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CEIP Gonzalo de Berceo. Sports with no limits

Revista Digital Educamadrid

Fecha de publicación 15 de febrero de 2016

Resumen

On October 7th 2015, third grade students from Gonzalo de Berceo school in Coslada spent an exciting day learning and playing when they received a special visit from several sportsmen. Throughout the day, the visitors showed students that having a physical handicap does not have to be an impediment to becoming a passionate athlete.

Experiencias

Nivel. Educación Primaria

Autor

Aser Santos Bajón

CEIP Gonzalo de Berceo (Coslada)

1. MAKING IT HAPPEN

1. 1. An experience worth repeating

When the students headed to the gym on Wednesday morning, they were expecting to have a normal physical education class. Instead, they were met by Lázaro, Agustín and Sergio, three athletes with reduced mobility. They came prepared with videos, photos and lots of first-hand accounts of their achievements.

Alfonso, one of the teachers at Gonzalo de Berceo, had previously worked with the athletes at another school; he jumped at the chance to invite them to Coslada, something the other third grade teachers were more than happy to agree to. He saw the visit as a fun and informational way to start off the school year. Alfonso contacted the Adecco Foundation, an institute run by the international temp agency, which organizes activities and seminars with handicapped people.

After witnessing the presentations and sports displays for a second time, Alfonso was still struck by their ability and their courage. “These athletes are unbelievable. They are capable of doing things I didn’t even imagine were possible. I really admire them.”

Alumnos escuchando a los atletas

1. 2. Important values

Respect, equality and appreciation for teamwork are some of the fundamental values that teachers at Gonzalo de Berceo school instill in their students. The idea of allowing their students to spend an entire day in the presence of these athletes, where they could listen to inspiring stories and watch videos of how much a person can achieve when he believes in himself, fit perfectly with these values.

Aser Santos, the Bilingual Coordinator at the school, agrees.

“Everyone has limits. Values like patience, helping others and losing with good grace all come from understanding that we have limits, and that our family and friends also have limits. It can be a tricky subject to broach, though, because as we get older, we tend to accept these limits as inevitable and sometimes we stop trying to go above and beyond for fear of failing. It is true that we have limits, but we are also capable of so much more than what we often give ourselves credit for. This visit has helped establish that idea within the school. The students have learned an important saying today: always shoot for the stars, because even if you miss, you will land among the stars.

After contacting the athletes and setting up the visit, teachers sat down to establish a set of objectives for the students to reach. The result was a list of dynamic goals: many of them were about learning new information and interiorizing previous lessons, but others involved getting into the spirit and actually participating in some of the games described. A selection of objectives established by the staff are as follows: to respect all people; to see the world from a different perspective; to learn about Paralympics and the sports played there; to hear directly from handicapped athletes about the importance these sports have in their lives; to play different sports associated with the Paralympics.

As a visit such as this is ripe with opportunities to re-enforce curricular contents, teachers decided to focus on the following: different sports that handicapped people play; different competitions they can participate in; the importance of the Paralympics; respect and acceptance of people with disabilities.

Alumna desarrollando la actividad

2. HOW IT ALL WENT DOWN

2. 1. The first hour: Q&A

The third graders started arriving at the gym at 9:30. Any doubts about whether or not this would be a regular gym class were answered right away, when the teachers turned on the video projector. Then came the real surprise: moments later, the students were greeted by the three sportsmen. After introductions were made, everyone settled in to see the videos. The first hour was spent learning about the different sports Paralympic athletes can play and the different categories of the Paralympics. Students watched videos and could ask questions about the various sports. Though the students were a bit timid at first, their curiosity got the better of them, and the questions quickly started flowing.

Some questions raised by students included “How can blind people play football if they cannot see the ball?” and “What sports can people with paralysis play?” The athletes had all the answers. Now students know that the visually impaired can play football thanks to a bell hidden inside the ball, and that bocce ball is the preferred sport for many people who have paralysis. The students were surprised at the ingenuity of the modifications to their favourite games and many students were intrigued to the point of wishing out loud that they could try these new variations of everyday sports. Little did they know that their wish was about to come true.

2. 2. Part two: hands-on experience

At ten o’clock, the video and question session concluded and everyone headed outside to the playground. The students were randomly divided into several groups. Each group headed to a different “station” set up around the playground, where they had 10-15 minutes to learn the basics and try out a Paralympic sport. The stations included the following Paralympic sports: skiing, basketball, volleyball, goalball, curling, bocce ball and football.

Just as these disciplines have been adapted to suit the needs of handicapped athletes, students learned that the sports they would be playing had been further adapted to a third grade student level. For instance, students tried Paralympic skiing by sitting on a board with four wheels and two skiing sticks, which they moved over a flat surface. Real Paralympic skiing involves the use of a platform with an actual ski, where athletes race either downhill at speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour or cross-country for up to 20 kilometers.

There was a 30-minute break for a snack and recess time, but the third graders weren’t interested. They were eager to get back into small groups and continue rotating around the playground, trying new sports.

“It was amazing! My favourite sport was skiing. You can go very fast and it is fun!” said Laura, one of the third grade students.

2. 3. Lessons learned

All good things must come to an end, however; in this case, the visit ended at one o’clock, when everyone had been given an opportunity to try each sport. The third graders thanked their guests for visiting and for allowing them to learn so much. The fun was not completely finished, though. After the athletes departed, teachers gave the students a chance to talk about what they learned, in terms of both new sports and respect for people whose lives are different than their own. The student testimonials were quite moving.

Adrián said, “I can’t believe I met a Paralympic sportsmen in real life. I saw them on TV but it was the first time I met one. They are very nice and they make everything they do look very easy, but it is really difficult!”

“What impressed me is that they never stop smiling. I know the athletes are very happy people and very good at sports!” explained Alejandro.

For the final few moments of the day, students finally had their physical education class, where they begged to continue playing the Paralympic sports they had learned about.

3. EAGER TO REPEAT

The Paralympic athletes’ visit was an experience that both teachers and students are hopeful to repeat. It was a learning experience, and not only for the students: the teachers also discovered a lot of new information about Paralympic sports and were impressed by the athletes’ prowess and positive outlook. For everyone involved, this was a moving and fun activity. The hours flew by; before anyone knew it, it was already one o’clock. The athletes can expect another phone call from Coslada next year; hopefully they will have some time in their schedules to come back.

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Creative Commons by-nc-sa
Revista Digital EducaMadrid
Fecha de publicación: 15 de febrero de 2016