THE SOCIAL CONTEXT AS 23
The Students’ Age
Most of the teachers commented that they taught differently dependent on the
students’ age. However, the reasons behind these age-related differences in teaching
strategies varied greatly. Some teachers mentioned that, because contextual motivation and
concentration is high in younger age groups, they use different strategies compared to
strategies that they use with older students. For example, Patricia perceived that older
students lack concentration, and hence she deemed that more emphasis on enjoyment was
necessary:
The strategies I use to keep them motivated would change. I'm trying to think
of an example. For a year ten group or a year eleven group (14-16 year-olds),
I probably find I have to base the lessons around games or if it's a PE theory,
make it more practical just to keep them going all the time, rather than sitting
there and just filling in worksheets or listening to me. It has to be a lot more
on the go because they're the ones that tend to be that little bit more
boisterous.
In addition, teachers indicated that they use alternative strategies for different age
groups depending on their level of maturation. For example:
Interviewer: What do you think of involving the students in the running of PE
lessons?
Austin: I think the more that can be done the better, because more learning
will occur if they’re given greater reign in what they’re doing. They’re likely
to be more (2 second pause). Increasing the feeling of responsibility and
involvement will help them to learn and to want to learn in the PE
environment. Having said that, it's the sort of skill that requires more maturity
and so would be seen increasingly as the child grows through the years.