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Linda Jacobson/Education Dive
Education Dive
Study: Skateboarding fosters 21st century, SEL skills
Linda Jacobson
Feb. 28, 2020
Dive Brief:
Partnerships between schools and skateboarding nonprofits,
acknowledging the diversity among the skateboarding community, and
linking skateboarders to internships and opportunities to use the
skills they’ve developed through the sport are among recommendations
researchers at the University of Southern California offer in a new
report.
Based on case studies in seven U.S. locations, as well as a survey of
over 5,700 respondents — including a large proportion of middle and
high school students — the study, supported by the Tony Hawk
Foundation, says being able to “stick with a challenge,” “think outside
the box” and “solve tricky problems” are among the 21st century skills
skateboarders believe they have gained.
Skateboarding also fosters communication, social-emotional and
navigational skills, write the authors, led by Zoë B. Corwin, whose
research usually focuses on college access. They recommend educators
take an “assets-based approach” in helping skateboarders find paid
internships and link their skills to education and job opportunities.
Dive Insight:
With skateboarding making its Olympic debut this year, the study
contributes to a shifting perception of skateboarders from loitering
youth who don’t respect public property to resilient problem solvers
who are eager to apply their skills to areas such as filmmaking,
photography, music production and apparel design.
“Skills and social connections obtained through skateboarding appear to
have ‘exchange value,’” the authors write. “For example, we learned of
skaters receiving mentorship on school-related matters, support on
class projects, and assistance on completing homework through
skateboarding connections.”
One skateboard shop where that is taking place is the Garage Board Shop
in East Los Angeles, where students from as many as 15 area schools
skate in to complete their homework in exchange for time in the skate
park behind the retail floor. And some schools are beginning to add
after-school skateboarding classes and even competitive teams.
Students, the authors write, have learned to navigate different attitudes among school leaders toward their sport.
“In some instances, skaters had to be strategic when bringing
skateboards to school; in others, skating was supported by school
personnel,” they write. “Skaters knew which teachers would not mind if
they stored their boards in their classrooms, and which teachers would
hassle them.”
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