Playing together, learning together

P4P, which currently involves the Sec 2 cohort, emerged from a pilot study by the National Institute of Education's Department of Physical Education and Sports Science in 2010. Teachers cum Class Mentors served as ambassadors and role models for an active lifestyle, while their colleagues in Physical Education (PE) helped to plan the exercise sessions and assess the effectiveness the programme.

Students keeping an eye on the goal: building bonds while having fun.

What this means is that students are exposed to a variety of games during P4P. "It allows me to try many kinds of sports that I have never played before," shared Doris Ang from 2N2. And as it turned out, the class that plays together learns together, including the teacher. "I don't teach PE, so I was apprehensive about how to carry out P4P," revealed Ms Olivia Lim, a Maths teacher and P4P Class Mentor. "Gradually we realised that by getting students to play more team games, we are helping them to learn to work together and cooperate with people they don't normally hang around with in class."

After the workout, both teachers and students often continue their banter through recess time, thereby learning more about themselves and each other. "Once during lessons, I wasn't paying attention," recalled Nur Diyana from 2N1. Expecting a rebuke, she saw what happened next as a sign that little things were not lost on her teacher. "My teacher knew it was because I was thinking about some problems I had recently shared with her," she shared. "She came to me and said it was alright and to forget about it in the meantime."

Interaction outside the classroom is good for building camaraderie and teamwork.

For Class Mentor Mr Muhd Al Fasha, the games have helped him warm up to a class he recently took over. "The class loved their Class Mentor last year and was apprehensive of me," he related. "As we got to know each other better, I realised they just want to have some fun, quite like myself actually. They came to see me in a different light, not just as a one-dimensional strict teacher in class."

Games during P4P have also helped dissolve barriers within a class. "Once, when the students were playing captain's ball, one boy was playing with a group who were initially not very keen on him," recounted Ms Lim. "Slowly, albeit reluctantly, they decided to include him. He even managed to score a goal! They realised they need to be more accepting." This spirit of inclusiveness is one that has spilled over into the classroom, as the students learn to be more welcoming of those not in their usual cliques.

Discovering more than a game

For the teachers, the games offer a chance to understand what drives, or disturbs, their students. "As a PE teacher, I've always felt that character is revealed through sports," said Mr Muhd. "Students would give away signs of anger issues, whether they are sociable and so on. From there, we can help the students."

Interaction outside the classroom offers teachers a new platform to understand students and to model values.

This pastoral element is addressed when LiVe (Lifeskills & Values Education) is weaved into the P4P sessions when students take a breather to reflect on their actions. "We can ask the class a general question, such as 'What if someone doesn't feel a part of class?' or 'What should the class do?'" explained Mr Muhd. "As we play more games, I slowly remind them about the values they have learnt. When students get angry at one another, we discuss the incident so the class learns as a whole."

Physical health thus comes with the bonus of emotional awareness and a newfound understanding of the needs of their peers. Edy Azwan of 2C recalled being shocked once when his classmate who was autistic got very angry with himself when he unwittingly passed the ball to an opponent. The classmate started screaming, hurting himself and chasing after those who laughed at him. "We learnt not to make fun of others and to be more patient with him," he said of the experience.

Through play, values are not just taught but caught as well. "The students really enjoy being outdoors to play," observed Ms Lim. "They don't realise that they pick up skills like teamwork along the way. Students can also see the values we embody as teachers - it's subtle, but no less effective."