'Spirit of the Game' - already a force for good!
Since April 2012, educationalist Linda Porter B.A.Cert.Ed. MIPTI, BFRP, MACTA, Dip.Phy. FMHET has been running a pilot scheme with young people between the ages of 11-17 using the young adults’ novel Spirit of the Game by Geoff Francis.
Lin says, "Not only has it been great fun in which everyone readily engaged, but it has offered a huge insight into how young people will respond to interactive meaningful and topical materials."
One of the first students to receive their certificate of learning in life skills and sportsmanship ‘a la Stanley Matthews’ is Matt Benson, who received his award from recent Wolves football legend Matt Murray.
The pilot was carried out at Norton College in Worcester, a beacon alternative Educational Provider awarded ‘Good’ status from OFSTED. The College provides a unique service for some of the most complex and challenging young people in the country. As such, Norton proved to be a good and robust testing ground for the ‘Spirit of the Game’ programme.
With Geoff Francis’ short, sharp, punctuated writing style, Spirit of the Game could have been tailor made to address the limited attention span which is prevalent today. The pilot scheme provided the opportunity to address the many themes that Geoff has embedded and cleverly woven throughout the book, particularly racism, and which have dominated headlines throughout this last football season and in the build-up to Euro 2012.
The pilot scheme was delivered to individuals within a youth culture which is often aggressive, violent and steeped in racism, homophobic bullying, sexism and ageism. Lin Porter has a history of turning around the lives of young people like this. The use of Spirit of the Game in her curriculum proved to be exceptionally successful and a companion teaching resource was developed by her to accompany it.
This interfaces with a programme of interactive materials already independently developed by Lin within her renowned Holistic Educational Therapy (HET) programme. HET provides solutions to address the underlying issues behind complex, challenging antisocial behaviour in a proven effective way that also engages parents.
The outcomes of the young person’s experience through the programme can be accredited, even for the most disengaged learners (as can that of the parents). Learners have to discuss and explore the story, its themes, characters, author’s voice and style at every stage and level. But more importantly they have to address the social issues raised in order to get an ASDAN certification for a ten hour block of study. This provides a gateway leading to further projects exploring what lies behind stereotypical attitudes in today’s culture.
The participants are invited to explore the issues within mediums with which they are comfortable like rap, street art and hip hop plus social media such as You Tube and Facebook. This serves to make the book, and programme, highly accessible and interactive for its intended audience.
These research projects are also accredited and lead to short courses of specialist interest in football, sports fitness and peer mentoring programmes as well as covering PSHE issues on drugs and sexual health awareness. ASDAN qualifications are equivalent to GCSE and AS levels and feature in educational league tables. Uniquely, parents are also able to gain certificates in working with their children through these projects. Completion of the programme has been found to reduce the need for some medications, such as those often prescribed for ADHD. There is also a CPD programme for professionals who can use their certificates towards foundation and master degrees.
Lin says "For all those involved in the field of education (and football), this tool proves to be ‘in the true Spirit of the Game’!"
Links:
www.spiritofthegamebooks.com
www.HETwebsite.com
With Geoff Francis’ short, sharp, punctuated writing style, Spirit of the Game could have been tailor made to address the limited attention span which is prevalent today. The pilot scheme provided the opportunity to address the many themes that Geoff has embedded and cleverly woven throughout the book, particularly racism, and which have dominated headlines throughout this last football season and in the build-up to Euro 2012.
The pilot scheme was delivered to individuals within a youth culture which is often aggressive, violent and steeped in racism, homophobic bullying, sexism and ageism. Lin Porter has a history of turning around the lives of young people like this. The use of Spirit of the Game in her curriculum proved to be exceptionally successful and a companion teaching resource was developed by her to accompany it.
This interfaces with a programme of interactive materials already independently developed by Lin within her renowned Holistic Educational Therapy (HET) programme. HET provides solutions to address the underlying issues behind complex, challenging antisocial behaviour in a proven effective way that also engages parents.
The outcomes of the young person’s experience through the programme can be accredited, even for the most disengaged learners (as can that of the parents). Learners have to discuss and explore the story, its themes, characters, author’s voice and style at every stage and level. But more importantly they have to address the social issues raised in order to get an ASDAN certification for a ten hour block of study. This provides a gateway leading to further projects exploring what lies behind stereotypical attitudes in today’s culture.
The participants are invited to explore the issues within mediums with which they are comfortable like rap, street art and hip hop plus social media such as You Tube and Facebook. This serves to make the book, and programme, highly accessible and interactive for its intended audience.
These research projects are also accredited and lead to short courses of specialist interest in football, sports fitness and peer mentoring programmes as well as covering PSHE issues on drugs and sexual health awareness. ASDAN qualifications are equivalent to GCSE and AS levels and feature in educational league tables. Uniquely, parents are also able to gain certificates in working with their children through these projects. Completion of the programme has been found to reduce the need for some medications, such as those often prescribed for ADHD. There is also a CPD programme for professionals who can use their certificates towards foundation and master degrees.
Lin says "For all those involved in the field of education (and football), this tool proves to be ‘in the true Spirit of the Game’!"
Links:
www.spiritofthegamebooks.com
www.HETwebsite.com
And the 'Spirit of the Game' book already a force for good...
The novel 'Spirit of the Game' is a heart-warming, uplifting story which celebrates the finest example of the British sporting traditions. In doing so, it highlights a number of issues, particularly racism and hooliganism, which can eat away at society as a whole and the 'beautiful' game in particular. Because of this it has been adopted as an educational vehicle, as well as giving rise to an initiative. This has led to a whole grass roots movement to help challenge such attitudes and behaviour in schools where they can often have a breeding ground.
The initiative includes the following strands:
* The young adults' novel Spirit of the Game (published in paperback and e-book format)
Click here to buy the book by Geoff Francis, 'Spirit of the Game':
http://www.spiritofthegamebooks.com/SOTG.html
Click here to buy the companion book by Geoff Francis, 'Stanley Matthews: Black Man with the White Face':
http://www.spiritofthegamebooks.com/BMWF.html
* An innovative educational programme developed by cutting edge educationalist Linda Porter B.A.Cert.Ed. MIPTI, BFRP, MACTA, Dip.Phy. FMHET A pilot scheme has been run with some of the most dysfunctional youngsters in the country
* A theatre company working in the educational sector plans to take a stage musical version of Spirit of the Game to schools and community groups
* The Booked! Campaign - the intention of which is to deliver free copies of the book Spirit of the Game into every school in the country
http://www.everydayhero.co.uk/event/booked_spiritofthegamebooks
And now the 2D animated interactive motion comic and indie feature-length movie which will take the story to the wide world!