Mandatory swim instruction for adolescents and adults has been of interest to me for quite some time. Many high schools and a few colleges require students to pass a swim test or take a swimming course in order to graduate. In the past, more colleges and universities has this requirement than at present, but most have dropped it, but a few still do, including several Ivy League schools.
It is always said that such a requirement is good because it helps to insure that more people become safe in the water. I wonder about the effectiveness of this. Do such swim tests/courses really work--do they really do the job they're supposed to do? Do they really get people to swim with ease or be safe in deep water? And what about fearful students, those with no aquatic experience and who are often studious or unathetic? Please go to the following websites and post your comments:
MIT Department of Athletics, Physical Education
Time to Swim or Graduate--Boston Globe
Welcome MIT Department of Athletics, Physical Education (watch video)
YouTube video: Adult Learn to Swim
Parents
Former Member
...Can a student, for example, who has never been near the water before, get through a swim class, receive a passing grade, never gets in the water again, does not learn to like swimming, and thus never reinforces the skills he has learned, be considered water-safe?...
Well, one thing is certain. They definitely aren't going to be water-safe if they have no swim training whatsoever.
The Red Cross lessons I had as a kid didn't impart great technique for actual swimming, but there was a lot of water safety drilling included. For example, in one lesson we had to bring a change of clothes and an old pair of shoes, put them on over our swimsuits, jump into the pool, and practice taking them off in the water, as training for an accidental fall from a boat. In another we learned to tow each other to "shore" using assorted objects.Nothing to do with swimming per se, but useful things to keep in mind.
As to "fair" - if the rules are the same for everyone, and everyone knows the rules up front, then it's fair.
...Can a student, for example, who has never been near the water before, get through a swim class, receive a passing grade, never gets in the water again, does not learn to like swimming, and thus never reinforces the skills he has learned, be considered water-safe?...
Well, one thing is certain. They definitely aren't going to be water-safe if they have no swim training whatsoever.
The Red Cross lessons I had as a kid didn't impart great technique for actual swimming, but there was a lot of water safety drilling included. For example, in one lesson we had to bring a change of clothes and an old pair of shoes, put them on over our swimsuits, jump into the pool, and practice taking them off in the water, as training for an accidental fall from a boat. In another we learned to tow each other to "shore" using assorted objects.Nothing to do with swimming per se, but useful things to keep in mind.
As to "fair" - if the rules are the same for everyone, and everyone knows the rules up front, then it's fair.
