Motivate Students Using the Meet or Beat Challenge

Episode Transcript:

Today I’m going to talk about the meet or beat challenge as a way to motivate students!

Welcome to the PE Express podcast. Two to three times a week, a PE expert will share a tip, activity idea, or teaching strategy to help you become a better PE professional. Today’s host is Jessica Shawley, a national board certified teacher leader from Idaho and a Shape America national teacher of the year.

The Meet or Beat Challenge is a great way to motivate students to help them focus in and dial in as a way to get better at whatever the skill or challenges that you’re presenting them. So whether it’s a skill that they’re working on themselves, such as shooting on a goal, you know, trying to make a basket or it’s a skill that they’re working on with a partner, whether they’re back and forth hitting the tennis ball or back and forth, throwing and catching. Whatever it is the students are working on, I like to throw in the meet or beat challenge as a way to help motivate the students. So I freeze the students and then I say, okay, within one minute, how many can you get in a row? Or how many within a minute can you get of this select activity or skill? And then I say go and then the students go for that minute and then at the end of the minute we freeze and I say, okay, you know what you just got. So now can you meet or beat that number within the next minute ready, go. And then they go again. And then at the end of that minute it’s that self reflection and that accepting personal challenge. Was I able to meet or beat that number? Did I perform with that same intensity or self reflecting upon what went well, what didn’t go well in order to meet or beat that number.

It’s just a great way for students to dig into a challenge really quick and it’s a fun little rhyme, meet or beat the meet or beat challenge and I also use it with my pedometers. So with the students, hey, here’s how many steps you have right now. Can you meet or beat that by the end of the lesson? Thus, you know, really ultimately, can they double the number or from one lesson to the next day’s lesson? Can you meet or beat your previous total, you know, same lesson, content talk context, same topic. Can you meet or beat that previous score.

Or a way to compare things? You know, the first part of the lesson, we’re doing some fitness activities, so with their activity time or MVPA on their pedometer. Second part of the lesson, going into some sort of physical activity and games. Can you meet or beat that number? What is it gonna take? How does that make you feel? What intensity did you have to move with? And so it’s again, great for self reflection, great for student motivation, and it’s called the meet or beat challenge.

Thank you for listening. Thank you for teaching and I wish you a wonderful day.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Featured Resources

Articles

5 Ways Small Sided Games Make a BIG Impact

Author: Jessica Shawley

A Brand New Tool for PE You Didn’t Know You Needed!

Author: Brett Fuller

5 Skill-Based Floor Hockey Games

Author: Michael Beringer

16 Parachute Team Building Activities

Author: Tim Mueller

Motivating Unmotivated Students​

Author: Dr. Robert Pangrazi, Jessica Shawley, and Tim Mueller

Promoting Activity and Success Through Adapted PE

Author: Dr. Robert Pangrazi, Marci Pope and Maria Corte

Bin Ball

Author: Randy Spring

Equipment

JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER

Sign up to receive the latest physical education resources, activities, and more from educational professionals like you straight to your inbox!