ABSTRACT
The more time pupils spend ‘on-task’ (i.e. time in which pupils are engaged in motor and other activities related to the subject matter in such a way as to produce a high degree of success, and hence for lesson objectives to be met) the more opportunity there is for increasing physical development and physical competence. However, pupils also spend time in lessons on a number of other activities (for example, moving from one task to another, waiting and receiving information). In some lessons pupils spend little time actually on-task. This may be for a variety of reasons – for example, conjestion caused when pupils are asked to collect and put away hockey sticks in a cupboard with one small door or to listen to a long explanation from a teacher about a practice or instructions that are confused on a cold day, or because their behaviour is not managed effectively. Pupils are often more disruptive when they are not on-task. In order to maximise the time pupils spend on-task and to reduce the possibility of disruption, you need to consider how to minimise the time spent on these other activities. You can, for example, cut the amount of time pupils spend moving from one task to another by reducing the number of different tasks in the lesson or by having effective routines for the transition from one task to another. This requires you to be able effectively to:
• organise (people, the space, the equipment and time); • establish rules and routines; • manage the class; and • maintain discipline.
