Research on Teaching Methods of Public Table Tennis in College and University
Li Wang
School of Physical Education and Cultural Industry, Shandong Polytechnic University, Jinan, China
( 630663860@qq.com)
Abstract - Table tennis is an important public course in
college and university. This paper first discusses the current
teaching situation and existing problems from the following
five aspects: 1) relatively lower teachers’ quality, 2) unvaried
teaching mode, 3) imperfect methods of examination, 4)
limited funds and fewer facilities, and 5) shortages of
extracurricular activities. Then this paper discusses
suggestions on reforming table tennis teaching from
corresponding five aspects: 1) strengthening the construction
of teacher’s team, 2) reforming teaching methods, 3)
standardizing examining system, 4) strengthening sport
facilities construction, and 5) developing extracurricular
activities of table tennis according to student’s requirements.
Keywords – Reforming, Table tennis, Teaching
methods, University and college
I. INTRODUCTION
Table tennis has been playing a decisive role in our
country, and is well-known as “national ball”. Compared
with other sports, table tennis has a very deep basis in the
masses with its fitness, practical, interesting and other
characteristics, and most people, especially students in
university and college, love it very much. Teaching
students table tennis not only can make them have a
strong body and gain pleasure, but can improve their
attainment and moral quality. Teaching table tennis in
college can improve the students’ table tennis techniques
and skills and form their exercise habits gradually.
Students can learn to participate in the activities
positively, and their lifelong sports consciousness is
cultivated. Teaching table tennis can let every college
student master a kind of positive, healthy and good sports
skills. These make students insist to exercise themselves
for lifelong. Through this way, the university sports can
have a better connection with the social sports, so that
students can adapt to society much better. Table tennis
sports let college students have a close connection with
sports after their graduation. In addition, teaching table
tennis in college can contribute to enhance the campus
sport culture atmosphere and enrich our traditional sports
culture [1].
Although table tennis is a main course in the college
sports teaching and extracurricular physical exercise, and
it is carried out quite popular, there still exist some
problems. Since the college expanded enrollment, the
number of college students increases quickly, so there are
much more students who choose table tennis course.
During the table tennis teaching, we have found that the
training space and facilities is limited. The ratio of
students to teachers, the teachers’ level, curriculum setting
and other factors restrict the development of table tennis It
is imperative to improve the table tennis and its teaching
methods.
This paper discusses the current teaching situation
and existing problems, and then proposes corresponding
suggestions on reforming table tennis teaching.
II. THE CURRENT TEACHING SITUATION AND
ANALYSIS OF EXISTING PROBLEMS
A. Teacher’s Quality is Relatively Low
Teachers’ quality is an important guarantee in table
tennis teaching in college and university. At present, table
tennis teachers are mostly graduates from sports’ college.
Although they have learned for four years or even longer,
most of them don’t major in table tennis, and acquire the
skills by self-study after graduation. Compared with
professional athletes, they have a big disparity. So it is
difficult to meet students’ desire, and is difficult to
guarantee the quality of teaching and training, which is
bad for table tennis development. Moreover, the
construction of university teacher’s team has lagged
behind the expansion of students’ enrollment. Teacher’s
quality and numbers are relatively weak. The ratio of
students to teachers is not harmonious, that is, fewer
teachers but more classes, which is bad for table tennis
teaching. These situation make teachers always overwork
but get less extra payments, which affects the P.E
teachers’ enthusiasm. Without professional athletes, it is
very difficult to let students experience fun in their
exercise, and to learn basic table tennis skills [2].
B. Teaching Mode is Unvaried
Influenced by traditional physical education and
exam-oriented education, teaching effect becomes a
standard of measuring whether a kind of teaching mode is
good or not in university. We found that in most table
tennis teachers’ interaction with students, it still helplessly
follows the traditional physical teaching mode, students
have little interest and their learning enthusiasm is not
high. So their special and comprehensive ability is hard to
improve. During the table tennis teaching, teacher only
emphasizes the unity of teaching process. Teacher, not
students, is the center of class so that the whole teaching
process is relatively rigid, and the atmosphere is duller. It
only emphasizes the teacher’s leading position, ignores
the students’ subjective. Now we just focus on education
not learning, focus on uniform not variety, so a
multilateral interaction mode is not formed. The method
of cramming is usually used in the teaching process. The
teacher’s explanation, demonstration becomes the most
important and commonly method. The repeated
explanation and demonstration of the teachers make
students only concentrate on the results mechanically.
They only practice it, according to the teachers’
requirements. The students’ intelligence is not developed
and their thinking mode is restricted in the teaching
process [2,3]. The students receive the education
passively, lacking of positive exploration and aggressive
spirit. Therefore, it cut the throat of the students’ active
ability cultivation, and to a great extent it influences
teaching effect.
C. Methods of examination is imperfect
In college, the table tennis teaching aim is to test what
they have learned. The only aim for students learning is
for examination. The teaching content is not
comprehensive enough, which only put too much
emphasis on physical and technical skill test. As in the
test of table tennis, most teachers emphasis on the skills
and numbers of defending and attacking the ball, while
the students’ learning ability, their progress and attitude to
it are not comprehensively evaluated. Obviously, it is not
consistent with the cultivation of lifelong sports
consciousness and habits [1]. And the exam results are
most concerned by college students, which is also an
important source of their pressure. For most students
worry about their limited ability to exercise and they can
not pass the exam, which will let they lost their
scholarship and excellent ratings. The table tennis is a
kind of sports which need special techniques, but students
cannot master it in a short time, so the examining methods
can affect students’ enthusiasm of choosing table tennis
course [4].
D. Limited funds and fewer facilities
In recent years, with universities continuing to
expand their enrollment scales, the construction of sports
facilities is hard to meet the present teaching needs. Fewer
facilities seriously restrict the curriculum reform process
and the development of amateur training. Sports facilities
construction is the basis of researching the results analysis
in college table tennis education and its sustainable
development. If the facilities are not good, the
development of table tennis teaching will be restricted.
The relative shortage of table tennis facilities reflects the
bottleneck problem in current college table tennis
development, which has already become the major
barriers that prevent its development. In our country,
because the increasing number of college students, the
rapid development of table tennis and the growing
number of loving it, the table tennis facilities cannot meet
the needs of it in colleges and universities [5]. Although
some colleges and universities have table tennis stadium,
students need payment to use it in extracurricular time,
which affect the students’ enthusiasm.
E. Shortages of extracurricular activities
Extracurricular activities are the most important
sports activities in colleges and universities. The situation
that students who participate in the extracurricular
activities can reflect a college’s sports development,
therefore playing table tennis is important parts of college
extracurricular activities. Many students like table tennis.
But in extracurricular time, they play it rare. This maybe
caused by lack of teacher’s guiding, less table tennis
facilities, and less knowledge of practice skills. In
students’ spare time, their participation in table tennis is
not only related to their interest and activities, but to the
college’s management on extracurricular activities. Most
colleges and universities have not organized
extracurricular activities, such as table tennis club or
association. This phenomenon leads to choose item
randomly to do exercise, which will gradually make them
lost interest in table tennis.
III. SUGGESTIONS ON REFORMING TABLE
TENNIS TEACHING
A. Strengthening the construction of teacher’s team
Colleges and universities should train and educate
teachers regularly so that teachers can improve their
qualities. Management should pay for the teachers’ on-job
training. Teachers’ training should be standardized,
objective, systematic and reasonable. The training can
carry out through various forms like lectures, seminars,
and special reports. Some outstanding teachers should be
organized for a short-term training abroad if possible. By
training, teacher’s professional quality and ability can be
improved.
In addition, teachers’ introduction should be
improved too. On one hand, colleges and universities are
short of table tennis teachers. On the other hand, college
enrolment expansion leads to the increasing number of
students who choose table tennis course year by year. So
we should introduce new teachers that can inject some
fresh blood to the present teaching team, which is
undoubtedly a very important channel. In the process of
new teacher’s introduction, some masters and doctors
should be introduced firstly in order to meet the crosscentury development needs, base on the principle of open
and justice.
B. Reforming teaching methods
With the development of teaching reform in colleges
and universities, table tennis teaching mode shouldn’t
rigidly obey the traditional teaching mode and methods.
Teachers should get rid of the shackles of traditional
modes and methods and carry out reform and innovation.
1) Reforming content of courses
Reasonably assigning the time for theory teaching
and physical exercise in each semester can let students
learn techniques skills, theory and relative health care
knowledge simultaneously.
This can continuously
enhance the students’ physique and various physical
qualities [6]. Thereby, students can form the habit of
physical education for whole life. At the same time we
should pay attention to the quality of real competition, in
which students can practice their learned knowledge.
Young people like to show their talents in competition,
which is the charming of table tennis.
2) Encouraging Varied Teaching Modes
Varied teaching mode, such as dividing different
classes according to different learning objects and
different levels, should be encouraged. By this way,
different students can do their best to play the table tennis
according to their own level. The principle of studentsoriented should be strictly implemented. The peopleoriented education idea should stress in table tennis
teaching [7, 8]. Teachers should advocate the mode of
inquiry and open education, which can stimulate the
enthusiasm of students and provide opportunities for
students to engage in inquiry activity. It is good for
students’ independent exploration, cooperation and
communication.
3) Expanding Teaching Methods
Teaching methods should be adjusted according to
teaching aims, content of courses and teaching objects.
During teaching, teachers should use the methods of
“induction”, “help-type”, “create-type” and etc. At the
same time, teachers should use multimedia and teachers’
fixed-point or flow guidance in certain times and other
teaching methods. In order to stimulate students’ interest,
and build a relaxed and teaching pleasant atmosphere,
students can actively take part in physical activities,
changing passive learning to active participation [9,10].
These methods can help students master the knowledge
comprehensively, improve their sports abilities, and get a
regular exercise habit.
C. Standardizing Examining System
Examining system should connect the content of
exam with the daily teaching in order to stimulate
students’ enthusiasm and initiative. Three factors should
be included in the examining system. The first is basic
theory and its application ability, the second is the
students’ basic skills in playing table tennis. The third is
the students’ performance in or after class for a semester
or one year [11]. By this way, teachers can master every
student’s condition accurately and give a right score to
each student.
D. Strengthening Sport Facilities Construction
Indoor table tennis teaching has many advantages
over that outdoors. It not only can avoid the direct
influence of weather, but it can make the content of
courses last for long time, which can fully meet students
needs of learning table tennis and will stimulate their
learning interests. And the teaching effect will be
enhanced. So the number of indoor table tennis table
should be increased, which requires much money should
be invested.
E. Developing Extracurricular Activities of Table Tennis
According to Student’s Requirements
Various forms of table tennis activities have good
effect to improve the student’s skills and interests. In
recent years, table tennis clubs and associations have been
set up. These clubs and associations hold competitions
every year and gradually become a main group that table
tennis enthusiasts in different levels like to take part in.
The organizer of these clubs and associations should
introduce coaches to guide students’ training to develop
the college table tennis in a healthy and sustainable way.
In addition, various forms of daily table tennis
matches are another best way to attract student’s attention.
Small and medium matches can be held in a regular and
planned way, which will be better for the spreading of
table tennis. The students’ need and their hobbies should
be combined together. We should make best use of the
function of each department. In order to expand the table
tennis propaganda, we should set up clubs and
associations of table tennis, and hold table tennis training
classes, lectures and other academic activities, to improve
students’ understanding of table tennis. In students’ spare
time, some matches between different classes, grades, and
departments, even among different colleges in different
grades, levels and forms should be arranged. This can not
only enrich students’ extracurricular life, but also can
improve the student’s enthusiasm in table tennis.
V. CONCLUSION
This paper has discussed current teaching situation
and existing problems from five aspects and discussed
suggestions on reforming table tennis teaching from
corresponding five aspects: 1) strengthening the
construction of teacher’s team, 2) reforming teaching
methods, 3) standardizing examining system, 4)
strengthening sport facilities construction, and 5)
developing extracurricular activities of table tennis
according to student’s requirements.
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