Intertwining Student Interests with School: Turning Sport Skills into Life Skills
Recently, I had the opportunity to work with Year 9 students at Gladstone Park Secondary College who are part of a new Sport and Industry stream.
The idea is simple but powerful: students' interests are woven throughout their learning. Each subject incorporates an element of sport or the business industry, creating opportunities for students to see the relevance of what they are learning through something they already understand, enjoy and connect with.
Think Set Go was a fantastic addition to this program.
Our two-hour interactive workshop focused on helping students understand how they can set and pursue goals with an adaptive mindset — and, importantly, how the skills they develop through sport can transfer directly into school, work and life.
It's not just about sport
We explored a range of practical skills and strategies, including:
Perspective
Comparison
Thoughts and self-talk
Pressure
Nerves
Emotions
Planning
Taking action
Consistency
Persistence
These aren't just "sport skills".
They are life skills.
An athlete experiences a setback, feels nervous before a competition, struggles with motivation, compares themselves to others or has a difficult day.
A student experiences exactly the same things.
So does someone entering the workforce.
The context might change, but the underlying skills don't.
Confidence comes from action
A major focus of the session was developing confidence through action.
Confidence isn't something we always need to wait for before we begin.
Sometimes, we build confidence because we begin.
In sport, a player might make a mistake, lose a game, struggle with a skill or experience a setback. They have to decide what happens next.
Do they dwell on it?
Do they change their perspective?
Do they make a plan?
Do they ask for help?
Do they have another go?
Do they keep going?
These same decisions occur in the classroom, at work and in everyday life.
That is where the connection between sport, school and life becomes so powerful.
It's a system.
It's a process.
When students learn how to respond to challenges in one environment, they can begin to recognise that the same framework can be applied somewhere else.
What students had to say
The student feedback following the session was incredible.
One student described it as:
“The most engaging session we've had.”
Others identified practical strategies they could immediately use:
“I learnt breathing and calming strategies that I can incorporate straight away.”
“I learnt that I don't have to believe all the thoughts I have.”
“I learnt to see things from a different angle when I need to solve a problem.”
These comments are exactly what I hope students take away from Think Set Go.
Not just information.
Tools they can actually use.
Think Set Go
When something challenging happens, students can learn to pause and ask:
THINK: What am I thinking? Is there another way to look at this?
SET: What do I need to do? What's my plan?
GO: What's one action I can take right now?
Sometimes the challenge requires us to change how we Think.
Sometimes we need to Set a new plan.
Sometimes we simply need to Go — take action, have another attempt and keep moving forward.
And sometimes we need to change all three.
That is the beauty of connecting students' interests with their learning.
When students can see that the skills they are developing through sport, work experience, hobbies or other interests are also valuable in the classroom and in life, learning becomes more meaningful.
They begin to understand:
“I already have some of these skills. I just need to learn how to transfer them.”
That is the real opportunity.
Not simply intertwining student interests with school, but helping students recognise that what they learn in one part of their life can become a toolkit for every other part.
So, when the next challenge comes along, perhaps the question isn't simply:
“Why is this happening?”
Instead, ask:
“Do I need to change how I THINK, SET or GO right now?”