Swimming through a Screen

There are a couple of ingredients that a swim teacher relies on when teaching the life long skill of swimming. Obviously one is children, and how wonderful it is to have had children back, the other big staple is good old H20.

But hold on… if there is something this old swim teacher has learnt during online swim education is that having a visual captive audience was a wonderful opportunity to engage the children on the foundational theory. It was an opportunity to lasso the children’s enthusiasm and thirst for learning on topics that require dry land time.

During the online learning, opportunities were presented where a child’s reluctance to be in water was explored and discussed, a child’s understanding of the biomechanics of floating and moving in water (which is 780 times thicker than air!) was investigated, and we even learnt how we can spot a rip current from the beach.

Although the absence of being in a classroom pool for a considerable time will no doubt have those children who are reluctant to swimming regress for the time being, the online teaching enabled the aquatic educators to reinforce foundational theory. This concentrated learning of the mechanics of movement used in water to assist in the swimming development of all children regardless of their experience.

The essence of swim education is the individual’s confidence, familiarity and comfortability in water. The purpose of learning to swim is certainly not preparation for the Olympics. It is, and always has been, the goal that every child who walks through Bangkok Prep’s gates will leave the school being able to swim, first and foremost for their life long water safety.

However, it is also important that they realise how much enjoyment they will have in the water throughout their lives; and we as teachers, cannot wait to get that journey back on track.

Matthew Ferrier
Primary Swim Teacher
Bangkok Prep