Club Lacrosse: A Beneficial Learning Experience

This semester I decided to play club lacrosse for BGSU and it has been a very beneficial learning experience for me. I came onto the team not knowing anything about the sport, other than the fact that my best friend plays on the team. Unfortunately, I was the only one in that position because everyone else on the team had played throughout high school. At first, I was very discouraged since I was so confused about what was happening and others could see that I was struggling, but my hard work and focus has led to much improvement. By watching my teammates and asking many questions, I am starting to understand the game much more. This perseverance in a new situation not only applies to sports, but also can be seen daily inside the classroom.

Showing up to practice throughout the first few weeks was very intimidating.

Usually I participate in sports that I am more familiar with such as basketball or softball, but this presented a new challenge for me. I had to learn new rules and techniques, as well as meet many new people. This strongly relates to having students in the classroom because they will be faced with new information and interact with peers each day. A teacher must break down the material into simple steps so that the students can follow along without getting overwhelmed at the complexity of the problem. This was similar to how my teammates had to teach me how to correctly throw the ball or play my position. At the beginning I was struggling greatly, but with more practice the actions become more smooth. In the same way, students will have many questions and difficulties when you first teach them unfamiliar content, but through practice and exploration of the problems, they will begin to form a more thorough

understanding.
With more success in their coursework, the students will gain confidence in their abilities. The beginning frustration will gradually diminish and they will be more willing and able to perform the work. This relates to my lacrosse experience because at first I would dread going to practice out of embarrassment, but now I could not be more excited to play my first game. The atmosphere at practice, as well as in the classroom, are key components to learning. By creating a positive environment, the students are more willing to participate and learn by asking questions. Working through mistakes is an important step to students’ learning because it allows them to address where they have a misunderstanding so that they can modify or correct it the next time. Positive and effective collaboration with others is also a very important aspect in these situations. As I had experienced on the field, learning something new takes time, practice, and many different emotions. I can use my recent experience to better relate to students in the classroom. One of the biggest things I realized is that learning is a process, but progress is always occurring.