulted in an improvement in the student’s attitude towards the learning and they were able to take responsibility for their learning goals and tasks.
• Improve mental health. Over time, team sports increase individual self-esteem. The satisfaction of applying a learned skill such as catching and passing a ball to a team member results in success and satisfaction, hence building confidence and self-worth. This was directly translated into the classroom where the children’s learning started to take an upward curve in attainment.
• Building relationships. Participating in sports also had an impact on the student’s relationship with the wider school community, their class members and family members. Parents were given opportunities to celebrate their children’s participation in sports through attending training, matches and tournaments. This also improved relations between the children and myself as the teacher and also created positivity for the child in themselves.

Although children can sustain injuries in sports, I learned that parental inclusion helps the students by giving children the support to manage injuries and the encouragement to get back on the sport. Although there is time and cost contribution involved in coordination by children, parents, teachers and school administration, effective management can be achieved.

From my extensive experience of being a coach, as well as my interest and participation in sports, I have learnt that sports can be an excellent medium through which children can develop sustainable skills that can be directly transferred into the classroom. This ensures a positive impact on the learning of the children. Sports are particularly beneficial to children who have more challenging circumstances, whether this is the home life of the child or an underlying learning concern. It is an excellent way of developing positive relationships with the children through self-discipline, sportsmanship, social skills and mental wellbeing that are a requirement of each sport.

Demetriou, Y., Bachner, J., Reimers, A. K., & Göhner, W. (2018). Effects of a sports-oriented primary school on students’ physical literacy and cognitive performance. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 3(3), 37. https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5142/3/3/37

Kurz, D. (2008). Von der Vielfalt sportlichen Sinns zu den pädagogischen Perspektiven im Schulsport [From the multiplicity of the meaning of sports to the pedagogical perspectives in physical education]. Sportpädagogik: Ein Arbeitstextbuch [Sport Pedagogy: A Collection of Essays], Edited by: Kuhlmann, D. And Balz, E, 162-173.

Quay, J., & Peters, J. (2008). Skills, strategies, sport, and social responsibility: reconnecting physical education. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 40(5), 601-626. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00220270801886071

Trudeau, F., & Shephard, R. J. (2010). Relationships of physical activity to brain health and the academic performance of schoolchildren. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 4(2), 138-150. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1559827609351133

https://ihtusa.com/10-benefits-of-sports-for-students/