Marden Senior College

Vocational Studies B
for elite
athletes
(SASI or non-SASI)

Induction – 2009

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 Course Content
Below is the Assessment plan for Vocational Studies B. More detail will be
provided regarding the Investigative Report (25%) which can be submitted as
soon as possible (final due date will be early Term 4, 2009).

Workplace Learning Task 1: Workplace Performance:

Participation in club and state competition - assessed 25%
by your nominated coach

Task 2: Workplace Reflection

We provide students with 2 reflective journals to 25%
complete, that are submitted for assessment. These
journals cover communication, evaluation and
knowledge. BOOKS 1 & 2

The Coursework booklet, BOOK 3, will incorporate

Course Work responses and reflections to issues associated with
sports and careers
10%
• Career Planning
• Work in Australian society

Student Record of SASI’s verification (as Registered Training Authority)

Vocational Attainment or a Training Record Book (25-30 hours) of the
athlete’s vocational attainment. 15%
Investigative Project Investigate an area of interest in relation to your
sports program. This is the opportunity for athletes to
investigate an issue related to their own interests and
their sport.

EG Research and complete the requirements of entry to

the AIS or a USA College scholarship; Should metal bats be
used in junior levels of baseball? Is the use of ankle braces 25%
preventing injuries or just a waste of time? Is there a
preferred coaching style for female water polo players?,
Does external pressure adversely affect an athlete’s
performance? Is using caffeine to enhance an athlete’s
performance fair play?

TOTAL 100%

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 Reflection Journals
(BOOKS 1 & 2)
The 2 journals are reflective booklets which should be filled-in on a regular
basis. They allow both the athlete and the teacher to see what learning has
taken place and how that learning can possibly be improved.

It is important to get it to your teacher as promptly as possible (AT THE

END OF THE BOOKLET – APPROX. EVERY 2 MONTHS) so that
feedback can be given and any adjustments to future journal entires can be
made. These booklets are assessed and make up 25% of the students’ grade

We will be sending you the journals by mail and we hope you will use your
free times: after training; on the way home from training; homework times;
or during free lessons if you have any.

Coursework Booklet
(BOOK 3)
Coursework will generally involve an article to comment on or a web site to
interact with. Coursework does not demand attendance at lessons or a
great deal of extra time.

The 2 tasks in the booklet cover the topics of:

• Career Planning

• Work in Australian society

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 Investigative Project
The investigative project gives you the opportunity to investigate an
issue of interest, which is related to your experiences of work (elite
level sport). The issue under investigation must be developed through
negotiation between yourself and your teacher at Marden Senior
College.

The issue should be focused rather than a general topic eg rather than
‘Nutrition in Sport’, you could investigate “Should athletes be
drinking sports drinks rather than regular water?” or rather than
‘Sporting Injuries’ you could investigate “Is the use of ankle
braces preventing injuries or just a waste of time?”

The project may be presented in written, audiovisual, or multimedia

form. For the written form, the length should be up to a maximum of
1500 words. Students must negotiate an equivalent to this word-length
with the teacher if they choose a different form of presentation.

Your performance in the investigative project will be judged by the

extent to which you demonstrate:
identification of issue
How well does the student identify a work-related issue that has personal
relevance?

investigation skills
How effective is the student’s use and acknowledgment of a range of
resources?
To what extent does the student use resources beyond the school?
To what extent does the student use other workers to support his or her
investigation?

organisational skills
How well does the student organise his or her findings?
How clear and logical is the student’s presentation of findings?

analysis and conclusion

How well does the student analyse the findings of the investigation?
How well does the student analyse the relationships between workplace
issues and practices?
How relevant to self are the student’s conclusions?

communication
How effective and appropriate are the student’s communication skills?

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 Suggested methods of presentation:

written and/or research audiovisual presentations

assignments multi-media presentations
essays (film/presentations)
projects survey work
case-studies video/DVD filming
oral presentations (with a or a combination of these
PowerPoint presentation) methods

Step 1:
Let your teacher know which area interests you (identify issue) and decide how
you might present your Investigative Project (eg report, video/DVD)
As Soon As Possible!!

Step 2:
Decide on the issue question and answer the 7 questions provided in Booklet 1
1. List as many questions/issues as possible about this topic.

2. Invent two difficult questions/issues about this topic.

3. What might be the most interesting thing to discover about this

topic? What might be the most boring?

4. List one thing you already know about this topic.

5. What interesting steps could you take to investigate this topic? List
at least three ideas. (Possible resources to use)

6. Give a few reasons why it is important to learn about this general topic
area.

7. Which presentation method do you intend to use? (This can be altered

later)

Step 3:
Look for relevant Secondary Resources eg The Advertiser, your local
library, the Internet, your school library, Anzre searches (through the
librarian or me), magazines, television programs, The Australian and
other newspapers.
Along with Primary Resources eg survey athletes, ask questions to direct
sources (through email, letters etc)
I can also assist you in finding resources once I know your topic/issue

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 Step 4:
Collate information and start production (filming, producing slides, writing).
Drafts/progress reports will be discussed with you on a one-to-one basis.

INVESTIGATIVE PROJECT (continued)

Firstly it is important that you choose a topic of interest (from the list) and then submit your plan
(response to the 7 questions)

Assessment criteria Key to get BETTER marks!

investigation skills
How effective is the student’s use and
acknowledgment of a range of resources?
• To what extent does the student use
resources beyond the school?
• To what extent does the student use other
workers to support his or her investigation?
Keep a journal recording all research, web sites,
conversations and sources of information - both Primary
(first hand eg interviews) and Secondary (eg books, web,
magazines).
Try to speak with other ‘workers’ – i.e. people in sports
industry/other athletes / professionals.
Keep a thorough Bibliography (books, mags, URLs,

organisational skills Keep an organised journal, notes etc

Do you have a clear introduction (telling me what the topic
• How well does the student organise his or her
of interest is), a list of contents, clear sections in the
findings?
report, a conclusion (see below) and a Bibliography (all
• How clear and logical is the student’s
sources acknowledged)?
presentation of findings?
(If using film or other media, discuss above with me)
analysis and conclusion
You need to examine and discuss the findings
• How well does the student analyse the findings
(data/results/ information gathered) and possibly graph
of the investigation?
any results. Maybe compare your information with other
• How well does the student analyse the
information gathered.
relationships between workplace issues and
Make some conclusions from your research (especially if
practices?
you do testing!) and explain what it means to you (eg if you
• How relevant to self are the student’s
discover the best recovery time is ‘X’, how will you use that
conclusions?
info?)
communication
How well do you set out your project? Is it clear to
• How effective and appropriate are the student’s
understand and is the language appropriate?
communication skills?

REMEMBER to keep in touch with us and send as many drafts as possible.

UNSEEN WORK cannot be marked (that is, if no drafts – no marks!!)

We do not want to see slabs of information copied from the Net (that is
plagiarism!). This is an investigation into a topic and we will be looking for varied
sources of information (people interviewed, books, magazines, statistics, internet,
articles, newspapers etc) with all sources acknowledged (that is, keep records of
all the places you find information!)

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Good luck, enjoy the challenge - don’t put it off, get started now (that is good time management!)
and you’ll do well!

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INVESTIGATIVE PROJECT TOPICS (an issue would need
to be developed from these topics):
• Alterative job, work and career paths in the area of your sport
• Research and complete the requirements of entry to the AIS
• The use of certain drugs in sport
• Ethical behaviour of athletes in the community
• Racism in sport
• Mental Training
• Recovery and regeneration
• Corruption in Sport
• Psychological characteristics of peak performance
• Styles of decision making in coaching
• Goal setting for peak performance
• Relaxation & Energizing Imagery
• Athletic staleness & burnout - diagnosis, prevention and treatment
• Periodisation of training
• Principles of training and their application to the training process
• Post event recovery methods
• Eating for recovery, performance and training
• Performance analysis and application to training
• Overcoming resistance and increasing propulsion
• Utilising biomechanic feedback to improve performance
• Application of sports science to the training process
• Use of ergogenic aids to improve athletic performance
• Value of altitude training for sea level performance
• Technological advances in your sport
INVESTIGATIVE PROJECT ISSUES:
• Nature v nurture: are athletes made or born?
• Are women in sport fairly represented in the media?
• Who decides which sports are popular?
• Did Australia entering the World Cup in 2006 achieve the desired impact on
football in Australia?
• Is there gender equity in sport payment?
• Is there a preferred coaching style for female water polo players?
• Is strength training for your sport more important than speed training?
• Is using caffeine to enhance an athlete’s performance fair play?
• Has new technology in your sports’ equipment detracted from the game?
• Does external pressure adversely affect an athlete’s performance?
• Are ankle braces effective in preventing injuries to elite basketballers?
• Should junior basketball players play A.B.L.?
• Does AFL have a future in Australia compared to other football codes?
• Research and complete the requirements of entry to the AIS or a USA College
scholarship
• Should metal bats be used in junior levels of baseball?

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 General points
 Your enrolment in Voc Studies B is not secured until payment has
been made

 You are an external student of Marden Senior College therefore

you have no internal student responsibilites
 Communication is the key to success in these subjects– maintain
contact with your teacher to ensure a GOOD mark at the end of the
year!

 Any problems or questions should be directed to a Vocational

Studies B teacher at MSC or – sooner rather than later!

 Using your home email address (eg a family one like

sportyspice@iprimus.com ) is sometimes better than a hotmial
address, as family members might see the emails and alert you too

 Getting the Investigative Project in as soon as possible – DRAFTS

MUST BE SUBMITTED FIRST!! – is a good idea to alleviate the
stress at the end of the year!

 Try to utilise your own school library, SASI’s library and other
Primary sources (like your coaches/other athletes etc) for the
Investigative Project

 Evaluation of your performance will be conducted by your coaches –

not by your teachers. This will be done in mid 2008
 Please let us know whenever your personal information changes, eg
o Mobile phone number
o Email address
o Home phone number
o Home address

MSC Teachers’ Names:

Mandy Rego Loula Dacolias
(W) 83662888/856 (W) 83662888/890
(M) 0421098661 (M) 0434602052

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mrego@mardensc.sa.edu.au adacolia@mardensc.sa.edu.au

Peter Allen Mark Blackburn

(W) 83662888/872 (W) 83662888/873
(M) 0412529465 (M) 0418892057
pallen@mardensc.sa.edu.au mblackb@mardensc.sa.edu.au

Erin Cooper
(W) 83662888/873
(M) 0402409123
ecooper@mardensc.sa.edu.au

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