Kin-Ball as an educational tool at school

Abstract

Kin-ball is an inclusive and cooperative sport in which all team members participate and which promotes cooperation, effective communication and collective decision making, as well as the development of social and motor skills. In addition, it can be played in a variety of contexts with different populations, regardless of their characteristics. To this end, a workshop has been designed to demonstrate the pedagogical potential of kin-ball to promote cooperative work in schools by developing social skills, promoting inclusion and improving group dynamics, and to provide strategies to be applied in different educational contexts. Official kin-ball balls, audiovisual material and worksheets will be used for this purpose. The workshop is based on Johnson and Johnson's (1999) theory of cooperative learning, which emphasizes positive interdependence and individual responsibility; Parlebas' (2001) concept of motor intelligence, which emphasizes the importance of decision making and adaptability in sports games; Ryan and Deci's self-determination theory, which emphasizes the importance of autonomy, competence, and relatedness in intrinsic motivation; and Hellison's (2011) perspective, which emphasizes the importance of activities in which all participants can actively participate. The workshop consists of three parts: (1) theoretical introduction: presentation, history, rules, Kin-ball equipment and its relation to the theoretical foundations of cooperative learning; (2) pre- and cooperative games, basic ball handling exercises and playing positions, and application of pedagogical strategies; and (3) reflection and discussion: elaboration of proposals for application in specific contexts and debate on the challenges and opportunities of their implementation. These competencies are expected to be transferable to other areas of students' academic and personal lives.