Improving literacy through sport
According to the UN, International Literacy Day “is an opportunity for governments, civil society and stakeholders to highlight improvements in world literacy rates, and reflect on the world's remaining literacy challenges.” The UNESCO website notes that “at least 758 million youth and adults still cannot read and write and 250 million children are failing to acquire basic literacy skills.”
There are a number of ways in which sport can address literacy challenges in particular. Studies show that physical education can improve brain function and academic performance. Sport has also proven to be an important part of academic curricula. A toolkit published by the Swiss Academy for Development shows how integrating sport and play as educational tools can create an optimum learning environment for young learners.
Some sport clubs directly integrate reading and writing skills practice. For example, GOALS in Haiti has combined literacy training with its football programmes. Similarly, the East Side Youth Sports Foundation based in Detroit, USA, will add extra tutoring to its afterschool sports clubs.
Online resources are available to help teachers include sport in the classroom:
- Through active literacy sessions, students learn while moving
- The UK National Literacy Trust provides interest-based reading materials, and offers sample activities based on football and other popular sports in the UK
- The International Literacy Association shares ideas for sport-themed lessons to facilitate students’ interests and encourage reading
- Physical education teachers can find online resources with ideas on creating games based on books.
Professional athletes also have a role to play. The #TackleReading initiative brought together professional National Football League (NFL) players across the United States to talk about the importance of reading and distribute books to students.
Sport is an excellent tool to improve both physical and academic literacy. Let us know how you integrate literacy training with sport at [email protected]. Happy reading/playing!
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