The Competition-Cooperation Link : Games for Developing Respectful Competitors

Competition. Some say it's what made America great. Cooperation. It creates team players who make the world a better place. Which is best? Which should be emphasized in physical education classes? The Competition-Cooperation Link puts this debate to rest by explaining that neither competition nor cooperation is inherently good or bad; it's how you teach them that matters.

Daniel Midura and Donald Glover, who together have authored two highly popular team building books, reveal how you can teach your students to be good competitors and good teammates. Believing that competitive activities should only be part of the physical education curriculum, they explain how to put respect and cooperation into competition and clearly explain the role that team building plays in the physical education curriculum.

First, Midura and Glover introduce you to competition-cooperation theory, which supports the idea that competitive and cooperative activities are equally important within a child's physical activity experiences. Next, they provide concrete ways for integrating cooperative activities into your physical education classes. You'll learn how to

- create your own program using the cooperation-competition model;
- encourage positive, cooperative behavior in your students;
- make cooperative activities fun and challenging;
- determine which aspects of cooperation to focus on with different age groups;
- make teamwork and sportsmanship an everyday part of your program; and
- reinforce healthy attitudes and make your expectations clear.

The heart of the book is the activity section, which features detailed instructions for 30 games and activities that link cooperation and competition. This section features 6 activities designed to last 5 to 10 minutes, 12 activities expected to take 15 to 20 minutes, and 12 activities that require at least a full class period. All activities are fully explained and illustrated to show you how to set them up and carry them out effectively.

Prepare your students to successfully and responsibly face situations that require cooperation and competition. By doing this, you'll not only teach them to enjoy physical activity for the rest of their lives; you'll also prepare them to be successful in the workplace, enjoy personal relationships, and become good parents, coaches, and leaders later in life.

Dan Midura has taught physical education since 1970. He is the elementary physical education coordinator for the Roseville, Minnesota Area School District. An adjunct faculty member at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, he has also taught courses at the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse.

Midura is active in several professional organizations, such as the Minnesota Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (MAHPERD); the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD); the Council on Physical Education for Children (COPEC); and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE). A former president of MAHPERD's Physical Education Council, he was elected the 1998-99 president of MAHPERD.

He has received many awards over the course of his career, including MAHPERD's 1995 Paul Schmidt Award, Minnesota's highest honor to physical education and health educators; Minnesota's 1994 Teacher of the Year Award for elementary physical education; and the President's Award for Service to the MAHPERD. In 1993 his school was awarded the Minnesota Elementary School Award of Excellence for Health and Physical Education.

Midura earned his master's degree in physical education from the University of Minnesota in 1977. In 1992 he served as a United States delegate involved with teacher training in Tallinn, Estonia.

Don Glover has taught physical education, including adapted physical education, since 1967 at the preschool, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels. He currently teaches adapted physical education in the White Bear Lake (Minnesota) School District.

In 1981 Glover was recognized as Minnesota's Teacher of the Year and was named the Minnesota Adapted Physical Education Teacher of the Year in 1989. He has published numerous magazine and journal articles on physical education and sport and has been a clinician at more than 100 workshops and clinics.

Glover earned his master's degree in physical education from Winona State University in 1970. A past president of MAHPERD, he is also a member of AAHPERD, NASPE, COPEC, and the Minnesota Education Association.

Together, Midura and Glover wrote Team Building Through Physical Challenges (Human Kinetics, 1992) and More Team Building Challenges (Human Kinetics, 1995). If you are interested in a team building workshop for your school district, company, or state or regional conference, contact Don Glover at 612-779-6904 or Dan Midura at 612-553-1374.