SPSU9W6 – Sports Work Experience (Spring 2020)

I am lucky enough that I had completed my 30-hour placement before schools were urged to close due to COVID-19. I had also already completed my project in this time and had my final placement tracker filled in so did not need to contact my school with any problems.

Once I had sorted out the results from my project questionnaire, I got started on my presentation. I enjoy making PowerPoint presentations, so I really liked this task. It was important to me that I did not cram too much information on each slide. However, this then made me start thinking about whether some of my PowerPoint slides were too bare. I had been keeping track of what I done each week, so it was easy for me to explain this. I then turned my questionnaire results into graphs and explained the main points. It was also good to look back and see how my skills have improved over the course of 10 weeks, which I also included in my presentation.

I was about to get started with writing my script and help cards for my presentation when we found out the presentations would now take place online. Although I still had plenty time to prepare for the presentation, this news made me relieved as I get nervous presenting in front of people. To make my script, I went through my PowerPoint slide by slide and wrote out relevant information, making sure it related to each slide. I timed every part so I did not go over the 10-minute mark.

I have completed an assignment like this before, so I knew roughly what to do. To make sure I was correct, I watched the help video then began to record myself speaking. I found recording on the PowerPoint quite challenging. PowerPoint was allowing me to record over the slides, however my laptop was not picking up any of the sound. This was quite frustrating, but after switching laptops, it worked absolutely fine for me. I recorded each slide with a pause inbetween so that I didn’t need to talk for 10 minutes straight. I had to redo some sections quite a few times as I kept saying the wrong things. It was annoying but it did make me laugh in the end.

A number of different situtions have arose since my last blog post. The on going situation with the corona virus has lead to my university life change very abruptly. The university has now closed off all its facilities and I have moved home to try and self isolate in the mean time. This has saw my placement end very prematurely with both the campus 5k and dumyat hill race being cancelled which is a massive shame considering the work I have put into it. Early last week I met with Graeme where he explained the events would not be running and I would not be able to complete my hours however he has been extremely helpful in contacting Romie to sort everything out for me and wishing me all the best for my future.

Looking at the presentation I found it very much an enjoyable and useful task to update my memory on all the tools on powerpoint and much more effective and easier rather than doing the ordinary stand in front of the class and present. The presentation itself was not bad I felt I did a good job in explaining and presenting my work placement and gave a good overall review of what it was about and how its has stood me in good stead for future career prospects.

Finally moving home has put everything up in the air in terms of university and course work. I have my dissertation due in just over 3 weeks which I am finding extremely hard to concentrate on in my own house with everything going on and also being an essential worker at this time with my job the workforce is extremely stretched. I am hoping to speak to Paul and Romie to try and find a way of getting around this in due course.

Hope everyone is well and stay safe!

A lot has happened since the last blog post. The university has gone online and my placement has been cut short. This was quite hard to deal with at first as it was a lot of big changes in such a short period of time but everyone at the university has been extremely helpful. My mentor text me to inform me that there was going to be no clubs or events happening through active schools, this was upsetting for me as I was looking forward to the sporting events coming up. However, everyone’s health needs to be put first!

When preparing to record my presentation I had to change some of my slides as I made them with the intention of having an audience to ask questions to. After this I went on to record the audio to which I had some problems with. At first, I had a loud crackling noise happening while I was talking, tried recording with different earphones and mics. I started panicking and emailed Romie about this problem. However, the audio started working straight away after I emailed. Typical. It took me a while to record the audio because of all these problems, but I am happy to have learned this skill as it is something I have to do for another module soon.

I am thankful for the opportunity to carry out this module. I found it extremely helpful in terms of improving key skills which you couldn’t in the classroom.

I have sent an email and text to my mentor asking if there is anything I can do from home in order to get my hours up. However, I have no reply yet which is very stressful as I am unsure what will happen in terms of passing the module.

My placement was cancelled due to COVID-19 which has been disappointing as I was looking forward to the end product of the kids camp however, everyone’s safety is of the utmost importance.  My mentor emailed me to inform me and I then emailed the module co-ordinator to ensure everything would be okay.  I thanked my mentor for the opportunity.  Despite the placement being cancelled, I still enjoyed it.

The presentation was really fun to create.  I enjoyed reflecting on my placement and how I have developed as a person.  To begin with, I struggled to make my presentation long enough however, I got there in the end after I re-evaluated the situation and added new ideas.  It took me a few attempts to get the recording right, even although on the final recording I made 1 mistake, I was still pleased with it and so, uploaded it.  The main thing I was worried about with my presentation was having a lack of photos due to the nature of my placement however, I am still pleased with how the presentation turned out.  It was strange having to do a presentation this way but also quite fun as it was something different.

Due to the nature of my placement, I am unable to complete my hours which has been quite stressful and unsettling as I was unsure as to what would happen had I not completed the 30 hours.

I am hoping I have done well in the presentation and I also hope to do well in the final assignment.  The sudden change in teaching has been difficult to adjust to and deal with but it’s getting easier each day.

I hope in the future I have the opportunity to work with my mentor again and see the placement all the way through as it was something I was enjoying and looking forward to having experience in.

On the 4^th day of my work experience placement I was overseeing a range of classes, as I experienced every year group in the same day. The day started off with a 3^rd year badminton class, which was actually a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. This class involved the pupils splitting into groups and designing a practise that would help them develop a specific physical skill. I walked round the groups and gave them advice on how to make the practises better, which seemed to help each group a significant amount. While I am not an expert in badminton, I realised that skills I had from other sports could come into play here, and therefore benefit the pupils.

During 3^rd period, I was allowed to take the 1^st year class by myself (with supervision of course). This was their first-time doing badminton so I taught them the basics, like how to hold the racquet, what the lines on the court mean, and a basic serve. Due to this being such an easy lesson it was difficult to keep them concentrated. These things had to be taught before they could progress, so I tried to make it as fun as possible and when they started going very off topic the class teacher stepped in. this gave me an insight into how hard it can be to keep a simple lesson engaging to pupils.

For the 2 period between lunch, I was in with the 3^rd year dance class then the national 5 dance class. I felt a lot more at ease in these classes as I was able to give my expertise to help them with choreography and developing it further. Some of the students had a lot left to complete of their dance so, with my help, they managed to progress quite a bit further. Due to the class teacher not being able to help everyone at once, me being there as an extra person aided the class teacher a lot.

Last week has been a really strange and atypical week. The University has been closed due to the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 in the UK. It’s been quite a stressful week as no one was really prepared for that and it took a while to figure out how to make arrangements. I have spent most of my time working on my Work placement presentation, which unfortunately could not be presented in person. I, therefore, had to change it slightly and spend some time practising it before recording audio to submit together with the PowerPoint slides. It was something that I have never done before and on one hand, I am glad we had to that because I took some time to look into how to do this and I learned something new. It took me a while to get some good recordings, as it was something I wasn’t used to do and I found it strange the first time. It eventually got easier after several attempts, and I became more confident in delivering this kind of presentation. Fortunately, I completed my placement hours a few weeks ago so I had plenty of time to reflect on my experience and write about it. I’ve actually enjoyed writing and presenting the content probably because I’ve really enjoyed the placement as well. I am also quite happy with the final version of my presentation since I start early working on it and I didn’t leave it at the last minute. I was not too stressed about it and I really tried hard to make it enjoyable and engaging for the spectators.

The last two weeks have been really interesting one from my point of view. At the end of last week I continued to assist in the school, something ive found extremely rewarding. Working in a school that is for children with additional support needs is not new to me, but something i have not done in a long time – and it has made me realise just how much I enjoy it. This is something I hope to continue after the placement has ended.

On Monday of this week I helped take a come and try session for P1’s at Riverside Primary School. Although this was a tough task- as having 40 5/6 year olds in one small hall can become tight, it was extremely rewarding as most of the children seemed to enjoy the games and activiteis they were provided with. We didnt set up any sports as such but more game and activites to get their basic skillls going.

On the Tuesday I went back to the school to hold another come and try session for P4/5’s. This time it was slightly different because although the numbers were high, the abililty levels were obviously higher as the age was.  We were assisted by some of the Wallace High School sports leaders, and it was interesting for me to get what their aims and aspirations in coaching were, and compare it to mine at that age, and hopefully give them some good advice! After leading some warms ups and drills it was the end of my time (for now) in Riverside Primary School.

The weeks seminar was helpful with regards to updating my Linkedin profile and for other pieces of advice  for looking for work post University.

Now with the current outbreak I am left wondering what will happen regarding the placements but im sure time will tell!

Elliott Rousen

This week on placement has been another challenging yet exciting one. I had been asked to do what I had done the previous 3 weeks and add in an extra session which I was a bit apprehensive but excited about. The first couple of hours of the day went really well and I really enjoyed the volleyball lesson with the 3rd years as some of them were showing signs of improvement on their skills which was pleasing to see. After break I had a 2nd year class for gymnastics. This class was hard, a group of boys who were all influencing one another’s behaviours were too busy carrying on during the lesson and after a number of warnings one of the boys went too far and tried to push his friend during a skill which endangered him. This was the first time I had to send someone out the class. I was angry at the fact he could’ve hurt the other boy, but at the same time relieved nothing serious had come of it. Other than that part of the day the rest of my lessons went really well and I look forward to my last week on placement next week where, I have been asked to prepare lessons for a full day with guidance from the teacher.

The past two weeks of my work placement with active Stirling has been fantastic and has allowed for me to gain new skills. I have continued taking the primary 5 after school football club at riverside primary school and have learned all the boys names which makes it a lot easier for communication when setting up the teams. Not only this but i have also been taking the primary twos during lunchtime on a Friday.

last Friday consisted of me taking the primary 2 football club myself which at first was quite a task however i managed to organise them into groups which allowed for me to be able to do a half and half so the whole class got what they wanted. By taking this class myself it enabled me to work under pressure as well as take on a greater responsibility and i’m glad that i was able to look after the whole class myself.

later on in the week my mentor Craig emailed me with a few more opportunities to get my hours to the required amount as  i was worried i was behind. one of the opportunities i took was a come and try session for primary 5, which was great for me because i knew some of the boys. the activity i got given to lead was bench ball. this required me to be able to organise several different groups into teams as well as ensure that everyone knew what they were doing. every pupil that showed up had a really good time and i even got a round of applause at the end.

Hopefully my placement will continue over the next few weeks as i have really enjoyed it.