Assignment Help!

[Stef]

I am training to be a primary school teacher and our next PE assignment has been set. We have 3 weeks to make a resource to use in a PE lesson that children can use. I thought to try and get a higher mark and to bring some orginality to the assignment then I would do something to do with orienteering as believe it or not it is in the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum:

Outdoor and adventurous activities
11) Pupils should be taught to:
a) take part in outdoor activity challenges, including following trails, in familiar, unfamiliar and changing environments
links to other subjects > Geography 2) c


b) use a range of orienteering and problemsolving skills

c) work with others to meet the challenges

Any ideas anyone?

[Mr Chips]

There are a number of team exercises that might meet your needs - e.g. a Team Score Course (where the team has to think [in race time] how to divide the controls between them so that they can visit them all in the shortest possible time) or an Odds and Evens Relay. I guess you will have come across a number of such exercises through regional squads and tours.

Whatever you choose is likely to need a map. I don't know where you are based but there has been a lot of mapping of school grounds recently in my part of London - also of small Parks; you may be lucky enough to have such a map available - otherwise you might have to do your own map of the school or part of it. Try asking your RDO for information.

As an example, a group of us have just spent a day in Wimbledon Park working with teams of six from Merton schools (years 8/9/10); they did a grid exercise (Naughty Numbers) to get used to SI punching then a Team Score, working as three pairs. This seemed to work well and to cover your requirements (a), (b) and (c).

As a final though, try trawling through old postings in the Coaching Forum - I think there was a relevant discussion a couple of years back.

HTH

Chris

[Stef]

Thankyou for the ideas! I'm at Roehampton University and I have got a map of richmond park so for my assignment I might use that or do my own map for my placement school which is near Staines....

[Mr Chips]

For RDO contact details see http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/about/staff.php - I guess Staines comes under South East, but it might be South Central. That BOF page has other useful coaching contacts. For local coaching contacts try: http://www.sejs.org.uk/ or your local club: http://www.sloweb.org.uk/

Good luck!

[Nottinghamshire outlaw]

Key Stage 2 orienteering: some easy 'what is a map and how do I use it' exercises to star with: simple hall maps with gym equipment, netball court or other 'cones' maps, then with school grounds a star exercise and short 2 or 3 control loops - all of this to build up children's confidence at using a map whilst running - yes the emphasis is on fast and furious once they have confidence that they can get the map the right way round. The odds and evens relay, for example, is an extension of the star exercise (go to one control and back etc). The 'head to head' sprint is an extension of short loop courses.

Best for primary teachers (and trainee primary teachers) - go on a 1 day course ( very practical and with excellent CD resources with all the lesson plans etc) to learn how to do all these and in the meantime have a look at the National Curriculum KS 1 - 3 book which has lots of ideas.

For any teachers ask your RDO about courses and/or look at the Coaching Calendar on the British Orienteering web site.

No apologies for advertising what are really good and well received training and resources which have been developed using some of our government funding and why so many schools are now starting to teach orienteering in an exciting and racing way. (: (:

[martyn]

Not sure this will be of any use, but here goes anyway...

A few years ago when i did an Instructor's course, we discussed how to teach young kids about maps and orienteering. The basis for the discussion was that taking kids to a normal orienteering event was both taking them into an unfamiliar environment, and giving them an unfamiliar tool to use (ie a map). Better to start with a familiar environment (eg. the school gym or playground), and get them to design their own map. This way they focus on the orienteering skills, and not coping with other complications.

So - the suggestion is to get them drawing their own "maps" of the gym/playground. Then you add complications by putting out pieces of equipment as obstacles which they also put on the map. Then they go around putting post its, or other labels, around the gym/playground, marking the locations on the map. Joining the circles, they then have a course! You then get them to do their course.

Then comes the fun bit - get them to swap maps and do their friends' courses. Suddenly they learn that not everyone sees the world in the same way they do!

I've since used this technique in a few work/training situations to encourage people to understand that people see things differently, and found it to be areally powerful tool.

Whatever you decide to do, best of luck!