“Play is our brain’s favourite way of learning” – Diane Ackeman

In previous modules and systems, we have spent time learning about how different ages learn. However, there is one medium that can be beneficial for all ages: Play! 

In fact, play is one of the foremost effective methods in which children learn, and there are several benefits to integrating play when teaching children. Let's review some: 

Games

Oakville Swim Academy believes there is a time and place for games, but they can be very effective in supporting students' mastery of a skill. Here are two common games used at Oakville Swim Academy: 

• Red light, green light is a great game to work on motor skills like kicking or blowing bubbles, especially in levels like PB--PJB. 

• Diving for rings can be used in more advanced level classes (IB>) that will encourage effective underwater skills. 

As a Distraction

Sometimes, swimmers may be upset in your class. Whether their feelings are caused by nervousness or maybe they did not have their pre-swimming lesson nap, play can be used to alleviate these feelings, which allows you to get to work with the student. Activities like, I Spy, are great at shifting the student's focus onto the pool environment. Creativity is encouraged! 

As a Reward

Hey, swimming is hard, and OSA's program is advanced. If you notice that your student(s) enjoy a particular game/activity, use that as a reward if something gets achieved in that class. For example, swimmers of all ages enjoy jumping into the water in a creative manner. So, you could say to your JB class, "Alright, everyone. If we do front crawl REALLY WELL today, you all can do 1 fun jump into the water at the end of class." By placing a short-term goal and reward, your students will be focused on achieving whatever is preventing them from doing the reward, which in this case, is a fun jump at the end of class! 

Take a moment and think about an activity that you enjoy completing. Reading? Running? Would you consider the activity fun? Probably. This is because your motivation is intrinsic, which means doing something without external awards. For example, let's say someone enjoys reading because they have an interest in the story or subject, rather than reading because you have to write a report on it to pass a class. 

Intrinsic motivation is huge in keeping participants engaged in activities, and research shows that when someone completes/engages in an activity because they are genuinely interested, their effort and results are greater. 

You may be wondering, what does this have to do with swimming? Good question. The answer is: Experienced instructors create intrinsic motivation in their students. If a child is coming to swimming lessons because they are having fun, and not because of their parents' demand, it is more likely that the child will put more effort in, and will produce better results quicker. Not to mention that a class full of happy students is always a treat. 

Cultivating intrinsic motivation is a lot easier said than done, and often, can take some time. Here are some tips though: 

Don’t use fear of punishment as a motivator 

Hopefully, this is something that should be obvious to you, but for many, many reasons fear/punishment should never be used to motivate your students. Here at Oakville Swim Academy, we aspire to build swimmers' confidence in themselves. Children should never feel afraid of making mistakes; that is how they learn! 

Make every student feel capable

This may be a simple point, but it’s surely one of the most important. Some students feel incapable of completing a task before they even try it. The power of “You can do it” has perhaps been diluted over the years. Try “You’re capable,” which speaks not only to the task at hand but to the student’s sense of self-worth. Remember, confidence is key! 

Cooperation and competition

Intrinsic motivation can be increased in situations where students gain satisfaction from performing in front of their peers. This can be done by asking a student if they would like to demonstrate a  skill or stroke in front of the class. This tactic is usually reserved for older students (8 yrs. +). 

Give accurate and authentic performance feedback

A large part of motivation is effective feedback, but be careful not to make it personal. They should change their behaviour/results, not their self-worth, as a result of constructive criticism. More information about feedback a little bit later on. 

As mentioned above, no two children learn the same. So, it is important to cater to different learners when teaching. A strategy that is used here at Oakville Swim Academy is Describe, Demo, Do. 

Describe

The first step is audibly describing the skill/drill to your student(s). Give as much detail without over-complicating the details, and provide the instructions in sequential order. For example, if I am teaching a beginner class rocketships for the very first time, I might say: 

Alright, Class. We are now going to do rocket ships. When we do rocket ships, your hands go ALLL THE WAYYY over your head, put your face in the water and kick as HARDDDD AS YOU CAANNNN!! 

Notice how simple and straightforward the instructions are? Describing is good for auditory learners.  

Demonstrate 

After describing, it is important to provide your class with a visible demonstration of the skill/drill. It is imperative that you replicate the EXACT way you would like your students to perform the skill. So, in the above example, I would do a rocketship at the technique, distance, and time as outlined at the beginner level. 

Demonstrations are good for visual learners  

Do

The last, and probably most important step is providing your students AMPLE opportunity to actually do the skill. Each student should have an abundance of practice time, followed by detailed and concise feedback