APPLIED LEARNING PROGRAM PROPOSAL
Basketball Academy for children
Children can learn from daily encounters and experiences. The aim of starting a basketball academy for children is to help them achieve their physical, mental and emotional goals. Childhood provides a sensitive but essential period in the cognitive development of a child. It is suggested that children should spend about an hour each day engaging in physical activity (“Benefits of basketball for Child …”). Children with limited physical activity have a greater risk of various health conditions such as idiopathic scoliosis, obesity and risk behavior such as suicidal thoughts, use of alcohol and other illicit drugs (Bidzan-Bluma and Lipowska, 2018, 2). Also, analysis of the literature shows that the development of efficient cognitive functioning in pre-adolescent and adolescent is a function of adequate intelligence quotient as well as high levels of executive function growth. Functional development growth is attributed to the ability to set a goal, motivation to work towards the achievement of set goals and self-control (Bidzan-Bluma and Lipowska, 2018, 9). Development of these functions is fostered most by engaging in sports or physical activity such as playing a musical instrument.
Program Justifications
There are clear justifications for the proposed applied learning program of basketball development. Engaging in sports helps in the reduction of stress levels in adolescents and pre-adolescents. Physical activity causes the release of endorphins which are feel-good hormones (Garcia-Falgueras, 2015, 2). As such, engaging in sports facilitates the development of essential aspects of physical, emotional well-being and a modification in the threshold for pain and discomfort. Also, the physical activities activate the motor areas of the brain, increasing its plasticity, which has longterm benefits. Moreover, participating in sports helps people engage their brains better in analyzing situations and processing information. People who engage in sports have a sharper brain, with fast response time (“Brain in sport”, n.d.). As a result, individuals are better positioned to filter out the noise and focus. Reduced aerobic activity due to less physical activity results in lower academic performance and a lower score in standard neuropsychological tests (Voss, Nagamatsu, Liu-Ambrose and Kramer, 2011, 1506). Also, habits that affect brain function play an important role in inhibiting cognitive development in a child. Thus, this program is essential from a developmental and academic point of view.
The basketball academy will accommodate children of different age groups. The academy will use the guideline on athletic performance as designed by Gray Cook on athletic development. The pyramid by cook has three layers, the movement layer, performance and skill layers (Haefner, 2017). Children below ten years will be focused more on movement and performance only. Children learn better the foundations of movement while they are young. Children below seven will not be taken up for the academy as they are so young to dribble a ball. Pre-adolescent and adolescents will be taken through all three layers of learning. Suitable social and life skills will be taught to the people enrolled in the academy.
Applied learning program outline/Assessment Tasks (ATs)
Creating a Basketball Academy for children
Learning outcomes Assessment Teaching/ Learning Activities (TLAs)
To understand and perform a feasibility study on the business and if it is worth starting.
Does the training program fit within budget? (income minus expenses)
Establish venue, time and which geographic area the program would run
What is the min number of participants required to cover all costs and generate a profit?
Peer feedback reflection
Reflection and analysis of the Melbourne united Experience Reading and research on Basketball academy programs around the world. Watching videos and documentaries.
Discussions and work collaboratively with Professional Basketballer Ivan Platenik on skill development for beginners and progressive program pathways
Gannon baker tutorial DVD collection on Elite training programs and skill development
10-day placement experience with the Melbourne United Basketball Academy
Trial runs of the program with peers to gain feedback and reflect on the feedback given
Create a detailed progressive skill plan for the participants in each session catering for all skill levels, age groups and fitness levels. To ensure engagement from all participants.
Details on the plan and progression pathways
Level of engagement from the participants and involvement in each skill
How are the different skill levels and age groups accommodated?
Research what a feasibility study involves and how it can help with a start-up business
What are all the expenses that will be incurred with the skill development programs
Research the estimated costs for marketing, court costs, insurance, coach costs, equipment, business registration,)
Special guest entrepreneur speaker Olivia Carr to help with establishing start-up costs and best approaches to start the feasibility study
Create a marketing plan and implement strategies that would increase awareness of healthy living and also bring participants into the program Create a flyer for the program for letterbox drops
Establish the target audience and demographic and desired location of the program
Develop at least 2-3 strategies and directions in which program will be marketed such as flyer, camps, website, social media, fun days and free trials
Understand why this program is beneficial to participants (healthy lifestyle)
Decide which strategy is the best form of action now and in the future
Follow a tutorial on the usage of graphic design software (if needed)
Research on what is marketing and how it is involved in starting up a business.
Researching different strategies in marketing and how they impact and reach the desired audience.
Research the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle in general and also the target audience
Industry expert Richard Colling to come in and explain the benefits of healthy living and the importance of embedding this into children at a young age.
Demonstration and Zoom call from Chase basketball on how they marketed their product while starting up and the changes they implemented.
Attending a marketing Seminar by…….
Assessment Rubric
Good
3 Points Fair 2points Needs Improvement 1 point Total Score
To understand and perform a feasibility study on the business and if it is worth starting.
Student shows good skills in analyzing a business as well as conducting a feasibility analysis. Student shows fair skills in analyzing a business as well as conducting a feasibility analysis. The student does not student shows skills in analyzing a business as well as conducting a feasibility analysis.
Create a detailed progressive skill plan for the participants in each session catering for all skill levels, age groups and fitness levels. To ensure engagement from all participants. Student shows good know-how on the importance of creating participation from all parties.
Shows skills in creating a good plan. Student shows a fair understanding of the importance of creating participation from all parties.
Shows skills in creating a good plan. Student shows a poor understanding of the importance of creating participation from all parties.
Shows skills in creating a good plan.
Create a marketing plan and implement strategies that would increase awareness of healthy living and also bring participants into the program Student shows good skills in his/her ability to create a marketing plan.
Student can quickly implement marketing strategies. Student shows fair skills in his/her ability to create a marketing plan.
Student can quickly implement marketing strategies. Student shows poor skills in his/her ability to create a marketing plan.
Student can quickly implement marketing strategies.
Literature Review
Various principles of applied learning will be essential in the program. Constructivism is a learning approach based on the idea that people actively construct their knowledge and the experiences of the learner determine the results of the learning process (Liu and ChaoYang, 2010, 64). This is in contrast to the belief that learners passively take in information during learning. The theory holds that people’s interaction with the world and experience new things and ideas. A reflection into the encounters facilitates a person to gain new information that is added to preexisting data (“Pedagogy and Design”). Following the constructivist hypothesis, more emphasis is given to meaning, context and reflection. Teaching engagement by educators following constructivism theory is founded on the provision of context in what they are teaching (Ali, 2018,73). Provision of context facilitates desirable learning outcomes in higher education.
Additionally, the underlying principles of constructivism learning system are that the developed curriculum is designed so that learning activities, as well as assessment tasks, are aligned alongside the intended learning outcomes that the students can easily do after the session. The intended outcomes of teaching are outlined before teaching commences. (“Constructive Alignment”, 2020, n.p). As a result, teaching methods are designed to achieve the intended learning outcomes best. Assessment is meant to provide feedback to both the teacher and the learners on their progress and improvement, thus ensuring the correct endpoint is achieved (Joseph and Juwah, 2011, 2). The learning activities and teaching activities both point towards the same goal. As a result, the constructivist theory can be used to explain that social and interpersonal skills can be learned through engagement in an activity such as sport. Engaging in such activities result in the transfer of skills from sports to a career setup. (Eddington and Eddington, 2013, 1). Besides, there can also be a transfer of skill from a sporting activity to a career activity or personal gain. However, there has been a lot of untapped potential in the utilization of sporting activities to facilitate learning.
Moreover, there is increasing attention paid to coaching sciences regarding the contribution of various learning theories and concepts in designing coaching practices as well as enhancement of player learning. Coaching and sports training are responsible for helping players acquire, develop as well as refine their sporting qualities, skills, performance and understandings (Roberts and Potrac, 2014, 180). Other skills, such as analytical skills are also nurtured. Also, the academy staff, as well as the coaching staff, has a responsibility to teach players skills that promote social inclusion (Bloyce and Smith, 2010, 79). These skills are incorporated into daily sport training activities.
Utilization of the constructivist model on basketball performance provides more workload to the players than those using a different method. As a result, the training increase the level of opposition on the players. However, less time is needed to achieve a higher level of learning compared to other training methodologies (Ibanez, Sergio, Jimenez, and Antunez, 2015, 49). Besides, there is a higher utilizations of tasks assigned to players than in traditional coaching plans. Besides, training sessions utilizing a constructivist approach are more efficient. As such, in basketball training, a constructivism approach improves players general learning, sports learning, and physical conditioning on the body.
Besides, the game of sense originated from teaching games for understanding. There is existing literature showing similarities between the two approaches in the development of holistic players. (Light, Quay, Harvey, and Mooney, 2013, 89). However, the constructivist approach helps in the provision of a broader conceptualization of learning. The approach also brings mainstream curriculum by extending its focus to experience and understand the existing relationship between body, mind, and learning. Consequently, the learning approach used to achieve the expected learning outcomes involves alignment with appropriate pedagogical skills, provision of feedback, and strategies such as cooperative learning, peer teaching, and personal reflections (Jarret and Harvey, 2016, 98). Utilization of these strategies provide students with a steady learning experience that enhances their learning and promotes their aptitude and inclination to learn more.
Moreover, applying applied learning through a constructivist approach will be necessary for learners to gain much-needed skills and learning outcomes (ILOs). Better learning outcomes will be realized if students can reflect on their cognitive, attitudinal, behavioral experiences, and gained practical knowledge (Dames, 2012, 37). To achieve these goals, the student needs to be engaged in participatory learning. Also, learners will be better positioned to control their learning. As some students struggle to learn without finding a connection, an applied learning program will provide the connections in situations that they would only see disparity (Akpan and Beard, 2016, 395). The teaching model is learner-centred. The teaching and learning activities students (TLAs) will be provided with will help them unlock their ability to think critically to solve problems encountered. As such, the program will be able to meet students learning needs.
Reflection on Peer Review Feedback
A critical analysis of the feedback was important in writing this paper. According to Fluckiger, Vigil, Pasco, and Danielson (2010, 137), feedback information furthers student learning as one engages in a continuous loop of self-assessment. Peer feedback focuses on learning and standards set by others (Panadero, Jonsson, and Strijbos, 2016, 320). The feedback provided gives important points for improvement. Notably, the program description has been provided in the first section of this paper that was missing before the peer valuation. Information highlighted in the peer assessment feedback, such as age, has also been included in this paper. the feedback modified my thinking and how I approached the paper. The target age has also been indicated. The choice of that age group is to ensure participants’ safety while in the program. Children below the age of 7 years would not be allowed to participate in the program for health reasons. Besides, due to developmental disparities, learners in varying age groups will be placed in different groups. The learning program’s choice is designed to help students learn different skills through a constructivist approach. The program will be able to meet the intended learning outcomes. However, the integration of activities that enable the students to apply the acquired knowledge in real-time settings helps them develop and foster partnerships and opportunities in the community (“Applied Learning at Suny.”). Students may be engaged in internships, service learning, student teaching, and mentorship programs to improve social, political, and economic status. Also, essential skills such as management, problem-solving, and critical thinking, come into play.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, utilizing a constructivist approach in learning would help students take control of their learning. The implementation of a basketball academy will aid in providing students with a wide range of skills. Also, learner’s assessment plans are tied to expected learning outcomes. Students will be allowed to construct their knowledge through interaction with new experiences every day. Incorporating strategies such as internships and service-learning will help students develop further by utilizing their knowledge in real-world settings.
References
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