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Updated: SPEA Newsletter 2024 Issue No. 1 (June/July)
Teacher: “What do you do during your volleyball training?”
Volleyball Player: “My coach tells me to practice my serve and passing. And then we will play some volleyball games.”
Teacher: “If your coach doesn’t inform you, will you know how good your serve or passing skills are?”
Volleyball Player: “Err… no.”
Teacher: “Do you know the names for these serve or passing skills?
Volleyball Player: “Hmm… no.”
As a Beginning Teacher who had just been appointed the overall-in-charge for Volleyball Co-Curricular Activity (CCA), I observed that our competitive players often came for the training sessions that engaged them in standardised drills and practice of volleyball skills. Towards the end of the session, they would have 6v6 friendly games amongst themselves, but the game often began and ended with the serve due to their low skill level and unfamiliar experiences playing in a standard court. I noticed that the pupils who did not achieve much success during the practice, gradually became demotivated and eventually quit the CCA.
To address these gaps and create a supportive learning environment to help our pupils become more self-determined and intrinsically motivated (Ryan & Deci, 1985), the IPS Volleyball CCA Challenge was conceived in 2019. The aim of the challenge was to achieve the following:
Enable pupils to develop an interest and intrinsic motivation to learn volleyball
Develop a stronger awareness of their skill levels
Create a system that allows pupils to work towards individualised goals
There were numerous challenges that we had to overcome in the implementation of this challenge. For example, in the first version of the Volleyball Challenge developed in 2019 (see Figure 1), pupils found it difficult to determine if they had achieved the levels for each skill as the criteria set was too vague. The next version was eventually introduced with clearer criteria supported by illustrations (see Figure 2). However, there was too much emphasis on the “efficiency” of the skill and not so much on the “effectiveness”. For instance, for the forearm pass, the challenge was determined by the number of consecutive hits rather than how the skill was applied in a game.
Figure 1. Volleyball Challenge Worksheet Version 1
Figure 2. Illustration and Criteria for Volleyball Challenge Worksheet Version 2 (Colvin, Markos, & Walker, 2000)
Through a process of trial and error, the latest version comprises the following components:
Multi-level Volleyball Skills
Assessment
Progress Report
Groupings and Volleyball Ranks
Multi-level Volleyball Skills
The CCA members are introduced to at least six different volleyball skills. These skills are then broken down into different levels allowing the pupils to progress at their own pace. As the difficulty increases, the skill transits from a modified form to knowing how the skill is applied in a game setting (see Figure. 3). This differentiated approach allows the pupils to experience success (sense of competence) in the early stages of skills acquisition and stretches those with stronger motor skills. It is important to note that the criteria for the skills continue to evolve as I deepen my understanding of the sport and my CCA pupils’ needs.
Figure 3. Illustration and Criteria for Volleyball Challenge Worksheet Latest Version
Figure 4. Guidelines for Plickers
A formative assessment approach is adopted to ensure that pupils receive ongoing feedback during every training session. The advancement of skill level can only be validated by the CCA teachers or coaches. Pupils may request to be assessed anytime during the session (sense of autonomy). A specific skill assessment may also be conducted to check player’s progress. I leverage the use of Plickers to facilitate the collation of assessment data and smoothen the assessment process. Each pupil is assigned a number which corresponds to their Plicker card. They may refer to the guidelines (see Figure. 4) put up for adjusting their Plicker cards,and upon completion of the assessment, these Plicker cards will be scanned to collate their results.
Progress Report
The pupils may also update their levels on the progress report worksheet. This was designed to capture the pupils’ skill development over a period of time. It allows them to observe if they are on an increasing, stagnating or decreasing trend in terms of skill acquisition. Below is an example of an actual student’s progress report.
Figure 5. Pupil’s Sample Progress Report
Groupings and Volleyball Ranks
The attainment of higher levels for the various skills leads to new opportunities in terms of:
Progression from the beginners’ group to the competitive group
Recommendations for Volleyball competitions e.g. National School Games (NSG)
Figure 6. Criteria for Volleyball Padawan Rank (Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia, n.d.)
To progress to Group B (competitive group), pupils will not only need to attain the rank of Volleyball Padawan (see Figure. 6), they will also need to demonstrate certain character traits and values (CCE). There are also various sets of criteria for the NSG Junior and Senior games corresponding to the various ranks (see Figure. 7). This system was designed to allow pupils to develop individualised goals and strive towards achieving them. Those who prefer to learn the game recreationally, can choose to stay in the beginners’ group and learn the skills under the School Sports Partnership programme.
Figure 7. Criteria for Advancement of Group or Competition Recommendation
Putting Everything Together
In the latest version of the progress report, the criteria for the various skill levels and ranks were reflected on the back page of the worksheet (see Figure. 8) The various elements are also printed on multiples sheets of A3 paper and put up on a magnetic board before each training session (see Figure. 9). This allows the pupils easy access when they need to update their Plicker cards or refer to the various criteria.
Figure 8. Criteria for Skill Levels and Ranks Reflected on Progress Report
Figure 9. Putting Everything Together in a Typical Training Session
In summary, the IPS Volleyball CCA Challenge aims to help our pupils develop an interest in learning volleyball (multi-level skills), develop a better awareness of how good they are (Progress Report) and set individualised goals (Varied Groups and Volleyball Ranks). Through this system, there have been visible improvements and some tangible results. Our Junior Boys’ team not only emerged as group champions in the NSG classification round in 2022 and 2023, the team also clinched a historic 2nd placing in the NSG Nationals Tier 1 in 2023. The teachers and coaches have also observed better discipline and motivation from the pupils (attendance for all at 90-95% in 2022).
Moving ahead, I would like to continue to review this system and monitor its benefits. I hope to inspire others, beyond the volleyball CCA and my school, to try out the approach and build similar systems to allow our pupils to develop their skills, stay motivated and sustain their interests and passion. Finally, these would not have been possible without the support of my fellow Volleyball CCA teachers, coaches, School Leaders, Head of Department (PE) and Subject Head (PE and CCA). Their feedback, encouragement and advice allowed me to persist and continue developing the IPS Volleyball CCA Challenge system.
Contributed by:
Mr Lee Wei Jie is currently a PE teacher in Innova Primary School. He is also the Volleyball CCA overall Teacher in Charge. You may contact him at Lee_wei_jie@schools.gov.sg.
References
Colvin, V., Markos, N., & Walker, P. (2000). Teaching the Nuts and Bolts of Physical Education. United States of America: Human Kinetics.
Ryan, R., & Deci, E. (1985). Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. New York: Springer New York.
Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Ahsoka Tano. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahsoka_Tano
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