Colors of Competence in Competition: A Guide for Active Learning in Competitive Activities

The idea of actively involving children in the learning process can be beneficial for both teacher and student on a number of levels. Allowing students in physical education class to make choices has been incorporated into elementary-age teaching successfully. As a way to invite students to become more active participants in their learning, teachers can introduce them to a model called the "Colors of Competence in Competition" (CCC), which allows students to participate, track, and make decisions about their skill levels and the types of activities in which they participate throughout a unit. Students can identify their level of skill and competitive participation (beginner, intermediate, advanced) by using the CCC Guide (Tjeerdsma, 1995). This guideline provides a strategy designed for both students and teachers to track progress in skill attainment. Students becoming active participants and self-management skills in elementary education are crucial for sparking an interest in lifetime activity (Corbin, 2004). Overall, this guide can be tailored to the individual unit and can be considered a useful tool for both the students and the teachers in examining skill attainment. (Contains 2 tables and 1 diagram.)