Competitive or. Cooperative Activities in Physical Education

What is the ideal physical education class? Is it competitive or cooperative learning activities? Cooperative learning activities are lessons that focus more on team building to accomplish a given task.2 The answer could be a mix of both. Each one has its own benefits and purposes. We are all different and react differently within each situation. This blog attempts to outline the benefits to both competitive and cooperative activities.

Competitive sports have obvious benefits along with some less obvious ones. The first and most obvious  are the physical benefits. One benefit is that competitive sport has been directly linked to decreasing obesity.1 The second benefit is improved social behavior. “Athletes in competitive sports are less likely to smoke or use illicit drugs. In a study of over 14,000 high school students published in the Journal Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, the ones who played sports were less likely to use drugs.”1  The third benefit is higher academic achievement. Studies have shown that participation in competition leads to higher GPA, lower dropout rates and increased college attendance.1 The last benefit is pursuit of career. A survey showed that 95% of individuals at the top of their companies participated in some type of competitive sport.1 These are just a few of the benefits associated with competition and participation in competitive activities improves teamwork and leadership skills as well as those areas.  

When it comes to cooperative activities, the benefits are also numerous. The primary difference is that this style positively affects both athletes and nonathletes.2 Not every student is the same and not every student thrives from competition. Therefore, students need to know that there are other ways for for activity and exercise other than competition. Cooperative activities do just that. Key benefits of participation in cooperative activities include the same as competitive, but also deal with:.

“1. Society values teamwork that promotes cooperation and cohesiveness over competition.

2. Individuals achieve simply by experiencing the process of team building.

3. Team building breeds success without any losers, as happens in competition.

4. A success experience may be contributing an idea and being listened to.

5. Roles change from passive to interactive.

6. Team building is a concept; physical challenges is a method of teaching it.

7. Skills needed: listening, praising and encouraging/ communication, decision-making, conflict resolution, risk taking, and affirmation.

8. Most physically skilled may find themselves in unfamiliar roles, perhaps dependent on their teammates.”2  

As you can see, there are similar benefits to both competitive and cooperative activities in physical education classes. Having a mix of both ensures that more students are being reached. This could very well be the ideal physical education class.

1Dr. David Geier (2012). The benefits of playing sport aren’t just physical. Sports Medicine Simplified. http://www.drdavidgeier.com/benefits-sports/

2Barry Trent (2005). Cooperative and Adventure Games. Health and Physical Activity Institute. https://www.jmu.edu/kinesiology/hpainstitute/documents/CooperativeGames.pdf