What's it about? Self-organized sports in the afternoon, such as playing free soccer on the lawn, parkour jumping over a wall or skateboarding on the street, offer many opportunities for independent leisure activities. Especially children and teenagers who are not in a sports club get the chance to gain important experiences for their development through this freely accessible sport. The special thing about it is that the children discover places to do sports on their own and (find) their sport there on their own without the adults. Unfortunately, not all students know how many great opportunities there are to play sports and how easy it is to organize sports activities that are fun. Many students would certainly appreciate tips on how to find their own sports activities, which they can then practice at home with friends or even on their own. What is done? The school, especially the physical education classes, should have a range of exercise, games and sports in the program that directly fits the leisure time activities of the individual students. To this end, a concept for physical education was developed at the University of Dortmund. The goal here is for physical education classes to relate to the children's and adolescents' lifeworlds and leisure needs as part of a class project that lasts several weeks and is led by the physical education teacher. What is learned in the classroom can be used in the extracurricular world and can be applied directly in the afternoon. Through interesting tasks, the students get the chance to discover the variety of self-organized sports in their free time and to use the exercise areas in their neighborhood. In physical education classes, their skills in the three areas of doing, organizing and mediating sports are trained. Contact and further information The teaching project is part of a study at the Dortmund Center for School Sports Research at the Technical University of Dortmund with the aim of promoting self-organized sports activities among students at secondary schools in grades five and six through physical education classes. The physical education teacher and the class teacher are responsible for the project implementation. The implementation of the teaching project is accompanied scientifically. For more information to download see below under "Material".

In May 2012, the first trials of the teaching concept took place at the cooperating secondary schools as part of teaching projects. In July and September 2012, the first teaching projects were implemented and evaluated. The teaching project and its materials have been published in full: Zander, B. & Wiecierz, C. (2015). Where and with what can I invent sports? A lifeworld-oriented teaching project for secondary level I. Teaching aids for physical education. Permanent supplement to the journal "sportunterricht", 64 (5), 10-15.

Sports teachers who are interested in a cooperation of their secondary school with the Dortmund Center for School Sports Research and are willing to implement the concept in their lessons and to have it scientifically evaluated are still welcome at any time. For more information and further details about the project, please contact Mr. Benjamin Zander.