Developing the Whole Child in Primary Physical Education

Physical literacy, a concept introduced by Britain’s physical education and phenomenological scholar, Margaret Whitehead, who aligned the term with her monist view of the human condition and emphasis that we are essentially embodied beings in-the-world, is a foundational hub of recent physical education curricular revision. The adoption of the term serves a political purpose as it helps stakeholders advocate for the educational, specifically literacy, rights of the whole child. Yet, one might wonder what impact conceptual shifts of becoming “physically literate” in lieu of becoming “physically educated” have on physical education research and practice. Terms such as “reading” the game and metaphors that describe the body as an “instrument of expression” are entering the lexicon of physical education but from a seemingly cognitive frame of reference. Arguably, the extent to which the adoption of physical literacy has on dissolving Cartesian views of the body and the mechanization of movement it performs has yet to be questioned. This article thus acts as an invitation to explore physical literacy in a Merleau-Pontian inspired act of inscribing the world through movement and how a reading of a reversible imprint might awaken a more fluent sense of what it means to become physically literate as new curricular pathways in the field of physical education emerge.

Download Full-text

Integrating Mindfulness into School Physical Activity Programming

Teaching and Learning ◽

10.26522/tl.v7i1.430 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Chunlei Lu

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Physical Education ◽

Healthy Lifestyle ◽

Critical Dimension ◽

Physical Activities ◽

Children And Youth ◽

Whole Child ◽

Active Lifestyles ◽

Physical Activity Programs ◽

Physical Activity Programming

Mindfulness is a critical dimension in current school physical activity programs (e.g., physical education, intramural, and interscholastic physical activities). School physical activity programs are a key vehicle used in developing healthy active lifestyles among children and youth; however, the absence of mindfulness in these programs has given rise to numerous problems (such as body-mind dualism and stress) that interfere with attaining program objectives. This paper discusses what mindfulness is, why it is needed, and how mindfulness can be integrated into school physical activity programming. The integration of mindfulness can help develop a healthy lifestyle for a whole child; in turn, our school physical activity programs can be re-conceptualized and transformed to deliver this objective on a perpetual basis.

Download Full-text

Whole Child Approach in a Physical Education Program

Journal of Physical Education Recreation & Dance ◽

10.1080/07303084.2018.1535337 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 90 (1) ◽

pp. 15-23

Author(s):

Carri Kreider

Keyword(s):

Physical Education ◽

Education Program ◽

Whole Child

Download Full-text

Fostering Holistic Development with a Designed Multisport Intervention in Physical Education: A Class-Randomized Cross-Over Trial

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18189871 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (18) ◽

pp. 9871

Author(s):

Giancarlo Condello ◽

Emiliano Mazzoli ◽

Ilaria Masci ◽

Antonio De Fano ◽

Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Physical Education ◽

Youth Development ◽

Interactive Effect ◽

Control Group ◽

Whole Child ◽

Prosocial Skills ◽

Specific Outcome ◽

Relevant Context ◽

Theory Base

Physical education (PE) is acknowledged as a relevant context for holistic child and youth development promotion. However, interventional research mostly builds on individual theories focused on specific outcome domains. This study presents a multisport enriched PE intervention that capitalizes on the intersection of different theory-based approaches to motor, cognitive and socio-emotional skills development promotion. With a cross-over design, 181 fifth graders, coming from a past class-randomized trial of enriched or traditional PE in their 1st–3rd grade, were stratified (based on their previous PE experience) and class-randomized to multisport enriched PE or control group. They completed pre-post assessments in motor and sport skills, cool (inhibition, working memory) and hot (decision making) executive functions, prosocial (empathy, cooperation) and antisocial (quick-temperedness, disruptiveness) behaviors. Children in the enriched PE group showed advantages in motor and prosocial skills after the intervention, which were linked by a mediation path, and an interactive effect of past and actual PE experience on decision making but no differential effects on other variables. The results suggest that a PE intervention designed with an integrative theory base, although not allowing disentangling the contribution of individual components to its efficacy, may help pursue benefits in motor and non-motor domains relevant to whole-child development.

Download Full-text

Assessment for learning in Physical Education: Its emergent relationships with motor competence development and intrinsic motivation toward physical literacy

Ágora para la Educación Física y el Deporte ◽

10.24197/aefd.2-3.2018.213-234 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 20 (2-3) ◽

pp. 213-234

Author(s):

Ana Luísa Quitério

Keyword(s):

Physical Education ◽

Intrinsic Motivation ◽

Assessment For Learning ◽

Competence Development ◽

Whole Child ◽

Physical Literacy ◽

Motor Competence ◽

Physically Active ◽

Child Education ◽

Active Lifestyles

By pursuing the well-known idea that assessment for learning is paramount for enhance learning, this paper argues that assessment for learning in physical education (PE) is the best process and strategy to ensure an adequate motor competence development, physical literacy and foster intrinsic motivation in PE. There is the need to consider assessment for learning as a cornerstone for successful motor competence development, PE learning and physical literacy, recognized as an essential basis for the whole-child education. The current paper presents a set of arguments supporting motor competence development and its assessment within PE. Finally, it is briefly provided a background to improve the strategies that facilitate the promotion of PE autonomy-supportive environments in order to enhance motor competence, intrinsic motivation for PE learning, physical literacy, and physically active lifestyles.

Download Full-text